أَلا بَكَرت عِرسي تَلومُ وتَعذُلُ
وَغَيرُ الَّذي قالَت أَعفُّ وَأَجمَلُ
Alas, my bride blamed me and reproached
Despite that I am more chaste and beautiful than he who spoke
وَلَما رَأَت رَأَسي تَبَدَّلَ لَونُهُ
بَياضاً عَن اللَونِ الَّذي كانَ أَوَّلُ
And when she saw that the color of my head had changed
To whiteness from the color that was first
أَرَنَّت مِنَ الشَيبِ العَجيبِ الَّذي رَأَت
وَهَل أَنتِ مِني وَيبَ غَيرِكِ أَمثَلُ
She peered at the wonderful gray hair that she saw
And said, "Are you like me, when others your age are unblemished?"
كِلانا عَلَتهُ كُبرَةٌ فَكَأَنَّما
رَمَتهُ سِهامٌ في المَفَارِقِ نُصَّلُ
Both of us, old age afflicted, so it was as if
Arrows targeted the parting spot and pierced
وَقَد أَشهَدُ الكَأَسَ الرَوِّيَةَ لاهِياً
أُعَلُّ قَبيلَ الصُبحِ مِنها وَأَنهَلُ
And I make the brimming cup my boon companion, rising
In the predawn to drink from it and draw fully
يُنازِعُنيها لَيِّنٌ غَيرُ فاحِشٍ
مُبادِرُ غاياتِ التِجارِ مُعَذَّلُ
A smooth man disputes it with me, not brazen,
A leader of commercial caravans, compliant
إِذا غَلَبَتهُ الكَأسُ لا مُتَعَبِّسٌ
حَصورٌ وَلا مِن دونِها يَتَبَسَّلُ
When overcome by the cup, neither sullen
Nor cheerless without it, nor from it does he smile
وَليسَ خَليلي بِالمَلولِ وَلا الَّذي
يَلومُ عَلى البُخلِ البَخيلَ وَيَبخَلُ
And my friend is not faultfinding, nor one who
Berates the miserly miser and is miserly himself
لَنا حاجَةٌ في صَرحَةِ الحَيِّ بَعدَما
بَدا لَهُم أَن يَظعَنوا فَتَحَمَّلوا
We have a need for candor after lifetimes
When it seemed best they were wronged, so they endured
نَشاوى نَديمُ الكَأَسِ مِنا مُرَنَّحٌ
وَعَيسٌ مُناخاتٌ عَلَيهِنَّ أَرحُلُ
The pleasures of the cup's mate are our own, possessed,
And a docile camel that we loaded up and departed on
وَجَحلٌ سَليمٌ قَد كَشَفنا جِلالَهُ
وَآخَرُ في أَنضاءِ مِسحٍ مُسَربَلُ
And a vigorous riding beast whose might we exposed
And another in a finely woven garment, clothed
وَصَرماءَ مِذكارٍ كَأَنَّ دَوِيَّها
بُعَيدَ جَنانِ اللَيلِ مِما يُخَيَّلُ
And a poker for stirring the fire that makes sounds as if
Its echo comes from the thickets of night, conjured
حَديثُ أَناسِيٍّ فَلَما سَمِعتُهُ
إِذا لَيسَ فيهِ ما أَبينُ فَأَعقِلُ
When I heard the speech of the humorous
If there is nothing in it I understand, I do not listen
قَطَعتُ يُماشيني بِها مُتَضائِلٌ
مِنَ الطُلسِ أَحياناً يَخُبُّ وَيَعسِلُ
I interrupted his attempt to converse with me
Sometimes with cloaks, at other times with honey
يُحِبُّ دُنُوَّ الإِنسِ مِنهُ وَما بِهِ
إِلى أَحَدٍ يَوماً مِنَ الإِنسِ مَنزِلُ
He likes the closeness of people to him but through him
To anyone, proximity is not brought
تَقَرَّبَ حَتّى قُلتُ لَم يَدنُ هَكَذا
مِنَ الإِنسِ إِلّا جاهِلٌ أَو مُضَلَّلُ
He drew so near I said, "None has approached humans thus
Save an ignorant one or one gone astray"
مَدى النَبلِ تَغشاني إِذا ما زَجَرتُهُ
قُشَعريرَةٌ مِن وَجهِهِ وَهُوَ مُقبِلُ
The extent of nobility overwhelms me whenever I rebuke him
A tingling runs through his face as he draws near
إِذا ما عَوى مُستَقبِلَ الريحِ جاوَبَت
مَسامِعُهُ فاهٌ عَلى الزادِ مُعوِلُ
If he turns his face toward the blowing wind, his
Ears respond, mouth open to receive the meal carried
