1. أَقسَمتُ لا أَنسى وَإِن طالَ عَيشُنا

    صَنيعَ لُكَيزٍ وَالأَحَلِّ بنِ قُنصُلِ

    I swore never to forget, however long we live,

    the deeds of Lukayz and al-Ahall ibn Qunsul.

  2. نَزَلنا بِهِ يَوماً فَساءَ صَباحُنا

    فَإِنَّكَ عَمري قَد تَرى أَيَّ مَنزِلِ

    We lodged with him one day, and ill was our morning;

    by my life, you can see what a lodging it was!

  3. بَكى إِذ رَآنا نازِلينَ بِبابِهِ

    وَكَيفَ بُكاءُ ذي القَليلِ المُسَبَّلِ

    He wept when he saw us settling at his door—

    and what tears from one whose meager means are laid out!

  4. فَلا وَأَبيكَ ما نَزَلنا بِعامِرٍ

    وَلا عامِرٍ وَلا الرَئيسِ اِبنِ قَوقَلِ

    No, by your father, we did not lodge with Amir,

    nor Amir, nor the chief, Ibn Qawqal,

  5. وَلا بِالشُلَيلِ رَبِّ مَروانَ قاعِداً

    بِأَحسَنِ عَيشٍ وَالنُفاثِيِّ نَوفَلِ

    nor with al-Shulayl, lord of Marwan, seated

    amid the finest living, nor al-Nufathi, Nawfal,

  6. وَلا اِبنِ وَهيبٍ كاسِبِ الحَمدِ وَالعُلا

    وَلا ابنِ ضَبيعٍ وَسطَ آلِ المُخَبَّلِ

    nor Ibn Wahib, winner of praise and eminence,

    nor Ibn Dabi', among the family of al-Mukhabbal,

  7. وَلا اِبنِ حَليسٍ قاعِداً في لِقاحِهِ

    وَلا اِبنِ جَرِيٍّ وَسطَ آلِ المُغَفَّلِ

    nor Ibn Halis, sitting among his milch camels,

    nor Ibn Jariyy, among the family of al-Mughaffal,

  8. وَلا اِبنِ رِياحٍ بِالزُلَيفاتِ دارُهُ

    رِياحَ اِبنَ سَعدٍ لارِياحَ اِبنِ مَعقِلِ

    nor Ibn Riyah, whose dwelling is at al-Zulayfat—

    Riyah ibn Sa'd, not Riyah ibn Ma'qil.

  9. أولَئِكَ أَعطى لِلوَلائِدِ خِلفَةً

    وَأَدعى إِلى شَحمِ السَديفِ المُرَعبَلِ

    Those men are readier to give serving girls a pregnant she-camel,

    and readier to invite guests to chopped-up camel-hump fat.

  10. وَجَدتُ اِبنَ كُرزٍ تَستَهِلُّ يَمينُهُ

    وَيُطلِقُ أَغلالَ الأَسيرِ المُكَبَّلِ

    I found Ibn Kurz's right hand pouring forth,

    and he loosens the fetters of the shackled captive.

  11. وَلَستُ بِراعي ثَلَّةٍ قامَ وَسطَها

    طَويلِ العَصا غُرنَيقِ ضَحلٍ مُرَسِّلِ

    And I am no shepherd standing amid a flock of sheep,

    long of staff, a crane of the shallows, letting them loose.

  12. وَلَستُ بِجُلبِن جُلبِ ريحٍ وَقَرَّةٍ

    وَلا بِصَفاً صَلدِ عَنِ الخَيرِ مَعزَلِ

    And I am no boor, a bringer of wind and cold,

    nor a hard rock, isolated from goodness,

  13. وَلا خَرِبٍ خَيعابَةٍ ذي غَوائِلٍ

    هَيامٍ كَجَفرِ الأَبطَحِ المُتَهَيِّلِ

    nor a thieving, worthless coward, full of treachery,

    loose as sand, like a crumbling hollow in a gravelly valley,

  14. وَلا هَلَعٍ لاعٍ إِذا الشَولُ حارَدَت

    وَضَنَّت بِباقي دَرِّها المُتَنَزِّلِ

    nor a panicky whiner when the late-milking camels withhold their milk

    and begrudge the last of their dripping yield.

  15. وَلَستُ بِتِرعِيٍّ طَويلٍ عَشائُهُ

    يُؤَنِّفُها مُستَأنَفَ النَبتِ مُبهِلِ

    And I am no herdsman whose evening grazing lasts long,

    leading his herd to fresh new growth and letting them roam,

  16. وَلا حَوقَلٍ خَطّارَةٍ حَولَ بَيتِهِ

    إِذا العِرسُ آوى بَيتُها كُلَّ خَوتَلِ

    nor a decrepit man strutting around his house

    when his wife's house shelters every sly rogue.

  17. وَيَوماً عَلى أَهلِ المَواشي وَتارَةً

    لِأَهلِ رَكيبٍ مِن ثَميلٍ وَسُنبُلِ

    One day I descend upon livestock owners; at another,

    upon the owners of plots of thamil and grain.

  18. إِذا فَزَّعوا أُمَّ الصَبِيَّينِ نَفَّضوا

    عَفارِيَ شُعثاً صافَةً لَم تُرَجَّلِ

    When they frighten the two boys' mother, they shake out

    shaggy, woolly nape-locks that have never been combed.

