يا عيدُ ما لَكَ مِن شَوقٍ وَإيراقِ
وَمَرِّ طَيفٍ عَلى الأَهوالِ طَرّاقِ
O Festival! You awaken no longing in me, no shedding of tears,
No specter passes over events that make me shudder,
يَسري عَلى الأَينِ وَالحَيّاتِ مُحتَفِياً
نَفسي فِداؤُكَ مِن سارٍ عَلى ساقِ
It moves through the valleys and mountains proudly,
My soul is your ransom from an upright walker on legs.
طَيفِ اِبنَةِ الحُرِّ إِذ كُنّا نُواصِلُها
ثُمَّ اِجتُنِنتَ بُها بَعدَ التِفِرّاقِ
The phantom of the free woman's daughter when we used to visit her,
Then, after we parted, you became infatuated with her.
تَاللَهِ آمَنُ أُنثى بَعدَما حَلَفَت
أَسماءُ بِاللَهِ مِن عَهدٍ وَميثاقِ
By God, no woman believes after she has sworn
By God, from a pact and covenant.
مَمزوجَةُ الوُدِّ بَينا واصَلَت صَرَمَت
الأَوَّلُ اللَذ مَضى وَالآخَرُ الباقِ
Our love was mingled while she maintained it,
The first was sweet but faded, the second remains.
فَالأَوَّلُ اللَذ مَضى قالي مَوَدَّتُها
وَاللَذُّ مِنها هُذاءٌ غَيرُ إِحقاقِ
So the first sweetness passed, her affection for me,
And that sweetness from her was delusion without right.
تُعطيكَ وَعدَ أَمانيٍّ تُغِرُّ بِهِ
كَالقَطرِ مَرَّ عَلى ضَجنانَ بَرّاقِ
She makes promises to you that beguile you
Like drops falling on bright porcelain.
إِنّي إِذا خُلَّةٌ ضَنَّت بِنائِلِها
وَأَمسَكَت بِضَعيفِ الوَصلِ أَحذاقِ
When she is alone she shows you her claws
And seizes the weak bond violently.
نَجَوتُ مِنها نَجائي مِن بَجيلَةَ إِذ
أَلقَيتُ لَيلَةَ خَبتِ الرَهطِ أَرواقِ
I escaped from her like my escape from Bajila
The night I threw myself among the sleeping tribe.
لَيلَةَ صاحوا وَأَغرَوا بي سِراعَهُمُ
بِالعَيكَتَينِ لَدى مَعدى اِبنِ بَرّاقِ
The night they cried out and drove me away in haste
With the two she-camels, at Ma’diyy ibn Barrayy’s abode.
كَأَنَّما حَثحَثوا حُصّاً قَوادِمُهُ
أَو أُمَّ خِشفٍ بِذي شَثٍّ وَطُبّاقِ
As if they were stirring up quick camels,
Or a Khashuf's mother with a Shath and Tubbaq.
لا شَيءَ أَسرَعُ مِنّي لَيسَ ذا عُذَرٍ
وَذا جَناحٍ بِجَنبِ الرَيدِ خَفّاقِ
None swifter than I, without excuse,
With wings alongside the fleeing sandgrouse,
حَتّى نَجَوتُ وَلَمّا يَنزِعوا سَلَبي
بِوالِهٍ مِن قَبيضِ الشَدِّ غَيداقِ
Until I escaped when they did not take my spoils
With a protector's grip, pulling away forcefully.
وَلا أَقولُ إِذا ما خُلَّةٌ صَرَمَت
يا وَيحَ نَفسِيَ مِن شَوقٍ وَإِشفاقِ
I do not say, when she shows her claws,
“Woe to my soul from longing and compassion!”
