أما وهوى عصيت له العواذل — Abn Hius

أَما وَهَوىً عَصَيتُ لَهُ العَواذِل

لَقَد أَسمَعتَ نُصحَكَ غَيرَ قابِل

Indeed, by the love for which I defied the reproaching women,

you have made your counsel heard by one who will not heed it.

وَما سَمعي إِلى العُذّالِ مُصغٍ

وَلا قَلبي عَنِ الأَحبابِ ذاهِل

And my hearing does not listen to the reproachers,

nor is my heart forgetful of the beloved.

وَلَو أَنصَفتَ لَم تُنكِر وُقوفي

عَلى طَلَلٍ بِذاتِ الضالِ ماثِل

Had you been fair, you would not have condemned my standing

at a still-visible ruin in Dhat al-Dal.

أَأَجحَدُ رَبعَ رَيّى وَهوَ عافٍ

زَماناً مَرَّ فيهِ وَهوَ آهِل

Shall I disown Rayya's dwelling, now effaced,

and the time that passed there when it was peopled?

وَما أَعطى الصَبابَةَ ما اِستَحَقَّت

عَلَيهِ وَلا قَضى حَقَّ المَنازِل

He has not given passionate longing what it deserved

from him, nor paid the dwellings their due:

مُلاحِظُها بِعَينٍ غَيرِ عَبرى

وَزائِرُها بِجِسمٍ غَيرِ ناحِل

one who gazes upon them with an unweeping eye,

and visits them with a body unwasted.

يُمَيِّلُني إِلى وَطَني هَناتٌ

جَرَت ما بَينَ عِلمِيَةٍ وَداعِل

Small happenings draw me toward my homeland,

which occurred between Ilmiyya and Da'il.

وَأَذكُرُ دائِماً ثَمَراتِ عَيشٍ

جُنينَ بِدَيرِ قانونٍ وَآبِل

And I always recall the fruits of a life

harvested at Dayr Qanun and Abil.

تَهيجُ بَلابِلي نَغَمُ الأَغاني

مُجاوِبَةً لِأَصواتِ البَلابِل

The melodies of songs stir my heart's disquiet,

answering the voices of the nightingales.

لَيالِيَ لي إِلى ما أَشتَهيهِ

تَلَطُّفُ وارِخٍ وَهُجومُ واغِل

Nights when, in seeking what I craved, mine were

an uninvited diner's finesse and an uninvited drinker's bold entry.

وَمَحموداتُها أَتباعُ أَمري

وَمَذموماتُها عَنّي غَوافِل

Their delights followed my command,

and their vexations were heedless of me.

وَكَم قَطَعَ الظَلامَ بِغَيرِ وَعدٍ

غَزالٌ دَأبُهُ قَطعُ الحَبائِل

How often the darkness was crossed, with no tryst agreed,

by a gazelle whose habit was to sever snares,

بِراحٍ باتَ يَمزُجُها بَريقٍ

كَفاها المَزجُ بِالعَذبِ السَلاسِل

bearing wine, which all night he mingled with saliva

that spared it mixing with sweet, smooth-flowing water.

وَأَشرَبُها عَلى ظَمَإٍ فَأَروى

كَرُمحِ الخَطِّ يَروى وَهوَ ذابِل

And I drink it in thirst and am quenched,

like an al-Khatt spear, sated though slender.

وَلَمّا راحَتِ الأَظعانُ باحَت

بِما نُخفي مَدامِعُنا الهَوامِل

And when the camel-litters departed, there was disclosed

what we concealed, by our freely streaming eyes.

وَقَفنا وَالإِشارَةُ ثَمَّ رُسلٌ

مُعَبِّرَةٌ وَأَدمُعُنا الرَسائِل

We stood, and gestures there were messengers,

expressive, while our tears were letters.

فَعَقراً لِلرِكابِ غَداةَ وَلَّت

بِنُزّالِ الحِمى تَطوي المَراحِل

So may the mounts be hamstrung for departing that morning,

with the protected grounds' dwellers, folding up the journey's stages!

فَقَد حَمَلَت جَمالاً وَاِعتِدالاً

تُجِنُّهُما البَراقِعُ وَالغَلائِل

For they carried beauty and well-proportioned grace,

concealed by face-veils and fine underrobes,

لِمُفغِمَةٍ بُيوتَ الحَيَّ طيباً

وَمُفعَمَةِ الأَساوِرِ وَالخَلاخِل

of one who fills the tribe's homes with perfume,

and fills her bracelets and anklets;

وَمُفرَدَةٍ وَما وَضَعَت حَبيباً

كَما اِنفَرَدَت عَنِ السِربِ الخَواذِل

and keeps apart, though she has borne no darling,

as nursing does withdraw from the herd.

