أَلا تِلكُما عِرسي مَنيعَةُ ضُمِّنَت

أَلا تِلكُما عِرسي مَنيعَةُ ضُمِّنَت

مِنَ اللَهِ إِثماً مُستَسِرّاً وَعالِنا

مِنَ اللَهِ إِثماً مُستَسِرّاً وَعالِنا

Behold, you two: my wife Manī‘a has been burdened

Those, my inaccessible dwellings, enfold

by God with sin, hidden and manifest.

A sin against God, hidden and overt.

تَقولُ تَرَكتَ صاحِباً لَكَ ضائِعاً

تَقولُ تَرَكتَ صاحِباً لَكَ ضائِعاً

وَجِئتَ إِلَينا فارِقاً مُتَباطِنا

وَجِئتَ إِلَينا فارِقاً مُتَباطِنا

She says, “You left a companion of yours helpless,

“You left a friend in need,” you say. “You came

and came to us fearful and skulking.”

To us, forsaking an intimate cohort.”

إِذا ما تَرَكتُ صاحِبي لِثَلاثَةٍ

إِذا ما تَرَكتُ صاحِبي لِثَلاثَةٍ

أَوِ اِثنَينِ مِثلَينا فَلا أُبتُ آمِنا

أَوِ اِثنَينِ مِثلَينا فَلا أُبتُ آمِنا

If ever I leave my companion to three men,

When I forsake a friend for two or three,

or two our equals, may I never return safe.

Or equals like us, I have no fear or hurt.

وَما كُنتُ أَبّاءً عَلى الخِلِّ إِذ دَعا

وَما كُنتُ أَبّاءً عَلى الخِلِّ إِذ دَعا

وَلا المَرءِ يَدعوني مُمِرّاً مُداهِنا

وَلا المَرءِ يَدعوني مُمِرّاً مُداهِنا

I was never one to refuse a friend when he called,

Nor did I grudge a visit when called,

nor a man calling me, insistent and flattering.

Or shun one who beckoned, fawning, alert.

وَكَرّي إِذا أَكرَهتُ رَهطاً وَأَهلَهُ

وَكَرّي إِذا أَكرَهتُ رَهطاً وَأَهلَهُ

وَأَرضاً يَكونُ العَوصُ فيها عُجاهِنا

وَأَرضاً يَكونُ العَوصُ فيها عُجاهِنا

And I charged when I loathed a clan and its kin,

I avoid a tribe, kin, land where dwells

and a land where al-‘Awṣ were hulking brutes.

A boor who froths at the mouth, fierce, curt.

وَلَمّا سَمِعتُ العَوصَ تَدعو تَنَفَّرَت

وَلَمّا سَمِعتُ العَوصَ تَدعو تَنَفَّرَت

عَصافيرُ رَأسي مِن بَواً فَعَوايِنا

عَصافيرُ رَأسي مِن بَواً فَعَوايِنا

When I heard al-‘Awṣ calling, off flew

When I heard the boor braying, the birds

the sparrows of my head, from Bawā on to ‘Awāyin.

In my head fluttered, wounded, distraught.

وَلَم أَنتَظِرهُم يَدهَموني تَخالُهُم

وَلَم أَنتَظِرهُم يَدهَموني تَخالُهُم

وَرائِيَ نَحلاً في الخَلِيّاةِ واكِنا

وَرائِيَ نَحلاً في الخَلِيّاةِ واكِنا

I did not wait for them to rush upon me—you would think them

I did not wait for them to attack from behind,

bees behind me, clustered in their hive.

A swarm of bees in the wadi’s covert.

وَلا أَن تُصيبَ النافِذاتُ مَقاتِلي

وَلا أَن تُصيبَ النافِذاتُ مَقاتِلي

وَلَم أَكُ بِالشَدِّ الذَليقِ مُدايِنا

وَلَم أَكُ بِالشَدِّ الذَليقِ مُدايِنا

Nor did I wait for piercing shafts to strike my vital parts,

Nor for archers to strike down my warriors.

nor did I defer my swift, nimble run.

I was not known for frailty or indolence.

فَأَرسَلتُ مُنبَتّاً مِنَ الشَدِّ والِهاً

فَأَرسَلتُ مُنبَتّاً مِنَ الشَدِّ والِهاً

وَقُلتُ تَزَحزَح لا تَكونَنَّ حائِنا

وَقُلتُ تَزَحزَح لا تَكونَنَّ حائِنا

So I shot off alone, frantic with running,

So I dispatched a sharp, speedy scout

and said, “Get clear—do not be doomed!”

