Sol 6.1

  1. أَلَم تَسأَلِ الرَبعَ الجَديدَ التَكَلُّما

    بِمَدفَعِ أَشداخٍ فَبُرقَةِ أَظلَما

    Did you not ask the newly deserted campsite to speak,

    At Ashdākh's outlet, then the stony ground of Aẓlam?

  2. أَبى رَسمُ دارِ الحَيِّ أَن يَتَكَلَّما

    وَهَل يَنطِقُ المَعروفَ مَن كانَ أَبكَما

    The trace of the clan's dwelling refused to speak;

    And can one who is mute utter intelligible speech?

  3. بِقاعِ نَقيعِ الجِزعِ مِن بَطنِ يَلبَنٍ

    تَحَمَّلَ مِنهُ أَهلُهُ فَتَتَهَّما

    On the plain of Naqīʿ al-Jizʿ, in Yalban's valley,

    Its people departed from it and went to Tihāmah.

  4. دِيارٌ لِشَعثاءِ الفُؤادِ وَتِربِها

    لَيالِيَ تَحتَلُّ المَراضَ فَتَغلَما

    Dwellings of a troubled-hearted woman and her age-mate,

    In the nights when she dwelt at al-Marāḍ, then Taghlam.

  5. وَإِذ هِيَ حَوراءُ المَدامِعِ تَرتَعي

    بِمُندَفَعِ الوادي أَراكاً مُنَظَّما

    And when, dark-eyed, she grazed

    On rows of arāk trees at the valley's outlet.

  6. أَقامَت بِهِ بِالصَيفِ حَتّى بَدا لَها

    نَشاصٌ إِذا هَبَّت لَهُ الريحُ أَرزَما

    She stayed there in summer until there appeared to her

    A towering cloud, rumbling whenever the wind blew toward it.

  7. فَلَمّا دَنَت أَعضادُهُ وَدَنا لَهُ

    مِنَ الأَرضِ دانٍ جَوزُهُ فَتَحَمحَما

    Then, when its flanks hung low, and there drew near

    To the earth its low-hanging center, it whinnied.

  8. تَحِنُّ مَطافيلُ الرِباعِ خَلالَهُ

    إِذا اِستَنَّ في حافاتِهِ البَرقُ أَثجَما

    Mother-camels with spring-born calves moan within it;

    When lightning races along its edges, it pours unceasingly.

  9. وَكادَ بِأَكنافِ العَقيقِ وَئيدُهُ

    يَحُطُّ مِنَ الجَمّاءِ رُكناً مُلَملَما

    And its heavy rumbling around al-ʿAqīq nearly

    Brought down a rounded crag from al-Jammāʾ.

  10. فَلَمّا عَلا تُربانَ فَاِنهَلَّ وَدقُهُ

    تَداعى وَأَلقى بَركَهُ وَتَهَزَّما

    When it rose over Turbān and its rain streamed down,

    It broke apart, laid down its breast, and thundered.

  11. وَأَصبَحَ مِنهُ كُلُّ مَدفَعِ تَلعَةٍ

    يَكُبُّ العِضاهَ سَيلُهُ ما تَصَرَّما

    By morning, every ravine's outlet ran with its rain,

    Its torrent toppling thorn trees without cease.

  12. تَنادَوا بِلَيلٍ فَاِستَقَلَّت حُمولُهُم

    وَعالَينَ أَنماطَ الدِرَقلِ المُرَقَّما

    They called to one another by night, and their laden camels set off,

    And they raised high the patterned dirqal coverings.

  13. عَسَجنَ بِأَعناقِ الظِباءِ وَأَبرَزَت

    حَواشي بُرودِ القِطرِ وَشياً مُنَمنَما

    They swayed with gazelle-like necks, and there appeared

    Fine embroidery along the borders of the qiṭr cloaks.

  14. فَأَنّى تُلاقيها إِذا حَلَّ أَهلُها

    بِوادٍ يَمانٍ مِن غِفارٍ وَأَسلَما

    How, then, can you meet her, when her people settle

    In a valley south of Ghifār and Aslam?

  15. تَلاقٍ بَعيدٌ وَاِختِلافٌ مِنَ النَوى

    تَلاقيكَها حَتّى تُوافِيَ مَوسِما

    A far-off meeting, and the to-and-fro of separation—

    Such is your meeting her, until you reach a seasonal gathering.

