Sol 6.1

  1. لَعَمري لَقَد أَوفى وَزادَ وَفاؤُهُ

    عَلى كُلِّ جارٍ جارُ آلِ المُهَلَّبِ

    By my life, he kept faith, and his faithfulness surpassed

    every protector's—the protector of al-Muhallab's house.

  2. أَمَرَّ لَهُم حَبلاً فَلَمّا اِرتَقوا بِهِ

    أَتى دونَهُ مِنهُم بِدَرءٍ وَمَنكَبِ

    He twisted a firm rope for them; when they climbed by it,

    he stood before it against their foes, a bulwark and a shoulder.

  3. وَقالَ لَهُم حُلّوا الرَحالَ فَإِنَّكُم

    هَرَبتُم فَأَلقَوها إِلى خَيرِ مَهرَبِ

    And he told them, 'Unfasten your saddles, for you

    have fled; set them down at the finest refuge.'

  4. أَتوهُ وَلَم يُرسِل إِلَيهِم وَما أَلوا

    عَنِ الأَمنَعِ الأَوفى الجِوارَ المُهَذَّبِ

    They came to him unsummoned, and settled for none less

    than the strongest defender, most faithful in protection, the noble.

  5. فَكانَ كَما ظَنّوا بِهِ وَالَّذي رَجَوا

    لَهُم حينَ أَلقوا عَن حَراجيجَ لُغَّبِ

    He proved as they had thought, and all they hoped

    was theirs when they unloaded their weary, lean she-camels,

  6. إِلى خَيرِ بَيتٍ فيهِ أَوفى مُجاوِرٍ

    جِواراً إِلى أَطنابِهِ خَيرَ مَذهَبِ

    at the finest house, whose host was most faithful

    in protection—its tent-ropes the finest destination.

  7. خَبَينَ بِهِم شَهراً إِلَيهِ وَدونَهُ

    لَهُم رَصَدٌ يُخشى عَلى كُلِّ مَرقَبِ

    For a month they trotted, bearing them toward him, while before him

    watchers to be feared lay waiting for them at every lookout.

  8. مُعَرَّقَةَ الأَلحي كَأَنَّ خَبيبَها

    خَبيبُ نَعاماتٍ رَوايِحَ خُضَّبِ

    Lean about the jaws, their trotting seemed

    the trot of red-shanked ostriches returning at evening.

  9. إِذا تَرَكوا مِنهُنَّ كُلَّ شِمَلَّةٍ

    إِلى رَخَماتٍ بِالطَريقِ وَأَذؤُبِ

    Whenever they abandoned one of those fleet she-camels

    to vultures and wolves along the road,

  10. حَذَوا جِلدَها أَخفافَهُنَّ الَّتي لَها

    بَصائِرُ مِن مَخروقِها المُتَقَوِّبِ

    they shod the others' hoof-pads with her hide, those pads bearing

    raw patches where they were torn and worn through.

  11. وَكَم مِن مُناخٍ خائِفٍ قَد وَرَدنَهُ

    حَرىً مِن مُلِمّاتِ الحَوادِثِ مُعطَبِ

    How many a fearful halting-place they reached,

    liable to bring ruin through the blows of fortune.

  12. وَقَعنَ وَقَد صاحَ العَصافيرُ إِذ بَدا

    تَباشيرُ مَعروفٍ مِنَ الصُبحِ مُغرَبِ

    They knelt as the sparrows called, when there appeared

    the first signs of kindness from a wondrous dawn,

  13. بِمِثلِ سُيوفِ الهِندِ إِذ وَقَعَت وَقَد

    كَسا الأَرضَ باقي لَيلَها المُتَجَوِّبِ

    bearing men like Indian swords; when they knelt,

    the remnants of roaming night still clothed the earth.

  14. جَلَوا عَن عُيونٍ قَد كَرينَ كَلا وَلا

    مَعَ الصُبحِ إِذ نادى أَذانُ المُثَوِّبِ

    They cleared sleep from eyes that had dozed but a 'no, no,'

    at dawn, when the prayer-caller's summons rang out,

  15. عَلى كُلِّ حُرجوجٍ كَأَنَّ صَريفَها

    إِذا اِصطَكَّ ناباها تَرَنُّمُ أَخطَبِ

    on every lean she-camel, whose grinding sounded,

    when her two fangs clashed, like a roller-bird's song.

