نَظَرْتُ كما جَلّتْ عُقابٌ على إرَمْ

وإنّي لَفرَدٌ مثل ما انفرَدَ الزَّلَمْ

I looked as an eagle soared over Irma,

And I am alone like the separated colt.

بمَرْقَبَةٍ مثلَ السِّنانِ تَقَدّمَتْ

خياشِيمُهُ واستُرْدِفَ العاملُ الأصَمّ

With a gaze like teeth proceeding,

Its nostrils and the worker followed deaf.

فلا قُلّةٌ شَهْبَاءُ إلاّ رَبَأتُهَا

ولا عَلَمٌ إلاّ رقَأتُ ذُرَى العَلَم

So I have no little gray but I have guided it,

Nor a flag but I have combed the flag's motes.

فقلتُ أدارُ المالِكِيّةِ ما أرى

بأسفَلِ ذا الوادي أم الطَّلْحُ والسلَم

So I said I would turn Al-Malikiyah as I see,

At the bottom of this valley or the acacia and peace.

وأكذَبَني طَرْفي فخَفّضْتُ كَلْكَلاً

وأطْرَقْتُ إطراقَ الشجاع ولم أرِم

And my eyes belied me so I bent my anklet,

And I bowed the bowing of the brave and did not throw.

فلمّا أجَنّ الشمسَ رَيبٌ من الدُّجى

ولفَّ سوامَ الحَيّ سَيْلٌ من العَتَم

So when the sun inclined with doubt from dusk,

And the stallions of life were wrapped in a flood of darkness.

عرفْتُ دِيارَ الحَيّ بالنّارِ للقِرَى

تُشَبُّ وبالأنجوجِ يُذكَى ويَضْطرَم

I knew the homes of life by the fire for homes

Kindling, and by the lamps, igniting and blazing.

وأرعَيْتُها سَمْعي وقد راعَني لها

صَهِيلُ المَذاكي قبلَ قَرقرةِ النَّعَم

And I pastured them my hearing, and the neighing of the camels pastured me before the bleating of the sheep.

So when I saw the horizon walking

فلمّا رأيتُ الأفقَ قد سارَ سِيرَةً

مجوسِيّةً واسحنْكَكَ اللوح وادلهمّ

A Magian course, and the tablet stumbled and was erased.

And there remained only the nightly entertainer

ولم يَبْقَ إلاّ سامِرُ الليلِ هادِرٌ

من البُزلِ أو غِرّيدُ سِرْبٍ من البَهَم

Of the tents, or the chirping of a flock of ringdoves.

I knocked on the girl of life when her family slept,

طرقْتُ فتاةَ الحيّ إذ نامَ أهلُهَا

وقد قامَ ليلُ العاشقينَ على قَدَم

And the night of lovers arose steady.

She said, "Each time you came knocking,

فقالتْ أحَقّاً كلما جئتَ طارقاً

هتكتَ حجابَ المَجْدِ عن ظبية الحرَم

You stripped the veil of glory from the gazelle of the harem."

So I calmed down from her threat - she is an easy,

فسكّنْتُ من إرْعادِهَا وهْيَ هَونَةٌ

ضَعيفةُ طَيّ الخَصرِ في لحظِها سَقَم

Weak girl with a slender waist and sickly in her glance.

I hug my ribs to her as if from fear,

أضُمُّ عليْهَا أضْلُعي وكأنّهَا

من الذُّعْرِ نَشْوَى أو تطَرّقَها لَمَم

She shuddered or a disaster struck her.

I incline her the incline of the swaying branch, leaning

أمِيلُ بها مَيْلَ النّزيفَةِ مُسْنِداً

إلى الصّدرِ منها ناعمَ الصّدر قد نجَم

Against her soft chest, blossomed.

And I did not forget her folding my hands with a

ولم أنْسَها تَثني يدَي بمُطَرَّفٍ

لطيفٍ على المِسْواك مُختضِبٍ بدَم

Delicate perfumed miswak stained with blood.

So I spent the night diverting myself from what disturbs me,

فبِتُّ أُداري النفسَ عمّا يُريبُهَا

ونامَ القَطا من طُولِ لَيلي ولم أنَم

And the cat slept from the length of my night and I did not sleep.

