1. أَجَدَّ اليَوم جيرَتُكَ اِحتِمالا

    وَحَثَّ حُداتهم بِهِم الجِمالا

    Today your neighbors have resolved upon departure,

    and their camel-drivers urged the camels onward with them.

  2. فَلَم يَأووا لِمن تَبَلوا وَلَكِن

    تَوَلَّت عيرُهم بِهِم عِجالا

    They showed no pity to the one they had afflicted with love; instead,

    their caravan bore them away in haste.

  3. وَقطَّعتِ النَّوى أَقرانَ حَيٍّ

    تَحَمَّلَ عَن مَساكِنه فَزالا

    Separation severed the bonds of a clan

    that departed from its dwellings and moved away.

  4. عَلَوا بالرَّقمِ وَالدِّيباجِ بُزلاً

    تَخَيَّلُ في أَزِمَّتِها اِختِيالا

    They mounted mature camels adorned with figured cloth and brocade,

    strutting proudly within their reins.

  5. وَفي الأَظعانِ آنسةٌ لَعوبٌ

    تَرى قَتلي بِغَيرِ دَمٍ حَلالا

    Among the travelers is a charming, playful woman

    who deems it lawful to kill me without shedding blood.

  6. حَباها اللَّهُ وَهيَ لِذاكَ أَهلٌ

    مَع الحَسَبِ العَفافةَ وَالجَمالا

    God endowed her—and she deserves it—

    with chastity and beauty, along with noble lineage.

  7. أُمَيَّةُ يَومَ دارِ القَسرِ ضَنَّت

    عَلَينا أَن تُتَوِّلنا نَوالا

    Umayya, on the day at Dar al-Qasr, begrudged

    us any gift she might bestow.

  8. دَنَت حَتّى إِذا ما قُلتُ جادَت

    أَجَدَّت بَعدُ بُخلاً واِعتِلالا

    She drew near until, when I said, “She has been generous,”

    she then redoubled her stinginess and excuses.

  9. لَعَمرُكَ ما أُمَيَّةُ غَيرُ خِشفٍ

    دَنا ظِلُّ الكِناسِ لَهُ فَقالا

    By your life, Umayya is nothing but a fawn

    whose covert's shade drew near, so it rested at noon.

  10. إِذا وَعدتكَ مَعروفاً لَوَتهُ

    وَعَجَّلَتِ التَّجَرُّمَ وَالمِطالا

    Whenever she promises you a kindness, she puts it off,

    and hastens to find fault and delay.

  11. تُذَكِّرُني ثَناياها مِراراً

    أَقاحي الرَّملِ باشرتِ الطِّلالا

    Again and again her front teeth remind me

    of daisies in the sand touched by dew.

  12. لَها بَشَرٌ نَقيُّ اللَّونِ صافٍ

    ومتنٌ خُطَّ فاِعتَدَلَ اِعتِدالا

    She has skin of a pure, clear hue,

    and a back fashioned into perfect proportion.

  13. إِذا تَمشي تأوَّدُ جانِباها

    وَكادَ الخصرُ يَنخَزِلُ اِنخِزالا

    When she walks, her flanks sway,

    and her waist all but breaks.

  14. فَإِن تُصبِح أُمَيَّةُ قَد تَوَلَّت

    وَعادَ الوَصلُ صُرماً وَاِعتِلالا

    If Umayya should have turned away by morning,

    and union become estrangement and excuses,

  15. تنوءُ بِها رَوادِفُها إِذا ما

    وِشاحاها عَلى المَتنين جالا

    her hips weigh her down whenever

    her two sashes sway across her back.

  16. فَقَد تَدنو النَوى بَعدَ اِغتِرابٍ

    بِها وَتُفَرِّقُ الحَيَّ الحلالا

    For separation may give way to nearness after far wandering

    with her, and may scatter a tribe encamped together.

  17. تُعَبِّسُ لي أُمَيَّةُ بَعدَ أُنسٍ

    فَما أَدري أَسُخطاً أَم دَلالا

    Umayya frowns at me after intimacy;

    I do not know: is it anger or coyness?

  18. أَبيني لي فَرُبَّ أَخٍ مُصافٍ

    رُزِئتُ وَما أُحِبُّ بِهِ بدالا

    Make it clear to me: many a loyal friend

    I have lost, though I desired no substitute for him.

  19. أَصُرمٌ مِنكِ هَذا أَم دَلالٌ

    فَقَد عَنّى الدلالُ إِذن وَطالا

    Is this estrangement from you, or coyness?

    Then your coyness has tormented me and lasted long.

  20. أَمِ اِستَبدلتِ بي وَمَللتِ وَصلي

    فبُوحي لي بِهِ وَذَري الخِتالا

    Or have you replaced me and tired of a bond with me?

    Tell me openly, and abandon deceit.

  21. فَلا وَأَبيكِ ما أَهوى خَليلاً

    أُقاتِلُه عَلى وَصلي قِتالا

    No, by your father, I do not love a friend

    whom I must fight to maintain our bond.