  19. فَيَوماً بِغُزّاءٍ وَيَوماً بِسُريَةٍ

    وَيَوماً بِخَشخاشٍ مِنَ الرَجلِ هَيضَلِ

    So one day with raiders, and another with a raiding party,

    and another with a clattering band—a great host of footmen.

  20. مَتى تَبغِني مادُمتُ حَيّاً مُسَلَّماً

    تَجِدنِ مَعَ المُستَرعِلِ المُتَعَبهِلِ

    Whenever you seek me, as long as I remain alive and unharmed,

    you will find me with the swift-advancing, unrestrained warrior.

  21. وَلَستُ بِمِفراحٍ إِذا الدَهرُ سَرَّني

    وَلا جازِعٌ مِن صَرفِهِ المُتَحَوِّلِ

    And I am not overjoyed when fortune pleases me,

    nor distressed by its ever-changing turns.

  22. وَلَكِنَّني أَروي مِنَ الخَمرِ هامَتي

    وَأَنضو المَلا بِالشاحِبِ المُتَشَلشِلِ

    But I give my head its fill of wine,

    and cross the open wastes, gaunt and loose-limbed.

  23. وَأَحتَضِرُ النادي وَوَجهِيَ مُسفِرٌ

    وَأَضرِبُ عِطفَ الأَبلَخِ المُتَخَيِّلِ

    And I attend the assembly with my face radiant,

    and strike the flank of the swaggering, arrogant man.

  24. أَلا أَبلِغا سَعدَ اِبنَ لَيثٍ وَجُندُعا

    وَكَلباً أَنيبوا المَنَّ غَيرَ المُكَدَّلِ

    Listen, you two: tell Sa'd ibn Layth and Jundu',

    and Kalb: 'Repay kindness without sullying it.'

  25. إِذا الحَربُ أَولَتكَ الكَليبَ فَوَلِّها

    كَلَيبَكَ وَاعلَم أَنَّها سَوفَ تَنجَلي

    If war grants you its fury, grant it

    your own fury, and know that it will pass.

  26. وَمَرقَبَةٍ يا أُمَّ عَمرٍ طِمِرَّةٍ

    مُذَبذَبَةٍ فَوقَ المَراقِبِ عَيطَلِ

    And many a lofty lookout, O Umm 'Amr,

    swaying above the lookout heights, tall and slender,

  27. نَهَضتُ إِلَيها مِن جُثومٍ كَأَنَّها

    عَجوزٌ عَلَيها هِدمِلٌ ذاتُ خَيعَلِ

    I climbed to from a crouch; it seemed

    an old woman in a ragged garment, wearing a sleeveless shift.

  28. وَنَعلٍ كَأَشلاءِ السُمانى نَبَذتُها

    إِلى صاحِبٍ حافٍ وَقُلتُ لَهُ اِنعَلِ

    And a sandal like a quail's torn limbs I tossed

    to a barefoot companion, saying to him, 'Put it on.'

  29. وَقِربَةِ أَقوامٍ جَعَلتُ عِصامَها

    عَلى كاهِلٍ مِنّي ذَلولٍ مُرَحَّلِ

    And a people's waterskin—I placed its carrying strap

    upon my shoulder, docile and saddle-bearing.

  30. وَوادٍ كَجَوفِ العَيرِ قَفرٍ قَطَعتُهُ

    بِهِ الذِئبُ يَعوي كَالخَليعِ المُعَيَّلِ

    And a desolate valley, like an ass's belly, I crossed,

    where the wolf howls like an outcast with dependents to feed.

  31. تَعَدّى بِزَيزاتٍ تَعِجُّ مِنَ القوا

    وَمَن يَكُ يَبغي طُرقَةَ اللَيلِ يُرمِلِ

    You range across barren uplands, crying out from hunger;

    and whoever seeks a living by night runs out of provisions.

  32. فَقُلتُ لَهُم لَمّا عَوى أَنَّ ثابِتاً

    قَليلُ الغِنى إِن كُنتَ لَمّا تَمَوَّلِ

    So I told them, when he howled, that Thabit

    has little wealth, if you have not yet grown wealthy.

  33. كِلانا إِذا ما نالَ شَيئاً أَفاتَهُ

    وَمَن يَحتَرِث حِرثي وَحَرثَكَ يُهزَلِ

    Each of us, whenever he gains anything, lets it go;

    and whoever tills my tillage and yours grows lean.

  34. كِلانا طَوى كَشحاً عَنِ الحَيِّ بَعدَما

    دَخَلنا عَلى كِلابِهِم كُلَّ مَدخَلِ

    Each of us turned his flank away from the encampment, after

    we had entered among their dogs by every entrance.

  35. طَرَحتُ لَهُ نَعلاً مِنَ السَبتِ طَلَّةً

    خِلافَ نَداً مِن آخِرِ اللَيلِ مُخضِلِ

    I threw him a moist sandal of tanned leather,

    after a drenching dew at the end of the night.

  36. فَوَلّى بِها جَذلانَ يَنفُضُ رَأسَهُ

    كَصاحِبِ غُنمٍ ظافِرٍ بِالتَمَوُّلِ

    Then he went away with it, delighted, shaking his head,

    like a man with spoils, triumphant in gaining wealth.