Sol 6.1

  1. عَفَتِ الدِيارَ وَباقِيَ الأَطلالِ

    ريحُ الصَبا وَتَقَلُّبُ الأَحوالِ

    The dwellings and the remnants of the ruins were effaced

    By the east wind and the turns of fortune.

  2. وَعَفا مَغانِيَها وَأَخلَقَ رَسمَها

    تَردادُ وَكفِ العارِضِ الهَطّالِ

    Their haunts were erased, their traces worn away

    By the repeated showers of the downpouring cloud.

  3. فَلَئِن صَرَمتِ الحَبلَ يا اِبنَةَ مالِكٍ

    وَسَمِعتِ فِيَّ مَقالَةَ العُذّالِ

    So if indeed you have severed the bond, daughter of Malik,

    And heeded the reproachers' words about me,

  4. فَسَلي لِكَيما تُخبَري بِفَعائِلي

    عِندَ الوَغى وَمَواقِفِ الأَهوالِ

    Then ask, so you may be told of my deeds

    In battle and in fearsome encounters,

  5. وَالخَيلُ تَعثُرُ بِالقَنا في جاحِمٍ

    تَهفو بِهِ وَيَجُلنَ كُلَّ مَجالِ

    While horses stumble over spears in a blazing fray,

    Darting through it and wheeling in every quarter.

  6. وَأَنا المُجَرَّبُ في المَواقِفِ كُلِّها

    مِن آلِ عَبسٍ مَنصِبي وَفَعالي

    I am the one proved in every encounter;

    My lineage and my deeds are of the house of ʿAbs.

  7. مِنهُم أَبي شَدّادُ أَكرَمُ والِدٍ

    وَالأُمُّ مِن حَامٍ فَهُم أَخوالي

    From them is my father Shaddad, the noblest father;

    My mother is of Ham, and they are my maternal uncles.

  8. وَأَنا المَنِيَّةُ حينَ تَشتَجِرُ القَنا

    وَالطَعنُ مِنّي سابِقُ الآجالِ

    And I am Death when the spears interlock,

    And my thrusts outstrip the appointed hours of death.

  9. وَلَرُبَّ قِرنٍ قَد تَرَكتُ مُجَدَّلاً

    وَلَبانُهُ كَنَواضِحِ الجِريالِ

    Many a rival have I left laid low,

    And his breast like fountains of crimson dye.

  10. تَنتابُهُ طُلسُ السِباعِ مُغادَراً

    في قَفرَةٍ مُتَمَزِّقِ الأَوصالِ

    Dusky beasts of prey revisit him, abandoned

    In a barren waste, his limbs torn apart.

  11. وَلَرُبَّ خَيلٍ قَد وَزَعتُ رَعيلَها

    بِأَقَبَّ لا ضِغنٍ وَلا مِجفالِ

    Many a cavalry vanguard have I held back

    On a lean-bellied steed, neither balky nor skittish.

  12. وَمُسَربَلٍ حَلَقَ الحَديدِ مُدَجَّجٍ

    كَاللَيثِ بَينَ عَرينَةِ الأَشبالِ

    And many a man clad in rings of iron, fully armed,

    Like a lion in the cubs' den,

  13. غادَرتُهُ لِلجَنبِ غَيرَ مُوَسَّدٍ

    مُتَثَنِّيَ الأَوصالِ عِندَ مَجالِ

    Have I left on his side, unpillowed,

    His limbs contorted on the field of combat.

  14. وَلَرُبَّ شَربٍ قَد صَبَحتُ مَدامَةً

    لَيسوا بِأَنكاسٍ وَلا أَوغالِ

    Many a drinking company have I plied with morning wine,

    Who were neither base men nor uninvited drinkers.

  15. وَكَواعِبٍ مِثلِ الدُمى أَصبَيتُها

    يَنظُرنَ في خَفرٍ وَحُسنِ دَلالِ

    And budding-breasted maidens, like sculpted figures, I have charmed,

    Gazing with modest shyness and lovely coquetry.

  16. فَسَلي بَني عَكٍّ وَخَثعَمَ تُخبَري

    وَسَلي المُلوكَ وَطَيِّئَ الأَجبالِ

    Then ask the sons of ʿAkk and Khathʿam, and you will be told;

    And ask the kings and Tayyiʾ of the mountains;

  17. وَسَلي عَشائِرَ ضَبَّةٍ إِذ أَسلَمَت

    بَكرٌ حَلائِلَها وَرَهطَ عِقالِ

    And ask the clans of Ḍabba about the abandonment

    By Bakr of its wives and the clan of ʿIqal;

  18. وَبَني صَباحٍ قَد تَرَكنا مِنهُمُ

    جَزَراً بِذاتِ الرِمثِ فَوقَ أُثالِ

    And the sons of Sabah: we left some of them

    Carcasses at Dhat al-Rimth, above Uthal.

  19. زَيداً وَسوداً وَالمُقَطَّعَ أَقصَدَت

    أَرماحُنا وَمُجاشِعَ بنَ هِلالِ

    Zayd, Sawd, and al-Muqattaʿ were struck dead

    By our spears, as was Mujashiʿ ibn Hilal.

  20. رُعناهُمُ بِالخَيلِ تَردي بِالقَنا

    وَبِكُلِّ أَبيَضَ صارِمٍ فَصّالِ

    We terrified them with horses galloping with spears,

    And with every bright, sharp, cleaving sword.

