لمن طلل بتيمات فجند — Amr Bin Maadi Yakrib

لمن طَلَلٌ بتَيماتٍ فجُندِ

كأنَّ عِراصَهُ تَوشيمُ بُردِ

Whose ruined campsite lies at Taymat, then Jund?

Its open grounds seem like the patterned markings of a cloak.

ألا ما ضَرَّ أهلَكَ أن يقولوا

سُقيتَ الغَيثَ من بلدٍ وعهدِ

Ah, what harm would it have done your people to say:

May rain water you, O land and remembered home!

ودارٍ تَجدُلُ الذُلانَ عنها

مُكلَّلَةٍ بأَضيافٍ وَوَفدِ

And a dwelling that lays the weak low outside it,

crowned with guests and visiting delegations—

إذا المِهيافُ ذو الإبلِ اجتَواها

وأَعرَضَ مِشيَةَ الجَمَلِ المُغِدِّ

when the thirst-prone camel-owner finds it disagreeable

and turns away with a swollen-throated camel's gait—

سَدَدتُ فِراضَها لهمُ ببيتي

وبعضُهمُ بقُبَّته يُعَدّي

I closed its gaps for them with my tent,

while some, each in his tent, turn guests away.

وأودٌ ناصري وبنو زُبَيدٍ

ومَن بالخَيفِ من حَكَمِ بنِ سَعدِ

Awd are my supporters, and the sons of Zubayd,

and those at al-Khayf of Hakam ibn Sa'd.

لَعَمرُكَ لو تَجَرَّدَ من مُرادٍ

عَرانينٌ على دُهمٍ وَجُردِ

By your life, if from Murad there sallied forth

chieftains on black and sleek-coated horses,

ومن عَنسٍ مُغامِرةٌ طَحونٌ

مُدَرَّبةٌ ومن عُلَةَ بنِ جَلدِ

and from 'Ans a venturesome, grinding host,

battle-trained, and men from 'Ulah ibn Jald,

ومن سعدٍ كتائبُ مُعلِماتٌ

على ما كان من قُربٍ وبُعدِ

and from Sa'd battalions bearing battle-marks,

whether they came from near or far,

ومن جَنبٍ مُجَنِّبَةٌ ضَروبٌ

لهامِ القومِ بالأَبطالِ تُردي

and from Janb a flanking force, striking hard

at the enemy's heads, charging with champions,

وُتجمِعُ مَذحِجٌ فيُرَئِّسُوني

لأَبرأتُ المناهل من مَعَدِّ

and Madhhij gathered and made me their chief,

I would rid the watering places of Ma'add,

بكلّ مُجَرِّبٍ في البأس منهم

أخي ثقةٍ من القَطِمينَ نَجدِ

with every battle-tested warrior among them,

a trusty man, valiant among the fierce warriors,

وكلِّ مُفاضَةٍ بيضاءَ زَغفٍ

وكُلِّ مُعاوِدِ الغارات يَخدِي

and every ample, bright-white coat of supple mail,

and every swift-striding steed accustomed to raids.

أَؤُمُّ بها أبا قابوسَ حتّى

أحُلَّ على تَحيَّتِه بجُندي

With them I make for Abu Qabus, until

I descend upon his kingdom with my army.

فما نُهنِهتُ عن بطلٍ كَميٍّ

ولا عن مُقلَعِطّ الرأسِ جَعدِ

I have never been held back from an armored champion,

nor from a bristling-headed, curly-haired man.

إذا ما مَذحِجٌ قذفت عليها

سرابيلاً لها من كلِّ سَردِ

When Madhhij casts upon itself

its tunics of every kind of linked mail,

وتَركاً للرؤوسِ مُسَبَّغاتٍ

إلى الغاياتِ من زَغفٍ وَقِدِّ

and helmets for the heads, covering fully

to the utmost limits, of supple mail and leather,

وَهُزَّ السَّمهريُّ على المَذاكي

مُجَنِّبَتَينِ بالأبطال تُردي

and the Samhari spear is brandished on full-grown chargers,

in two wings, galloping with champions,

وعُرِّيَ بالأَكُفِّ مُهَنَّداتٌ

وسُلَّ حُسامُها من كل غِمدِ

and Indian-steel swords are bared in men's hands,

and their keen blades drawn from every sheath,

وقُرِّبَ للنطاحِ الكبشُ يمشي

وطابَ الموتُ من شَرعٍ ووِردِ

and the ram walks forward, brought near to lock horns,

and death is sweet, whether approached or drunk—

تخالُ البُزل فيه مُقَيَّراتٍ

كأَنَّ قُبُولها تكليلُ أُسدِ

you would think the mature camels there were tar-coated,

as though their fronts were crowned with lions.

هنالك بُهمةُ الفرسان يُلقى

وأصحابُ الحِفاظِ وكلِّ جِدِّ

There the formidable champion of horsemen is met,

and men who defend their honor, devoted to every earnest endeavor.

أولئك مَعشَري وهُمُ جبالي

وحُزني في كريهتهم وحَدّي

Those are my people, and they are my mountains,

my rugged ground in their battles, and my cutting edge.

همُ قتلوا عُزَيزاً يومَ لَحجٍ

وعَلقَمَةَ بنَ سعدٍ يومَ نَجدِ

They killed 'Uzayz on the day of Lahj,

and 'Alqamah ibn Sa'd on the day of Najd.

وهم ساروا مع المأمور شهراً

إلى تِعشارَ سيراً غيرَ قَصدِ

They marched with al-Ma'mur for a month,

to Ti'shar, at a pace anything but moderate.

