تَقولُ اِبنَةُ العَوفِيِّ أَلا تَرى

إِلى اِبنِ كُراعٍ لا يَزالُ مُفَزَّعا

The daughter of Al-Awfi says: Do you not see

The son of Kurā' who is always alarmed

مَخافَةُ هَذَينِ الأَميرَينِ سَهَّدَت

رُقادي وَغشَّتني بَياضاً تَفَرَّعا

Fearing these two commanders has robbed

My sleep and clothed me in extensively branched whiteness

عَلى غَيرِ جُرمٍ أَن جارَ ظالِمٌ

عَليَّ فَجَهَزتُ القَصيدَ المُفرَّعا

With no fault of mine, an unjust neighbor

Wronged me, so I composed the extensively branched ode

وَقَد هابَني الأَقوامُ لَمّا رَميتُهُم

بِفاقِرَةٍ إِن هَمَّ أَن يَتَشَجَّعا

And the people fled from me when I shot them

With unfeathered arrows, if he dares be courageous

أَبيتُ بِأَبوابِ القَوافي كَأَنَّما

أُصادي بِها سِرباً مِنَ الوَحشِ نُزَّعا

I refused the doors of metrics as if

I were confronting a flock of wild beasts provoked

أُكَالِئُها حَتّى أُعرِّسَ بَعدَما

يَكونُ سُحَيرٌ أَو بُعَيدُ فَأَهجِعا

I meet them until I can marry off after

He who woos is either insane or estranged so I disappoint

عَواصي إِلاّ ما جَعَلتُ أَمامَها

عَصا مِربَدٍ تَغشى نُحوراً وَأَذرُعا

No rebels except I placed before them

A cane stick covering necks and arms

أَهَبَت بِغُرِّ الآبِداتِ فَراجَعَت

طَريقاً أَملَّتهُ القَصائِدُ مَهيَعا

They roamed with the shame of maidens and returned

On a path the odes hoped would bellow

بَعيدَةَ شَأوٍ لا يَكادُ يَرُدُّها

لَها طالِبٌ حَتّى يَكِلَّ وَيَظلَعا

Far from glory, hardly approached

By a suitor until he weakens and withers

إِذا خِفتُ أَن تُروى عَلَيَّ رَدَدتُها

وَراءَ التَراقي خَشيَةً أَن تَطَلَّعا

If I fear it may be recited about me I return it

Behind refinement, fearing it may be revealed

وَجَشَّمَني خَوفُ اِبنِ عَفّانَ رَدَّها

فَثَقَّفتُها حَولاً حَريداً وَمَربَعا

And fear of the son of Affan made me compose it

So I clothed it in burning, ashen heat

نَهاني اِبنُ عُثمانَ الإِمامِ وَقَد مَضَت

نَوافِذُ لَو تَرَدى الصَفا لَتَصدِعا

The son of Uthman the Imam prohibited me, and yet

The decrees had passed, if cliffs were to crack

عَوارِقُ ما يَترُكنَ لَحماً بِعَظمِهِ

وَلا عَظمَ لَحمٍ أَن يَتَمَزَّعا

Ships that would not leave a flesh on its bone

Or a bone on its flesh that they may be torn apart

أَحَقاً هَداكَ اللَهُ أَن جارَ ظالِمٌ

فَأَنكَرَ مَظلومٌ بِأَن يُؤخَذا مَعا

Is it right that God guided you when an unjust neighbor

Wronged and a wronged one was forbidden to be taken together

وَأَنتَ اِبنَ حُكّامٍ أَقاموا وَقَوَّموا

قُروناً وَأَعطوا نائِلاً غَيرُ أَقطَعا

While you are the son of rulers who established and corrected

Generations and gave to an obtainer without depriving

وَقَد كانَ في نَفسي عَلَيها زِيادَةٌ

فَلَم أَرَ إِلاّ أَن أُطيعَ وَأَسمَعا

And I had an increase in myself against it

But I did not see except to obey and listen

فَإِن أَنتُما أَحكَمتُماني فَاِزجُرا

أراهِطَ تُؤذيني مِنَ الناسِ رُضَّعا

So if you two judged against me, then deter

The riffraff who hurt me from the people as infants

فَإِن تَزجُراني يا اِبنَ عَفّان اِنزَجِر

وَإِن تَترُكاني أَحمِ عِرضاً مُمَنَّعا

So if you deter me O son of Affan, be deterred

And if you leave me, protect a forbidden honor