عَفا الرَسمُ أَم لا بَعدَ حَولٍ تَجَرَّما
لِأَسماءَ رَسمٌ كَالصَحيفَةِ أَعجَما
Has the drawing forgiven, or not, after a year of sin?
A drawing for Asma, like scribbles in a foreign script.
لِأَسماءَ إِذ لَمّا تَفُتنا دِيارُها
وَلَم نَخشَ مِن أَسبابِها أَن تَجَذَّما
For Asma, when her homelands could not tempt us
And we feared not that its causes would entrap us.
فَدَع ذا وَبَلِّغ قَومَنا إِن لَقِيتَهُم
وَهَل يُخطِئَنَّ اللَومُ مَن كانَ أَلوَما
So leave that be, and tell our people, if you meet them,
Does blame miss who has always been most blamable?
مَوالِيَنا الأَحلافَ عَمروَ بنَ عامِرٍ
وَآلَ الصَموتِ أَن نُفاثَةُ أَحجَما
Our loyal allies: 'Amr ibn 'Aamir
And the house of Samut—how Nufatha showed reserve!
كِلا أَخَوَينا قَد تَخَيَّرَ مَحضَراً
مِنَ المُنحَنى مِن عاقِلٍ ثُمَّ خَيَّما
Both our brothers chose a place of assembly
From the winding road, from a wise man, then camped.
وَفَرَّ الوَحيدُ بَعدَ حَرسٍ وَيَومِهِ
وَحَلَّ الضِبابُ في عَلِيِّ بنِ أَسلَما
The lonely one fled after guarding and his day,
And fog descended on 'Ali ibn Aslam.
وَوَدَّعَنا بِالجَلهَتَينِ مُساحِقٌ
وَصاحَبَ سَيّارٌ حِماراً وَهَيثَما
With the two armor-coats Misahiq bade us farewell,
And a horseman made off with a donkey bleating.
وَحَيَّ السَواري إِن أَقولُ لِجَمعِهِم
عَلى النَأيِ إِلّا أَن يُحَيّا وَيَسلَما
I bid the horsemen live, if I say to their band
From afar, “Live!”—or else, “Greetings and peace!”
فَلَمّا رَأَينا أَن تُرِكنا لِأَمرِنا
أَتَينا الَّتي كانَت أَحَقَّ وَأَكرَما
When we saw we were left to our own affair,
We came to her who was most rightful and noble.
وَقُلنا اِنتِظارٌ وَاِئتِمارٌ وَقُوَّةٌ
وَجُرثومَةٌ عادِيَّةٌ لَن تَهَدَّما
And we said: “Waiting and searching, strength
And a lasting, common band cannot be destroyed.
بِحَمدِ الإِلَهِ ما اِجتَباها وَأَهلَها
حَميداً وَقَبلَ اليَومِ مَنَّ وَأَنعَما
Thanks be to God for her choice and her people,
Blessed before today—He favored and blessed.”
وَقُل لِاِبنِ عَمرٍ ما تَرى رَأيَ قَومِكُم
أَبا مُدرِكٍ لَو يَأخُذونَ المُزَنَّما
And say to Ibn 'Umar: “What do you see of your people’s thoughts,
Abu Mudrik? Would they take the interlaced?”
وَنَحنُ أُناسٌ عودُنا عودُ نَبعَةٍ
صَليبٌ إِذا ما الدَهرُ أَجشَمَ مُعظِما
While we are a people accustomed to the custom of Naba’a:
A cross, when the age grew grim with prohibitions.
وَنَحنُ سَعَينا ثُمَّ أَدرَكَ سَعيَنا
حُصَينُ بنُ عَوفٍ بَعدَما كانَ أَشأَما
We strove and then our striving attained
Husain ibn 'Awf, after he had been most deterring.
وَفَكَّ أَبا الجَوّابِ عَمروُ بنُ خالِدٍ
وَما كانَ عَنهُ ناكِلاً حَيثُ يَمَّما
And Abu l-Jawwab 'Amr ibn Khalid unbound him
And he was no shirker there, wherever he probed.
