ظَنَّ الظُّنُونَ فَبَاتَ غَيْرَ مُوَسَّدِ
حَيْرَانَ يَكْلأ مُسْتَنِيرَ الْفَرْقَدِ
He suspected, so he slept uneasily
Restless, biting his illuminated pillow.
تُلْوِي بِهِ الذُّكُراتُ حَتَّى إِنَّهُ
لَيَظَلُّ مُلْقَى بَيْنَ أَيْدِي الْعُوَّدِ
Memories torment him until he
Lies discarded amidst outstretched hands.
طَوْراً يَهُمُّ بِأَن يَزِلَّ بِنَفْسِهِ
سَرَفاً وتَاراتٍ يَمِيلُ عَلَى الْيَدِ
Sometimes he considers injuring himself
Recklessly, and leans on his hand.
فَكَأَنَّمَا افْتَرَسَتْ بِطَائِرِ حِلْمِهِ
مَشْمُولَةٌ أَوْ سَاغَ سُمَّ الأَسْوَدِ
It's as if his patience was preyed upon
By an owl, or he drank black poison.
قالُوا غَداً يَوْمُ الرَّحِيلِ وَمَنْ لَهُمْ
خَوْفَ التَّفَرُّقِ أَنْ أَعِيشَ إِلَى غَدِ
They said tomorrow is the day of departure, and for those
Who fear separation, may I live until tomorrow.
هِيَ مُهْجَةٌ ذَهَبَ الْهَوَى بِشَغَافِهَا
مَعْمُودَةٌ إِنْ لَمْ تَمُتْ فَكَأَنْ قَدِ
It is an inflamed love that passion took away,
A baptized one, as if she did not die she did.
يَا أَهْلَ ذا الْبَيْتِ الرَّفِيعِ مَنَارُهُ
أَدْعُوكُمُ يَا قَوْمُ دَعْوَةَ مُقْصَدِ
O people of this lofty house with a minaret!
I call you, o people, with intent.
إِنِّي فَقَدْتُ الْيَوْمَ بَيْنَ بُيُوتِكُمْ
عَقْلِي فَرُدُّوهُ عَلَيَّ لأَهْتَدِي
Today amongst your homes I lost
My mind, so give it back so I may be guided,
أَوْ فَاسْتَقِيدُونِي بِبَعْضِ قِيَانِكُمْ
حَتَّى ترُدَّ إِلَيَّ نَفْسِي أَوْ تَدِي
Or guide me with some of your leaders,
Until my soul returns or perishes.
بَلْ يَا أَخَا السَّيْفِ الطَّوِيلِ نِجَادُهُ
إِنْ أَنْتَ لَمْ تَحْمِ النَّزِيلَ فَأَغْمِدِ
Rather, o brother of the long sword, its sheath
If you do not shelter the guest, then sheathe it!
هَذِي لِحَاظُ الْغِيدِ بَيْنَ شِعَابِكُمْ
فَتَكَتْ بِنَا خَلْساً بِغَيْرِ مُهَنَّدِ
This is the clothing of the brave between your crevices
So it deceived us secretly without unsheathing.
مِنْ كُلِّ نَاعِمَةِ الصِّبَا بَدَوِيَّةٍ
رَيَّا الشَّبابِ سَلِيمَةِ الْمُتَجَرّدِ
Of every gentle grace, nomadic,
Pure, stripped youth.
هَيْفَاءَ إِنْ خَطَرَتْ سَبَتْ وإِذَا رَنَتْ
سَلَبَتْ فُؤَادَ الْعَابِدِ الْمُتَشَدِّدِ
Coquettish, if she passed she captivated, and if she sang,
She stole the heart of the devout worshipper.
يَخْفِضْنَ مِنْ أَبْصَارِهِنَّ تَخَتُّلاً
لِلنَّفْسِ فِعْلَ الْقَانِتَاتِ الْعُبَّدِ
They lower their eyes flirtatiously,
Sinning like the humble worshippers.
فَإِذَا أَصَبْنَ أَخَا الشَّبَابِ سَلَبْنَهُ
وَرَمَيْنَ مُهْجَتَهُ بِطَرْفٍ أَصْيَدِ
So if they encounter the brother of youth, they plunder him,
And throw his love with a glance that hunts.
وَإِذَا لَمَحْنَ أَخَا الْمَشِيبِ قَلَيْنَهُ
وَسَتَرْنَ ضَاحِيَةَ الْمَحَاسِنِ بِالْيَدِ
And if they notice an aging man, they reject him
And conceal the cheeks of beauty with a hand.
