عَوجوا فَحَيّوا لِنُعمٍ دُمنَةَ الدارِ
ماذا تُحَيّونَ مِن نُؤيٍ وَأَحجارِ
They turned aside and greeted the boons of the inhabited abode
What are you greeting of intentions and stones?
أَقوى وَأَقفَرَ مِن نُعمٍ وَغَيَّرَهُ
هوجُ الرِياحِ بِهابي التُربِ مَوّارِ
Stronger and more desolate than boons which change it
Is the tumult of winds with clouds of dust whirling
وَقَفتُ فيها سَراةَ اليَومِ أَسأَلُها
عَن آلِ نُعمٍ أَموناً عَبرَ أَسفارِ
I stood in it one day asking it
About the family of boons who lived safely across travels
فَاِستَعجَمَت دارُ نُعمٍ ما تُكَلِّمُنا
وَالدارُ لَو كَلَّمَتنا ذاتُ أَخبارِ
So the house of boons was quickened without speaking to us
If only the house had spoken to us, it would have had stories
فَما وَجَدتُ بِها شَيئاً أَلوذُ بِهِ
إِلّا الثُمامَ وَإِلّا مَوقِدَ النارِ
So I did not find in it anything to take refuge in
Except some grief and except a fireplace
وَقَد أَراني وَنُعماً لاهِيَينِ بِها
وَالدَهرُ وَالعَيشُ لَم يَهمُم بِإِمرارِ
And boons and I used to play in it
While fate and life did not care for passage
أَيامَ تُخبِرُني نُعمٌ وَأُخبِرُها
ما أَكتُمُ الناسَ مِن حاجي وَأَسراري
Days tell me of boons and I tell them
I do not conceal anything from people of my concerns and secrets
لَولا حَبائِلُ مِن نُعمٍ عَلِقتُ بِها
لَأَقصَرَ القَلبُ عَنها أَيَّ إِقصارِ
If it were not for the ties of boons I clung to
My heart would have fallen short, no matter how short
فَإِن أَفاقَ لَقَد طالَت عَمايَتُهُ
وَالمَرءُ يُخلِقُ طَوراً بَعدَ أَطوارِ
If it was conscious, its unconsciousness had certainly lengthened
And a person creates a phase after phases
نُبِّئتُ نُعماً عَلى الهِجرانِ عاتِبَةً
سَقياً وَرَعياً لِذاكَ العاتِبِ الزاري
I was told boons blamed me for estrangement
Watering and grazing that blaming forlorn one
رَأَيتُ نُعماً وَأَصحابي عَلى عَجَلٍ
وَالعيسُ لِلبَينِ قَد شُدَّت بِأَكوارِ
I saw boons and my companions in a hurry
While the camel litter was tightened with straps
فَريعَ قَلبي وَكانَت نَظرَةٌ عَرَضَت
حَيناً وَتَوفيقَ أَقدارٍ لِأَقدارِ
So my heart quivered and it was a glance that occurred
For a while and harmonizing of fates with fates
بَيضاءُ كَالشَمسِ وافَت يَومَ أَسعَدِها
لَم تُؤذِ أَهلاً وَلَم تُفحِش عَلى جارِ
White like the sun, she came on her happiest day
She did not harm anyone and did not overstep on a neighbor
تَلوثُ بَعدَ اِفتِضالِ البُردِ مِئزَرَها
لَوثاً عَلى مِثلِ دِعصِ الرَملَةِ الهاري
The skirts of her wrap became sullied after the cold's departure
With mud like the train of a restless red camel
وَالطيبُ يَزدادُ طيباً أَن يَكونَ بِها
في جيدِ واضِحَةِ الخَدَّينِ مِعطارِ
And perfume becomes more fragrant if it is on her
On the smooth cheek of the aromatic-faced one
تَسقي الضَجيعَ إِذا اِستَسقى بِذي أَشَرٍ
عَذبِ المَذاقَةِ بَعدَ النَومِ مِخمارِ
She waters the sleeper when he asks with the sweetest
Taste after sleep that is somewhat intoxicated
كَأَنَّ مَشمولَةً صِرفاً بِريقَتِها
مِن بَعدِ رَقدَتِها أَو شَهدَ مُشتارِ
As if she is pure extract with her saliva
After her rest, or honey of bees
أَقولُ وَالنَجمُ قَد مالَت أَواخِرُهُ
إِلى المَغيبِ تَثَبَّت نَظرَةً حارِ
I say and the stars have inclined their ends
Toward the disappearing west with a burning look
أَلَمحَةٌ مِن سَنا بَرقٍ رَأى بَصَري
أَم وَجهُ نُعمٍ بَدا لي أَم سَنا نارِ
A glimpse from the radiance of lightning my eyes saw
Or was it the face of boons that appeared to me or lightning fire?