وَيَومَ أَتانا حَيُّ عُروَةَ وَاِبنِهِ
إِلى فاتِكٍ ذي جُرأَةٍ قَد تَحَتَّما
And the day Hayy ibn 'Urwa and his son came to us
To eloquent Fatik, bold and resolved,
غَداةَ دَعاهُ الحارِثانِ وَمُسهِرٌ
فَلاقى خَليجاً واسِعاً غَيرَ أَخرَما
The morning Harithan and Mushir called him
He met a wide gulf, no isthmus in between.
فَإِن تَذكُروا حُسنَ الفُروضِ فَإِنَّنا
أَبَأنا بِأَنواحِ القُرَيطَينِ مَأتَما
So if you recall the excellence of duties, we
Sufficed at the keening women of the Quraysh.
وَإِمّا تَعُدّوا الصالِحاتِ فَإِنَّني
أَقولُ بِها حَتّى أَمَلَّ وَأَسأَما
Or if you count good deeds, I say of them
Until I am weary and fed up.
وَإِن لَم يَكُن إِلّا القِتالُ فَإِنَّنا
نُقاتِلُ مَن بَينَ العَروضِ وَخَثعَما
And if there is only battle, we
Do battle with whoever is between chestnut and brown.
أَبى خَسفَنا أَن لا تَزالُ رُواتُنا
وَأَفراسُنا يَتبَعنَ غَوجاً مُحَرَّما
The marsh at our heels refused that our herd
And steeds should cease pursuing a forbidden mere.
يَنُبنَ عَدُوّاً أَو رَواجِعَ مِنهُمُ
بَوانِيَ مَجداً أَو كَواسِبَ مَغنَما
Driving back a foe, or stragglers among them,
An opener of glory or earning spoils.
وَإِنّا أُناسٌ لا تَزالَ جِيادُنا
تَخُبُّ بِأَعضادِ المَطِيِّ مُخَدَّما
We are a people whose steeds will never cease
To dart with the flanks of the ridden beast.
تَكُرُّ أَحاليبُ اللَديدَ عَلَيهُمُ
وَتوفى جِفانُ الضَيفِ مَحضاً مُعَمَّما
Turning the well-worn spindle-ends back on them,
Quenching the guest's thirst with pure curdled milk.
لَنا مَنسَرٌ صَعبُ المَقادَةِ فاتِكٌ
شُجاعٌ إِذا ما آنَسَ السِربَ أَلجَما
We have a colt, hard to control, gallant,
Bold when he senses the herd of horses.
نُغيرُ بِهِ طَوراً وَطَوراً نَضُمُّهُ
إِلى كُلِّ مَحبوكٍ مِنَ السَروِ أَيهَما
Now we drive him on, now we cheek him
To every interwoven tamarisk or lotus.
وَنَحنُ أَزَلنا طَيِّئاً عَن بِلادَنا
وَحَلفَ مُرادٍ مِن مَذانِبَ تَحتَما
We made Taiy withdraw from our lands
And Murad's alliance from its coverts.
وَنَحنُ أَتَينا حَنبَشاً بِاِبنِ عَمِّهِ
أَبا الحُصنِ إِذ عافَ الشَرابَ وَأَقسَما
We came upon Hanbash with his uncle's son
Abu l-Husn, when he shunned wine and swore off.
فَأَبلِغ بَني بَكرٍ إِذا ما لَقَيتَها
عَلى خَيرِ ما يُلقى بِهِ مَن تَزَغَّما
So tell the Bakr, if you meet them,
With the best greeting one who is honored may give.
أَبونا أَبوكُم وَالأَواصِرُ بَينَنا
قَريبٌ وَلَم نَأمُر مَنيعاً لِيَأثَما
Our father is your father, our ties between us
Close—we ordered no untouchable to sin.
فَإِن تَقبَلوا المَعروفَ نَصبِر لِحَقِّكُم
وَلَن يَعدَمَ المَعروفُ خُفّاً وَمَنسِما
If you accept propriety, we will be patient for your rights,
Propriety will not lack a parting gift or hobble.
وَإِلّا فَما بِالمَوتِ ضُرٌّ لِأَهلِهِ
وَلَم يُبقِ هَذا الدَهرُ في العَيشِ مَندَما
Otherwise no harm in death for its people,
And this age left none to regret life.
