عَرَفتُ الدارَ قَد أَقوَت سِنينا
لِزَينَبَ إِذ تَحِلُّ بِها قَطينا
I knew the house though years have passed
Since Zainab frequented it, a graceful guest,
وأَذرَتها حَوافِلُ مُعصِفاتٌ
كَما تُذريَ المُلَملِمَةُ الطَحينا
And winds effaced it, blowing grain by grain
As sifters scattering flour speck by speck.
وَسافَرَت الرِياحُ بِهِنَ عَصراً
بِأَذيالٍ يَرُحنَ وَيَغتَدينا
The winds blew from it one day and bore away
Its flowing skirts and turned and strode again.
فَأَبقينَ الطُلولَ مُخَبيّاتٍ
ثَلاثاً كَالحَمائِمِ قَد بَلينا
Leaving the tall acacias whispering
Like doves that moan with their complaints suppressed.
وَآريّاً بِعَهدٍ مُرتَداتٍ
أَطَلنَ بِها الصُفونَ إِذا اِفتُلينا
Remembering days gone by they sway and bend
As langorous, tired women when unloosed.
فإِمّا تَسأَلي عَنّي لُبَينَى
وَعَن نَسَبي أُخبِركِ اليَقينا
If you would ask of me, tell plainly all,
My lineage, that the truth be not disguised.
فَأَنّي لِلنَبِيتِ أَباً وَأُماً
وَأَجداداً سَموا في الأَقدَمينا
On both the mother's and the father's side
Our line ascends the genealogical tree
لَأَفصى عِصمَةِ الهُلاّكِ أَفصى
عَلى أَفصى بنِ دَعمَّيٍ بُنينا
To where az-Zahir did his line indite
And trace his ancestry most perfectly.
وَدَعمِيٌّ بِهِ يُكَنى إِيادُ
إِليه نِسبَتي كَي تَعلَمينا
To Ezra's son that was surnamed Dhu Yazan
The pedigree goes back, and there it ends.
وَرِثنا المَجدَ عَن كُبرا نِزارٍ
فَأَورَثنا مَآثِرَنا البَنينا
We too inherit from great Jandal's fame
And hand our glory on as he bequeathed.
وَكُنّا حَيثُما عَلِمَت مَعَدٌّ
أَقَمنا حَيثُ ساروا هارِبينا
Wherever the Banu Muqbil set forth
We emigrated with them and pitched our tents.
تَنوحُ وَقَد تَولَت مُدبِراتٌ
تَخالُ سوادَ أَيكَتِها عَرينا
It weeps remembering friends who turned away,
The courtyard mourns its devastation yet.
وَأَلقَينا بِساحَتِها حُلولاً
حُلولاً للإِقامَةِ ما بَقينا
Upon that site we paused awhile and then
Moved on; and when we moved, we moved again.
فَأَنبَتنا خَضارِمَ فاخِراتٍ
يَكونُ نِتاجُها عِنَباً وَتينا
Amid its precincts we left lush and green
A garden planted with grapes and figs.
وَأَرصَدنا لِحربِ الدَهرِ جُرداً
تَكونَ مُتُونهاً حِصناً حَصينا
Against time's changing we took arms in hand -
Stout lances, swords for all event unsheathed
وَخَطِيّاً كأَشطانِ الرَكايا
وأَسيافاً يَقُمنَ وَينَحَنينا
And men whose trade is war and ever was
And men grown grey where battle fires had scorched.
وَفِتياناً يَرونَ القَتلَ مَجداً
وَشيباً في الحُروبِ مُجَرِبينا
The tribes of Muqbil point to us and say:
"These lead, where'er the march goes, vanguard they."
تُخبِرُكَ القَبائِلُ مِن مَعَدٍّ
إِذا عَدّوا سَعايَةً أَوَّلِينا
And say: "When comes the call, these men attack,
But when the foe calls truce, their rage holds back."
بِأَنّا النَازِلونَ بِكُلِ ثَغرٍ
وَأَنّا الضارِبونَ إِذا اِلتُقينا
And say: "When trials for the tribe arise
These lift the tribe and stem the flood that nears."
وَأَنّا المانِعونَ إِذا أَرَدنا
وَأَنّا العاطِفونَ إَذا دُعينا
And say: "For Muqbil's honour they uphold
Their hands in liberality nor fold."
وَأَنّا الحامِلونَ إِذا أَناخَت
خُطوبٌ في العَشيرَةِ تَبتَلينا
Those hands with generosity endowed
By ancestors whose rule came down in line,
وَأَنّا الرافِعونَ عَلى مَعَدٍّ
أَكُفاً في المَكارِمِ ما بَقينا
Who quail their enemies and on their friends
Bestow the fortune of the favorable stars.
أَكُفاً في المَكارِمِ قَدَّمَتها
قُرونٌ أُورِثَت مِنا قُرونا
When death sprang at us with its clashing arms
And from our failing eyes the light began to fade,
نُشَرِدُ بِالمَخافَةِ مَن أَتانا
وَيُعطينا المَقادَةَ مَن يَلينا
We grasped our spears in one last desperate bout
And where they lunged our weapons lunged again.
إِذا ما المَوتُ غَلَّسَ بِالمَنايا
وَزايَلَتِ المُهَنَدَةُ الجُفونا
They drove the Abs from out their native earth,
Lords over tribes and arrogant in might.
وَأَلقَينا الرِماحَ وَكانَ ضَربٌ
يُكَبُّ عَلى الوجوهِ الدارِعينا
Their own hands slew Ra'l the tribal head
As he was watering palms one eventide.
نُفوا عَن أَرضِهِم عَدنان طَراً
وَكانوا للقَبائِلِ قاهِرينا
Repulsed was Tubba's cavalry at Qudaid
And they set out Iraqwards marching light.
وَهُم قَتَلوا الرَئِيس أَبا رِغالِ
بِنَخلَةَ حينَ إِذ وَسَقَ الوَطينا
The dwellings of the Kinanah gave place
After the Qatain to the Bani Eyaad.
وَرَدّوا خَيلَ تُبَّعَ في قُدَيدٍ
وَساروا لِلعِراقِ مُشرِقينا
One folk moves in when another moves along.
Men take some houses that they leave ere long.
وَبُدِّلَت المَساكِنُ مِن إِيادٍ
كِنانَةُ بَعدَ ما كانوا القَطينا
While we drink water pure and undefiled
Another nation drinks a good mil mixed.
نَسيرُ بِمَعشَرِ قَوماً لِقومٍ
وَنَدخُلُ دارَ قَومٍ آخَرينا
وَإِنّا الشارِبونَ الماءَ صَفواً
وَيَشرَبُ غَيرُنا كَدِراً وَطينا