  22. فَكَم مِن كاشِحٍ يا أُمَّ بَكرٍ

    مِن البَغضاءِ يأتَكِلُ اِئتِكالا

    How many a spiteful foe, O Umm Bakr,

    burns fiercely with hatred!

  23. لَبِستُ عَلى قَنادِعَ مِن أَذاهُ

    وَلولا اللَّهُ كُنتُ له نَكالا

    I endured the calamities of his abuse,

    and but for God, I would have been a scourge to him.

  24. يَقولُ فَتىً وَلَو وَزَنوهُ يَوماً

    بِحَبَّةِ خَردَلٍ رَجَحَت وَشالا

    A fellow says—though, were they ever to weigh him

    against a mustard seed, it would outweigh him and he would rise—

  25. أَنا الصقرُ الَّذي حُدِّثتَ عَنهُ

    عِتاقُ الطَّيرِ تَندَخِلُ اِندِخالا

    “I am the falcon you were told about;

    the noble birds slip into hiding.

  26. قَهرتُ الشعرَ قَد عَلِمَت مَعَدٌّ

    فَلا سَقَطاً أَقولُ وَلا اِنتِحالا

    I have mastered poetry—Ma‘add knows it—

    so I utter neither worthless nor plagiarized verse.”

  27. وَمَن يَدنو وَلَو شَطَّت نَواكُم

    لَكم في كُلِّ مُعظَمةٍ خَيالا

    And who draws near, though your dwelling lies far,

    to you as a phantom through every daunting place?

  28. تَزورُ وَدونَها يَهماءُ قَفرٌ

    تَشَكَّى الناعِجاتُ بِها الكَلالا

    She visits, with a trackless, empty desert before her,

    where white she-camels complain of exhaustion.

  29. تَظَلُّ الخِمسُ ما يُطعَمنَ فيهِ

    وَلَو مَوَّتنَ مِن ظَمإٍ بِلالا

    They pass the five-day watering interval without tasting

    a drop of moisture, even if they die of thirst,

  30. سِوى نُطَفٍ بِعَرمَضِهِنَّ لَونٌ

    كَلَونِ الغِسلِ أَخضَرَ قَد أَحالا

    except scant pools, colored by their pond-scum,

    like green wash-water that has turned stale.

  31. بِها نَدرأ قوادمَ مِن حَمامٍ

    مُلقّاةٍ تُشَبِّهُها النِّصالا

    With them we fend off approaching strokes of death,

    hurled at us, which you might liken to arrowheads.

  32. إِذا ما الشَّوقُ ذَكَّرَني الغَواني

    وأسوقها المُمَلأَةَ الخِدالا

    Whenever yearning reminds me of the beautiful women,

    and their full, plump shins,

  33. وَأَعناقاً عَلَيها الدرُّ بيضاً

    وأعجازاً لَها رُدُحاً ثِقالا

    and white necks adorned with pearls,

    and their broad, heavy buttocks,

  34. ظَلَلتُ بذكرِهِنَّ كَأَنَّ دَمعي

    شَعيباً شَنَّة سرباً فَسالا

    I spend the day remembering them, as though my tears

    were two worn-out waterskins, leaking and flowing.

  35. رَأَيتُ الغانِياتِ صَدَفنَ لَمّا

    رَأَينَ الشَّيبَ قَد شَمِلَ القَذالا

    I saw the beautiful women turn away when

    they saw gray hair had covered the back of my head.

  36. سَقى أَرواحَهُنَّ عَلى التنائي

    مُلِحُّ الوَدقِ يَنجَفِلُ اِنجِفالا

    May their souls, despite their distance, be watered

    by a cloud of ceaseless rain, sweeping onward.

  37. إِذا أَلقى مَراسِيهُ بِأَرضٍ

    رأَيتَ لسيرِ رَيِّقِه جفالا

    When it casts its anchors upon a land,

    you see its first rain rush along in torrents.

  38. يُزيلُ إِذا أَهَرَّ بِبَطنِ وادٍ

    أُصولَ الأثلِ وَالسُّمُرَ الطِّوالا

    When it roars in a valley's bed, it uproots

    the roots of tamarisks and tall acacias.

  39. عَلى أَنَّ الغَوانيَ مُولَعاتٌ

    بأن يَقتُلنَ بالحَدَقِ الرِّجالا

    Yet the beautiful women are intent

    on killing men with their eyes.

  40. إِذا ما رُحنَ يَمشينَ الهُوَينا

    وَأَزمَعنَ المَلاذَةَ وَالمِطالا

    When they go out, walking languidly,

    and resolve upon deceitful flattery and delay,

  41. تَرَكنَ قُلوبَ أَقوامٍ مِراضاً

    كَأَنَّ الشوقَ أَورثَهُم سُلالا

    they leave men's hearts sick,

    as though yearning had bequeathed them consumption.

