راحَ القَطينُ بِهَجرٍ بَعدَما اِبتَكَروا
فَما تُواصِلُهُ سَلمى وَما تَذَرُ
The two cats departed after scheming,
So neither will Salma continue nor desist.
مَنأى الفَرورِ فَما يَأتي المُريدَ وَما
يَسلو الصُدودَ إِذا ما كانَ يَقتَدِرُ
Far from duplicity neither lover comes nor
Obstinate make peace when unable.
كَأَنَّ أَظعانَهُم في الصُبحِ غادِيَةً
طَلحُ السَلائِلِ وَسطَ الرَوضِ أَو عُشَرُ
As if their bleating at dawn proceeding
Is a wolf among the pasture or associates.
أَو بارِدُ الصَيفِ مَسجورٌ مَزارِعُهُ
سودُ الذَوائِبِ مِمّا مَتَّعَت هَجَرُ
Or cool of summer, its fields overcast,
Black are the slopes from what estrangement cultivated.
جَعلٌ قِصارٌ وَعَيدانٌ يَنوءُ بِهِ
مِنَ الكَوافِرِ مَكمومٌ وَمُهتَصِرُ
Short spears and staffs it sways with
Withered and shriveled from the infidels.
يَشرَبنَ رَفهاً عِراكاً غَيرَ صادِرَةٍ
فَكُلُّها كارِعٌ في الماءِ مُغتَمِرُ
They drink fresh undrinkable drafts,
Each submerging in the water immersed.
بَينَ الصَفا وَخَليجِ العَينِ ساكِنَةٌ
غُلبٌ سَواجِدُ لَم يَدخُل بِها الحَصَرُ
Between As-Safa and spring of the eye residing
Overwhelmed, prostrations which enclosure did not enter.
وَفي الحُدوجِ عَروبٌ غَيرُ فاحِشَةٍ
رَيّا الرَوادِفِ يَعشى دونَها البَصَرُ
And in the valleys a wantonness not excessive
Pleasing to beholders, vision falls short of it.
كَأَنَّ فاها إِذا ما اللَيلُ أَلبَسَها
سَيابَةٌ ما بِها عَيبٌ وَلا أَثَرُ
As if its mouth when night clothes it
Is an unblemished, spotless sword.
قالَت غَداةَ اِنتَجَينا عِندَ جارَتِها
أَنتَ الَّذي كُنتُ لَولا الشَيبُ وَالكِبَرُ
It said one morning when we met at her neighbor’s
You are the one I would have married, if not for gray hair and old age.
فَقُلتُ لَيسَ بَياضُ الرَأسِ مِن كِبرٍ
لَو تَعلَمينَ وَعِندَ العالِمِ الخَبَرُ
So I said gray hair is not from aging,
If you knew, and with the scholar is knowledge.
لَو كانَ غَيري سُلَيمى اليَومَ غَيَّرَهُ
وَقعُ الحَوادِثِ إِلّا الصارِمُ الذَكَرُ
If it were other than me, adversity would have changed him,
Except the resolute male, events do not alter.
ما يَمنَعُ اللَيلُ مِنّي ما هَمَمتُ بِهِ
وَلا أَحارُ إِذا ما اِعتادَني السَفَرُ
Night does not prevent me from what I intend
Nor do I feel alien in travel when accustomed.
إِنّي أُقاسي خُطوباً ما يَقومُ لَها
إِلّا الكِرامُ عَلى أَمثالِها الصُبُرُ
I endure tribulations, none can withstand,
Except the generous against its like, patience.
مِن فَقدِ مَولىً تَصورُ الحَيَّ جَفنَتُهُ
أَو رُزءُ مالٍ وَرُزءُ المالِ يُجتَبَرُ
Loss of a master, you imagine the living his eyelids closed,
Or loss of wealth and loss of wealth is endured.
وَالنيبُ إِن تَعرُ مِنّي رَمَّةً خَلَقاً
بَعدَ المَماتِ فَإِنّي كُنتُ أَثَّئِرُ
If you find in me, after death, a deficiency in manners,
Then I was heedless.
وَلا أَضِنُّ بِمَعروفِ السَنامِ إِذا
كانَ القُتارُ كَما يُستَروَحُ القُطُرُ
I do not begrudge the rain of favors when
The drizzle is as desired rain is craved.
وَلا أَقولُ إِذا ما أَزمَةٌ أَزَمَت
يا وَيحَ نَفسِيَ مِمّا أَحدَثَ القَدَرُ
I do not say when crisis befalls,
“Woe to me from what destiny has brought.”
