1. حَيَيتُما من دمنتي طَلينِ

    عطلين موحشتين مقفرتينِ

    Greetings to you both, two ruined camps of Talayn,

    Bare, desolate, and deserted.

  2. عفّى عراصهما عَلى طول البلى

    نوء الرَشا وَبَوارح الفرعَينِ

    Their open grounds were effaced, through long decay, by

    The rains of al-Rasha and the fierce winds of the Two Spouts.

  3. وَمَحاهما مِن آلِ محوة وَالصَبا

    أَذيال غاديتين رائِحتينِ

    And Mahwa's kindred and the east wind erased them

    With the trailing hems of two winds, passing morning and evening.

  4. وَكأَنَّما أَبقين من رسميهما

    طِرسَين مِن أَثوابِ ذي القرنَينِ

    And it is as though, of their two traces, they left

    Two parchments from the garments of Dhu al-Qarnayn.

  5. يا مَن رأى ظعن الخَليط كَأَنَّها

    نَخل الرُبا أَو دوم ذي الحَدَقَينِ

    O you who saw our companions' departing women, as though they were

    Palm trees on the hills, or the doum palms of Dhu al-Hadaqayn.

  6. يقطنَ بِالأَحداجِ بطن مقضب

    قَلَتِ الرُبا وَمَشارِق الجَبَلَينِ

    They dwell in camel-litters in the valley of Maqdab,

    The hills' rock-basin and the eastern slopes of the two mountains.

  7. مِن كُلِّ أَلباب الرِجالِ كَأَنَّما

    صِفر الحَشا سَحّارَة العَينَينِ

    From all the hearts of men, as though—

    Slender of waist, an enchantress in both eyes.

  8. تَصطادُ أَلباب الرِجالِ كَأَنَّما

    تَرمي بِبَعض عَزائِمِ المَلَكَينِ

    She ensnares men's hearts, as though

    She were casting some of the two angels' spells.

  9. وَكأَنَّ مبسمها وَلؤلؤ عقدها

    دُرَّين مؤتَلِفَين مُنتَظِمَينِ

    And her smiling mouth and the pearls of her necklace seem

    Two strings of pearls, harmoniously matched and ordered.

  10. وَإِذا مَشَت قطف الخُطى فَكَأَنَّها

    ملكُ الخَورَنَقِ ماسَ في بُردَينِ

    And when she walks with mincing steps, she is like

    The king of al-Khawarnaq, strutting in two striped cloaks.

  11. تَزهو عَلى القَمَرِ المُنير بِوَجهِها

    وَتَتيهُ من حُسنِ عَلى الثقلينِ

    With her face she outshines the shining moon,

    And in her beauty she exults above humans and jinn.

  12. فَبِنَرجَسِ العَينَينِ سِحر إِن رَنَت

    أَو أَسفَرَت فَشَقائق الخَدَّيَنِ

    In the narcissi of her two eyes is magic, if she gazes,

    Or, if she unveils, in the anemones of her two cheeks.

  13. وَلَها سِلاحٌ لا يَضُرُّ دُنوّه

    وَالبُعدُ منه جالِبٌ لِلحَينِ

    She has a weapon whose nearness does no harm,

    Yet distance from it brings death.

  14. لَحَظاتٌ طرفٍ كالسُيوفِ جُفونُها

    أَجفانُها وَفَصيلتا نَهدَينِ

    Glances of an eye, like swords whose scabbards

    Are her eyelids—and two breasts like camel calves.

  15. وَلَها قوام ما رأَيت مِثاله

    تَهتَزُّ فيهِ كاِهتِزار رُدَيني

    And she has a figure whose like I have never seen;

    She sways in it as a Rudayni spear sways.

  16. رَيّانَة الخِلخالِ ظامئة الحَشا

    هُركولة خُرعوبة الساقَينِ

    Lush around the anklet, thirsty at the waist,

    Full-hipped, with supple legs.

  17. رَيّا العِظام نَديَّة أَعطافها

    رَخصُ البَنانِ دَقيقة الخَصرَينِ

    Lush of frame, her flanks dewy,

    Her fingers tender, both sides of her waist slender.

  18. قَد كانَ لي عَيش بِهِنَّ فَخانَهُ

    صرف النَوى وَتَقَلُّبِ العَصَرَيِ

    I once enjoyed life with them, but it was betrayed

    By separation's vicissitudes and the alternation of night and day.

  19. أَيام لَم يَرُعِ المُحِّبينَ النَوى

    عَنّا وَلضم يَنعق غراب البَينِ

    In days when lovers were not frightened by separation

    From us, nor did the raven of parting croak.

