أَتَعرِفُ الدارَ أَم لا تَعرِفُ الطَلَلا
بَلى فَهيجَتِ الأَحزانَ وَالوَجَلا
Do you know the house or do you not know the ruins?
Yes, so it stirred up sorrows and worries,
وَقَد أَراني بِها في عيشَةٍ عَجَبٍ
وَالدَهرُ بَينا لَهُ حالٌ إِذا اِنفَتَلا
And I saw myself in it in a wondrous livelihood,
While time between us has a state, if it separates.
أَلَهو بِواضِحَةِ الخَدَّينِ طَيَّبَةٍ
بَعدَ المَنامِ إِذا ما سَرَّها اِبتَذَلا
Is it confused by the cheeks of a good-smelling ?
after sleep, when she was happy with degradation,
لَيسَت تَزالُ إِلَيها نَفسُ صاحِبَها
ظَمأى فُلُوٍّ رَأى مِن قَلبِهِ الغَلَلا
His soul does not cease to yearn for it,
The thirst of a young man who saw shackles in his heart.
كَشارِبِ الخَمرِ لا تُشفى لِذاذَتُهُ
وَلَو يُطالِعُ حَتّى يُكثِرَ العَلَلا
Like a wine drinker, its gentleness does not quench him,
And even if he looks at it for a long time, diseases multiply.
حَتّى تَصرَّمَ لذاتُ الشَبابِ وَما
مِنَ الحَياةِ بِذا الدَهرِ الَّذي نَسَلا
Until the youthfulness of youth fades and what
Of this life in this time that we lived.
وَراعَهُنَّ بِوَجهي بَعدَ جِدَّتِهِ
شَيبٌ تَفَشَّغَ في الصُدغَينِ فَاِشتَعَلا
And I was keeping them back with my face after my seriousness
Gray hair that spread in my temples and caught fire.
وَسارَ غَربُ شَبابي بَعدَ جِدَّتِهِ
كَأَنَّما كانَ ضَيفاً خَفَّ فَاِرتَحَلا
And the youth of my youth went west after my seriousness
As if he were a guest who was light and moved.
وَكَم تَرى مِن قَوِيٍّ فَكَّ قُوَّتَهُ
طولُ الزَمانِ وَسَيفاً صارِماً نَجَلا
And how many do you see as strong, his strength is broken
The length of time and a sharp sword polished.
إِنَّ اِبنَ آدَمَ يَرجو ما وَراءَ غَدٍ
وَدونَ ذَلِكَ غولٌ تَعتَقي الأَمَلا
Indeed, the son of Adam hopes for what is beyond tomorrow
And less than that is a ghoul that hopes are chained to.
لَو كانَ يُعتَقُ حَيّاً عَن مَنِيَّتِهِ
تَحَرُّزٌ وَحِذارٌ أَحرَزَ الوَعلا
If he were ransomed alive from his death
Caution and warning would achieve reconciliation.
الأَعصَمَ الصَدَعَ الوَحشِيِّ في شَعَفٍ
دونَ السَماءِ نِيافٍ يَفرُعُ الجَبَلا
The strongest cleft the wild rock on the cliff
Below the sky, soft clouds branch out the mountain.
أَو طائِراً مِن عِتاقِ الطَيرِ مَسكَنُهُ
مَصاعِبُ الأَرضِ وَالأَشراف مُذ عَقَلا
Or a bird from the released birds, its dwelling
The difficulties of the earth and the highlands since he reason.
يَكادُ يَطلُعُ صُعداً غَيرَ مُكتَرِثٍ
إِلى السَماءِ وَلَولا بُعدُها فَعَلا
He almost climbs the slopes without worry
To heaven, and if it weren't for its distance, it would have risen.
وَلَيسَ يَنزِلُ إِلّا فَوقَ شاهِقَةٍ
جُنحَ الظَلامِ وَلَولا اللَيلُ ما نَزَلا
And he does not descend except above the high
Wings of darkness, and if it were not for the night, he would not have descended.
فَذاكَ مِن أَجدَرِ الأَشياءِ لَو وَأَلَت
نَفسٌ مِنَ المَوتِ وَالآفاتِ أَن يَئِلا
So that is the most deserving of things if a soul
From death and afflictions to take refuge and shelter.
فَصَرِّمِ الهَمَّ إِذا وَلّى بِناجِيَةٍ
عَيرانَةٍ لا تَشَكّى الأَصرَ وَالعَمَلا
So harness the worry when it turns away with a she-camel
Maimed that does not complain of shackles and labor.
