لَقَد فَرِحَ الواشونَ أَن صَرَمَت حَبلي

بُثَينَةُ أَو أَبدَت لَنا جانِبَ البُخلِ

The Washites rejoiced that Buthaina cut off her rope to me,

Or showed to us her side of stinginess.

يَقولونَ مَهلاً يا جَميلُ وَإِنَّني

لَأُقسِمُ ما لي عَن بُثَينَةَ مِن مَهلِ

They say, "Wait, O beautiful one," but I swear

I have no waiting for Buthaina.

أَحِلماً فَقَبلَ اليَوم كانَ أَوانُهُ

أَم اَخشى فَقَبلَ اليَومِ أوعِدتُ بِالقَتلِ

Was I forebearing? Yet the time for it had passed,

Or did I fear? Yet before this day I was promised death.

لَقَد أَنكَحوا جَهلاً نُبَيهاً ظَعينَةً

لَطيفَةَ طَيِّ الكَشحِ ذاتَ شَوىً خَدلِ

They married an ignorant, cunning, covetous girl,

Of delicate figure, soft cheek, having an allure.

وَكَم قَد رَأَينا ساعِياً بِنَميمَةٍ

لآخَرَ لَم يَعمِد بِكَفٍّ وَلا رِجلِ

And how many times did we see a gossip

Carrying gossip about another, without using a hand or a foot.

إِذا ما تَراجَعنا الَّذي كانَ بَينَنا

جَرى الدَمعُ مِن عَينَي بُثَينَةَ بِالكُحلِ

When we make up after what was between us,

Tears flowed from Buthaina's eyes with kohl.

وَلَو تَرَكَت عَقلي مَعي ما طَلَبتُها

وَلَكِن طِلابيها لِما فاتَ مِن عَقلي

If my mind had stayed with me I would not have sought her,

But my seeking her was due to what had gone of my mind.

فَيا وَيحَ نَفسي حَسب نَفسي الَّذي بِها

وَيا وَيحَ أَهلي ما أُصيبَ بِهِ أَهلي

So woe to my soul! Enough for my soul what it has,

And woe to my family! What has befallen my family.

وَقالَت لِأَترابٍ لَها لا زَعانِفٍ

قِصارٍ وَلا كُسَّ الثَنايا وَلا ثُعلِ

And she said to female companions who had no fins,

Short, whose breasts were not plump nor thick.

إِذا حَمِيَت شَمسُ النَهارِ اِتَّقَينَها

بِأَكسِيَةِ الديباجِ وَالخَزّ ذي الحَملِ

When the sun of day grew hot, they sought shade

With robes of silk brocade and embroidery bearing beauty.

تَداعَينَ فَاِستَعجَمنَ مَشياً بِذي الغَضا

دَبيبَ القَطا الكُدرِيُّ في الدَمِثِ السَهلِ

Hastening with the one slow of gait, the pacing of a

Heavy female hyena in smooth lowland.

إِذا اِرتَعنَ أَو فُزّعنَ قُمنَ حَوالَها

قِيامَ بَناتِ الماءِ في جانِبِ الضَحلِ

When she bellowed or was alarmed, they arose around her

Like the rising of the daughters of water on the shore.

أَرانِيَ لا أَلقى بُثَينَةَ مَرَّةً

مِنَ الدَهرِ إِلا خائِفاً أَو عَلى رَحلِ

It seems I do not meet Buthaina once

In life except in fear or on the saddle.

خَليلَيَّ فيما عِشتُما هَل رَأَيتُما

قَتيلاً بَكى مِن حُبِّ قاتِلِهِ قَبلي

O my two friends! In our life together, have you seen

One slain who wept for the love of his killer before me?

أَبيتُ مَعَ الهُلّاكِ ضَيفاً لِأَهلِها

وَأَهلي قَريبٌ موسِعونَ ذَوُو فَضلِ

I spent the night with the deadly one, a guest of her family,

While my family are near, generous, and noble.

أَلا أَيُّها البَيتُ الَّذي حيلَ دونَهُ

بِنا أَنتَ مِن بَيتٍ وَأَهلُكَ مِن أَهلِ

O house that we are prevented from reaching!

You are from a house and your people are from people.

بِنا أَنتَ مِن بَيتٍ وَحَولَكَ لَذَّةٌ

وَظِلُّكَ لَو يُسطاعُ بِالبارِدِ السَهلِ

With us you are from a house, and around you is bliss,

And your shade - if only the cool smooth earth could be obtained.

ثَلاثَةُ أَبياتٍ فَبَيت أُحِبُّهُ

وَبَيتانِ لَيسا مِن هَوايَ وَلا شَكلي

Three verses - and the verse I love,

And two verses which are not of my passion or my form.

كِلانا بَكى أَو كادَ يَبكي صَبابَةً

إِلى إِلفِهِ وَاِستَعجَلَت عَبرَةً قَبلي

We both wept or almost wept youthfully

For his familiarity, and tears sprang forth before me.

أَعاذِلَتي أَكثَرتِ جَهلاً مِنَ العَذلِ

عَلى غَيرِ شَيءٍ مِن مَلامي وَمِن عَذلي

My blamer! You have increased ignorance over blaming

Without any fault of mine or any blaming from me.

نَأَيتُ فَلَم يُحدِث لِيَ النَأيُ سَلوَةً

وَلَم أُلفِ طولَ النَأيِ عَن خُلَّةٍ يُسلي

I distanced myself but the distance did not give me comfort,

And I did not get used to the long separation from a bosom friend.

وَلَستُ عَلى بَذلِ الصَفاءِ هَوَيتُها

وَلَكِن سَبَتني بِالدَلالِ وَبِالبُخلِ

I am not inclined to freely give affection,

But she captivated me with coquetry and stinginess.

أَلا لا أَرى اِثنَين أَحسَنَ شيمَةً

عَلى حَدَثانِ الدَهرِ مِنّي وَمِن جُملِ

Indeed, I do not see two with finer morals

Than myself and Jumayl in all the days of time.

فَإِن وُجِدَت نَعلٌ بِأَرضٍ مضِلَّةٍ

مِنَ الأَرضِ يَوماً فَاِعلَمي أَنَّها نَعلي

So if a sandal is found one day in misleading land,

Know that it is my sandal.