And I did not forget a glance from her when she bid farewell,

ولم أنسَ منها نَظرةً حينَ ودَّعَتْ

وقد مُلِئَتْ دَلوُ الصّباح إلى الوَذَم

And the bucket of dawn had been filled to the brim.

I compete with her secretly with glances as if

أُنازِعُها باللَحْظِ سِرّاً كأنّمَا

تعلّمَ منها اللحظُ ما نَسيَ القَلَم

The glance learned what the pen forgot.

And jealousy assured in its ill thinking,

وقدْ أحْكَمَ الغَيرانُ في سوءِ ظَنّهِ

فما شَكّ في قَتلي وإن كان قد حَلُم

So it did not doubt killing me even if it was forbearing.

So it spent the night with a heart, its deceit kindled against me,

فباتَ بقلْبٍ قد تَوَغّرَ خِلْبُهُ

عليّ وشُبّتْ نارُهُ ليَ واحْتَدَم

And its fire blazed for me and raged.

And it came stripping the ground from my steps

وأقبَلَ يَسْتافُ الثّرَى من مَدارِجي

ومَسْحَبِ أذيالي على الرُّغْلِ واليَنَم

And trails of my robes on the path and settlement.

So nothing alerted it but my leaning place

فما راعَهُ إلاّ مكانُ تَوكّؤي

على سِيَةِ القوسِ المُغَشّاةِ بالأدَم

On the spine of the bow covered in red leather.

And a mark of my drinking cup on the ground

ومَسقطُ قِدْح من قِداحي على الثّرَى

ومُنْقَدُّ ذَيْلٍ من ذُيولي على الأكَم

And the trailing of a tail of my robes on the thicket.

And it verified what the whiff of a lonely one suggested,

وقد صَدّقَتْ ما ظنَّ نَفحَةَ عازِبٍ

من الرّوضِ دَلّتْهُ على الطارقِ المُلِمّ

Roaming about the fringes of domes, sniffing,

Then the scent of the lion splits, and the lion in the thickets.

يُطيفُ بأطنابِ القِبابِ مُسَهَّداً

فيَنشَقُ ريحَ اللّيثِ والليثُ في الأجَم

At the daughter of Qayl who gave sanctuary to her protector,

So she spared the protector of life from it even if it was enraged.

لَدَى بِنْتِ قَيْلٍ قد أجارَتْ عميدَها

فكَفّتْ عميدَ الحّي عنْهُ وإن رُغم

And she is shy that it barges into her room,

So the awe of glory and generosity banishes it from us.

وتَقْنى حَياءً أن يُلِمّ بخِدْرِهَا

فتَنْفِيه عنّا هيبةُ المجدِ والكرَم

So we spent the night confiding in the mothers of its conscience,

And it was tired of the stoning of suspicions and had enough.

فبِتْنا نُناجي أُمّهاتِ ضمِيرِهِ

وقد مَلّ من رَجمِ الظنونِ وقد سَئِم

I unveiled the inside of the room and it was on guard,

So when we got acquainted I decided to confront it and it decided.

هَتكتُ سُجوفَ الخِدرِ وهو بمَرصَدٍ

فلمّا تَعَارَفْنَا هممتُ به وهَمّ

So I drew my sword when it drew its sword,

And it surged to the past and I surged to the foe.

فبادَرْتُ سَيفي حينَ بادَرَ سيْفَهُ

فثارَ إلى ماضٍ وثُرتُ إلى خَذِم

And it alerted the end of life that I and their group

And the breast of the sword rose from the glorious pillar.

ونَبّهَ أقصَى الحيّ أنّي وتَرتُهُم

وقد علّ صَدُر السيفِ من ماجِدٍ عَمَم

So they did not saddle until I stumbled over the spear

And they did not bridle until I slipped from the tents.

فما أسْرَجُوا حتى تَعَثّرْتُ بالقَنَا

ولا ألجَموا حتى مَرَقْتُ من الخِيَم

And from between the two mantles you see them,

The soul's fringes and nature and propriety are delicate.

ومِن بَينِ بُرْدَيَّ اللذينِ تراهُما

رقيقُ حواشي النفس والطبْع والشّيَم

It walks the course of Ibn 'Amr so it takes

The most splendid collection in its virtue as an example.

يَسيرُ على نَهْجِ ابنِ عَمْرٍو فيَقْتَدي

بأروَعَ مجْموعٍ على فَضْلِهِ الأُمَم