أَمِن عَهدِ ذي عَهدٍ تَفيضُ مَدامِعِ
كَأَنَّ قَذى العَينَينِ مِن حَبِّ فُلفُلِ
Is it from a pact of the one with whom there was a pact that tears overflow
As if the motes in my eyes were from love of falfel
فَإِن يَرَ سَلمى الجِنُّ يَستَأنِسوا بِها
وَإِن يَرَ سَلمى راهِبُ الطورِ يَنزِلِ
If the jinn see Salma they befriend her
And if the monk of the mountain sees Salma he descends
مِنَ البيضِ لَم تَظعَن بَعيداً وَلَم تَطَأ
عَلى الأَرضِ إِلّا نيرَ مِرطٍ مُرَحَّلِ
Of the white she did not go far nor walk
On the ground except the step of a saddled trained horse
إِذا ما مَشَت لَم تَنتَهِز وَتَأَوَّدَت
كَما اِنآدَ مِن خَيلٍ وَجٍ غَيرُ مُنعَلِ
When she walked she did not hasten and was gentle
As the neigh of horses, pure and unshod
كَما مالَ فَضلُ الجُلِّ عَن مَتنِ عائِذٍ
أَطافَت بِمُهرٍ في رِباطٍ مُطَوَّلِ
As the excellence of the excellent over the back of a fleeing refuge
She circled around a stallion in a long tether
لَها مِثلُ لَونِ البَدرِ في لَيلَةِ الدُجى
وَريحُ الخُزامى في دِماثٍ مُسَهَّلِ
She has the color of the full moon on a pitch black night
And the fragrance of musk in subdued soft leather
أَإِن سُبَّ قَينٌ وَاِبنُ قَينٍ غَضِبتُمُ
أَبَهدَلَ يا أَفناءَ سَعدٍ لِبَهدَلِ
What! Were Qain and the son of Qain angry that I blamed
The wastefulness of Sa'd's quarters for waste
أَعَيّاشُ قَد ذاقَ القُيونُ مَرارَتي
وَأَوقَدتُ ناري فَاِدنُ دونَكَ فَاِصطَلِ
I have tasted the bitterness of Eyyash's bow
And kindled my fire, so come closer to me and light it
سَأَذكُرُ ما قالَ الحُطَيأَةُ جارُكُم
وَأُحدِثُ وَسماً فَوقَ وَسمِ المُخَبَّلِ
I will remember what Hutya said, your neighbor
And create a brand over the brand of the fired clay
أَعَيّاشُ ما تُغني قُفَيرَةُ بَعدَما
سَقَيتُكَ سَمّاً في مَرارَةِ حَنظَلِ
Eyyash, cursing does not benefit you after I
Gave you poison to drink in the bitterness of oak apples
أَعَيّاشُ قَد آوَت قُفَيرَةُ نَسلَها
إِلى بَيتِ لُؤمٍ ما لَهُ مِن مُحَوَّلِ
Eyyash, Qufeyra has entrusted her progeny
To the house of disgrace which has no change
تُذَئِّرُ أَبكارَ اللِقاحِ وَلَم تَكُن
قُفَيرَةُ تَدري ما جَناةُ القَرَنفُلِ
She makes the stallions infertile and Qufeyra
Did not know the crime of cross-pollinating cloves
فَإِن تَدَّعوا لِلزِبرِقانِ فَإِنَّكُم
بَنو بِنتِ قَينٍ ذي عَلاةٍ وَمِرجَلِ
If you call for help against Zubraqan we are
The sons of Qain's daughter possessors of might and club
فَشُدّوا الحُبى لِلغَدرِ إِنّي مُشَمِّرٌ
إِذا ما عَلا مَتنَ المُفاضَةِ مِحمَلي
Prepare the ropes for betrayal, I am resolved
When the battle was inflamed to bear my burdens
وَلا تَطلُبا يا اِبنَي قُفَيرَةَ سابِقاً
يَدُقُّ جِماحاً كُلَّ فَأسٍ وَمِسحَلِ
And do not, my two sons, seek to precede Qufeyra
Every axe and sword brandishing its blade
كَما رامَ مِنّا القَينُ أَيّامَ صَوأَرٍ
فَلاقى جِماحاً مِن حِمامٍ مُعَجَّلِ
As Qain intended against us in the days of Sowar
But met with wings of hastened doves
ضَغا القِردُ لَمّا مَسَّهُ الجَهدُ وَاِشتَكى
بَنو القَينِ مِنّا حَدَّ نابٍ وَكَلكَلِ
The ape chewed when exhaustion afflicted him and complained
The sons of Qain against us have the bite and anklet bells
لَعَلَّكَ تَرجو يا اِبنَ نافِخِ كيرِهِ
قُروماً شَبا أَنيابِها لَم يُفَلَّلِ
Perhaps you hope, son of the blower of Kirah
For steeds whose canines have not been blunted
أَتَعدِلُ يَربوعاً وَأَيّامَ خَيلِها
بِأَيّامِ مَضفونينَ في الحَربِ عُزَّلِ
Are the four sacred months equal to the days of Khayl and her horses
When we were outcasts in war, deposed
أَلا تَسأَلونَ المُردَفاتِ عَشِيَّةً
مَعَ القَومِ لا يَخبَأنَ ساقاً لِمُجتَلي
Do you not ask the rearers in the evening
With the tribe whose leg cannot be hidden by the mantles
مَنِ المانِعونَ السَبيَ لا تَمنَعونَهُ
وَأَصحابُ أَعلالِ الرَئيسِ المُكَبَّلِ
Who prevented the captives, you did not prevent them
And the chieftains of the fettered eminent leader
وَفي أَيِّ يَومٍ لَم تُسَلَّل سُيوفُنا
فَنَعلو بِها هامَ الجَبابِرِ مِن عَلِ
And on which day were our swords not unleashed
That we plant them into the skulls of tyrants
تَبَدَّل بِهِ في رَهطِ تِسعَةَ مِثلَهُ
أَباً شَرَّ ذي نَعلَينِ أَو غَيرِ مُنعَلِ
He substituted among a group of nine like him
A father, evil, with two sandals or unshod
فَما لُمتُ نَفسي في حَديثٍ وَليتُهُ
وَلا لُمتُ فيما قَدَّمَ الناسُ أَوَّلي
So I did not blame myself in a discourse nor wish
Nor blame what the people did at first
