أبلغ ضبيعة أن البلاد — Almusayyib Bin Als

أَبلِغ ضُبَيعَة أَنَّ البِلا

دَ فيها لِذي حَسَبٍ مَهرَبُ

Tell Dubayʿah that the lands

offer a refuge for a man of noble lineage.

فَقَد يَجلِسُ القَومُ في أَصلِهِم

إِذا لَم يُضاموا وَإِن أَجدَبوا

For a people may remain in their ancestral home,

if they are not oppressed, even if they suffer drought.

فَإِنَّ الَّذي كُنتُمُ تَحذَرو

نَ جاءَت عُيونٌ بِهِ تَضرِبُ

For what you used to fear—

scouts have traveled here bringing news of it.

فَلا تَجلِسوا غَرَضاً لِلمَنو

نِ حَذفاً كَما تُحذَفُ الأَرنَبُ

So do not sit as a target for Death,

pelted as a hare is pelted.

وَسيروا عَلى إِثرِ أولاكُمُ

وَلا تَنظُروا مِثلَها وَاِذهَبوا

And travel in the footsteps of those before you;

do not wait for another like it—depart.

فَإِنَّ مَواليكُمُ أَصفَقوا

فَكُلُّهُمُ جَنبُهُ أَجرَبُ

For your allies have closed ranks,

so every one of them has a mangy flank.

وَإِنَّهُمُ قَد دَعَوا دَعوَةً

سَيَتبَعُها ذَنَبٌ أَهلَبُ

And they have issued a summons

that a shaggy tail will follow.

سَتَحمِلُ قَوماً عَلى آلَةٍ

تَظَلُّ الرِماحُ بِهِم تَعلُبُ

It will carry a people into a plight

where spears keep gashing them.

وَلَولا عُلالَةُ أَرماحِنا

لَظَلَّت نِساؤُهُمُ تُجنَبُ

And but for the strength still left in our spears,

their women would have kept being led away captive.

فَإِن لَم تَكُن بِكُمُ مُنَّةٌ

يُبَلِّغُها البَلَدَ الأَركَبُ

But if you have no strength

that mounted bands can carry to the land,

فَذيخوا عَبيداً لِأَربابِكُم

فَإِن ساءَكُم ذاكُمُ فَاِغضَبوا

then submit as slaves to your masters;

if that displeases you, then be angry.

وَهَل يَجلِسُ القَومُ لا يُنكِرونَ

وَكُلُّهُمُ أَنفُهُ يُضرَبُ

And do people sit without protesting,

while every one of them has his nose struck?

وَسيروا فَإِنّي لَكُم بِالرِضى

عَرانينَ شَيبانَ أَن تَقرَبوا

And journey on, for I approve of your

approaching the noble chiefs of Shayban.

فَلا هاهُناكَ وَلا هاهُنا

لَكُم مَوئِلٌ غَيرُهُم فَاِنصِبوا

For neither over there nor here

have you any refuge but them, so press on

لِفَرعِ نِزارٍ وَهُم أَصلُها

نَما بِهِمُ العِزُّ فَاِغلَولَبوا

toward Nizar's branch—and they are its root.

Glory grew through them, and they grew numerous and mighty.

وَيَومَ العِيانَةِ عِندَ الكَثيـ

ـبِ يَومٌ أَشائِمُهُ تَنعَبُ

And the day of al-ʿIyanah beside the sand dune—

a day whose birds of ill omen cawed.

تَبيتُ المُلوكُ عَلى عَتبِها

وَشَيبانُ إِن غَضِبَت تُعتَبُ

Kings spend the night still aggrieved,

but Shayban, if angered, is appeased.

وَكَالشُهدِ بِالراحِ أَخلاقُهُم

وَأَحلامُهُم مِنهُما أَعذَبُ

And their ways are like honey mixed with wine,

and their forbearance is sweeter than both.

وَكَالمِسكِ تُربُ مَقاماتِهِم

وَرَيّا قُبورِهِمُ أَطيَبُ

And the dust of their dwelling places is like musk,

and the fragrance of their graves is sweeter still.