تَفَرَّدُ بِالتَعَتُّبِ وَالتَجَنّي

وَتَذهَبُ بِالمَحاسِنِ وَالشَمائِل

She is unique in rebuke and unjust accusations,

and carries off all beauty and gracious qualities.

تَروقُ العَينَ راضِيَةً وَغَضبى

وَتُصبى القَلبَ حالِيَةً وَعاطِل

She delights the eye, pleased or angry,

and captivates the heart, adorned or unadorned.

مُذيبَةَ مُهجَتي طالَ اِقتِضائي

عِداتِكِ وَالغَريمُ بِها مُماطِل

O melter of my heart's blood, long have I pressed

for your promises' fulfillment; their debtor keeps delaying.

أُمَنّى بِاِنعِطافِكِ وَهوَ غالٍ

وَأُمنى بِاِنحِرافِكِ وَهوَ غائِل

I am given hopes of your favor, though it is costly,

and afflicted by your aversion, though it is deadly.

لَقَد أَنفَقتُ في الصَبَواتِ عُمري

وَكُنتُ كَبائِعٍ حَقّاً بِباطِل

I have spent my lifetime in youthful passions,

and was like one selling truth for falsehood,

إِلى أَن ثابَ رَأيٌ ضَلَّ حيناً

فَعُدتُ إِلى الفُروضِ مِنَ النَوافِل

until judgment that had strayed awhile returned,

and I returned to obligations from voluntary devotions.

وَزارَت آلَ مِرداسٍ رِكابي

فَأَغنَتني البِحارُ عَنِ الجَداوِل

And my mounts visited the house of Mirdas,

so the seas spared me any need for streams.

وَكُنتُ أَذُمُّ آمالاً نَحَت بي

مَمالِكَ لَم أَفُز فيها بِطائِل

I had been blaming hopes that led me

to kingdoms where I gained no benefit,

بِحَيثُ أَبو سَلامَةَ لَم يَجُدها

وَنَصرٌ بَعدَهُ وَأَبو الفَضائِل

where Abu Salama had not lavished bounty,

nor Nasr after him, nor Abu al-Fada'il.

مُلوكٌ أَمَّنوا خَيلي وَرَجلي

مُكابَدَةَ الهَواجِرِ وَالهَواجِل

Kings who spared my horsemen and footmen

the ordeal of midday heat and trackless wastes,

وَأَمضَوا في الَّذي يَحوُونَ حُكمي

فَفُزتُ بِعاجِلٍ مِنهُ وَآجِل

and made my judgment prevail over what they owned,

so I gained of it both immediate and deferred bounty.

مَكارِمُ مُبتَغيها مِن سِواهُم

كَباغي الرِسلِ مِن أَخلافِ حائِل

Noble gifts: whoever seeks them from others

is like one seeking milk from a dry she-camel's teats.

زَرَوا كَرَماً عَلى مَن عاصَروهُ

وَإِقداماً وَأَزرَوا بِالأَوائِل

They surpassed their contemporaries in generosity

and boldness, and put their predecessors to shame.

وَثالِثُهُم وَإِن عَزّوا وَجادوا

أَمَرُّ عَداوَةً وَأَعَمُّ نائِل

And their third, though they were mighty and generous,

is more bitter in enmity and more universal in bounty.

أَظَلَّتهُ نَوائِبُ لَم تَنُبهُم

فَقارَعَها بِرَأيٍ غَيرِ فائِل

Calamities overshadowed him that had not befallen them,

so he battled them with judgment never unsound.

وَفَلَّ شَبا المَواضي بِالمَواضي

وَلاقى بِالزَرافاتِ الجَحافِل

He blunted keen sword-edges with keen swords,

and met vast armies with small companies.

مَواقِفُ تَشخَصُ الأَبصارُ مِنها

وَتَعيا عَن إِبانَتِها المَقاوِل

Encounters that make eyes stare fixedly,

and leave tongues powerless to describe them.

وَما خَرِسَت بِها الأَبطالُ حَتّى

تَكَلَّمَتِ الصَوارِمُ وَالصَواهِل

The champions did not fall mute in them until

the keen swords and neighing horses spoke.

حُروبٌ لَم تَكُن لِبَني بَغيضٍ

وَلا عُزِيَت إِلى أَبناءِ وائِل

Wars such as Banu Baghid never fought,

nor were ascribed to the sons of Wa'il.