وهم قَسَموا النساء بذي أُراطى

وهم عَرَكوا الذنائبَ عَركَ جِلدِ

They divided the women at Dhu Urata,

and rubbed down the lesser men as one rubs a hide.

وهم وَرَدُوا المياهَ على تميمٍ

بألف مُدَجَّجٍ شُمطٍ ومُردِ

They came to the watering places against Tamim,

with a thousand fully armored men, gray-haired and beardless.

وإخوَتَهم ربيعةَ قد حَوَينا

فصاروا في النِّهابِ بغيرِ حَمدِ

And their brothers, Rabi'ah, we captured,

so they became part of the plunder, without praise.

وهم تركوا بِكِندَةَ مُوضِحاتٍ

وما كانوا هناك لنا بِضِدِّ

They left bone-baring wounds among Kindah,

and there they were no match for us.

وهم زارُوا بني أَسَدٍ بجيشٍ

مع العَبَّابِ جيشٍ غيرِ وَغدِ

They visited the sons of Asad with an army,

with al-'Abbab, an army of no base men.

وهم تركوا هَوَازِنَ إذ لَقُوهم

وأسلَمَهم رئيسُهُمُ بجَهدِ

They left Hawazin stricken when they met them,

and their leader abandoned them in distress.

وهم تركوا ابنَ كَبشَةَ مُسلَحِبّاً

وهو شَغَلوهُ عن شُرب المَقَدِّي

They left Ibn Kabshah stretched out,

and, as for him, they kept him from drinking Maqaddi wine.

وَخَثعَمُ لُثِّموا حتى أَقَرُّوا

بخَرجٍ في مَواشيهم ورِفدِ

And Khath'am were struck in the face until they agreed

to a levy on their livestock and a tribute.

وهم خَشُّوا مع الدَّيَّانِ حتى

تَغَتَّمَ كلُّ عُضروطٍ وعَبدِ

They pushed through with al-Dayyan until

every menial and slave became tongue-tied.

وهم أخذوا بذي المَرُّوتِ أَلفاً

يُقَسَّمُ للحُصَينِ ولابنِ هِندِ

They took a thousand at Dhu al-Marrut,

to be divided between al-Husayn and Ibn Hind.

وهم قتلوا بذاتِ الجارِ قيساً

وأَشعَثَ سَلسَلوا في غير عَقدِ

They killed Qays at Dhat al-Jar,

and put Ash'ath in chains, with no binding pact.

أتانا ثائراً بأبيه قيسٍ

فَأُهلِكَ جيشُ ذلكُمُ السِّمَغدِ

He came to us avenging his father Qays,

and that hulking fellow's army was destroyed.

فكان فداؤُهُ ألفَي بعيرٍ

وألفاً من طريفاتٍ وتُلدِ

So his ransom was two thousand camels,

and a thousand more, of newly acquired and inherited stock.

وهم قتلوا بذي قَلَعٍ ثَقيفاً

فما عُقِلوا وما فاؤوا بِزَندِ

They killed Thaqif at Dhu Qala',

so no blood money was paid for them, nor did they return with a fire-stick.

وهم سَحَبُوا على الدَّهنا جيُوشاً

يُعيدهُمُ شَرَاحيلٌ ويُبدي

They dragged armies across al-Dahna,

Sharahil bringing them back and sending them forth.

وهم تركوا القبائلَ من مَعَدٍّ

ضِباباً مُجحَرينَ بكل حِقدِ

They left the tribes of Ma'add

like lizards driven into burrows, full of rancor.

وكم من ماجدٍ مَلكٍ قَتَلنا

وآخرَ سُوقةٍ عَزَبٍ قُمُدِّ

How many a noble king we have killed,

and another, a sturdy, unmarried commoner,

وخَصمٍ يَعجِزُ الأَقوامُ عنهُ

شديدِ الضِّغنِ أَقعَسَ مُسمَغِدِّ

and an adversary before whom peoples are powerless,

fierce in rancor, unyielding and hulking.

حَبَستُ سَراتَهم بالضِحِّ حتى

أنابُوا بعد إِبراقٍ وَرَعدِ

I held their chiefs in the open sun until

they yielded, after all their lightning and thunder.

أُمازحهم إذا ما مازحوني

ويُغضي جِدُّهم إِن جَدَّ جِدّي

I jest with them when they jest with me,

and their earnestness lowers its gaze if mine grows earnest.

فذاكَ وقد رَجَعنَ مُسَوَّماتٍ

يَخِدنَ وقد قضينا كلَّ حَردِ

So it is, once the battle-marked steeds have returned,

striding swiftly, and we have settled every grudge.

فما جَمعٌ لِيَغلِبَ جَمعَ قومي

مُكاثرةً ولا فَردٌ لِفَردِ

No host can defeat my people's host

by superior numbers, nor one man one of ours in single combat.

ألا عَتَبَت عليَّ اليومَ أَروَى

لآتيها كما زعمت بفَهدِ

Ah, Arwa reproached me today,

so I would bring her Fahd, as she claimed.

وَحِميَرُ دونَه قَومٌ عُداةٌ

بكلّ مَسِيلَةٍ وبكلّ نَجدِ

But Himyar bar the way to him, hostile men,

in every streambed and on every height.

فما الأحلافُ تابعتي إليه

ولا وأبيكِ لا آتيهِ وحدي

The confederates will not follow me to him,

nor, by your father, will I go to him alone.