فَلَئِنْ غَدَوْتُ دَرِيئَةً لعُيُونِهَا
فَلَقدْ أَفُلُّ زَعَارَةَ الْمُتَمَرِّدِ
So if tomorrow I seem unpleasant to their eyes
I once glittered like the rebellious, defiant one.
وَلَقَدْ شَهِدْتُ الْحَرْبَ في إِبَّانِهَا
وَلَبِئْسَ رَاعِي الْحَيِّ إِنْ لَمْ أَشْهَدِ
And I witnessed war in its time,
How evil the guardian of the living if I don't witness!
تَتَقَصَّفُ الْمُرَّانُ فِي حَجَراتِهَا
وَيَعُودُ فِيها السَّيْفُ مِثْلَ الأَدْرَدِ
The abodes within them act coyly
And the sword returns in them like an unsheathed blade.
عَصَفَتْ بها رِيحُ الرَّدَى فَتَدَفَّقَتْ
بِدَمِ الْفَوَارِسِ كَالأَتِيِّ الْمزْبِدِ
The winds of vileness blew upon them, so they overflowed
With the blood of knights like the abundant, frothing torrent.
مَا زِلْتُ أَطْعَنُ بَيْنَها حَتَّى انْثَنَتْ
عَنْ مِثْلِ حَاشِيَةِ الرَّدَاءِ الْمُجْسَدِ
I kept stabbing between them until they bent
Like the hem of a thick robe.
وَلَقَدْ هَبَطْتُ الْغَيْثَ يَلْمَعُ نَوْرُهُ
فِي كُلِّ وَضَّاحِ الأَسِرَّةِ أَغْيَدِ
And I descended rain whose light shone
In every clear corner of the family abodes.
تَجْرِي بِهِ الآرَامُ بَيْنَ مَنَاهِلٍ
طَابَتْ مَوَارِدُهَا وَظِلٍّ أَبْرَدِ
It flows with blessings between springs -
Its sources are good and its shade cooler.
بِمُضَمَّرٍ أَرِنٍ كَأَنَّ سَرَاتَهُ
بَعْدَ الْحَمِيمِ سَبِيكَةٌ مِنْ عَسْجَدِ
Deep brown as if its mane after perspiration
Were cast iron from the blacksmith's.
خَلَصَتْ لَهُ الْيُمْنَى وَعَمَّ ثَلاثَةً
مِنْهُ الْبَيَاضُ إِلَى وَظِيفٍ أَجْرَدِ
The right side is purely his, it extends to three:
The whiteness to the specified duty of one whose upper arm is stripped.
فَكَأَنَّمَا انْتَزعَ الأَصِيلَ رِدَاءَهُ
سَلَباً وَخَاضَ مِنَ الضُّحَى فِي مَوْرِدِ
It's as if he pulled off the natural cloak of the thoroughbred
Forcefully, and waded into the morning at a watering place.
زَجِلٌ يُرَدِّدُ فِي اللَّهَاةِ صَهِيلَهُ
رَفْعاً كَزَمْزَمَةِ الْحَبِيِّ الْمُرْعِدِ
A stallion repeating its whinny in the meadows,
Lofty like the croaking of the resonating frog.
مُتَلَفِّتَاً عَنْ جَانِبَيهِ يَهُزُّهُ
مَرَحُ الصِّبَا كَالشَّارِبِ الْمُتَغَرِِّد
Looking around him it sways him -
The gentle breeze like the warbling drinker.
فإِذَا ثَنَيْتَ لَهُ الْعِنَانَ وَجَدْتَهُ
يَمْطُو كَسِيدِ الرَّدْهَةِ الْمُتَوَرِّدِ
It's enough if when sensing something suddenly
He bolts like the neigh of the burning father.
وإِذَا أَطَعْتَ لَهُ الْعِنَانَ رَأَيْتَهُ
يَطْوِي الْمَهَامِهَ فَدْفَداً فِي فَدْفَدِ
The firmness of his hooves does not pass over smooth stone
Except it slips on it with a slipperiness.
يَكْفِيكَ مِنْهُ إِذَا أَحَسَّ بِنَبْأَةٍ
شَدُّ كَمَعْمَعَةِ الأَباءِ الْمُوقَدِ
Good is the equipment when the lips contract
On the day of distastefulness in intense white heat.