  42. قَصدنَ العاشِقينَ بنَبلِ جِنٍّ

    قَواصِدَ يَقتَتِلنَهُمُ اِقتِتالا

    They aim at lovers with the arrows of jinn,

    striking true and slaying them utterly.

  43. كَواذِبُ إِن أُخِذنَ بِوَصلِ وُدٍّ

    أَثَبنَكَ بَعدَ مُرِّ الصَّرمِ خالا

    They are liars: if held to a loving bond,

    they repay you, after bitter estrangement, with an illusion.

  44. فَلَستُ بِراجعٍ فيهِنَّ قَولاً

    إِذا أَزمَعنَ لِلصرمِ اِنتِقالا

    So I will say no further word about them

    when they resolve to turn toward estrangement.

  45. تَشَعَّبَ وُدُّهُنَّ بَناتِ قَلبي

    وَشَوقُ القَلبِ يورِثُه خَبالا

    Love for them has splintered my heartstrings,

    and the heart's yearning brings it madness.

  46. نواعِمُ ساجِياتُ الطرفِ عينٌ

    كَعينِ الإِرخِ تَتَّبِعُ الرِّمالا

    Delicate beauties, with languid gazes and wide eyes,

    like the eyes of a wild cow following the sands.

  47. أَوانِسُ لَم تلوِّحهُنَّ شَمسٌ

    وَلَم يَشدُدنَ في سَفَرٍ رِحالا

    Charming women whom no sun has scorched,

    who have never strapped on saddles for a journey.

  48. نَواعِمُ يَتَّخِذنَ لِكُلِّ مُمسَى

    مُروطَ الخَزِّ وَالنَّقَبَ النعالا

    Delicate women who put on, for each evening,

    silken mantles and perforated sandals.

  49. يَصُنَّ مَحاسِناً وَيُرينَ أُخرى

    إِذا ذو الحِلمِ أبصَرهُنَّ مالا

    They conceal some charms and reveal others;

    when a sober-minded man sees them, he is swayed.

  50. رأَينا حَوشَباً يَسمو وَبَيني

    مَكارِمَ لِلعَشيرَةِ لن تُنالا

    We saw Hawshab rising and [building],

    honors for the clan that cannot be attained.

  51. رَبيعاً في السنين لمعتَفيه

    إِذا هَبَّت بصُرّادٍ شَمالا

    A springtime in years of drought for those seeking his bounty,

    when a north wind blows with piercing cold;

  52. حَمولاً لِلعَظائِمِ أَريحيّاً

    إِذا الأَعباءُ أَثقلتِ الرِّجالا

    bearing great burdens, open-handed,

    when heavy loads weigh men down.

  53. وَجَدتُ الغُرَّ مِن أَبناءِ بَكرٍ

    إِلى الذهلَينِ تَرجِعُ وَالفِضالا

    I found the illustrious among the sons of Bakr,

    and the foremost, tracing back to the two Dhuhls.

  54. بَنو شَيبانَ خَيرُ بُيوتِ بَكرٍ

    إِذا عُدّوا وأمتَنُها حِبالا

    The sons of Shayban are the best houses of Bakr,

    when counted, and the strongest in their bonds.

  55. رِجالاً أُعطيَت أَحلامَ عادٍ

    إِذ اِنطَلَقوا وأيديها الطِّوالا

    Men endowed with the wisdom of ‘Ad,

    when they set forth, and with its long-reaching hands.

  56. وَتَيمُ اللَّهِ حَيٌّ حَيُّ صِدقٍ

    وَلَكِنَّ الرَّحى تَعلو الثِّفالا

    And Taym Allah is a tribe, a tribe of true worth,

    but the millstone stands above its leather mat.

  57. أَعِكرِمَ كُنتَ كالمبتاعِ بَيعاً

    أَتى بيعَ الندامَةِ فاِستَقالا

    O ‘Ikrim, I was like one making a purchase

    who struck a bargain of regret, then asked to undo it.

  58. أَقِلني يا ابنَ رَبعيّ ثنائي

    وهَبها مِدحَةً ذهبت ضَلالا

    Release me, son of Rab‘i, from my praise,

    and reckon it a panegyric squandered in vain.

  59. تفاوتني عَمايَ بِها وَكانَت

    كَنظرةِ مَن تَفَرَّس ثُمَّ مالا

    My blindness about it got the better of me; it was

    like the glance of one who looked keenly, then turned aside.

  60. حَبَوتُكَ بِالثَّناءِ فَلَم تَثُبني

    وَلَم أَترُك لِمُمتَدِحٍ مَقالا

    I bestowed praise upon you, but you did not reward me,

    and I left no other praiser anything to say.

  61. فَلَستُ بِواصلٍ أَبَداً خَليلا

    إِذا لَم تُغنِ خُلَّتُه قِبالا

    I shall never maintain ties with a friend

    if his friendship offers not even a sandal-strap's worth.