وَفُرسانٍ تَحِنُّ إِلى رَداها

حَنينَ الهائِماتِ إِلى المَناهِل

And horsemen yearning for their own destruction,

as thirsty wandering camels yearn for watering places,

وَشَرَّدَها إِباءٌ سابِقِيٌّ

تَعِزُّ بِهِ العَقائِلُ وَالمَعاقِل

were scattered by Sabiqi defiance,

which keeps noble women and fortresses secure.

ثَناها عَن مَطامِعِها هُمامٌ

لَهُ بِالنَصرِ رَبُّ العَرشِ كافِل

A mighty hero turned them from their ambitions,

for whom the Lord of the Throne guarantees victory.

وَما غَمَدَ الظُبى حَتّى أَزالَت

جِبالاً لا تُحَرِّكُها الزَلازِل

He did not sheath the blades until they uprooted

mountains that earthquakes could not move.

وَكانَ يُزيرُها في كُلِّ عامٍ

عِراباً شُزَّباً قُبَّ الأَياطِل

And every year he would send against them

purebred Arab steeds, lean and hollow-flanked.

لَها نَظَرُ الأَجادِلِ إِذ تُخَلّى

وَعِندَ الأَرضِ أَجنِحَةُ الأَجادِل

They have the gaze of falcons when released,

and, close to the earth, the wings of falcons.

إِذا نَزَعَ الوَجيفُ اللَحمَ عَنها

كَساها ما تُثيرُ مِنَ القَساطِل

When galloping strips the flesh from them,

the dust clouds they raise become their clothing.

وَإِن عَضَّت شَكائِمَها وَطاحَت

أَتاحَت لِلعِدى عَضَّ الأَنامِل

And when they bite their bits and rush headlong,

they make the foes bite their fingertips.

وَقَلَّلَتِ المُدافِعَ وَالمُحامي

وَكَثَّرتِ الأَيامى وَالثَواكِل

They reduce defenders and protectors,

and multiply widows and bereaved mothers.

وَكَم عَضَدَ الرِماحَ وَمُشرِعيها

بِعَزمٍ كانَ أَعرَفَ بِالمَقاتِل

How often he cut down lances and those who leveled them,

with a resolve that knew the vulnerable spots best.

هُمامٌ خَوَّفَ الأَيّامَ حَتّى

سَعَت أَيّامُها فيما يُحاوِل

A mighty hero who frightened the days until

their very days hastened toward his aims.

وَمَلكٌ لا يُنازَعُ في مَعالٍ

لَهُ الآياتُ مِنها وَالدَلائِل

And a king unrivaled in lofty deeds,

for which he has the signs and proofs.

يَعِزُّ جِوارُهُ وَالخَوفُ فاشٍ

وَيُخضَبُ جارُهُ وَالعامُ ماحِل

His protection is secure though fear spreads,

and his neighbor flourishes though the year is barren.

وَرُبَّ صَوارِمٍ تَلِدُ المَنايا

وَتُلفى بَعدَ ما وَلَدَت حَوامِل

Many a keen sword gives birth to deaths,

and is found still pregnant after giving birth,

كَيُمناهُ الَّتي تَهمي نَوالاً

يَعُمُّ الخَلقَ طُرّاً وَهيَ حافِل

like his right hand, which pours forth bounty

embracing all creation, while that hand remains full.

إِذا سيمَ الغِنى رَوّى الأَماني

وَإِن شَهِدَ الوَغى رَوّى المَناصِل

When asked for wealth, he gives hopes their fill,

and when he enters battle, he gives blades their fill.

خِلالٌ في العَطايا وَالرَزايا

بِها عُدِمَ المُساجِلُ وَالمُشاكِل

Traits in gifts and calamities,

through which no rival or equal can be found.

تُنَزِّقُهُ الحَمِيَّةُ حينَ يُعصى

فَيَعروهُ التَطَوُّلُ وَهوَ صائِل

Zealous pride makes him impetuous when disobeyed,

yet generosity comes over him even as he attacks.

وَلَولا رَأيُهُ في العَفوِ كانَت

أَياديهِ كَأَنعُمِهِ كَوامِل

Were it not for his judgment in favor of pardon,

his deeds of might, like his favors, would be complete.

يَجورُ عَلى الَّذي تَحوي يَداهُ

وَيَحكُمُ في الرَعايا حُكمَ عادِل

He wrongs the wealth his hands contain,

yet rules his subjects with a just man's judgment.

