Sol 6.1

  1. هَل عَرَفتَ الغَداةَ رَسماً مَحيلا

    دارِساً بَعدَ أَهلِهِ مَجهولا

    Did you recognize this morning a weathered trace,

    effaced, unknown since its people had gone—

  2. لِسُلَيمى كَأَنَّهُ سَحقُ بُردٍ

    زادَهُ قِلَّةُ الأَنيسِ مُحولا

    Sulaymā's, like a threadbare striped cloak,

    made more desolate by the scarcity of company?

  3. زَعزَعَتهُ الصِبا فَأَدرَجَ سَهلاً

    ثُمَّ هاجَت لَهُ الدَبورُ نَحيلا

    The east wind shook it, and it rolled across the plain;

    then the west wind stirred up a thin cloud for it.

  4. فَكَأَنَّ اليَهودَ في يَومِ عيدٍ

    ضَرَبَت فيهِ رَوقَشاً وَطُبولا

    So it was as though the Jews, on a feast day,

    had struck a rawqash and drums there.

  5. وَاِمتَرَتهُ الجَنوبُ حَتّى إِذا ما

    وَجَدَت فَودَهُ عَلَيها ثَقيلا

    And the south wind milked it until, when

    she found its flank weighing heavily upon her,

  6. ثُمَّ هالَت عَلَيهِ مِنها سِجالاً

    مُكفَهِرّاً فَتَستَقيهِ سَجيلا

    she poured upon it bucketfuls of her own,

    then drew a deluge from the dark, lowering cloud.

  7. وَتَذَكَّرتُ مَنزِلاً لِرِبابٍ

    أَنَّهُ كانَ مَرَّةً مَأهولا

    And I remembered a dwelling of Ribāb,

    which had once been inhabited,

  8. غَيرَ أَنَّ السِنينَ وَالريحَ أَلقَت

    تُربَةُ في رُسومِهِ مَنخولا

    except that the years and the wind had strewn

    sifted earth among its traces.

  9. سَفِهَت تَغلِبٌ غَداةَ تَمَنَّت

    حَربَ بَكرٍ فَقُتِّلوا تَقتيلا

    Taghlib acted foolishly the morning it desired

    war with Bakr; they were utterly slaughtered.

  10. غَيرَ أَنّا قَدِ اِحتَوَينا عَلَيهِم

    فَتَرَكناهُم بَقايا فُلولا

    Yet we had closed in upon them

    and left them broken, routed remnants.

  11. أُذكُروا قَتلَنا الأَراقِمِ طُرّاً

    يَومَ أَضحى كُلَيبُها مَقتولا

    Remember our slaying of all the Arāqim,

    on the day their Kulayb lay slain.

  12. وَقَتَلنا عَلى الثَنِيَّةِ عَمراً

    وَجَلَبنا عَدِيَّهُم مَغلولا

    And we killed ʿAmr at the mountain pass,

    and brought their ʿAdī in chains.

  13. وَعَدِيٌّ طَحى إِلى النِمرِ مَنّا

    فَأَقَمنا لِلنِمرِ يَوماً طَويلا

    And ʿAdī fled from us to al-Nimr,

    so we gave al-Nimr a long day.

  14. آلَ عَمرٍو قَدِ اِنتَقَمنا بِضَربٍ

    يَدَعُ المُردَ حينَ يَبدو كُهولا

    O house of ʿAmr, we took vengeance with a blow

    that, when it comes, leaves beardless youths middle-aged men,

  15. وَبِطعنٍ لَنا نَوافِذَ فيهِم

    كَفُواهِ المَزادِ يُروي الشَليلا

    and with our spear-thrusts, piercing through them,

    like waterskin mouths, drenching the tunic beneath the mail.

  16. وَزَحَفنا إِلى تَميمِ بنِ مُرٍّ

    بِجُموعٍ تَرى لَهُن رَعيلا

    And we advanced toward Tamīm ibn Murr

    with hosts whose squadrons you could see.

