أيا راكبا أما عرضت فبلغن — Abdullah Al Asadi

أَيا راكِباً أَمّا عرضت فَبلِّغَن

كَبيرَ بَني العَوّامِ ان قيل مَن تَعنى

O rider, if you happen to pass that way, convey this

to the chief of al-‘Awwam's sons, if asked whom you mean.

سَتَعلَمُ ان جالَت بِكَ الحَربُ جَولَةً

إِذا فَوَّقَ الرامونَ أَسهُمُ مَن تُغني

You will learn, if war takes a turn against you,

when the archers nock their arrows, whom you can help.

فَأَصبَحتِ الأَرحامُ حينَ وليتَها

بِكَفَّيكَ أَكراشاً تُجَرُّ عَلى دِمنِ

So kinship ties became, when you took charge of them,

paunches in your two hands, dragged over dung-heaps.

عَقَدتُم لِعَمرو عُقدَةً وَغَدَرتُمُ

بِأَبيضَ كالمِصباحِ في لَيلَةِ الدَجنِ

You made a binding pledge to ‘Amr, and betrayed

a radiant man, like a lamp on a cloud-dark night.

وَكبَّلتَهُ حَولا بِجود بنفسِهِ

تَنوءُ بِهِ في ساقِهِ حَلَقُ اللَبنِ

And you fettered him for a year as he yielded up his life;

the fetter-rings on his leg weighed him down.

فَما قالَ عَمروٌ إِذ يَجودُ بِنَفسِهِ

لضاربِهِ حَتّى قَضى نَحبَهُ دَعني

Yet ‘Amr, while giving up his life, never said

to his striker, until he met his death, ‘Leave me be.’

تحدِّثُ مَن لاقَيتَ أَنَّكَ عائِذٌ

وَصرَّعتَ قَتلى بَينَ زَمزمَ وَالرُكنِ

You tell whoever you meet that you seek refuge,

yet you have laid men dead between Zamzam and the Corner.

جعلتم لضربِ الظَهرِ منه عصيَّكُم

تُراوِحُه والأَصبحيَّةَ لِلبَطنِ

You set your sticks to strike his back,

striking him in turn, and Asbahi whips to strike his belly.

تُعذِّرُ منه الآنَ لَمّا قَتَلتَهُ

تَفاوَتَ أَرجاءِ القليبِ مِن الشَطنِ

Now you offer excuses concerning him, after killing him—

as far off as a well's sides from its rope.

فَلَم أَرَ وَفداً كانَ للغَدرِ عاقِداً

كَوَفدِكَ شَدّوا غَيرَ موفٍ وَلا مُسني

So I have never seen a delegation that pledged itself to treachery

like yours: they bound their pledge to one neither faithful nor generous.

وَكُنتَ كَذاتِ الفِسقِ لَم تَدرِ ما حوت

تَخَيَّرُ حاليها أَتَسرُقُ أَم تَزني

And you were like a sinful woman, not knowing what she had gained,

choosing between her two courses: should she steal or fornicate?

جَزى اللَهُ عَنّي خالِداً شَرَّ ما جَزى

وَعروةَ شَرّاً مِن خَليلٍ ومن خِدنِ

May God repay Khalid on my behalf with the worst repayment He ever gave,

and ‘Urwa too, the worst of friends and intimates.

لَعَمري لَقَد أَردى عُبَيدَةُ جارَهُ

بِشَنعاءَ عارٍ لا تُوارى عَلى الدَفنِ

By my life, ‘Ubayda has indeed destroyed his neighbor

with a hideous disgrace that burial cannot conceal.

وَقَد كانَ عمروٌ قَبلَ أَن يَغدِروا بِهِ

صَليبَ القَناةِ ما تَلينُ عَلى الدَهنِ

And ‘Amr, before they betrayed him, had been

firm as a spear-shaft that would not soften with oil.

قَتَلتُم أَخاكُم بالسِياطِ سَفاهَةً

فَيالَكَ للرأي المُضَلَّلِ والأَفنِ

You killed your brother with whips, out of foolishness;

oh, what misguided judgment and feeble wit!

فَلَو أَنَكُم أَجهزتمُ إِذ قَتَلتمُ

وَلَكِن قَتَلتُم بِالسِياطِ وَبالسِجنِ

If only you had finished him off when you killed him!

But you killed him with whips and imprisonment.

واني لأَرجو أَن أَرى فيك ما تَرى

بِهِ مِن عِقابِ اللَهِ ما دونَهُ يُغني

And I truly hope to see befall you what will show you

such punishment from God that less than it would suffice.

قَطَعتَ مِن الأَرحامَ ما كانَ واشِجاً

عَلى الشَيبِ وابتعتَ المَخافَةَ بالأَمنِ

You severed the ties of kinship that had been closely entwined

despite your gray hair, and bought fear at the price of safety.

وَأَصبَحتَ تَسعى قاسِطاً بِكَتيبَةٍ

تُهَدِّمُ ما حَولَ الحَطيمِ وَلا تَبني

And now you advance, unjustly, with a war-band,

demolishing what surrounds al-Hatim, not building.

فَلا تَجزعَن مِن سُنَّةٍ قَد سَنَنتَها

فَما لِلدِماءِ الدَهرَ تُهرَقُ مِن حَقنِ

So never lament a practice you yourself established,

for blood poured out has no staunching, ever.