بكت عيني وعاودها قذاها — Al Khansa

بَكَتْ عَيْني وعاوَدَها قَذاها

بعوَّارٍ فما تقضي كراها

My eye wept, and its mote troubled it anew,

With soreness, so it cannot get its fill of sleep.

على صَخْرٍ، وأيّ فتًى كصَخْرٍ

إذا ما النّابُ لم تَرْأمْ طِلاها

For Sakhr—and what youth could compare with Sakhr,

When the aged she-camel would not cherish her calf?

فَتى الفِتْيانِ ما بَلَغوا مَداهُ

ولا يَكْدَى إذا بلغَتْ كُداها

The youth of youths—none ever reached his stature,

Nor did he cease giving when hard bedrock was reached.

حلفتُ بربِّ صهبٍ معيلاتٍ

الى البيتِ المحرَّمِ منتهاها

I swore by the Lord of tawny camels carrying families,

Whose journey ends at the Sacred House:

لئنْ جزعتْ بنو عمرٍو عليهِ

لقدْ رزئتْ بنو عمرٍو فتاها

If the sons of ʿAmr grieved for him,

The sons of ʿAmr were indeed bereft of their champion.

لهُ كفٌّ يشدُّ بها وكفٌّ

تَحَلَّبُ ما يجِفّ ثرَى نَداها

He had a hand with which he held firm, and a hand

That flowed like milk; its bounty's moist earth never dried.

تَرَى الشُّمّ الجَحاجِحَ من سُلَيْمٍ

يَبُلّ نَدَى مَدامِعها لِحاها

You see the proud, mighty chieftains of Sulaym,

The dew from their weeping eyes wetting their beards,

على رجلٍ كريمِ الخيمِ اضحى

ببطنِ حفيرة ٍ صخبٍ صداها

For a man noble in nature, who now lies

In the depths of a grave, whose owl cries noisily.

ليَبْكِ الخَيرَ صَخراً من مَعَدٍّ

ذَوو أحلامِها وذوو نُهاها

Let the men of Maʿadd weep for noble Sakhr—

Those of sound judgment and those of wisdom.

وخَيْلٍ قدْ لَفَفْتَ بجَوْلِ خَيْلٍ

فدارتْ بينَ كبشيها رحاها

And many a troop of horse you tangled with another troop,

And battle's millstone turned between its two ram-like champions.

ترفَّعَ فضلُ سابغة ٍ دلاصِ

على خَيْفانَة ٍ خَفِقٍ حَشاها

The trailing hem of a smooth, ample coat of mail rose

Over a slender, swift mare whose belly was lean.

وتسعى حينَ تشتجرُ العوالي

بكأسِ المَوْتِ ساعَة َ مُصْطَلاها

And you would hasten as the long spears interlocked,

With the cup of death at the hour of battle's blaze,

محافظة ً ومحمية ً اذا ما

نبا بالقومِ منْ جزعٍ لظاها

In loyal defense and protective zeal, whenever

Its blaze made the men recoil in panic.

فتترُكُها قدِ اضطَرَمَتْ بطَعْنٍ

تَضَمّنَهُ إذا اخْتَلَفَتْ كُلاها

Then you would leave it aflame with spear-thrusts,

Which it absorbed as its opposing flanks clashed.

فمَنْ للضّيْفِ إنْ هَبّتْ شَمالٌ

مزعزعة ٌ تجلوبها صباها

Who, then, will care for the guest if a north wind blows,

Buffeting, driven onward by its easterly gusts,

وألجا بَرْدُها الأشوالَ حُدْباً

الى الحجراتِ بادية ً كلاها

And its cold drives the dry-uddered camels, hunched,

Into the enclosures, their kidneys showing?

هنالِكَ لوْ نَزَلْتَ بآلِ صَخْرٍ

قِرى الأضيافِ شَحْماً من ذراها

There, if you had alighted with Sakhr's household,

The guests' fare would be fat from their humps.

فلمْ املكْ غداة َ نعيِّ صخرٍ

سوابقَ عبرة ٍ حلبتْ صراها

I could not hold back, on the morning of Sakhr's death-tidings,

The first rushing tears that milked out their gathered store.

أمُطعِمَكُمْ وحامِلَكُمْ ترَكتمْ

لدى غبراءَ منهدمٍ رجاها

Have you left the man who fed and carried you

In a dust-gray grave whose edge has fallen in?

ليَبْكِ علَيْكَ قوْمُكَ للمَعالي

وللهَيْجاءِ، إنّكَ ما فَتاها

Let your people mourn you for lofty deeds,

And for battle—you were indeed its champion.

وقدْ فقدتكَ طلقة ُ فاستراحتْ

فليتَ الخيلَ فارسها يراها

And Talqa has lost you and found rest;

Would that the horses' rider could see them!