  16. وَقَد عَلِمَ اللائي بَكَينَ عَلَيكُمُ

    وَأَنتُم وَراءَ الخَندَقِ المُتَصَوِّبِ

    And the women who wept for you have come to know—

    while you were beyond the sloping trench—

  17. لَقَد رَقَأَت مِنها العُيونُ وَنَوَّمَت

    وَكانَت بِلَيلِ النائِحِ المُتَحَوِّبِ

    their eyes have surely ceased to weep and brought them sleep,

    though theirs had been the night of an anguished mourner.

  18. وَلَولا سُلَيمانُ الخَليفَةُ حَلَّقَت

    بِهِم مِن يَدِ الحَجّاجِ أَظفارُ مُغرِبِ

    But for Sulayman the caliph, they would have been borne aloft

    from al-Hajjaj's hand by the 'Anqa's talons.

  19. كَأَنَّهُمُ عِندَ اِبنِ مَروانَ أَصبَحوا

    عَلى رَأسِ غَينا مِن ثَبيرٍ وَكَبكَبِ

    With Ibn Marwan, it was as though they had come to dwell

    on Ghayna's summit, amid Thabir and Kabkab.

  20. أَبى وَهوَ مَولى العَهدِ أَن يَقبَلَ الَّتي

    يُلامُ بِها عِرضُ الغَدورِ المُسَبَّبِ

    While still heir apparent, he refused to accept the deed

    that brings reproach upon a reviled traitor's honor,

  21. وَفاءَ أَخي تَيماءَ إِذ هُوَ مُشرِفٌ

    يُناديهِ مَغلولاً فَتىً غَيرُ جَأنَبِ

    with the fidelity of the man of Tayma, as he looked down,

    a youth, no stunted fellow, calling to him in chains.

  22. أَبوهُ الَّذي قالَ اِقتُلوهُ فَإِنَّني

    سَأَمنَعُ عِرضي أَن يُسَبَّ بِهِ أَبي

    It was his father who said, 'Kill him, for I

    will guard my honor, lest my father be reviled on its account.

  23. فَإِنّا وَجَدنا الغَدرَ أَعظَمَ سُبَّةً

    وَأَفضَحَ مِن قَتلِ اِمرِئٍ غَيرِ مُذنِبِ

    For we have found treachery a greater disgrace

    and more shameful than killing an innocent man.'

  24. فَأَدّى إِلى آلِ اِمرِءِ القَيسِ بَزَّهُ

    وَأَدراعَهُ مَعروفَةً لَم تُغَيَّبِ

    So he delivered to the house of Imru' al-Qays his war-gear

    and his recognizable coats of mail, not hidden away,

  25. كَما كانَ أَوفى إِذ يُنادي اِبنُ دَيهَثٍ

    وَصِرمَتُهُ كَالمَغنَمِ المُتَنَهَّبِ

    just as faith was kept when Ibn Dayhath called out,

    his little camel-herd like booty being plundered.

  26. فَقامَ أَبو لَيلى إِلَيهِ اِبنُ ظالِمٍ

    وَكانَ إِذا ما يَسلُلِ السَيفَ يَضرِبِ

    Then Abu Layla, Ibn Zalim, rose to his aid;

    whenever he drew his sword, he struck.

  27. وَما كانَ جاراً غَيرَ دَلوٍ تَعَلَّقَت

    بِحَبلَيهِ في مُستَحصِدِ الحَبلِ مُكرَبِ

    As a protected guest, he was only a bucket attached

    by his two ropes of tightly twisted, firmly wound cord,

  28. إِلى بَدرِ لَيلٍ مِن أُمَيَّةَ ضَوءُهُ

    إِذا ما بَدا يَعشى لَهُ كُلُّ كَوكَبِ

    to a full moon of night from Umayya, whose light,

    when it appears, makes every star grow dim.

  29. وَأَعطاهُ بِالبِرِّ الَّذي في ضَميرِهِ

    وَبِالعَدلِ أَمرَي كُلَّ شَرقٍ وَمَغرِبِ

    And he granted him, for the goodness within his heart,

    and for his justice, rule over every east and west.