تَعاهَدَتكَ العِهادُ يا طَلَلُ

حَدِّث عَنِ الظاعِنينَ ما فَعَلوا

The vows of time have bound you, O ruins

Tell of the departed ones, what they did

فَقالَ لَم أَدرِ غَيرَ أَنَّهُمُ

صاحَ غُرابٌ بِالبَينِ فَاِحتَمَلوا

So it said, I know not save that they

A raven croaked bid them farewell

لا طالَ لَيلي وَلا نَهاري مَن

يَسكُنُني أَو يَرُدَّهُم قَفَلُ

Neither my long night nor my day grants me

One who will console me or bring them back, locked

وَلا تَحَلَّيتُ بِالرِياضِ وَلا ال

نورِ وَمَغنايَ مِنهُمُ عَطَلُ

Nor have I adorned myself with meadows or the

Light, and my solace from them is lost

عَلَيَّ هَذا فَما عَلَيكَ لَهُم

قُلتُ حَنينٌ وَدَمعَةٌ تَشِلُ

This is upon me, what is upon you for them?

I said: yearning and a tear that melts

وَإِنَّني مُقفَلُ الضَمائِرِ مِن

حُبِّ سِواهُم ما حَنَّتِ الإِبلُ

And I, the feelings are locked up within me

For love of others - have the camels yearned?

فَقالَ مَهلاً تَبِعتُهُم أَبَداً

إِن نَزِلوا مَنزِلاً وَإِن رَحَلوا

It said: wait, I would follow them forever

Whether they camped or journeyed on

هَيهاتَ إِنَّ المُحِبَّ لَيسَ لَهُ

هَمٌّ بِغَيرِ الهَوى وَلا شَغَلُ

Alas! The lover has no care

Except his passion, nor other toil

تَرَكتَ أَيدي النَوى تَعودُهُمُ

وَجِئتَني عَن حَديثِهِم تَسَلُ

You left the hands of resolve to guide them

And you came to me to ask about their tale

فَقُلتُ لِلرُكبِ لا قَرارَ لَنا

مِن دونِ سَلمى وَإِن أَبى العَذَلُ

So I said to the band: we have no rest

Save with Salma, though the blamer blames

وَلَم نَزَل نَخبِطُ البِلادَ بِأَخ

فافِ المَطايا وَالظِلُّ مُعتَدِلُ

Nor did we stop roaming the lands with a brother

Of lofty ideals, while the shade stretches

كَأَنَّما طارَ تَحتَنا قَزَعٌ

عَلى أَكُفِّ الرِياحِ يَنتَقِلُ

As if a feathered ostrich bore us

On the palms of the winds, shifting

يَفري بُطونَ النَقا النَقيَّ كَما

يَطعَنُ بَينَ الجَوانِحِ الأَسَلُ

It ripped open the bellies of the she-camels as

A spear rips between the ribs

حَتّى تَبَدّى في الفَجرِ ظَعنُهُمُ

وَسائِقُ الصُبحِ بِالدَجى عَجِلُ

Until their abodes appeared in the dawn

And the driver of the morning hurried in the gloom

وَفَوقَهُنَّ البُدورُ يَحجُبُها

هَوادِجٌ تَحتَ رَقمِها الكِلَلُ

Above them the full moons, veils covering them

Shelters, beneath their symbols wrapped

فَلَم يَكُن بَينَنا سِوى اللَحظِ وَال

دَمعِ كَلامٌ لَنا وَلا رُسُلُ

So between us was nothing but a glance and

Tears, words for us or messages

هَذا لِهَذا فَما لِذي إِحَنٍ

يَدُسُّ لي كَيدَهُ وَيَختَتِلُ

This to that - but what of him with rancor

Who plots against me and wrangles?

وَإِن حَضَرتُ النَدِيَّ وَكَّلَ بي

لَحظاً بِنَبلِ الشَحناءِ يَنتَضِلُ

And if the neighbor draws near and busies me

For a moment with the arrows of calamity that pierce

يا وَيلَهُ مِن وُثوبِ مُفتَرِسٍ

رُبَّ سُكونٍ مِن تَحتِهِ عَمَلُ

Oh woe to him from the garb of a predator!

Many a stillness beneath it moves

إِستَبقِ حِلمي لا تُفنِهِ سَرَفاً

فَبَعدَ حِلمي لِأُمِّكَ الثَكَلُ

Preserve my forbearance, do not waste it,

For after my forbearance - may your mother be bereaved!

وَقَد تَرَدَّيتُ بِاِبنِ صاعِقَةٍ

أَخضَرَ ما في غِرارِهِ فَلَلُ

And I have been cursed with the son of lightning flash

However much green is in its clouds, it vanishes

كَم مِن عُداةٍ أَبادَهُم غَضَبي

فَلَم أَقُل أَينَ هُم وَما فَعَلوا

How many enemies my wrath has destroyed

I did not say: where are they and what did they do?