ما بَرَّحَ الرَسمُ الَّذي بَينَ حَنجَرٍ
وَذَلفَةٍ حَتّى قيلَ هَل هُوَ نازِحُ
The picture that was drawn between my throat
And chest did not delight until it was said, is it fading?
وَمازِلتَ تَرجو نَفعَ سُعدى وَوُدَّها
وَتُبعِدُ حَتّى اِبيَضَّ مِنكَ المَسائِحُ
And you kept hoping for the benefit and love of Su’da
And kept away until the white hairs were apparent from you
وَحَتّى رَأَيتَ الشَخصَ يَزدادُ مِثلُهُ
إِلَيهِ وَحَتّى نِصفُ رَأسِيَ واضِحُ
And until you saw the person become more like him
To it and until half my head became white
عَلا حاجِبَيَّ الشَيبُ حَتّى كَأَنَّهُ
ظِباءٌ جَرَت مِنها سَنيحٌ وَبارِحُ
The white hairs rose over my eyebrows as if they were
A herd of deer from which the yearlings and calves fled
فَأَصبَحتُ لا أَبتاعُ إِلا مُؤامِراً
وَما بَيعُ مَن يَبتاعُ مِثلِيَ رابِحُ
So I became one who buys only conspiracies
And the sale of one who buys like me is not profitable
أَلا لَيتَ سَلمى كُلَّما حانَ ذِكرُها
تُبَلِّغُها عَنّي الرِياحُ النَوافِحُ
Oh, if only the winds that blow hard
Could deliver to Salma whenever her mention comes up:
وَقالَت تَعلَّم أَنَّ ما كانَ بَينَنا
إِلَيكَ أَداءٌ إِنَّ عَهدَكَ صالِحُ
“Know that whatever was between us
Is a return to you, indeed your pact is honest”
جَميعاً تُؤَدّيهِ إِلَيكَ أَمانَتي
كَما أُدِّيَت بَعدَ الغِرازِ المَنائِحُ
My loyalty delivers everything to you
As it was delivered after the hidden love
وَقالَت تَعلَّم أَنَّ بَعضَ حُمُوَّتي
وَبَعلي غِضابٌ كُلُّهُم لَكَ كاشِحُ
And she said: “Know that some of my rage
And my husband’s are all swords against you
يَحِدّونَ بِالأَيدي الشَفارَ وَكُلُّهُم
لِحَلقِكَ لَو يَستَطيعُ حَلقَكَ ذابِحُ
They sharpen the blades and all of them
If able, would slaughter your throat
وَهَزَّةِ أَظعانٍ عَلَيهِنَّ بَهجَةٌ
طَلَبتُ وَرَيعانُ الصِبا بِيَ جامِحُ
I desired the swaying of gazelles upon which is
Delight, and the pastures of youth are my passion”
فَلَمّا قَضَينا مِن مِنىً كُلَّ حاجَةٍ
وَمَسَّحَ رُكنَ البَيتِ مَن هُوَ ماسِحُ
So when we finished every need of pilgrimage
And the corner of the house was touched by one who wipes it
وَشُدَّت عَلى حُدبِ المَهارى رِحالُها
وَلا يَنظُرُ الغادي الَّذي هُوَ رائِحُ
And their saddlebags were tied onto the saddles
And the departing one does not look back at the one arriving
فَقُلنا عَلى الهوجِ المَراسيلِ وَاِرتَمَت
بِهِنَّ الصَحارى وَالصِمادُ الصَحاصِحُ
We said farewell on the she-camels
The plains were covered in them and the solid rocks
نَزَعنا بِأَطرافِ الأَحاديثِ بَينَنا
وَمالَت بِأَعناقِ المَطِيِّ الأَباطِحُ
We parted with edges of conversation between us
And the necks of the riding beasts leaned
وَطِرتُ إِلى قَوداءَ قادَ تَليلُها
مَناكِبَها وَإِشتَدَّ مِنها الجَوانِحُ
I returned to a Najdi she-camel whose procession
Moved her shoulders and she intensified her exertion
كَأَنّي كَسَوتُ الرَحلَ جَوناً رَباعِياً
تَضَمَّنهُ وادي الرَجا فَالأَفايِحُ
As if I clothed the saddle cloth with a striped coat
Enveloping it, the valleys of Rajāʾ and then Al-Afāyih
مُمَرّاً كَعَقدِ الأَندَرِيِّ مُدَمَّجاً
بَدا قارِحٌ مِنهُ وَلَم يَبدُ قارِحُ
A passage convoluted like the pattern of Andarani
A tear was visible from it, yet no mender was visible
كَأَنَّ عَلَيهِ مِن قَباءٍ بِطانَةً
تَفَرَّجَ عَنها جَيبُها وَالمَناصِحُ
As if it had a lining of fur that
Its pocket opened from it, and the advisors
أَخو الأَرضِ يَستَخفي بِها غَيرَ أَنَّهُ
إِذا اِستافَ مِنها قارِحاً فَهُوَ صائِحُ
A brother of the land hides in it, but when
It tears from it, exposed, he screams
دَعاها مِنَ الأَمهادِ أَمهادِ عامِرٍ
وَهاجَت مِن الشِّعرى عَلَيهِ البَوارِحُ
He called it from the tent pegs, the tent pegs of ʿĀmir
And the wild beasts stirred against him from Siʿrā