وَقَد كانَ سامَةُ في قَومِهِ

لَهُ مَأكَلٌ وَلَهُ مَشرَبُ

And Samah once lived among his people,

with food to eat and drink to drink.

فَساموهُ خَسفاً فَلَم يَرضَهُ

وَفي الأَرضِ عَن خَسفِهِم مَذهَبُ

But they imposed abasement on him, and he would not accept it;

elsewhere on earth lay an escape from their oppression.

فَقالَ لِسامَةَ إِحدى النِسا

ءِ ما لَكَ يا سامُ لا تَركَبُ

Then one of the women said to Samah,

"Why, O Sam, do you not ride away?

أَكُلُّ البِلادِ بِها حارِسٌ

مُطِلٌّ وَضِرغامَةٌ أَغلَبُ

Does every land have a guard

watching from above, and a thick-necked lion?"

فَقالَ بَلى إِنَّني راكِبٌ

وَإِنّي لِقَومِيَ مُستَعتِبُ

He said, "Indeed, I shall ride,

and I seek reconciliation with my people."

فَشَدَّ أَموناً بِأَنساعِها

بِنَخلَةَ إِذ دونَها كَبكَبُ

Then he cinched a trusty she-camel with her girth-straps,

at Nakhlah, when Kabkab lay before her.

فَجَنَّبَها الهَضبَ تَردي بِهِ

كَما شَجَرَ القارِبُ الأَحقَبُ

He steered her clear of the rocky hills as she raced with him,

like a white-flanked wild ass bounding toward water.

فَلَمّا أَتى بَلَداً سَرَّهُ

بِهِ مَرتَعٌ وَبِهِ مَعزَبُ

When he reached a land that pleased him,

with pasture and an outlying grazing-ground,

وَحِصنٌ حَصينٌ لِأَبنائِهِم

وَريفٌ لِإِبلِهِمُ مُخصِبُ

and a secure fortress for their children,

and lush countryside for their camels,

تَذَكَّرَ لَمّا ثَوى قَومَهُ

وَمِن دونِهِم بَلَدٌ عُزَّبُ

he remembered his people when he settled there,

with a remote land lying between him and them.

فَكَرَّت بِهِ حَرَجٌ ضامِرٌ

فَآبَت بِهِ صُلبُها أَحدَبُ

Then a gaunt, lean she-camel wheeled back with him,

and brought him back, her backbone arched.

فَقالَ أَلا فَاِبشِروا وَاِظعَنوا

فَصارَت عِلافٌ وَلَم يُعقِبوا

Then he said, "Listen: take heart, and journey forth!"

Then ʿIlaf went forth, and did not turn back.

وَلَم يَنهَ رِحلَتَهُم في السَما

ءِ نَحسُ الخَراتَينِ وَالعَقرَبُ

Nor was their journey barred by what was in the sky:

the ill omen of al-Kharatayn and Scorpio.

فَبَلَّغَهُ دَلَجٌ دائِبٌ

وَسَيرٌ إِذا صَدَحَ الجُندَبُ

Unceasing night-travel brought him there,

and journeying when the grasshopper chirped.

فَحينَ النَهارِ يَرى شَمسَهُ

وَحيناً يَلوحُ بِها كَوكَبُ

By day he sees its sun,

and at another time a star gleams in the sky.

عُدَيَّةُ لَيسَ لَها ناصِرٌ

وَعَروى الَّتي هَدَمَ الثَعلَبُ

ʿUdayyah has no defender,

nor ʿArwa, which the fox demolished.

وَفي الناسِ مَن يَصِلُ الأَبعَدَينِ

وَيَشقى بِهِ الأَقرَبُ الأَقرَبُ

Among people is one who keeps ties with the most distant,

while the nearest—the very nearest—suffers through him.

دَعا شَجَرَ الأَرضِ داعيهِمُ

لِيَنصُرَهُ السِدرُ وَالأَثأَبُ

Their caller summoned the trees of the earth,

so that lote trees and wild figs might aid him.

فَإِنَّ لَنا إِخوَةً يَحدِبونَ

عَلَينا وَعَن غَيرِنا غَيَّبوا

For we have brothers who care tenderly

for us, and have kept away from others.