كَسوبٌ إِلى أَن شَبَّ مِن كَسبِ واحِدٍ
مُحالِفُهُ الإِقتارُ لا يَتَمَّوَلُ
A collector until he collected enough from one occupation
Whose friend is poverty, who does not gain wealth
كَأَنَّ دُخانَ الرَمثِ خالَطَ لَونَهُ
يُغَلُّ بِهِ مِن باطِنٍ وَيُجَلَّلُ
It is as if the smoke of smoldering bushes mixed with his complexion
He wraps his core and is shrouded
بَصيرٌ بِأَدغالِ الضَراءِ إِذا خَدى
يَعيلُ وَيَخفى بِالجِهادِ وَيَمثُلُ
Insightful into the thickets of plague, when it creeps
He cries out, hides from holy war, and cuts a fine figure
تَراهُ سَميناً ما شَتا وَكَأَنَّهُ
حَمِيٌّ إِذا ما صافَ أَو هُوَ أَهزَلُ
You see him fat when times are good, yet he is
As if in lean times he is weakened or wasted away
كانَ نَساهُ شِرعَةٌ وَكَأَنَّهُ
إِذا ما تَمَطّى وِجهَةَ الريحِ مَحمَلُ
He was accustomed to live off prey, yet he is like
A filled waterskin if he faces the blowing wind
وَحَمشٌ بَصيرُ المُقلَتَين كَأَنَّهُ
إِذا ما مَشى مُستَكرِهِ الريحِ أَقزَلُ
And Hamsh, keen of eye, is like
One walking uphill with effort though unencumbered
يَكادُ يَرى ما لا تَرى عَينُ واحِدٍ
يُثير لَهُ ما غَيَّبَ التُربُ مِعوَلُ
He can nearly see what no single eye sees
Stirring up what the dust hid buried
إِذا حَضَراني قُلتُ لو تَعلَمانِهِ
أَلَم تَعلَما أَنّي مِنَ الزادِ مُرمِلُ
When they are with me, I say "If you knew me
Do you not know that I carry only what I need?"
غُرابٌ وَذِئبٌ يَنظُرانِ مَتى أَرى
مُناخَ مَبيتٍ أَو مَقيلاً فَأَنزِلُ
A crow and wolf watch when I will find
A place of rest to camp or settle down to sleep
أَغارا عَلى ما خَيَّلَت وَكِلاهُما
سَيُخلِفُهُ مِني الَّذي كانَ يَأمَلُ
They raid what seems easy to attain, yet both
Will fail to attain what they yearned
كَأَنَّ شُجاعَي رَملَةٍ دَرَجا مَعاً
فَمَرّا بِنا لَولا وقوفٌ وَمَنزِلُ
As if two valiant heroes traveled together
Passing by us, if not for a stop and camp
فَلَم يَجِدا إِلّا مَناخَ مَطِيَةٍ
تَجافى بِها زَورٌ نَبيلٌ وَكَلكَلُ
They found only the campsite of a small she-camel
That keeps raiders away, noble and congregated
وَمَضرَبُها تَحتَ الحَصى بِجِرانِها
وَمَثنى نَواجٍ لَم يَخُنهُنَّ مَفصِلُ
Her enclosure is under rocks by her neighbors
And a resting place for sheep whose joints never fail them
وَأَتلَعَ يُلوى بِالجَديلِ كَأَنَّهُ
عَسيبٌ سَقاهُ مِن سُمَيحَةَ جَدولُ
And an exhausted nursing camel calf bends that is as if
A rain shower from a valley stream quenched his thirst
وَمَوضِعَ طَولِيٍّ وَأَحناءَ قاتِرٍ
يَئِطُّ إِذا ما شُدَّ بِالنَسعِ مِن عَلُ
And the place of my Tall and Bent-Over
Who jerks if the teat is pulled from the top
وَسُمرٌ ظِماءٌ واتَرَتهُنَّ بَعدَما
مَضَت هَجعَةٌ مِن آخِرِ اللَيل ذُبَّلُ
And reddish sheep gone thirsty though night's
Final slumber passed and left them wretched
سَفى فَوقَهُنَّ التُربَ ضافٍ كَأَنَّهُ
عَلى الفَرجِ وَالحاذينِ قِنوٌ مُذَلَّلُ
Dust blankets them as if it lowered
Itself upon their hindquarters, docile and submissive
وَمُضطَّمِرٌ مِن خاشِعِ الطَرفِ خائِفٌ
لِما تَضَعُ الأَرضُ القَواءُ وَتَحمِلُ
And a grimacing one with a downcast gaze, fearful
Of what the mighty earth bears and carries
أَنَختُ قَلوصي وَاِكتَلَأتُ بِعَينِها
وَآمَرتُ نَفسي أَيَّ أَمرَيَّ أَفعَلُ
My weapons clanked and I stared at them
And I ordered myself - what should I do?
