أَلا حَيِّ المَنازِلَ بِالجِنابِ
فَقَد ذَكَّرنَ عَهدَكَ بِالشَبابِ
Oh you who reside in encampments, near at hand,
Your abode reminds me now of the days of youth.
أَما تَنفَكُّ تَذكُرُ أَهلَ دارٍ
كَأَنَّ رُسومَها وَرَقُ الكِتابِ
Will you never cease remembering a folk of a house,
As though their vestiges were inscribed on leaves?
لَعَمرُ أَبي الغَواني ما سُلَيمى
بِشِملالٍ تُراحُ إِلى الشَبابِ
By the life of Abū l-Ghuwānī, never did Sulaimā
Find comfort in a winter camp, or in youths.
تَكُنَّ عَنِ النَواظِرِ ثُمَّ تَبدو
بِدُوَّ الشَمسِ مِن خَلَلِ السَحابِ
You disappear from sight, then shine forth at dawn
Through rifts in clouds, like the sun when it peers.
كَأَنَّكَ مُستَعيرُ كُلى شَعيبٍ
وَهَت مِن ناضِحٍ سَرِبِ الطِبابِ
As though you were a star in the nightly heavens
That shoots from pointing Pleiades, a falling star.
لَيالِيَ تَرتَميكَ بِنَبلِ جِنٍّ
صَموتُ الحِجلِ قانِيَةُ الخِضابِ
Nights whose darkness is made to rain upon you
Silent, deadly, polished and sharpened arrows.
أَما بالَيتَ يَومَ أَكُفُّ دَمعي
مَخافَةَ أَن يُفَنِّدَني صِحابي
When will the day ever come when I stay my tears,
Fearing my companions will chide me?
تَباعَدَ مِن مَزاري أَهلُ نَجدٍ
إِذا مَرَّت بِذي خُشُبٍ رِكابي
When my camel litters pass by Dhū Khushub
The people of Najd keep their distance from me.
غَريباً عَن دِيارِ بَني تَميمٍ
وَما يُخزي عَشيرَتي اِغتِرابي
A stranger, when among the tribes of Tammim,
Though estrangement does not shame my clan.
لَقَد عَلِمَ الفَرَزدَقُ أَنَّ قَومي
يُعِدّونَ المَكارِمَ لِلسِبابِ
Al‐Farazdaq knew full well my people were wont
To prepare their moral bequests for censure.
يَحُشّونَ الحُروبَ بِمُقرَباتٍ
وَداؤودِيَّةٍ كَأَضا الحَبابِ
They sheathe wars in violations, iniquities,
And acts as unseemly as pelting pebbles.
إِذا أَباؤنا وَأَبوكَ عُدّوا
أَبانَ المُقرِفاتُ مِنَ العِرابِ
When our fathers warred, and yours, they exposed
Which of us were the true polytheists.
فَأَورَثَكَ العَلاةَ وَأَورَثونا
رِباطَ الخَيلِ أَفنِيَةَ القِبابِ
So they left you clerical garb, and left us
The tethering of steeds and canopies.
أَجيرانَ الزُبَيرِ غَرَرتُموهُ
كَما اِغتَرَّ المُشَبِّهُ بِالسَرابِ
Zealots of Zubayr, you duped that pompous lout,
As mirages beguile the wistful wanderer.
وَلَو سارَ الزُبَيرُ فَحَلَّ فينا
لَما يَئِسَ الزُبَيرُ مِنَ الإِيابِ
Had Zubayr allied with us, by God, Zubayr
Would not have despaired of returning home.
لَأَصبَحَ دونَهُ رَقَماتُ فَلجٍ
وَغُبرُ اللامِعاتِ مِنَ الحِدابِ
Before him there would have bowed the humped backs
Of swelling waves, the motes made humid clouds.
وَما باتَ النَوائِحُ مِن قُرَيشٍ
يُراوِحنَ التَفَجُّعَ بِاِنتِحابِ
Never would the Nawāḥid women of Quraysh
Have ceased their laments and rent their raiment.
أَلَسنا بِالمُجاوِرِ نَحنُ أَوفى
وَأَكرَمَ عِندَ مُعتَرَكِ الضِرابِ
Are we not the truest neighbors, and the most
Noble in the melee of clashing swords?
