غَشيتُ مَنازِلاً بِعُرَيتِناتٍ

فَأَعلى الجِزعِ لِلحَيّ المُبِنِّ

I dwelt in abodes with soft sand around;

On their summits the living were eager.

تَعاوَرَهُنَّ صَرفُ الدَهرِ حَتّى

عَفونَ وَكُلُّ مُنهَمِرٍ مُرِنِّ

Time has ruined them till they are decayed;

Every builder of them is decaying.

وَقَفتُ بِها القَلوصَ عَلى اِكتِئابٍ

وَذاكَ تَفارُطُ الشَوقِ المُعَنّي

There I stopped the ships, deeply mourning,

With yearning too violent to be masked.

أُسائِلُها وَقَد سَفَحَت دُموعي

كَأَنَّ مَفيضَهُنَّ غُروبُ شَنِّ

I ask them while my tears are flowing,

Like the coming downpour at sunset.

بُكاءَ حَمامَةٍ تَدعو هَديلاً

مُفَجَّعَةٍ عَلى فَنَنٍ تُغَنّي

The weeping of a dove that calls her comrade,

Grieving over the empty nests that sang.

أَلِكني يا عُيَينَ إِلَيكَ قَولاً

سَأُهديهِ إِلَيكَ إِلَيكَ عَنّي

Bring me, O eyes, some words I may address to her,

Words I may send to her from me.

قَوافي كَالسِلامِ إِذا اِستَمَرَّت

فَلَيسَ يَرُدُّ مَذهَبَها التَظَنّي

Rhymes like greetings that go on and on

So that vain fancy cannot turn them back.

بِهِنَّ أُدينُ مَن يَبغي أَذاتي

مُدايَنَةَ المُدايِنِ فَليَدَنّي

Through them I give my love to her hater;

The intimacy of cities, so let him draw near me.

أَتَخذُلُ ناصِري وَتُعِزَّ عَبساً

أَيَربوعَ بنَ غَيظٍ لِلمِعَنِّ

Do you help my foe and strengthen sulking?

Like Rabī‘ah son of Ghaiz in his rancor?

كَأَنَّكَ مِن جِمالِ بَني أُقَيشٍ

يُقَعقَعُ خَلفَ رِجلَيهِ بِشَنِّ

One time you are an ostrich, another time

A griffon, wherever the wind lists you stray.

تَكونُ نَعامَةً طَوراً وَطَوراً

هَوِيَّ الريحِ تَنسُجُ كُلَّ فَنِّ

You wish them gone, so vie with them in going.

You shall surely be left while wishing remains.

تَمَنَّ بُعادَهُم وَاِستَبقِ مِنهُم

فَإِنَّكَ سَوفَ تُترَكُ وَالتَمَنّي

With slanderers who have no trusted friend,

No guide who can give comfort and assurance.

لَدى جَرعاءَ لَيسَ بِها أَنيسٌ

وَلَيسَ بِها الدَليلُ بِمُطمَئِنِّ

If you dare wrong the lion in his den,

Then I am not of you, nor you of me.

إِذا حاوَلتَ في أَسَدٍ فُجوراً

فَإِنّي لَستُ مِنكَ وَلَستَ مِنّي

They are my coat of mail I donned

Against the evil day and my misfortune.

فَهُم دِرعي الَّتي اِستَلأَمتُ فيها

إِلى يَومِ النِسارِ وَهُم مِجَنّي

They repulsed the informers against Tamīm

They were the folk of Ukaz; I am one of them.

وَهُم وَرَدوا الجِفارَ عَلى تَميمٍ

وَهُم أَصحابُ يَومِ عُكاظَ إِنّي

I witnessed for them places of true service,

I came to them with love sincere within me.

شَهِدتُ لَهُم مَواطِنَ صادِقاتٍ

أَتَينَهُمُ بِوُدَّ الصَدرِ مِنّي

They marched to Hujr in an army,

That day they were, in my thought, a mighty host.

وَهُم ساروا لِحُجرٍ في خَميسٍ

وَكانوا يَومَ ذَلِكَ عِندَ ظَنّي

And they marched to the Ghassan in a march

Wherein the noble horses were jostling.

وَهُم زَحَفوا لِغَسّانٍ بِزَحفٍ

رَحيبِ السَربِ أَرعَنَ مُرجِحَنِّ

With every tested warrior like a lion

Pouncing on the flank of a long-tailed hyena.

بِكُلِّ مُجَرَّبٍ كَاللَيثِ يَسمو

عَلى أَوصالِ ذَيّالٍ رِفَنِّ

And lively girls like decorated arrows

With a band of specters round them, like jinn.

وَضُمرٍ كَالقِداحِ مُسَوَّماتٍ

عَلَيها مَعشَرٌ أَشباهُ جِنِّ

On the morrow when white dawn flickered,

Thrust against them in the dusty darkness.

غَداةَ تَعاوَرَتهُ ثَمَّ بيضٌ

دُفِعنَ إِلَيهِ في الرَهَجِ المُكِنِّ

Had I obeyed you in those matters

I would have met with regret in that, my age.

وَلَو أَنّي أَطَعتُكَ في أُمورٍ

قَرَعتُ نَدامَةً مِن ذاكَ سِنّي