صُلْبُ السَّنابِكِ لا يَمُرُّ بِجَلْمَدٍ
فِي الشَّدِّ إِلَّا رَضَّ فِيهِ بِجَلْمَدِ
And I drank wine between vine leaves
That smell of apple blossoms like dangling branches.
نِعْمَ الْعَتَادُ إِذَا الشِّفَاهُ تَقَلَّصَتْ
يومَ الْكَرِيهَةِ في الْعَجَاجِ الأَرْبَدِ
They toy with cups when they circulate
Playing a game in which earnestness comes and goes.
وَلَقَدْ شَرِبْتُ الْخَمْرَ بَيْنَ غَطارِفٍ
شُمِّ الْمَعَاطِسِ كَالْغُصُونِ الْمُيَّدِ
They speak nothing but what desire ordered
So their speech is like a polished garden, bright.
يَتَلاعَبُونَ عَلَى الْكُؤوسِ إِذَا جَرَتْ
لَعِباً يَرُوحُ الْجِدُّ فِيهِ وَيَغْتَدِي
On every shining forehead it's as if
A moon centered the wing of a dark night.
لا يَنْطِقُونَ بِغَيْرِ ما أَمَرَ الْهَوَى
فَكَلامُهُمْ كَالرَّوْضِ مَصْقُولٌ نَدِي
But I entered many a singing-girl's tent
As the star glanced from the edges of bleary eyes.
مِنْ كُلِّ وَضَّاحِ الْجَبينِ كَأَنَّهُ
قَمَرٌ تَوَسَّطَ جُنْحَ لَيْلٍ أَسْوَدِ
She said, looking at me, "You exposed me
So go back to your business, for men are on guard."
بَلْ رُبَّ غَانِيَةٍ طَرَقْتُ خِبَاءَهَا
وَالنَّجْمُ يَطْرِفُ عَنْ لَواحِظِ أَرْمَدِ
I captivated her with words until she was content
And folded her like the pliant with my hand.
قَالَتْ وَقَدْ نَظَرَتْ إِلَيَّ فَضَحْتَنِي
فَارْجِعْ لِشَأْنِكَ فَالرِّجَالُ بِمَرْصَدِ
I kept denying her sleep, seducing
Until we spent the night of embers.
فَخَلَبْتُهَا بِالْقَولِ حَتَّى رُضْتُها
وَطَوَيْتُهَا طَيَّ الْحَبِيرَةِ بِالْيَدِ
She startled from the birds of dawn
Delicately, and startled from the hoopoe's call,
مَا زِلْتُ أَمْنَعُهَا الْمَنامَ غَوايَةً
حَتَّى لَقَدْ بِتْنَا بِلَيْلِ الأَنْقَدِ
Until when the breeze slept, and the
Scattered stars followed like frightened does.
رَوْعَاءُ تَفْزَعُ مِنْ عَصَافِيرِ الضُّحَى
تَرَفاً وَتَجْزَعُ مِنْ صِيَاحِ الْهُدْهُدِ
She said, "You entered and your being here last night
Leaves the shame of the pillow."
حَتَّى إِذا نَمَّ الصَّبَا وَتَتَابَعَتْ
زِيَمُ الْكَواكِبِ كَالْمَهَا الْمُتَبَدِّدِ
So I stroked her until her heart calmed
And alleviated her fear with wise thinking,
قَالَتْ دَخَلْتَ وَمَا إِخَالُكَ بَارِحاً
إِلَّا وَقَدْ أَبْقَيْتَ عَارَ الْمُسْنَدِ
And I left rending through enemy ranks
Masked, with my sword gleaming in my hand.
فَمَسَحْتُهَا حَتَّى اطْمَأَنَّ فُؤَادُها
وَنَفَيْتُ رَوْعَتَهَا بِرَأْيٍ مُحْصَدِ
So excellent is that life, if it does not vanish,
And excellent is this life, if it does not end!
وَخَرَجْتُ أَخْتَرِقُ الصُّفُوفَ مِنَ الْعِدَا
مُتَلَثِّمَاً وَالسَّيْفُ يَلْمَعُ فِي يَدِي
The youth hopes in life for his longevity
And pleasures, but man is not immortal.
فَلَنِعْمَ ذَاكَ الْعَيْشُ لَوْ لَمْ يَنْقَضِ
وَلَنِعْمَ هَذَا الْعَيْشُ إِنْ لَمْ يَنْفَدِ
يَرْجُو الْفَتَى فِي الدَّهْرِ طُولَ حَيَاتِهِ
وَنَعِيمِهِ وَالْمَرْءُ غَيْرُ مُخَلَّدِ