بَل وَجهُ نُعمٍ بَدا وَاللَيلُ مُعتَكِرٌ
فَلاحَ مِن بَينِ أَثوابٍ وَأَستارِ
But the face of boons appeared and the night was covered in darkness
So it shone from between clothes and veils
إِنَّ الحُمولَ الَّتي راحَت مُهَجِّرَةً
يَتبَعنَ كُلَّ سَفيهِ الرَأيِ مِغيارِ
Indeed the caravans that traveled estranged
Are followed by every foolish opinionated one
نَواعِمٌ مِثلُ بَيضاتٍ بِمَحنِيَةٍ
يَحفِزنَ مِنهُ ظَليماً في نَقاً هارِ
Gazelles like white eggs bend
Inciting thereby an unjust one in soft sand
إِذا تَغَنّى الحَمامُ الوُرقُ هَيَّجَني
وَإِن تَغَرَّبتُ عَنها أُمِّ عَمّارِ
When the doves coo, the leaves stir me
And when I am far from it, mother of building
وَمَهمَهٍ نازِحٍ تَعوي الذِئابُ بِهِ
نائي المِياهِ عَنِ الوُرّادِ مِقفارِ
And an owl that the wolves howl with
Far from water at the abandoned station
جاوَزتُهُ بِعَلَنداةٍ مُناقِلَةٍ
وَعرَ الطَريقِ عَلى الإِحزانِ مِضمارِ
I passed it with a travelling caravan
And the road’s nakedness on the track of sorrow
تَجتابُ أَرضاً إِلى أَرضٍ بِذي زَجَلٍ
ماضٍ عَلى الهَولِ هادٍ غَيرِ مِحيارِ
Roaming from land to land with heavy feet
Walking steadily, neither confused nor hesitant
إِذا الرِكابُ وَنَت عَنها رَكائِبُها
تَشَذَّرَت بِبَعيدِ الفَترِ خَطّارِ
When its riders depart from it, its mounts
Scatter in the distance haughtily
كَأَنَّما الرَحلُ مِنها فَوقَ ذي جُدَدٍ
ذَبَّ الرِيادِ إِلى الأَشباحِ نَظّارِ
As if the luggage on it above renewal
Deceived the watcher toward phantoms watching
مُطَرَّدٌ أُفرِدَت عَنهُ حَلائِلُهُ
مِن وَحشِ وَجرَةَ أَو مِن وَحشِ ذي قارِ
An outcast whose accessories were removed from it
From a frightening wasteland or a frightening plateau
مُجَرَّسٌ وَحَدٌ جَأبٌ أَطاعَ لَهُ
نَباتُ غَيثٍ مِنَ الوَسميِّ مِبكارِ
Enclosed and alone compelled, for it
Vegetation of rain obeyed from the lush
سَراتُهُ ما خَلا لَبانَهُ لَهِقٌ
وَفي القَوائِمِ مِثلُ الوَشمِ بِالقارِ
Its sustainers except for its milk are ardent
And on its legs like a tattoo with tar
باتَت لَهُ لَيلَةٌ شَهباءُ تَسفَعُهُ
بِحاصِبٍ ذاتِ إِشعانٍ وَأَمطارِ
A starry night spent with it, striking it
With hailstorms of flames and rain
وَباتَ ضَيفاً لِأَرطاةٍ وَأَلجَأَهُ
مَعَ الظَلامِ إِلَيها وابِلٌ سارِ
And it spent the night a guest of a pavement and its darkness
Took it along with the downpour of rain
حَتّى إِذا ما اِنجَلَت ظَلماءُ لَيلَتِهِ
وَأَسفَرَ الصُبحُ عَنهُ أَيَّ إِسفارِ
Until when the darkness of its night uncovered
And morning shone upon it, what a shining
أَهوى لَهُ قانِصٌ يَسعى بِأَكلُبِهِ
عاري الأَشاجِعِ مِن قُنّاصِ أَنمارِ
A hunter came down to it, hurrying with his dogs
Bare arms, a hunter of leopards
مُحالِفُ الصَيدِ هَبّاشٌ لَهُ لَحمٌ
ما إِن عَلَيهِ ثِيابٌ غَيرُ أَطمارِ
Sworn to hunting, his flesh is for him a garment
He has no clothes but loincloths
يَسعى بِغُضفٍ بَراها فَهيَ طاوِيَةٌ
طولُ اِرتِحالٍ بِها مِنهُ وَتَسيارِ
He runs with young dogs he trained so they are obedient
The length of travelling with him and roaming
حَتّى إِذا الثَورُ بَعدَ النَفرِ أَمكَنَهُ
أَشلى وَأَرسَلَ غُضفاً كُلَّها ضارِ
Until when the bulls scattered after startling
He released the young dogs, all harmful
فَكَرَّ مَحمِيَّةً مِن أَن يَفِرَّ كَما
كَرَّ المُحامي حِفاظاً خَشيَةَ العارِ
He turned, guarding against scattering like
An advocate guards fearing disgrace
فَشَكَّ بِالرَوقِ مِنهُ صَدرَ أَوَّلِها
شَكُّ المُشاعِبِ أَعشاراً بِأَعشارِ
So the first of them doubted with stopping
The doubt of one who delays in tenths by tenths
ثُمَّ اِنثَنى بَعدُ لِلثاني فَأَقصَدَهُ
بِذاتِ ثَغرٍ بَعيدِ القَعرِ نَعّارِ
Then he bent to the second and aimed it
With a wide, deep-holed wound
وَأَثبَتَ الثالِثَ الباقي بِنافِذَةٍ
مِن باسِلٍ عالِمٍ بِالطَعنِ كَرّارِ
And he fixed the remaining third with an opening
Of a hero, knowledgeable in repetitive stabbing
وَظَلَّ في سَبعَةٍ مِنها لَحِقنَ بِهِ
يَكُرُّ بِالرَوقِ فيها كَرَّ إِسوارِ
And he busied himself with seven of them
Circling them like the circling of bracelets
حَتّى إِذا ما قَضى مِنها لُبانَتَهُ
وَعادَ فيها بِإِقبالٍ وَإِدبارِ
Until when he finished their fresh milk from them
And returned to them with zeal and retreat
اِنقَضَّ كَالكَوكَبِ الدُرِّيِّ مُنصَلِتاً
يَهوي وَيَخلِطُ تَقريباً بِإِحضارِ
He pounced like a shooting star
Falling and almost mixing with bringing close
فَذاكَ شِبهُ قَلوصي إِذ أَضَرَّ بِها
طولُ السُرى وَالسُرى مِن بَعدِ أَسفارِ
That is the likeness of my separation when it harmed them
The length of travel and travel after journeys