  17. فَأَصبَحنا الَّذي أَرَدنا وَزِدنا

    فَوقَ أَضعافِ ما أَرَدنا فُصولا

    So we became what we wished to be, and gained more,

    surpluses beyond many times what we desired.

  18. وَنَصَبنا لِقَيسِ عَيلانَ حَتّى

    ما أَرَدنا قَبائِلاً وَخُيولا

    And we stood against Qays ʿAylān until

    we no longer desired tribes or horses,

  19. حينَ شَدّوا عَلى البَريدِ العَذارى

    إِذ رَأَونا قَبائِلاً وَخُيولا

    when they strapped the maidens onto the post-mounts,

    when they saw our tribes and horses.

  20. في بَياضِ الصَباحِ يُبدينَ شِقّاً

    كَسعالٍ تُبادِرُ الصِرَّ عيلا

    In the whiteness of morning, they bared a flank,

    like destitute she-ghouls racing the bitter cold.

  21. فَاِسأَلوا ضَبَّةَ بنَ كَلبٍ وَأَوداً

    تُخبَروا أَنَّنا شَفَينا الغَليلا

    So ask Ḍabba ibn Kalb and Awd:

    you will be told that we quenched our burning thirst

  22. مِنهُم حينَ يَصرُخونَ بِكَعبٍ

    وَبِذُهلٍ وَكانَ قَدماً نَكولا

    at their expense, when they cried to Kaʿb for help,

    and to Dhuhl, who had long been a shirker.

  23. وَطَرَدنا مِنَ العِراقِ إِياداً

    وَتَركنا نَصيبَهُم مَرسولا

    And we drove Iyād from Iraq

    and left their share free for the taking.

  24. ثُمَّ أُبنا وَالخَيلُ تَجنِبُ شُعثاً

    كَالسَعالى عَفائِفاً وَمُحولا

    Then we returned, the horses leading shaggy steeds alongside,

    like she-ghouls, chaste and barren,

  25. سَلِساتِ القِيادِ كُمتاً وَدُهماً

    وَوِراداً تَرى بِها تَحجيلا

    docile under the reins, bay and black,

    and chestnut, with white stockings you could see.

  26. كُلُّ قَومٍ نُبيحُهُم وَحِمانا

    قَد مَنَعناهُ أَن يُباحَ سَبيلا

    We lay every people open to plunder; our own protected land

    we have kept from being opened as a road.

  27. وَكُلَيباً تَبكي عَلَيهِ البَواكي

    وَحَبيبٌ هُناكَ يَدعو العَويلا

    And the mourning women weep for Kulayb,

    and Ḥabīb there calls for wailing.

  28. وَاِسَأَلوا كِندَةَ المُلوكَ بِبَكرٍ

    إِذ تَرَكنا سَمينَهُم مَهزولا

    And ask the kings of Kinda about Bakr,

    when we left their fat ones lean.

  29. وَأَسَرنا مُلوكَهُم يَومَ سِرنا

    وَأَذَقنا الأَعداءَ طَعماً وَبيلا

    And we captured their kings the day we marched,

    and gave our enemies a taste of ruin.

  30. وَأَرَدنا لِتَغلِبٍ يَومَ سوءٍ

    وَقَتَلنا مِنهُم قَبيلاً قَبيلا

    And we intended a day of woe for Taghlib,

    and killed them clan after clan.

  31. وَنَزَلنا بِوارِداتٍ إِلَيهِم

    فَتَوَلَّوا وَلَم يُطيقوا النُزولا

    And we descended upon them at Wāridāt,

    so they turned away, unable to come down to meet us.

  32. وَتَرَكنا لِلخامِعاتِ شَباباً

    جُزُراً تَعتَفيهِم وَكُهولا

    And we left young men for the limping hyenas,

    as carcasses for them to seek out—and middle-aged men as well.