وَأَحمَدَ حينَ تُحمَدُ بِالمَقاري
وَحالَ المُربِعاتُ مِنَ السَحابِ
The most praiseworthy when praised for glories;
The most faithful to pacts when times grow hard?
وَأَوفى لِلمُجاوِرِ إِن أَجَرنا
وَأَعطى لِلنَفيساتِ الرِغابِ
We showed our mettle on the Day of Khafīfah,
When the horses’ chests crashed through the armor.
صَبَرنا يَومَ طِخفَةَ قَد عَلِمتُم
صُدورَ الخَيلِ تَنحِطُ في الحِرابِ
They advanced against us, took by false entitlement
In the fog of war the sons of the tyrant.
وَطِئنَ مُجاشِعاً وَأَخَذنَ غَصباً
بَني الجَبّارِ في رَهجِ الضَبابِ
Yet al‐Farazdaq attained no special place
Among Tammim, no preference, through his ties.
فَما بَلَغَ الفَرَزدَقُ في تَميمٍ
تَخَيُّرِيَ المَضارِبَ وَاِنتِخابي
I am the scion of the undying Khālids,
And of the lofty and firm summit Sakhr.
أَنا اِبنُ الخالِدينَ وَآلِ صَخرٍ
أَحَلّاني الفُروعَ وَفي الرَوابي
My glorious ancestors ennobled me;
The branches exalted what was once the root.
وَيَربوعٌ هُمُ أَخَذوا قَديماً
عَلَيكَ مِنَ المَكارِمِ كُلَّ بابِ
The Ya‘rub clan—they claimed long ago to take
All your honorable deeds for their own.
فَلا تَفخَر وَأَنتَ مُجاشِعيٌّ
نَخيبُ القَلبِ مُنخَرِقُ الحِجابِ
So do not boast, you abject, faint-hearted one,
Disappointed, whose screen is ripped through.
إِذا عَدَّت مَكارِمَها تَميمٌ
فَخَرتَ بِمِرجَلٍ وَبِعَقرِ نابِ
If Tammim recounts its glories, you will be
Brought down low, by a hyena, by the fangs of a wolf.
وَسَيفُ أَبي الفَرَزدَقِ قَد عَلِمتُم
قَدومٌ غَيرُ ثابِتَةِ النِصابِ
The sword of Abū Farazdaq—you know it well—
Never misses the neck-veins when it strikes.
كَفَينا يَومَ ذي نَجَبٍ وَعُذتُم
بِسَعدٍ يَومَ وارِدَةِ الكِلابِ
We saved you at Najb, when you sought refuge
Behind Sa‘d on the day the hounds attacked.
أَتَنسى بِالرِمادَةِ وِردَ سَعدٍ
كَما وَرَدوا مُسَلَّحَةَ الصِعابِ
Will you forget, at Rimādah, Sa‘d’s onslaught,
When he advanced enfolded in iron mail?
أَما يَدَعُ الزِناءَ أَبو فِراسٍ
وَلا شُربَ الخَبيثِ مِنَ الشَرابِ
Abu Faras, will you not forsake lechery,
Or quit your swilling of liquor’s bitter draught?
وَلامَت في الحُدودِ وَعاتَبَتهُ
فَقَد يَئِسَت نُوارُ مِنَ العِتابِ
She blamed you, warned you of violating the law,
Then lost hope that you might ever change your ways.
فَلا صَفوٌ جَوازُكَ عِندَ سَعدٍ
وَلا عَفُّ الخَليقَةِ في الرِبابِ
No pure prize was Sa‘d to grant legitimacy
To your misdeeds, no cover for your sins.
لَقَد أَخزاكَ في نَدَواتِ قَيسٍ
وَفي سَعدٍ عِياذُكَ مِن زَبابِ
At the gatherings of Qays you were put to shame
By Sa‘d—God spare you his piercing blades!
عَلى غَيرِ السِواءِ مَدَحتَ سَعداً
فَزِدهُم ما اِستَطَعتَ مِنَ الثَوابِ
You lavished praise on Sa‘d unequally,
So heap upon them more gifts, earn their favor!
هُمُ قَتَلوا الزُبَيرَ فَلَم تُنَكِّر
وَعَزّوا رَهطَ جِعثِنَ في الخِطابِ
They killed Zubayr, yet you raised no outcry,
And eulogized the Jailer and his kin.