مِنَ اللَواتي إِذا اِستَقبَلنَ مَهمَهَةً
نَجَّينَ مِن هَولِها الرُكبانَ وَالثَقَلا
Of those who when they face a slope
saving the riders and luggage from its horror.
مَن فَرَّها يَرَها مِن جانِبٍ سَدَساً
وَجانِبٍ نابُها لَم يَعدُ أَن بَزَلا
Whoever escapes it sees it from one side with fangs
And the side of its fangs did not cease to drip.
حُرفٌ تَشَذَّرُ عَن رَيّانَ مُغتَمِسٍ
مُستَحقِبٍ رَزَأَتهُ رَحمُها الجَمَلا
A letter drips from a wet robe
That its womb had mercy on the camel.
أَو كَت عَلَيهِ مَضيقاً مِن عَواهِنِها
كَما تَضَمَّنَ كَشحُ الحُرَّةِ الحَبَلا
Or contracted on him a narrow pass from its passes
As the bag of the pregnant woman contained the rope.
كَأَنَّها وَهيَ تَحتَ الرَحلِ لاهِيَةً
إِذا المِطِيُّ عَلى أَنقابِهِ ذَمَلا
It’s as if she's playing under the litter
When the rider on his sandals became tired.
جُوَنِيَّةٌ مِن قَطا الصَوانِ مَسكَنُها
جَفاجِفٌ تُنبِتُ القَفعاءَ وَالبَقَلا
A meager woman whose dwelling is the plateau of boulders
Barren lands that produce leguminous plants and vegetables.
باضَت بِحَزمِ سُبَيعٍ أَو بِمَرفَضِهِ
ذي الشَيحِ حَيثُ تَلاقى التَلعُ فَاِنسَجَلا
She spent the night in the midst of Soba’ or its meadow
Which thickets meet where twisted threads intertwined.
يَأذى فَيَنفُضُ نَفضَ الغِرِّ فَروَتَهُ
عَن صَفحَتَيهِ وَضاحي مَتنِهِ البَلَلا
It hurts so it shakes off its cloak
from its two pages and the sides of its wet body.
يَبِبتُ يَحفُر وَجهُ الأَرضِ مُجتَنِحاً
إِذا اِطمَأَنَّ قَليلاً قامَ فَاِنتَقَلا
It spends the night digging the face of the earth cowering
When he calms down a little, he gets up and moves.
تَحَسَّرَت عِقَّةٌ عَنهُ فَأَنسَلَها
وَاِجتابَ أُخرى جَدِيّداً بَعدَما اِبتَقَلا
A female hyena felt sorry for him and released him
And another newer one responded after they were spotted.
كَأَنَّها بَينَ ظَهراني دُجَنَّتِهِ
حَرٌّ تَبذُلَ بَعدَ الكِيِّ فَاِعتَمَلا
It is as if it is between its two humps
A free woman who shows generosity after being chained.
لَقَد مَدَحتُ رِجالاً صالِحينَ فَأَمّا
أَن يَنالوا كَما نالَ الوَليدُ فَلا
I have praised righteous men, but as for
whether they get what Al-Walid got, no,
هُوَ الفَتى كُلُّهُ مَجداً وَمَكرَمَةً
وَكُلُّ أَخلاقِهِ الخَيراتِ قَد كَمَلا
He is the young man, all glorious and honorable
And all his qualities of goodness have been perfected.
فَتى الرَبِيَّةِ يَستَسقي الغَمامُ بِهِ
كَالبَدرِ وافَقَ نِصفَ الشَهرِ فَاِتَدَلا
The young man of virtue who rain clouds seek rain from
Like the full moon aligned with half of the month, so it tilted.
يَدعو إِلَيهِ بُغاةُ الخَيرِ نائِلُهُ
إِذا تَجَهَّزَ مِنهُ نائِلٌ قَفَلا
The dissidents of good summon its obtainer to it
When someone obtaining from it leaves loaded.
فَجَئتُهُ أَبتَغي ما يَطلُبونَ وَما ال
مُستَورِدُ البَحر كَالمُستَورَدِ الوَشَلا
So I came to seek what they want, and not
The importer of the sea is like the importer of evening dusk.
غَيثٌ خَصيبٌ وَعِزٌّ يُستَغاثُ
إِذا أَتاهُ طَريدٌ خائِفٌ وَأَلا
Fertilizing rain and honor that is implored
When a fleeing frightened prey comes to him
لا يَجتَويهِ وَإِن طالَت إِقامَتُهُ
أَهلُ المَكانِ وَلا الأَرضُ الَّتي نَزَلا
Neither the people of the place bother him no matter how long his stay
Nor the land on which he descended.
