عَفا ذو حُمامٍ بَعدَنا وَحَفيرُ

وَبِالسِرِّ مَبدىً مِنهُمُ وَحُضورُ

The dove cooed after we left, and the grouse,

And the secret was openly declared by them and attended.

تَكَلَّفتَها لا دانِياً مِنكَ وَصلُها

وَلا صَرمُها شَيءٌ عَلَيكَ يَسيرُ

You took the trouble not because you knew them,

Nor did joining them cost you much effort.

لَئِن يُسلِمِ اللَهُ المَراسيلَ بِالضُحى

وَمَرُّ القَوافي يَهتَدي وَيَجورُ

If God safely delivers the messengers at dawn,

And the rhymes flow guided and wander,

تُبَلِّغ بَني نَبهانَ مِنّي قَصائِداً

تَطالَعُ مِن سَلمى وَهُنَّ وُعورُ

You will convey to the Bani Nabhan my poems

That overlook Salmah while they moan and croon,

وَأَعوَرَ مِن نَبهانَ يَعوي وَدونَهُ

مِنَ اللَيلِ بابا ظُلمَةٍ وَسُتورِ

And the one-eyed poet of Nabhan howls, while below him

Is a dark, obscure night.

دَعا وَهوَ حَيٌّ مِثلَ مَيتٍ وَإِن يَمُت

فَهَذا لَهُ بَعدَ المَماتِ نُشورُ

He called out while alive as if dead, and if he dies,

After death this will be his resurrection.

رَفَعتُ لَهُ مَشبوبَةً يُهتَدى بِها

يَكادُ سَناها في السَماءِ يَطيرُ

I raised for him a flaming fire to give him light,

Its spark nearly flew up to the sky.

فَلَمّا اِستَوى جَنباهُ ضاحَكَ نارَنا

عَظيمُ أَفاعي الحالِبَينِ ضَريرُ

When his sides were set alight, our fire laughed,

The loud hissing of the writhing snakes.

أَخو البُؤسِ أَمّا لَحمُهُ عَن عِظامِهِ

فَعارٍ وَأَمّا مُخُّهُنَّ فَريرُ

The brother of misery ‒ his flesh separate from his bones ‒

Is disgraceful, while their brains bubble.

فَقُلتُ لِعَبدَينا أَديرا رَحاكُما

فَقَد جاءَ زَحّافُ العَشِيِّ جَرورُ

So I said to our two servants, “Turn it,”

For the kindler of the night fire has arrived snarling.

أَبو مَنزِلِ الأَضيافِ يَغشَونَ نارَهُ

وَيَعرِفُ حَقَّ النازِلينَ جَريرُ

The host, whose house the guests enter,

And the generous knows the rights of the lodgers.

إِذا لَم يُدِرّوا عاتِماً عَطَفَت لَهُم

سَريعَةُ إِبشارِ اللِقاحِ دَرورُ

When they do not recognize the gloom, she quickly smiles for them,

The swift glad tiding of conception comes trotting.

وَجَدنا بَني نَبهانَ أَذنابَ طَيِّئٍ

وَلِلناسِ أَذنابٌ تُرى وَصُدورُ

We found the Bani Nabhan to be the tails of Tayy,

And people have tails, as you can see.

تَرى شَرَطَ المِعزى مُهورَ نِسائِهِم

وَفي قَزَمِ المِعزى لَهُنَّ مُهورُ

You can see the dowry condition of their she-goats,

And for their she-goats they have dowries.

إِذا حَلَّ مِن نَبهانَ أَذنابُ ثَلَّةٍ

بِأَوشالِ سَلمى دِقَّةٌ وَفُجورُ

When the worthless tails of the Bani Thalabah

Arrive with the ponies of Salmah, fine and corrupt,

وَأَعوَرَ مِن نَبهانَ أَمّا نَهارُهُ

فَأَعمى وَأَمّا لَيلُهُ فَبَصيرُ

As for the one-eyed poet of Nabhan, his day

Is blind, while his night has sight.