هاجَ رَسمٌ دارِسٌ طَرَباً

فطويلا ظَللّتَ مُكتَئِبا

A craving depiction yearned anxiously,

So long you remained depressed and gloomy,

أن رأَيتَ الدارَ موحِشَةً

بِلغاطٍ كَم لَها رَجَبا

When you saw the abode deserted,

With clay how long it resisted and endured,

دارَ هِندٍ بالسِتارِ وَقَد

رَثَّ حَبلُ العهد فاِنقَضَبا

A house of affection with curtains,

The rope of the pact snapped and broke,

بَينَ سيلِ الواديَينِ كَما

نَمنَمَ ابنا مُنذِرٍ كُتُبا

Between the valley streams like

The starling of Mundhir's son sang,

أَنبأتكَ الطَيرُ إِذ سَنَحَت

وَالغُرابُ الوَحفُ إِذ نَعَبا

The birds informed you when they chanced,

And the ominous raven when it croaked,

أَنَّ هِنداً غَيرَ مُسقِبَةٍ

بالديارِ كالَّذي حَسِبا

That Hind is not veiled,

In the abode like the one who reckoned,

وَعروبٍ غيرِ مُسقِبَةٍ

قَد مَلكتُ شُكرَها حِقَبا

And a bare-headed Arab woman

Whose gratitude I earned deservingly,

ثم آلت لا تُكَلِّمُنا

كُلُّ حَيٍّ مُعقِبٌ عُقَبا

Then she became unable to speak to us,

Every living being has what comes after,

وَلَقَد آوى إِلى ثُبَةٍ

يُحسِنونَ بينهم أَدَبا

And I took refuge in Thu'ba,

Where they have good manners between them,

ثم أُروي الواغلينَ وَلَم

أَكُ كَلباً بينهم كَلِبا

Then I watered the camels and did not

Become a dog among dogs,

وَكَميٍّ قَد أَدَوتُ له

لَم يكن لِقاؤُه لَعِبا

And Mayyi whose abode

Meeting him was not playing,

فَتحاجَزنا به رَمَقٌ

جَسِدَ اللَباتِ مُختضِبا

So we were separated by a glance

That kindled the ashes,

وَتخاطَرنا النفوسَ وَقَد

يُفلِجُ الموائِلُ النَدبا

And we gambled our souls though

Parting causes laments,

وَلَقَد وَصَلتُ ذا رَحِمٍ

وَنَظَرتُ نَظرَةً عَجَبا

And I visited a relative

And looked a wondrous look,

من ذُرى حَورانَ قُلتُ لَه

وَكِلانا ناظِرٌ دأَبا

Of the offspring of Hawran I said to him

While both of us were intent and busy,

أَعُبَيدُ هَل تَرى ظُعُناً

أَقبلت حَزايقا عُصَبا

Do you see, O Aba Ubayd,

Approaching companies bound tightly,

طايفاتٍ يعتَسِفنَ مَعاً

مِن أَعالي حائِلٍ كُثُبا

Roaming together

From the heights of Hail ascending,

قاطِعاتٍ بَطنَ مافِقَةٍ

يبَتَدِرنَ الهَجمَ وَالقَرَبا

Cutting through the belly of Mafeqah,

Brandishing weapons and spears,

جازِعاتٍ بالغُطاطِ مَعاً

مِن أَعالي عازِفٍ شُعَبا

Terrifying with cries together

From the heights of Azif ascending,

أفأَثلا قُلتُ تحسِبُهم

أَم نخيلاً أَينعَت رُطَبا

Are they human, I said, you think

Or palm trees laden with fruit,

وَعَلى الأَحداجِ مُغزِلَةٌ

يَبتَذِلنَ الدُرَّ وَالذَهَبا

And on the litters unveiled

Sporting pearls and gold,

أَبلغِ الملوكَ مألُكَةً

مَن نأى في الأَرضِ أَو قَرُبا

Inform the kings, whichever

Drew apart or came near in the land,

أَنَّ حَولي مِن ذُرى أجأ

زَلَقاً تَخالُه نُصُبا

That around me are offspring of Ajaa

Whose valor seems established,

حَولَهُ تَرعى حَمولتُنا

تأكُلُ العِضاهَ وَالكَنَبا

Around it our camels graze

Eating thorns and anab,

يا بُرَيقا بِتُّ أَرقُبُه

كانِساً في المُزنِ محتَجِبا

O Burayqa who spent the night awake

Hiding in the baggage,

باتَ يَرقى في السَماءِ كَما

حَرَّقت حاريَّةٌ قَصَبا

He spent the night ascending in the sky as

A shooting star kindled the reeds,

تَحتَهُ ريحٌ يمانيةٌ

فَتُثيرُ وادِقاً هَدِبا

Under it a yamani wind

Stirring up a storm,

فَتسُحُّ الماءَ ما سكنَت

فَإِذا هاجَت له اضطَرَبا

Then it sweeps the water that calmed

So when it rages it is turbulent,

فَلِتَرعَهُ بنو ثُعَلٍ

وَليَسقِ نَؤوه العُشُبا

So let the clan of Thu'al water it

And let its meadows give it to drink,

وَبَنو جَرمٍ وَإِن زَعَموا

أَنَّ شِعري كانَ مؤتَشِبا

And the clan of Jarm, though they claimed

That my poetry was fabricated,

إِنَّني غَيرَ الَّذي زَعَموا

واسِطٌ في طَيءٍ نَسَبا

I am not the one they claimed

A mediator among Tayyi in lineage,

إِنَّني مِن غَضبَةٍ فَرَعَت

ذِروةً لما تَكن ذَنَبا

I am from Ghadbah who grazed

A peak when she was not with calf,