عَرَفتُ بِبُرقَةِ الوَدّاءِ رَسماً
مُحيلاً طابَ عَهدُكَ مِن رُسومِ
I knew by the radiance of love a fine shape
Whose essence from shapes of old is sublime
عَفا الرَسمَ المُحَيلَ بِذي العَلَندى
مَساحِجُ كُلِّ مُرتَزِجٍ هَزيمِ
The shape made fair by Dhu 'l-Alwadayn effaced
All the coward's imprints, leaving no sign
فَلَيتَ الظاعِنينَ هُمُ أَقاموا
وَفارَقَ بَعضُ ذا الأَنَسِ المُقيمِ
Would that the slanderers might here have stayed
While some friend of bliss departed in time
فَما العَهدُ الَّذي عَهِدَت إِلَينا
بِمَنسِيِّ البَلاءِ وَلا ذَميمِ
No pact remains binding on us that you made
With blame's forgetter, no word that is crime
وَزارَت فِتيَةً وَرِحالَ مَيسٍ
لَدى فُتلٍ مَرافِقُهُنَّ هيمِ
And girls once camped, troops riding Maisan steeds
Near a band, attended by moaning and pine
يُساقِطنَ النَقيلَ وَهُنَّ خوصٌ
بِغُبرِ البيدِ خاشِعَةِ الحُزومِ
Trailing the bags, while stooped with humility
In the dust of bleak country, slow and supine,
تُعَطَّفُ مِن تَوابِعِ كُلِّ هَجرٍ
عَصيماً بِالجُلودِ عَلى عَصيمِ
Bowed under each hardship that comes in the train
Of parting, skin chafed upon skin into brine
سَرَينَ اللَيلَ ثُمَّ وَرَدنَ خَمساً
وَلا يَسطيعُ ذاكَ أَخو النَعيمِ
Traveling the night, then alighting a band
Of five, whom the brother of joy cannot fine,
أَعاذِلَ طالَ لَيلُكِ لَم تَنامي
وَنامَ العاذِلاتُ وَلَم تُنيمي
While you blamed my vigil and did not sleep
And sleep came to blamers and gave them recline
إِذا ما لُمتِني وَعَذَرتُ نَفسي
فَلومي ما بَدا لَكِ أَن تَلومي
If I'm blamed, I excuse myself, though my fault
Shows clear; still, do not be too prompt to malign
ذَميلُ الناعِجاتِ بِكُلِّ خَرقٍ
شِفاءُ الطارِقاتِ مِنَ الهُمومِ
Humbler of she-camels, whatever the breach
Is healing for shes who knock timidly at shrine
تُريحُ نِقادَها جُشَمُ بنُ بَكرٍ
وَما نَطَقوا بِأَنجِيَةِ الحُكومِ
Their critic, old Jusham, son of Bakr, assuages
And they spoke no wise maxims handed from line
لَقَد سَفِهَت حُلومُهُمُ وَأُجروا
مَعَ المَسبوقِ حَيثُ جَرى المَليمِ
Their light wits have misled them; they race with disdained
To where the vile man runs in dust and distress fine
لَهُم مُرٌّ وَلِلنُخَباتِ مَرٌّ
فَقَد رَجَعوا بِغَيرِ شَظىً سَليمِ
Gall for them and the nobles--both suffered alike;
They returned and no fragment was safe or condign
وَقَد نالَ الأَخيطِلُ مِن هِجائي
دَحولَ السَبرِ غائِرَةَ الهُزومِ
Al-AkhTal gained from my satires a thrust
At the dullard immersed in defeat and decline
وَكَيفَ يَصولُ أَرصَعُ تَغلِبِيٌّ
وَما لِلعَبدِ مِن حَسَبٍ قَديمِ
What can ArRad servant accomplish with lineage from ancient days gone?