وَلا أُضِلُّ بِأَصحابٍ هَدَيتُهُمُ
إِذا المُعَبَّدُ في الظَلماءِ يَنتَشِرُ
I do not misguide companions whom I guided,
When the paved way in the darkness spreads.
وَأُربِحُ التَجرَ إِن عَزَّت فِضالُهُمُ
حَتّى يَعودَ سُلَيمى حَولَهُ نَفَرُ
I profit from trade though its abundance diminishes
Until around Suleiman gather comrades.
غَربُ المَصَبَّةِ مَحمودٌ مَصارِعُهُ
لاهي النَهارِ لِسَيرِ اللَيلِ مُحتَقِرُ
West of the canal praiseworthy its buildings
Unmindful of daytime, scorning night journey.
يُروي قَوامِحَ قَبلَ اللَيلِ صادِقَةً
أَشباهَ جِنٍّ عَلَيها الرَيطُ وَالأُزُرُ
It narrates honest lines before night,
Resembling jinn, upon it lace and headbands.
إِن يُتلِفوا يُخلِفوا في كُلِّ مَنقَصَةٍ
ما أَتلَفوا لِاِبتِغاءِ الحَمدِ أَو عَقَروا
If they destroy, they replace in every loss
What they ruined, seeking praise or they raided.
نُعطي حُقوقاً عَلى الأَحسابِ ضامِنَةً
حَتّى يُنَوِّرَ في قُريانِهِ الزَهَرُ
We give rights based on accounts guaranteed
Until among its maidens shines the blossoms.
وَأَقطَعُ الخَرقَ قَد بادَت مَعالِمُهُ
فَما يُحَسُّ بِهِ عَينٌ وَلا أَثَرُ
And I mend the tear, its marks have vanished,
No eye perceives it and no trace.
بِجَسرَةٍ تَنجُلُ الظُرّانَ ناجِيَةَ
إِذا تَوَقَّدَ في الدَيمومَةِ الظُرَرُ
With audacity that shakes the follies confiding,
When in eternity embers ignite.
كَأَنَّها بَعدَما أَفنَيتُ جُبلَتَها
خَنساءُ مَسبوعَةٌ قَد فاتَها بَقَرُ
As if after I exhausted her essence,
She is Khenasa effaced, cows eluded her.
تَنجو نَجاءَ ظَليمِ الجَوِّ أَفزَعَهُ
ريحُ الشَمالِ وَشَفّانٌ لَها دِرَرُ
She escapes escape of the gloomy atmosphere frightened by
North wind and gale upon her pearls.
باتَت إِلى دَفِّ أَرطاةٍ تُحَفِّرُهُ
في نَفسِها مِن حَبيبٍ فاقِدٍ ذِكَرُ
She spent the night to the drums of drumming, digging
Into herself for an absent beloved, remembering.
إِذا اِطمَأَنَّت قَليلاً بَعدَما حَفَرَت
لا تَطمَئِنُّ إِلى أَرطاتِها الحُفَرُ
When she calmed a little after digging,
She does not calm down to her burrows.
تَبني بُيوتاً عَلى قَفرٍ يُهَدِّمُها
جَعدُ الثَرى مُصعَبٌ في دَفِّهِ زَوَرُ
She builds homes on barrenness, demolished by
The curled soil, difficult in its hollows playing tricks.
لَيلَتَها كُلَّها حَتّى إِذا حَسَرَت
عَنها النُجومُ وَكادَ الصُبحُ يَنسَفِرُ
Her night until the stars withdrew from her
And dawn almost set out.
غَدَت عَلى عَجَلٍ وَالنَفسُ خائِفَةٌ
وَآيَةٌ مِن غُدُوِّ الخائِفِ البُكَرُ
She went hastily while the soul apprehensive
And sign of the apprehensive’s going early.
لاقَت أَخا قَنَصٍ يَسعى بِأَكلُبِهِ
شَأنَ البَنانِ لَدَيهِ أَكلُبٌ جُسُرُ
She met a brother of hunting, his dogs roaming
Habit of hunters, by him courageous dogs.
وَلَّت فَأَدرَكَها أولى سَوابِقِها
فَأَقبَلَت ما بِها رَوعٌ وَلا بَهَرُ
She turned and the first of its racers overtook her
So she faced without panic or confusion.
فَقاتَلَت في ظِلالِ الرَوعِ وَاِعتَكَرَت
إِنَّ المُحامِيَ بَعدَ الرَوعِ يَعتَكِرُ
She fought in the shadows of panic and drew herself together
As the protector after panic gathers himself.
