طَرِبتَ وَعنّاكَ الهَوى وَالتَطَرُّبُ

وَعادَتكَ أَحزانٌ تَشوقُ وَتَنصِبُ

You were disturbed by passion and infatuation,

And your disposition turned to yearning and erecting.

وأَصبَحتَ من لَيلى هَلوعاً كَأَنَّما

أَصابَكَ مومٌ من تِهامةَ مورَبُ

You became in the morning disconsolate for Layla, as though

A disease from Tehama had stricken you with its biting edge.

أَلا لابَلِ الأَشواقُ هاجَت هُمومَهُ

وَأَشجانَهُ فالدَمعُ لِلوَجدِ يَسكُبُ

Indeed, the patient one, his passions stirred his sorrows,

And his groans - so tears for anguish pour forth.

وَلَيلى أَناةٌ كالمَهاةِ غَريرَةٌ

منعَّمَةٌ تُصبي الحَليمَ وَتخلبُ

And Layla is gentle, soft as an unweaned young she-camel,

Pampered, she who makes the forbearing fall in love, and captivates.

كأَنَّ ثَناياها تَعلَّلنَ موهِناً

غَبيقاً مِن الصَهباءِ بَل هيَ أَعذَبُ

As though her figure was clad attractively

In a diaphanous robe of Zuhair, most delicate fabric.

وَما أُمُّ خِشفٍ شادِنٍ بخَميلةٍ

من الدَهسِ منه هايلٌ وَمُكَثَّبُ

And no mother of a timid, weak-hearted creature,

Of fine built, is more inclining, desirous, forward.

يَعِنُّ لَها طَوراً يَروقُها

عَلى الأُنسِ منه جرأةٌ وَتَوثُّبُ

She cares for him for a while, is pleased with him

For companionship - from her boldness and vivacity.

بأَحسنَ منها مُقلةً ومقَلَّداً

وَإِن هيَ لَم تُسعِف وَطالَ التَجَنُّبُ

With the best ornament and jewelry that adorns her

Even if she is not compliant and avoidance became prolonged.

وَما رَوضةٌ وسميَّةٌ حَمويَّةٌ

بِها مونقاتٌ من خُزامى وَحُلَّبُ

And no garden, fertile, Hamawiyah,

Wherein are delicate plants of Khazami and Hubbal.

تَعاورَها وَدقُ السَماءِ وَديمَةٌ

يَظَلُّ عَلَيها وَبلُها يَتَحَلَّبُ

The rain pouring on it and sprinkling,

Overshadowing and wetting it, dripping.

بأَطيبَ منها نَكهَةً بَعدَ هجعَةٍ

إِذا ما تَدلّى الكَواكبُ المتصَوِّبُ

More sweetly scented than it after slumber

When the inclining stars appear.

فَدَع ذِكرَ لَيلى إِذا نأتكَ بوِدِّها

وَإِذ هيَ لا تَدنو إِلَيكَ فَتسقُبُ

So leave mentioning Layla if she refuses you,

And if she does not approach you, so embrace.

أَتَتنا تَميمٌ قَضُّها بقَضيضِها

وَمَن سارَ من أَلفافِهم وَتأشَّبوا

Tamim came to us, their affliction in their harshness,

And those who walked of their mixed horde all became dusty.

بَرَجراجةٍ لا يُنفِدُ الطَرفُ عَرضَها

لَها زَجَلٌ قَد احزأَلَّ وَمَلحَبُ

With a wide plain that eyes cannot encompass its width,

For it a noisy poem that distressed and became disordered.

فَلَمّا رَأَيناهم كأَنَّ زُهاءَهم

عَلى الأَرضِ إَصباحاً سوادٌ وَغُرَّبُ

So when we saw them, their garments

On the ground in the morning were darkness and dust.

سَمَونا لهم بالخَيلِ تَردي كَأَنَّها

سَعالٍ وَعِقبانُ اللِوى حينَ تُركَبُ

We set out against them with horses swift as though they were

Coughing, and forelocks of twisting when they gallop.

ضَوامِرُ أَمثالُ القِداحِ يَكُرُّها

عَلى المَوتِ أَبناءُ الحُروبِ فتحرَبُ

Chargers like pillars of battle overturning them

Toward death - the battle-hardened sons of war - so they were defeated.

