لِمَنِ الدِيارُ غَشِيتُها بِسُحامِ
فَعَمايَتَينِ فَهُضبُ ذي أَقدامِ
To whom do the abodes belong that I have covered in the evening,
With its two darknesses, so the plateau with legs became desolate?
فَصَفا الأَطيطِ فَصاحَتَينِ فَغاضِرٍ
تَمشي النِعاجُ بِها مَعَ الآرامِ
The voice of the watchman yelled, so the beautiful one raised her voice.
The sheep walk in it slowly at night.
دارٌ لِهِندٍ وَالرَبابِ وَفَرتَنى
وَلَميسَ قَبلَ حَوادِثِ الأَيّامِ
It is a house for Hind and Rabab, and so it seemed to me,
And Lamees, before the events of time.
عوجا عَلى الطَلَلِ المَحيلِ لِأَنَنا
نَبكي الدِيارَ كَما بَكى اِبنُ خِذامِ
I cried over the abodes as Ibn Khidham cried,
Bending over the ruined abodes.
أَو ما تَرى أَظعانَهُنَّ بَواكِراً
كَالنَخلِ مِن شَوكانَ حينَ صِرامِ
Or don’t you see their young oryxes in the morning
Like palm trees among the thorns when picked?
حوراً تُعَلَّلُ بِالعَبيرِ جُلودُها
بيضُ الوُجوهِ نَواعِمُ الأَجسامِ
Houries whose skins are scented with ambergris,
Fair of face, tender of body.
فَظَلِلتُ في دِمَنِ الدِيارِ كَأَنَّني
نَشوانُ باكِرَةٌ صَبوحُ مُدامِ
So I lingered in the ruins of the abode as if I were
Nashwan, spending the early morning drinking wine.
أُنُفٍ كَلَونِ دَمِ الغَزالِ مُعَتَّقٍ
مِن خَمرِ عانَةَ أَو كُرومِ شَبامِ
A nose the color of gazelle’s blood, drunk
From the wine of Anah or the vineyards of Shabam.
وَكَأَنَّ شارِبَها أَصابَ لِسانَهُ
مومٌ يُخالِطُ جِسمَهُ بِسَقامِ
Its drinker’s tongue was as if laden with poison
That spread through his body, bringing sickness.
وَمُجِدَّةٌ نَسَّأتُها فَتَكَمَّشَت
رَتْكَ النَعامَةِ في طَريقٍ حامِ
Adorned, which I looked at closely, and it frowned
Like the frowning of the ostrich in heated sands.
تَخدي عَلى العِلّاتِ سامٍ رَأسُها
رَوعاءَ مَنسِمُها رَثيمٌ دامِ
It marched against me so I said, “Restrain yourself,
For killing me is forbidden to you.”
جالَت لِتَصرَعَني فَقُلتُ لَها اِقصِري
إِنّي اِمرُؤٌ صَرعي عَلَيكِ حَرامِ
So you were rewarded, the best reward for a single she-camel,
And you returned safe and sound, in peace.
فَجُزِيتِ خَيرَ جَزاءِ ناقَةِ واحِدٍ
وَرَجَعتِ سالِمَةَ القَرا بِسَلامِ
As if it were Badr, the foal of Katifa,
Or as if from a rational chief, judges.
وَكَأَنَّما بَدرٌ وَصيلُ كَتيفَةٍ
وَكَأَنَّما مِن عاقِلٍ أَرمامِ
Convey to Subay’ if a message presents itself:
“I am your protector if you reside in front of me.”
أَبلِغ سُبَيعاً إِن عَرَضتَ رِسالَةً
أَنّي كَهَمِّكَ إِن عَشَوتَ أَمامي
Cut short your threats to me, for I am
Not too timid for what I may face.
أَقصِر إِلَيكَ مِنَ الوَعيدِ فَإِنَّني
مِمّا أُلاقي لا أَشُدُّ حِزامي
I am the awakened one, after they were put to sleep,
And I am the one who proclaimed the dawn to the sleepy ones.
وَأَنا المُنَبَّهُ بَعدَما قَد نُوِّموا
وَأَنا المُعالِنُ صَفحَةَ النُوّامِ
I am the one whose excellence Mudar knew,
And I sang of the nobility of Ibn Umm Qatam.
وَأَنا الَّذي عَرَفَت مَعَدٌ فَضلَهُ
وَنُشِدتُ عَن حُجرِ اِبنِ أُمِّ قَطامِ
And I fight the hated hero with his own fight.
When I battle, my arrows do not miss.
وَأُنازِلُ البَطَلَ الكَريهَ نِزالُهُ
وَإِذا أُناضِلُ لا تَطيشُ سِهامي
My uncle the son of Kabsha, you knew his place,
And Abu Yazeed and his brothers, my paternal uncles.
خالي اِبنُ كَبشَةَ قَد عَلِمتَ مَكانَهُ
وَأَبو يَزيدَ وَرَهطُهُ أَعمامي
And if you are harmed in a city and take leave of it,
I will not stay anywhere but my house.
وَإِذا أُذيتَ بِبَلدَةٍ وَدَّعتَها
وَلا أُقيمُ بِغَيرِ دارِ مُقامِ