  20. قالَت بُريهَة إِذ شجتها رِحلَتي

    وَرَنَت بِناظرتين باكِيَتَين

    Burayha said, when my departure grieved her,

    And she gazed with two tearful eyes:

  21. فَكأَنَّ أَدمُعَها وَلَفظ عِتابِها

    دَرَّين مفترقين مُنتَثِرَينِ

    Her tears and the words of her reproach seemed

    Two strings of pearls, parted and scattered.

  22. أَنّى تُريدُ تَرَحُّلاً عَن أَرضِنا

    نَفديك بالأَبَوَينِ وَالأَخَوَينِ

    How can you wish to journey away from our land?

    We would ransom you with our parents and both brothers!

  23. فَأَجبتها صَبراً فَإِنّي ناهِض

    عَنكِ الغُداةَ صَبيحَةِ الإِثنَينِ

    So I answered her: Patience, for I am setting out

    From you tomorrow, on Monday morning.

  24. وَلأقتُلَنَّ العُدمَ قتلةَ ثائِرٍ

    بِالجودِ من نَفحاتِ كَفِّ حُسَينِ

    And I shall surely slay poverty as an avenger slays,

    With generosity wafting from Husayn's palm—

  25. الماجِدِ ابنِ أَبي هِشام ذي النَدى

    مَحض الفَخارِ مُهَذَّبِ الجَدَّينِ

    The glorious son of Abu Hisham, possessed of bounty,

    Pure in glory, noble through both grandfathers.

  26. وَرِث المَعالي عَن أَبيهِ وَجَدِّهِ

    فَنَشا بِمَجدٍ معلم الطَرفَينِ

    He inherited high honors from his father and grandfather,

    And grew up in glory, distinguished at both ends.

  27. بَيت السَماحِ جَماهِريٌّ مجده

    تَعلو بِهِ يَمَنٌ عَلى النَجمَينِ

    A house of generosity, his glory is Jamahiri;

    Through him Yemen rises above the two stars.

  28. يُغضي لَهيبته الزَمان إِذا اِنتَضى

    عَضَبُ المَنابِرِ باتِر الحَدَّينِ

    Time lowers its gaze in awe of him when he unsheathes

    The keen sword of the pulpits, cutting with both edges.

  29. مُتَقَلدٌ من رأيِهِ وَحُسامِهِ

    سيفين قَد نيطا إِلى كَتِفَينِ

    He wears, in his judgment and his keen blade,

    Two swords suspended from his two shoulders.

  30. نِعَمٌ تُباحُ لِراغِبٍ أَو راهِبٍ

    جَمُّ المَواهِبِ باسِطِ الكَفَّينِ

    Favors are freely bestowed on the hopeful or the fearful;

    Abundant in gifts, he spreads both palms.

  31. حازَ الفخار بِجِدِّهِ وَبِجَدِّهِ

    فَهوَ المفضَّلُ كامِل الشَرفَينِ

    He won glory through his striving and inherited lineage;

    So he is the favored one, complete in both kinds of honor.

  32. يا أَيُّها المولى الأَجَلُّ ومن لَهُ

    هِمَمٌ تَجاوَزَ مطلع القَمَرَينِ

    O most exalted lord, you who possess

    Ambitions reaching beyond where the sun and moon rise,

  33. ما أَنتَ فاعِلٌ الغُداةَ بِشاعِرٍ

    رَثِّ الثِيابِ مشعَّثِ القَدَمَينِ

    What will you do this morning for a poet

    In threadbare clothes, his two feet travel-worn?

  34. قَد طافَ في طَلَبِ العُلى وادي القُرى

    وَالعز من عَدَنٍ إِلى السِرينِ

    He has roamed Wadi al-Qura, seeking high rank

    And honor, from Aden to al-Sirrayn,

  35. وَإِلى عُمانَ وَفارِس ثُمَّ اِنتَحى

    بِالرَيّش نَحوَ جَزيرَة البَحرَينِ

    And to Oman and Persia; then he turned

    At al-Rayyish toward the island of Bahrain.

  36. وَأَقامَ في شيرازَ سَبعَةَ أَشهُرِ

    وَأَناب مِن كُلِّ بِخُفِّ حُنَينِ

    And he stayed in Shiraz for seven months,

    And returned from each place with Hunayn's slipper, empty-handed.

  37. وَأَنا عَلى الأَيّامِ أَعتَبُ عاتِبٍ

    وَبذاك يَقضي بينهنَّ وَبَيني

    I am the sternest reproacher of the days,

    And by that he judges between them and me.

  38. لا زلت في رُتَبِ المَعالي ساحِباً

    ذَيلَ المَكارِمِ مُسبَل الكُمَّينِ

    May you ever, in the ranks of high honors, trail

    The train of noble deeds, both sleeves flowing,

  39. ما نَوَّر الأَصباحَ جِلبابَ الدُجى

    وَتَجاوبا طيران في غُصنَينِ

    As long as dawns brighten the cloak of darkness,

    And two birds answer one another on two branches.