And said, “Shift camp, do not tarry or languish.”

وَهَزَثتُ مَشغوفَ النَجاءِ وَراعَني

وَهَزَثتُ مَشغوفَ النَجاءِ وَراعَني

أَناسٌ بِفَيفانٍ فَمِزتُ القَرائِنا

أَناسٌ بِفَيفانٍ فَمِزتُ القَرائِنا

I hurried, consumed by escape; I was startled

I startled a fledgling’s guardian and men

by men at Fayfān, and I distinguished the bands.

With banners alarmed me, so I took flight.

فَأَدبَرتُ لا يَنجو نَجائِيَ نِقنِقٌ

فَأَدبَرتُ لا يَنجو نَجائِيَ نِقنِقٌ

يُبادِرُ فَرخَيهِ شَمالاً وَداجِنا

يُبادِرُ فَرخَيهِ شَمالاً وَداجِنا

So I fled; no male ostrich can match my flight,

I turned away lest my fledgling be seized

racing a north wind and a dark raincloud to his two chicks.

By a fox to its left, hostile and violent.

مِنَ الحُصِّ هُزروفٌ يَطيرُ عِفائُهُ

مِنَ الحُصِّ هُزروفٌ يَطيرُ عِفائُهُ

إِذا اِستَدرَجَ الفَيفا وَمَدَّ المَغابِنا

إِذا اِستَدرَجَ الفَيفا وَمَدَّ المَغابِنا

One of the bare-legged birds, a racer whose plumage flies

Of partridge chicks, downy, airborne,

as he strides across the open waste and stretches his thigh-folds.

That lure the tribe and extend the battle line,

أَزُجُّ زَلوجٌ هِرزِفِيٌّ زُفازِفٌ

أَزُجُّ زَلوجٌ هِرزِفِيٌّ زُفازِفٌ

هَزِفٌّ يَبُذُّ النَجِياتِ الصَوافِنا

هَزِفٌّ يَبُذُّ النَجِياتِ الصَوافِنا

Long-legged, gliding, nimble and quick,

I’m a dodger, a shirker, a deserter,

fleet-footed, outstripping the swift, poised steeds.

A coward who disappoints the plucky.

فَزَحزَحتُ عَنهُم أَو تَجِئني مَنِيَّتي

فَزَحزَحتُ عَنهُم أَو تَجِئني مَنِيَّتي

بِغَبراءَ أَو عَرفاءَ تَغذو الدَفائِنا

بِغَبراءَ أَو عَرفاءَ تَغذو الدَفائِنا

So I moved clear of them, or else my death would come to me

So I fled them lest death come for me

through a dust-grey beast or a maned one feeding on buried corpses.

At Ghobar or Arafa, fattening the worms.

كَأَنّي أَراها المَوتَ لا دَرَّ دَرُّها

كَأَنّي أَراها المَوتَ لا دَرَّ دَرُّها

إِذا أَمكَنَت أَنيابَها وَالبَراثِنا

إِذا أَمكَنَت أَنيابَها وَالبَراثِنا

I seem to see her—death itself; may her milk never flow!—

As though I see it – no escape its grip

when she gives her fangs and claws full play,

Once it has bared its teeth and claws!

وَقالَت لِأُخرى خَلفَها وَبَناتُها

وَقالَت لِأُخرى خَلفَها وَبَناتُها

حُتوفٌ تُنَقّي مُخَّ مَن كانَ واهِنا

حُتوفٌ تُنَقّي مُخَّ مَن كانَ واهِنا

and calls to another behind her, while her daughters

To another behind her and her cubs

are deaths, scraping out the marrow of whoever was weak.

She said, “Carrion to cleanse the feeble.”

أَخاليجُ وُرّادٌ عَلى ذي مَحافِلٍ

أَخاليجُ وُرّادٌ عَلى ذي مَحافِلٍ

إِذا نَزَعوا مَدّوا الدِلاءَ الشَواطِنا

إِذا نَزَعوا مَدّوا الدِلاءَ الشَواطِنا

Bands of water-drawers at a crowded well,

Calamities on one of assemblies –

when drawing water, they lower their long-roped buckets.

When they move off they stretch the robes.