وَقَد جَرَّبتَني فَعَرَفتَ أَنّي
عَلى خَطَرِ المُراهِنِ غَيرُ كابي
You tried me and so learned that I am not
One to waver at the gambling arrow’s cast.
سَبَقتُ فَجاءَ وَجهي لَم يُغَبَّر
وَقَد حَطَمَ الشَكيمَةَ عَضُّ نابي
My throw came first; untainted was my face,
While the grip of my crooked fang was a crushing vise.
سَأَذكُرُ مِن هُنَيدَةَ ما عَلِمتُم
وَأَرفَعُ شَأنَ جِعثَنَ وَالرَبابِ
I will recall what you know of Hunaidah,
And extol Jailer’s clan and the terrace-roof.
وَعاراً مِن حُمَيدَةَ يَومَ حَوطٍ
وَوَقعاً مِن جَنادِلِها الصِلابِ
A disgraceful rout from Ḥumaidah was your lot,
When the polished Indian swords rained down their blows.
فَأَصبَحَ غالِياً فَتَقَسَّموهُ
عَلَيكُم لَحمُ راحِلَةِ الغُرابِ
So they took the choice portions of the fattened camel,
And you were left the vultures’ leavings.
لَنا قَيسٌ عَلَيكَ وَأَيُّ يَومٍ
إِذا ما اِحمَرَّ أَجنِحَةُ العُقابِ
To us belong Qays, while to you—what day,
If the wings of the eagles run red with carnage?
أَتَعدِلُ في الشَكيرِ أَبا جُبَيرٍ
إِلى كَعبٍ وَرابِيَتَي كِلابِ
Can you compare Abū Jubaīr’s valor in combat
To Ka‘b’s, or the savagery of his she-wolves?
وَجَدتُ حَصى هَوازِنَ ذا فُضولٍ
وَبَحراً يا اِبنَ شِعرَةَ ذا عُبابِ
I found the gravel of Hawāzin to be worthless,
And you, O Ibn Shi‘rah, to be a shore with shallow pools.
وَفي غَطَفانَ فَاِجتَنِبوا حِماهُم
لُيوثُ الغَيلِ في أَجَمٍ وَغابِ
Among Ghatafān, beware their protective zeal,
The lions of Ghaiḍ, roaming the thickets.
أَلَم تُخبَر بِخَيلِ بَني نُفَيلٍ
إِذا رَكِبوا وَخَيلِ بَني الحُبابِ
Have you not heard of the steeds of Bani Nufayl
And the steeds of Bani Hubāb when they ride to war?
هُمُ جَذّوا بَني جُشَمَ بنِ بَكرٍ
بِلُبّى بَعدَ يَومِ قُرى الزَوابي
They drove the Bani Jusham clan of Bakr
To Al-Liwa after the incident at Quza Valley.
وَحَيُّ مُحارِبَ الأَبطالُ قِدماً
أُلو بَأسٍ وَأَحلامٍ رِغابِ
Glory to the intrepid heroes who plunge into battle,
Possessed of might and lofty ambition!
خُطاهُم بِالسُيوفِ إِلى الأَعادي
بِوَصلِ سُيوفِهِم يَومَ الضِرابِ
They stride with their swords against their enemies,
Blasting them with continuous, cleaving blows.
تَحَكَّكُ بِالوَعيدِ فَإِنَّ قَيساً
نَفَوكُم عَن ضَرِيَّةَ وَالجِنابِ
Stop your threats, for Qays will repel you
From our sanctuary inviolable.
أَلَم تَرَ مَن هَجاني كَيفَ يَلقى
إِذا غَبَّ الحَديثُ مِنَ العَذابِ
Have you not seen what befalls those who lambaste me,
When words run short of protecting them?
يَسُبُّهُمُ بِسَبّي كُلُّ قَومٍ
إِذا اِبتُدِرَت مُحاوَرَةُ الجَوابِ
Every tribe curses them when debate shifts
And the thrust and parry of speech begin.
وَكُلُّهُمُ سَقَيتُ نَقيعَ سَمٍّ
بِبابي مُخدِرٍ ضَرِمِ اللُعابِ
Each one I have made to drink a draught of poison
From the deadly fount of my dripping fangs.