لَكِنَّما عِوَلي إِن كُنتُ ذا عِوَلٍ
عَلى بَصيرٍ بِكَسبِ الحَمدِ سَبّاقِ
Rather, my strength, if I have any strength,
Is in one with insight who earns praise as a forerunner,
سَبّاقِ غاياتٍ مَجدٍ في عَشيرَتِهِ
مُرَجِّعِ الصَوتِ هَدّاً بَينَ أَرفاقِ
A forerunner in the realms of glory among his tribe,
Restoring reason gently among comrades,
عاري الظَنابيبِ مُمتَدٍّ نَواشِرُهُ
مِدلاجِ أَدهَمَ واهي الماءِ غَسّاقِ
Bare forearms, spreading out his mantle,
A reddish-brown steed with weakly flowing water,
حَمّالِ أَلوِيَةٍ شَهّادِ أَندِيَةٍ
قَوّالِ مُحكَمَةٍ جَوّابِ آفاقِ
Bearer of banners, famed among assemblies,
Judge of firm speech, answerer to horizons,
فَذاكَ هَمّي وَغَزوي أَستَغيثُ بِهِ
إِذا اِستَغَثتُ بِضافي الرَأسِ نَغّاقِ
He is my care and my undertaking when I call
for help against one who chops at the head spitefully,
كَالحِقفِ حَدَّءُهُ النامونَ قُلتُ لَهُ
ذو ثَلَّتَينِ وَذو بَهمٍ وَأَرباقِ
Like the howdah, its saddle worn by traveling,
“Two braids and dimness and looseness,” I said to him,
وَقُلَّةٍ كَسِنانِ الرِمحِ بارِزَةٍ
ضَحيانَةٍ في شُهورِ الصَيفِ مِحراقِ
And sparseness like spear points protruding,
A laughing one in the months of summer's heat,
بادَرتُ قُنَّتَها صَحبي وَما كَسِلوا
حَتّى نَمَيتُ إِلَيها بَعدَ إِشراقِ
I gained access to its she-camels, my friends,
and they were not slow until I came to her after sunrise.
لا شَيأَفي ريدِها إِلّا نَعامَتُها
مِنها هَزيمٌ وَمِنها قائِمٌ باقِ
There is nothing wrong with it but her ostrich,
Some of them are prey and some remain.
بِشَرثَةٍ خَلَقٍ يوقى البَنانُ بِها
شَدَدتُ فيها سَريحاً بَعدَ إِطراقِ
With contemptible nature that the fingers guard against,
I tightened its saddlecloth after saddling.
يامَن لِعَظّالَةٍ خَذّالَةٍ أَشِبٍ
حَرَّقَ بِاللَومِ جِلدي أَيَّ تِحراقِ
O you who blame harshly and spitefully with a twisted character,
Scorching my skin, what a burning!
يَقولُ أَهلَكتَ مالاً لَو قَنِعتَ بِهِ
مِن ثَوبِ صِدقٍ وَمِن بَزٍّ وَأَعلاقِ
He says, "You have destroyed wealth which, had you been content with,
Would have been enough in true garments and silk."
عاذِلَتي إِنَّ بَعضَ اللَومِ مَعنَفَةٌ
وَهَل مَتاعٌ وَإٍ أَبقَيتُهُ باقِ
My criticizer, some blame is persecution.
What possessions did I keep to remain?
إِنّي زَعيمٌ لَئِن لَم تَترُكي عِذَلي
أَن يَسأَلَ الحَيَّ عَنّي أَهلَ آفاقِ
I assert that if you do not stop blaming me,
The living will ask after me among people everywhere,
أَن يَسأَلَ القَومُ عَنّي أَهلَ مَعرِفَةٍ
فَلا يُخَبِّرُهُم عَن ثابِتٍ لاقِ
The people will ask after me, people of knowledge,
And they will not inform them about an absent one.
سَدِّد خِلالَكَ مِن مالٍ تُجَمِّعُهُ
حَتّى تُلاقي الَّذي كُلُّ اِمرِئٍ لاقي
Make your assets righteous from the wealth you gather
Until you meet the one whom every person meets.
لَتَقرَعَنَّ عَلَيَّ السِنَّ مِن نَدَمٍ
إِذا تَذَكَّرتَ يَوماً بَعضَ أَخلاقِ
Old age will beat upon me with regret
When you remember some of my character.