We aspired to glory, and glory made taut every nerve, loin and spine
سَمَونا لِلمَكارِمِ فَاِحتَوَينا
بِلا وَغلِ المَقامِ وَلا سَؤومِ
We engaged in the wager and never were bowed
Nor weakened my sturdy, drought-hardened wood fine
وَقَد هَجَموا الرِهانَ فَما كَبَونا
وَما أَوهى قَناتِيَ مِن وُصومِ
The poets you see all wonderment-clapped
One still, one reciting his verses line to line
تَرى الشُعَراءَ مِن صَعِقٍ مُصابٍ
بِصَكَّتِهِ وَآخَرَ مُستَديمِ
My shedding of blood they found constant ever;
My pool never fails, unlike pools diaphanous syne
لَقَد وَجَدوا رِشائِيَ مُستَمِرّاً
وَدَلوِيَ غَيرَ واهِيَةِ الأَديمِ
The like have I sought, and he came to seem
Like a forbearing brother, though having no sign
وَمِثلَكَ قَد قَصَدتُ لَهُ فَأَمسى
أَخا حِلمٍ وَما هُوَ بِالحَليمِ
Of forbearance--he watches his losses and dreads
His abaser, from the eye of the lesser turns syne
يَرى حَسَراتِهِ وَيَخافُ دَرئي
وَيُغضي طَرفَهُ نَظَرَ الأَميمِ
Now if you are bested recall you are Taghlibi
Come down to the worst foolishness, evil and malign
فَإِن تُغلَب فَإِنَّكَ تَغلِبِيٌّ
نَزَلتَ بِغايَةِ الحَمِقِ اللَئيمِ
You will know my clan is Khindif - and rightly
From a people most noble this lineage fine
سَتَعلَمُ أَنَّ أَصلي خِندِفِيٌّ
جَبا لِيَ أَفضَلَ الحَسَبِ الكَريمِ
My soul and all souls are ransom for folk
Who built over high ground a great edifice's shrine
فَنَفسي وَالنُفوسُ فِداءُ قَومٍ
بَنوا لي فَوقَ مُرتَقَبٍ جَسيمِ
In Khindif's branch I alighted, where destiny's concerns
Are gathered, affairs disciplined line after line
نَزَلتُ بِفَرعِ خِندِفَ حَيثُ لاقَت
شُؤونُ الهامِ مُجتَمَعَ الصَميمِ
I vie with Rabab's house, Saad's house, and
The Zayd of Manat, what time my steeds were brought to me fine
أُفاضِلُ بِالرَبابِ وَآلَ سَعدٍ
وَزَيدِ مَناةَ إِذ خَطَرَت قُرومي
Glory in Mu'add we found was taught and prized-
Complete respect among men came to Tamim clan syne
وَجَدنا المَجدَ قَد عَلِمَت مَعَدٌّ
وَعِزَّ الناسِ تَمَّ إِلى تَميمِ
Stern natures of North, when roused in the bare
Highlands of every dawn fruitless and saline
مَطاعيمُ الشَمالِ إِذا اِستُحِنَّت
وَفي عُرَواءِ كُلِّ صَباً عَقيمِ
We surpassed mankind in each deed of glory
And in rain-stars streaming as blessings divine
سَبَقنا العالَمينَ بِكُلِّ مَجدٍ
وَبِالمُستَمطَراتِ مِنَ النُجومِ
Does a star set? Another appears in the sky
No blankness, no clouds there, no shadow supine
إِذا نَجمٌ تَغَيَّبَ لاحَ نَجمٌ
وَلَيسَت بِالمُحاقِ وَلا الغُمومِ
On you I will lavish of bounty and grace
We who do violence to tyranny malign
سَأَبسُطُ مِن يَدَيَّ عَلَيكَ فَضلاً
وَنَحنُ القاطِعونَ يَدَ الظَلومِ
They saw the strong-breasted she-leopard's foray
But knew not the coward faint-hearted in brine
رَأوا أَثبِيَةَ الفَهَداتِ وِرداً
فَما عَرَفوا الأَغَرَّ مِنَ البَهيمِ
Your father we helped till he failed, Abu
Ghuwayth, to fight against all who in enmity shine
وَأَعيَينا أَباكَ أَبا غُوَيثٍ
فَأَعيا عَن مُجاهَدَةِ الخُصومِ
The Hudhayl we met with sharp blades that released
The red spittle's flow from the gullet's confine
وَأَدرَكنا الهُذَيلَ بِلافِظاتٍ
دَمَ الأَشداقِ مِن عَلَكِ الشَكيمِ
Chewed then with his molars did hardened Taghlibi
The far-biting hero no striking could undermine
ضَغا في القِدِّ آدَرُ تَغلِبِيٌّ
ضَبيحُ الجِلدِ مِن أَثَرِ الكُلومِ
We denied them the meat and the hump-laden camel
And said to the woman, "Begone to your shrine!"
مَنَعنا الجَوفَ وَالنَعَمَ المُنَدّى
وَقُلنا لِلنِساءِ بِهِ أَقيمي
Kays' horses attacked--with your mother--and trampled
The cheek-slapping fool with his mouthful of wine
وَقَد هَجَمَت وَأُمِّكَ خَيلُ قَيسٍ
عَلى رَعنِ السَلَوطَحِ ذي الأُرومِ
Not I killed Jusham ibn Bakr in slaughter
With blood spilled profusely or gobbets of chine
وَما قَتلي بَني جُشَمَ بنِ بَكرٍ
بِزاكِيَةِ الدِماءِ وَلا اللُحومِ
You're remnant enough with your braying far out
'Twixt Dann, al-Batiya, and wineskins supine
فَحَسبُكَ أَن تَنَوَّحَ بَينَ دَنٍّ
وَباطِيَةٍ وَإِبريقٍ رَذومِ
Judged you by your mother when blendings occur
From a dung-rolling cross of Slavs and worm syne
حَكَمتَ بِحُكمِ أُمِّكَ حَيثُ تَلقى
خَليطاً مِن صَقالِبَةٍ وَرومِ
What! your sire the eighth of a cubit
Your dam a class zero scored on the beauties' fine?
أَلَيسَ أَبوكَ ذا زَمَعٍ ثَمانٍ
وَأُمُّكَ ذاتَ مُكتَشَرٍ ذَميمِ
What a stallion he was, the night that she wrapped
Him round in her patchwork of rags threadbare syne!
لَبِئسَ الفَحلُ لَيلَةَ أَشعَرَتهُ
عَباءَتَها مُرَقَّعَةً بِنيمِ
From that stallion came a foal ever inclined
To persistence in evil and probity's decline
فَذاكَ الفَحلُ جاءَ بِشَرَّ نَجلٍ
خَبيثاتِ المَثابِرِ وَالمَشيمِ