فَقالوا الصَبوحَ عِندَ أَولِ وَهلَةٍ

فَقُلنا لهم أَهلٌ تَميمٌ وَمَرحَبُ

They said good morning at the first opportunity,

So we said to them, "A people, Tamim, and welcome!"

أَلَم تَعلَموا أَنّا نَرُدُّ عدوَّنا

إِذا احشوا شَدوا في جَمعِهم وَتأَلَّبوا

"Do you not know that we repel our enemy

When they were insolent, united in their assembly?"

بِضَربٍ يَفُضُّ الهامَ شِدَّةُ وَقعِهِ

وَوَخزٍ تَرى منه التَرائِبَ تَشخُبُ

With a blow that spills blood - intense is its impact -

And a stab that you see from it the innards gush forth.

فَلاقوا مِصاعاً مِن أُناسٍ كَأَنَّهم

أسودُ العَرينِ صادِقاً لا يُكَذِّبُ

So they met with an affliction from people like

Lions of the den, truthful, they do not lie.

فَلَم تَرَ منهم غَيرَ كابٍ لِوَجهِهِ

وآخرَ مَغلولٍ وآخر يَهرُبُ

And you would not see from them but one covering his face,

And another bound, and another fleeing.

وَلَم يَبقَ إِلّا خَيفَقٌ أَعوجيَّةٌ

وَإِلّا طِمِرُّ كالهِراوَةِ مِنهَبُ

And there did not remain but quivering females,

And except a Nimr cattle-marker like a leather bag tossed about.

وَفاءَ لنا منهم نِساءٌ كَأَنَّها

بِوَجرَةَ وَالسُلّانِ عينٌ وَرَبرَبُ

There returned to us from them women who were as though

With prominent collarbone and sleek body, a gazelle, nimble.

وَنحن قَتَلنا عامِراً وابنَ أُمِّهِ

ووافاهُما يَومٌ شَتيمٌ عَصَبصَبُ

And we killed Amir and his mother's son,

And they were afflicted by a calamitous, painful day.

وَغودِرَ فيها ابنا رِياحٍ وَحَبتَرٍ

تَنوشُهمُ طَيرٌ عِتاقٌ وأذؤُبُ

And there perished therein the two sons of Riyah and Habtar,

Whose corpses were torn by devouring birds of prey and wolves.

وَيعدو بِبَزّي هَيكلُ الخَلقِ سابِحٌ

مُمَرٌّ أَسيلُ الخَدِّ أَجرَدُ شَرجَبُ

And Salih runs with the physique of mankind swimming,

Bald forehead, smooth-cheeked, shanks bare.

كَأَنّي غَداةَ الرَوعِ من أُسدِ زارةٍ

أَبو أَشبُلٍ عَبلُ الذِراعَينِ مِحرَبُ

As though I - on the morning of fright from a roaring lion -

Abu Ashbal - thick of forearms, seasoned warrior.

وَلَمّا رأَيتُ الخَيلَ تَدمي نُحورُها

كَررَتُ فَلَم أَنكُل إِذا القَومُ هَيَّبوا

And when I saw the horses wetting their chests,

I returned, and did not flinch when the people screamed.

حَبَوتُ أَبا الرَحالِ مِنّي بطَعنَةٍ

يَمُدُّ بِها آتٍ مِن الجَوفِ يَزعَبُ

I made Abu Al-Rahal stumble with a stab from me

From which a noble rider spills forth.

فَلَم أَرقِهِ إِن يَنجُ منها وَإِن يَمت

فَجيَّاشَةٌ فيها عَوانِدُ تَثعَبُ

And I did not care if he escapes it or dies from it -

For it has deadly, gaping wounds.

وَقَد عَلِمَت أَولى المُغيرَةِ أَنَّني

كَررَتُ وَقَد شَلَّ السوامُ المُعَزِّبُ

And the chiefs of Mughirah knew already that I had returned

When the warriors were paralyzed, hindered.

وَنَهنَهتُ رَيعانَ العَديِّ كَأَنَّهُ

غَوارِبُ تَيّارٍ من اليَمِّ يُجنَبُ

And I routed the young men of al-Adiyy as though he were

Torrents of water from the sea, sidestepped.

فَسائِل بَني الجَعراءِ كَيفَ مِصاعُنا

إِذا كَرَّرَ الدَعوى المُشيحُ المَثوِّبُ

So ask the clan of Al-Ja'ara how our affliction was

When the claimant repeatedly complained and was rewarded.