أَأَكلَؤُها خَوفَ الحَوادِثِ إِنَّها
تَريبُ عَلى الإِنسانِ أَم أَتَوَكَّلُ
Should I ready them fearing misfortunes? They
Threaten man's peace of mind or should I trust?
فَأَقسَمتُ بِالرَحمَنِ لا شَيءَ غَيرَهُ
يَمينَ اِمرِىءٍ بَرٍّ وَلا أَتَحَلَّلُ
I swore by the Merciful - none but Him -
An oath of a devout man that I will not violate
لَأَستَشعِرَنَّ أَعلى دَريسَيَّ مُسلِماً
لَوَجهِ الَّذي يُحيي الأَنامَ وَيَقتُلُ
I will seek the highest point on my saddlecloth submitting
To the One who gives life and causes death
هُوَ الحافِظُ الوَسنانَ بِاللَيلِ مَيِّتاً
عَلى أَنَّهُ حَيٌّ مِنَ النَومِ مُثقَلُ
He is the Protector, the Waterer in the night while I sleep
Dead to the world, overwhelmed by fatigue
مِنَ الأَسوَدِ الساري وَإِن كانَ ثائِراً
عَلى حَدِّ نابَيهِ السَمامُ المُثَمَّلُ
Safe from the cunning lion, though enraged
To the points of its fangs the deadly venom clings
فَلَما اِستَدارَ الفَرقَدانِ زَجَرتُها
وَهبَّ سِماكٌ ذو سِلاحٍ وَأَعزَلُ
So when the Hyenas turned away I scared them off
And a brazen hero with a weapon rose up
فَحَطَّت سَريعاً لَم يَخُنها فُؤادُها
وَلا عَينُها مِن خَشيَةِ السَوطِ تَغفُلُ
She descended swiftly - her heart did not fail her
Nor did her eye neglect the fear of the whip
يُقَطِّعُ سَيرَ الناعِجاتِ ذَميلُها
نَجاءً إِذا اِختَبَّ النَجاءُ المُعَوَّلُ
Her dangling udder cuts off the milking of sheep
When sheep sounds mingle as milking commences
مُنَفَّجَةُ الدَفَّينِ طُيِّنَ لَحمُها
كَما طُيِّنَ بِالضاحي مِنَ اللَبَنِ مِجدَلُ
Rounded of teat - the butter of her meat
Like the butter churned from milk with paddle
وَدَفٌّ لَها مِثلُ الصَفاةِ وَمِرفَقٌ
عَنِ الزَورِ مَفتولُ المُشاشَةِ أَفتَلُ
And she has a bucket-like udder and elbow
Loose from the milk, untied at the base
وَسَالِفَةٌ رَيّا يُبَلُّ جَديلُها
إِذا ما عَلاها ماؤُها المُتَبَزِّلُ
And a bucket worn out that her teats drip into
When her water rises and trickles
وَصافِيَةٌ تَنفي القَذاةَ كَأَنَّها
عَلى الأَينِ يَجلوها جِلاءٌ وَتُكحَلُ
And a strainer that removes impurities as if
With clear water on a basin, it is cleansed
فَمَن لِلقَوافي شانَها مَن يَحوكُها
إِذا ما ثَوى كَعبٌ وَفَوَّزَ جَروَلُ
So who is for rhymes? Who can recite them
When anklet lies still and necklace settles?
يَقولُ فَلا يَعيا بِشَيءٍ يَقولُهُ
وَمِن قائِليها مَن يُسيءُ وَيَعمَلُ
One says yet knows not what he speaks
And of those who speak are ones who speak poorly
يُقَوِّمُها حَتّى تَقومَ مُتونُها
فَيَقصُرُ عَنها كُلُّ ما يُتَمَثَّلُ
He composes them until the compositions stand straight
Yet he falls short of what can represent them
كَفَيتُكَ لا تَلقى مِنَ الناسِ شاعِراً
تَنَخَّلَ مِنها مِثلَ ما أَتَنَخَّلُ
You have sufficed - do not seek a poet among people
Who gleans what I gleaned from them