  21. مَن مِثلُ قَومي حينَ يَختَلِفُ القَنا

    وَإِذا تَزِلُّ قَوائِمُ الأَبطالِ

    Who is like my people when the spears cross,

    And when the champions' feet slip?

  22. يَحمِلنَ كُلَّ عَزيزِ نَفسٍ باسِلٍ

    صَدقِ اللِقاءِ مُجَرَّبِ الأَهوالِ

    The steeds bear every proud-souled, valiant man,

    Steadfast in combat, seasoned in terrors.

  23. فَفِدىً لِقَومي عِندَ كُلِّ عَظيمَةٍ

    نَفسي وَراحِلَتي وَسائِرُ مالي

    In every great ordeal, may my people be ransomed by

    My life, my riding-camel, and all my wealth.

  24. قَومي صَمامِ لِمَن أَرادوا ضَيمَهُم

    وَالقاهِرونَ لِكُلِّ أَغلَبَ صالي

    My people are ruin to those who seek to wrong them,

    And conquerors of every stout-necked, battle-hardened foe.

  25. وَالمُطعِمونَ وَما عَلَيهِم نِعمَةٌ

    وَالأَكرَمونَ أَباً وَمَحتِدَ خالِ

    They feed others, though owing no favor,

    And are noblest in paternal and maternal lineage.

  26. نَحنُ الحَصى عَدَداً وَنَحسَبُ قَومَن

    وَرِجالَنا في الحَربِ غَيرِ رِجالِ

    We number like pebbles, and we reckon our people

    And our men in battle to be no ordinary men.

  27. مِنّا المُعينُ عَلى النَدى بِفَعالِهِ

    وَالبَذلِ في اللَزَباتِ بِالأَموالِ

    Among us is he who aids generosity through his deeds,

    And through lavish giving of wealth in times of hardship.

  28. إِنّا إِذا حَمِسَ الوَغى نُروي القَنا

    وَنَعِفُّ عِندَ تَقاسُمِ الأَنفالِ

    When battle rages, we slake our spears' thirst,

    Yet refrain when the spoils are divided.

  29. نَأتي الصَريخَ عَلى جِيادٍ ضُمَّرٍ

    خُمصِ البُطونِ كَأَنَّهُنَّ سَعالي

    We come to the caller for aid on lean steeds,

    Hollow-bellied, as though they were she-ghouls:

  30. مِن كُلِّ شَوهاءِ اليَدَينِ طِمِرَّةٍ

    وَمُقَلَّصٍ عَبلِ الشَوى ذَيّالِ

    Every leaping mare, wide-set in the forelegs,

    And high-bellied steed, stout-limbed and long-tailed.

  31. لا تَأسِيَنَّ عَلى خَليطٍ زايَلوا

    بَعدَ الأُلى قُتِلوا بِذي أَغيالِ

    Do not grieve for companions who have departed,

    After those who were killed at Dhu Aghyal.

  32. كانوا يَشُبّونَ الحُروبَ إِذا خَبَت

    قِدماً بِكُلِّ مُهَنَّدٍ فَصّالِ

    They used to kindle wars whenever they died down,

    Long ago, with every cleaving Indian-forged sword,

  33. وَبِكُلِّ مَحبوكِ السَراةِ مُقَلِّصٍ

    تَنمو مَناسِبُهُ لِذي العُقّالِ

    And every high-bellied steed with a firmly knit back,

    Whose bloodlines trace back to Dhu al-ʿUqqal,

  34. وَمُعاوِدِ التَكرارِ طالَ مُضِيُّهُ

    طَعناً بِكُلِّ مُثَقَّفٍ عَسّالِ

    And every man renewing the charge, long pressing forward,

    Thrusting with every straightened, quivering spear,

  35. مِن كُلِّ أَروَعَ لِلكُماةِ مُنازِلٍ

    ناجٍ مِنَ الغَمَراتِ كَالرِئبالِ

    Each splendid warrior who faces armored champions,

    Coming safe through engulfing perils like a lion,

  36. يُعطي المَئينَ إِلى المَئينَ مُرَزَّاً

    حَمّالُ مُفظِعَةٍ مِنَ الأَثقالِ

    Giving hundreds upon hundreds, much drawn upon,

    A bearer of dreadful burdens.

  37. وَإِذا الأُمورُ تَحَوَّلَت أَلفَيتَهُم

    عِصَمَ الهَوالِكِ ساعَةَ الزِلزالِ

    And when affairs change, you find them

    Safeguards against ruin in the hour of upheaval.

  38. وَهُمُ الحُماةُ إِذا النِساءُ تَحَسَّرَت

    يَومَ الحِفاظِ وَكانَ يَومُ نَزالِ

    They are the protectors when women cast off their veils,

    On the day of honor's defense—a day of combat.

  39. يُقصونَ ذا الأَنفِ الحَمِيِّ وَفيهِمُ

    حِلمٌ وَلَيسَ حَرامُهُم بِحَلالِ

    They drive back the fiercely proud, yet in them is

    Forbearance, and their sacred bounds are not to be breached.

  40. المُطعِمونَ إِذا السُنونُ تَتابَعَت

    مَحلاً وَضَنَّ سَحابُها بِسِجالِ

    They feed others when the years follow one another

    In drought, while their clouds begrudge the pouring rain.