وَيَلبَسُ مِن سَجاياهُ ثِياباً

عَلى الجَوزاءِ مُرخاةَ الذَلاذِل

And he wears garments made from his character,

with trailing hems let down over al-Jawza.

لَها أَرَجٌ تَضَوَّعَ مِن نَداهُ

وَمِن نُوّارِها أَرَجُ الخَمائِل

They have a fragrance wafting from his generosity,

and the groves' fragrance comes from their blossoms.

نَصِيَّةُ أُسرَةٍ وَلِبانُ بَيتٍ

بِهِ اِفتَخَرَت كِلابُ عَلى القَبائِل

The choicest of a clan, the breast of a house,

through whom Kilab has boasted over the tribes.

لِأَملاكِ العَواصِمِ مِنهُ بَيتٌ

يَفوزُ بِشَطرِهِ أَملاكُ بابِل

In him the kings of al-Awasim have a house,

half of which would be a prize for the kings of Babylon.

فَزُرهُ عائِلاً أَو مُستَفيداً

وَجاوِد مَن أَرَدتَ بِهِ وَفاضِل

So visit him in need or seeking gain,

and through him vie in generosity and excellence with anyone you wish.

مَناقِبُ لَو تَنالُ الشَمسُ أَدنى

مَداها ما دَنَت مِنها الأَصائِل

Virtues—if the sun could reach the lowest

of their range, no evening hours would approach it.

تَعالَمَها جَميعُ الناسِ حَتّى

تَساوى عالِمٌ فيها وَجاهِل

All people came to know them, until

the learned and the ignorant were equal in that knowledge.

جَمَعتَ تَوَثُّبَ الأَسَدِ المَنيعِ ال

حِمى بِرَكانَةِ المَلِكِ الحُلاحِل

You combined the pouncing of a lion, unassailable in its

domain, with the composure of a mighty king.

وَمِن تَحتِ السَكينَةِ بَحرُ عِلمٍ

بِهِ عُرِفَ المُناظِرُ وَالمُجادِل

Beneath that calm lies a sea of knowledge,

by which the debater and disputant are known.

مَقالٌ تَعجِزُ البُلَغاءُ عَنهُ

كَعَجزِ المَدحِ عَمّا أَنتَ فاعِل

Speech that leaves the eloquent powerless,

as praise is powerless before what you do.

يَطولُ وَتُفقَدُ السَقَطاتُ فيهِ

كَفَقدِ الراءِ في أَقوالِ واصِل

It grows long, yet no slips are found in it,

as ra is absent from Wasil's words.

سَلَكتَ إِلى الثَناءِ بِلا دَليلٍ

سَبيلاً ما تَقَدَّمَ فيهِ سائِل

You took, toward praise and without a guide,

a path no petitioner had preceded you on.

وَعِندي مِنهُ ثاوٍ مُستَظِلٌّ

بِظِلِّكَ وَهوَ في الآفاقِ جائِل

And some of that praise remains with me, sheltered

in your shade, though roaming through the horizons.

وَما تَنفَكُّ تَزدادُ المَعالي

بِهِ شَرَفاً وَتَزدانُ المَحافِل

Noble achievements never cease to gain

distinction through it, and assemblies are adorned.

تَعَدّى كُلَّ مَن يُرجى نَداهُ

وَمَيَّلَهُ الفُراتُ عَنِ الثَمائِل

It passed beyond all whose bounty is hoped for,

the Euphrates turning it away from scant remaining pools.

فَلَيسَ يَزورُ إِلّا مَن كَفاني

تَوَدُّدَ مُعرِضٍ وَسُؤالَ باخِل

It visits only the one who spared me

courting the aloof and begging the miserly.

بَقيتَ مُمَلَّكاً تُرجى وَتُخشى

وَلا غالَت مَساعِيَكَ الغَوائِل

May you remain enthroned, hoped in and feared,

and may no calamities destroy your endeavors.

وَلا عَدِمَت بِلادُكَ مَن كَفاها

تَغَطرُسَ جائِرٍ وَوُثوبَ خاتِل

May your lands never lack the one who spares them

a tyrant's arrogance and a deceiver's assault.

يَزولُ الفِطرُ وَالأَضحى جَميعاً

إِلى حينٍ وَمُلكُكَ غَيرُ زائِل

Both Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha pass

for a time, while your reign does not pass away.

وَحَدُّكَ في النَوائِبِ غَيرُ نابٍ

وَنَجمُكَ في السَعادَةِ غَيرُ آفِل

Your edge never fails in calamities,

and your star of good fortune never sets.