يا صاحِبَيَّ قِفا نَستَخبِرِ الدارا
أَقوَت فَهاجَت لَنا بِالنَعفِ تِذكارا
O my companion, stop, let us ask about the house,
Which was revived for us with the waving of branches.
تَبَدَّلَ الرَبعُ مِمَّن كانَ يَسكُنُهُ
أُدمَ الظِباءِ بِهِ يَمشينَ أَسطارا
The quarter has changed from those who used to inhabit it.
Its beautiful female gazelles walking proudly.
وَقَد أَرى مَرَّةً سِرباً بِهِ حَسَناً
مِثلَ الجَآذِرِ أَثياباً وَأَبكارا
And I sometimes see a beautiful herd in it,
Like buds, clothes and unmarried girls.
فيهِنَّ هِندٌ وَهِندٌ لا شَبيهَ لَها
مِمَّن أَقامَ مِنَ الجيرانِ أَو سارا
Among them are matchless Indian girls,
Of those who stayed or traveled.
هَيفاءُ مُقبِلَةً عَجزاءُ مُدبِرَةً
تَخالُها في ثِيابِ العَصبِ دينارا
Shy when approaching, bold when leaving,
Their anklets of woven string appear gold.
تَفتَرُّ عَن ذي غُروبٍ طَعمُهُ ضَرَبٌ
تَخالُهُ بَرَداً مِن مُزنَةِ مارا
They turn away from one whose taste is bitterness,
His coolness is like that of a viper.
كَأَنَّ عِقدَ وِشاحَيها عَلى رَشَإٍ
يَقرو مِنَ الرَوضِ رَوضِ الحَزنِ أَثمارا
As if the pearls of their necklaces were from a garden
Bearing the fruits of sorrow’s garden.
قامَت تَهادى وَأَترابٌ لَها مَعَها
هَوناً تَدافُعَ سَيلِ الزُلِّ إِذ مارا
She stood wavering while her companions around her
Gently pushed away the torrent’s surge as they walked.
يَمَّمنَ مورِقَةَ الأَفنانِ دانِيَةً
وَفي الخَلاءِ فَما يُؤنِسنَ دَيّارا
She glanced at the horizon of meadows coming closer
But in the solitude found no joy in the houses.
قالَت لَوَ أَنَّ أَبا الخَطّابِ وافَقَنا
فَنَلهُوَ اليَومَ أَو تُنشِدنَ أَشعارا
She said, “If only Abu al-Khattab were with us
To spend the day or recite poetry.”
فَلَم يَرُعهُنَّ إِلّا العيسُ طالِعَةً
يَحمِلنَ بِالنَعفِ رُكّاباً وَأَكوارا
They were not at peace until they saw the scout
Carrying riders and belongings.
وَفارِسٌ مَعَهُ البازي فَقُلنَ لَها
ها هُم أُلاءِ وَما أَكثَرنَ إِكثارا
And a horseman with a falcon, so they said to it
“Here they are, so many of them coming.”
لَمّا وَقَفنا وَغَيَّبنا رَكائِبَنا
بَدَلنَ بِالعِرفِ بَعدَ الرَجعِ إِنكارا
When we stopped and hid our mounts,
They changed from courtesy to denial after returning.
قُلنَ اِنزِلوا نَعِمَت دارٌ بِقُربِكُمُ
أَهلاً وَسَهلاً بِكُم مِن زائِرٍ زارا
They said, “Dismount, you have come upon a house near you,
Welcome and greetings to a visiting visitor.”
لِما أَلَمَّت بِأَصحابي وَقَد هَجَعوا
حَسِبتُ وَسطَ رِجالِ القَومِ عَطّارا
When exhaustion overcame my companions as they slept
I thought, amidst the men of the tribe, myself a perfume seller
مِن طيبِ نَشرِ الَّتي تامَتكَ إِذ طَرَقَت
وَنَفحَةِ المِسكِ وَالكافورِ إِذ ثارا
From the scent of musk spreading, when you knocked,
And the wafting of ambergris and camphor rising.
فَقُلتُ مَن ذا المُحَيِّيَ وَاِنتَبَهتُ لَهُ
أَم مَن مُحَدِّثُنا هَذا الَّذي زارا
So I said, “Who is this greeter?” And I awoke for him,
“Who is speaking to us, O visitor who has come?”
قالَت مُحِبٌّ رَماهُ الحُبُّ آوِنَةً
وَهَيَّجَتهُ دَواعي الحُبَّ إِذ حارا
She said, “A lover whom love has afflicted
And love’s pining confused when he wandered.”
حُلّي إِزارَكِ سُكنى غَيرَ صاغِرَةٍ
إِن شِئتِ وَاِجزي مُحِبّاً بِالَّذي سارا
"Undo your waistband in an unworried abode,
If you wish, and reward a lover for his wandering.”
فَقَد تَجَشَّمتُ مِن طولِ السُرى تَعَباً
وَفي الزِيارَةِ قَد أَبلَغتُ أَعذارا
“For I have endured much fatigue from long travel,
And in this visit I have given much excuse.”
إِنَّ الكَواكِبَ لا يُشبِهنَ صورَتَها
وَهُنَّ أَسوَءُ مِنها بَعدُ أَخبارا
“Surely the stars do not resemble their shapes,
And they are worse than the stars in information.”