  16. سَأُهدي لَها في كُلِّ عامٍ قَصيدَةٍ

    وَأَقعُدُ مَكفِيّاً بِيَثرِبَ مُكرَما

    I shall send her a poem as a gift each year,

    And remain in Yathrib, provided for and honored.

  17. أَلَستُ بِنِعمَ الجارُ يُؤلِفُ بَيتَهُ

    كَذي العُرفِ ذا مالٍ كَثيرٍ وَمُعدَما

    Am I not an excellent neighbor, drawing to my house,

    Like a benefactor, the rich and destitute alike?

  18. وَنَدمانِ صِدقٍ تَمطُرُ الخَيرَ كَفُّهُ

    إِذا راحَ فَيّاضَ العَشِيّاتِ خِضرِما

    And many a true drinking companion, whose hand rains bounty,

    When he goes out, lavish at evening, generous as the sea—

  19. وَصَلتُ بِهِ رُكني وَوافَقَ شيمَتي

    وَلَم أَكُ عِضّاً في النَدامى مُلَوَّما

    I joined my strength to his, and he suited my nature,

    Nor was I a blameworthy churl among drinking companions.

  20. وَأَبقى لَنا مَرُّ الحُروبِ وَرُزؤُها

    سُيوفاً وَأَدراعاً وَجَمعاً عَرَمرَما

    The passage of wars and their losses have left us

    Swords, coats of mail, and a mighty host.

  21. إِذا اِغبَرَّ آفاقُ السَماءِ وَأَمحَلَت

    كَأَنَّ عَلَيها ثَوبَ عَصبٍ مُسَهَّما

    When the sky's horizons grow dust-gray and drought sets in,

    As though draped in arrow-patterned striped cloth,

  22. حَسِبتَ قُدورَ الصادِ حَولَ بُيوتِنا

    قَنابِلَ دُهماً في المَحَلَّةِ صُيَّما

    You would take the copper pots around our houses

    For black herds of horses standing still in the camp.

  23. يَظَلُّ لَدَيها الواغِلونَ كَأَنَّما

    يُوافونَ بَحراً مِن سُمَيحَةَ مُفعَما

    Uninvited guests spend the day beside them, as though

    Reaching a sea brimful with Sumayḥah's waters.

  24. لَنا حاضِرٌ فَعمٌ وَبادٍ كَأَنَّهُ

    شَماريخُ رَضوى عِزَّةً وَتَكَرُّما

    Our settled folk are numerous, and our desert folk are like

    The peaks of Raḍwā in might and magnanimity.

  25. مَتى ما تَزِنّا مِن مَعَدٍّ بِعُصبَةٍ

    وَغَسّانَ نَمنَع حَوضَنا أَن يُهَدَّما

    Whenever you weigh us against a company of Maʿadd

    And Ghassān, we guard our pool against destruction,

  26. بِكُلِّ فَتىً عاري الأَشاجِعِ لاحَهُ

    قِراعُ الكُماةِ يَرشَحُ المِسكَ وَالدَما

    With every youth whose knuckles show, made lean by

    Combat with armored champions, sweating musk and blood.

  27. إِذا اِستَدبَرَتنا الشَمسُ دَرَّت مُتونُنا

    كَأَنَّ عُروقَ الجَوفِ يَنضَحنَ عَندَما

    When the sun is at our backs, our backs stream,

    As though our inner veins were spurting crimson dye.

  28. وَلَدنا بَني العَنقاءِ وَاِبني مُحَرَّقٍ

    فَأَكرِم بِنا خالاً وَأَكرِم بِذا اِبنَما

    We begot the sons of al-ʿAnqāʾ and Muḥarriq's two sons;

    How noble we are as maternal uncles, and how noble that son!

  29. نُسَوِّدُ ذا المالِ القَليلِ إِذا بَدَت

    مُروءَتُهُ فينا وَإِن كانَ مُعدِما

    We make the man of little wealth our chief when there appears

    His nobility among us, even if he is destitute.

  30. وَإِنّا لَنَقري الضَيفَ إِن جاءَ طارِقاً

    مِنَ الشَحمِ ما أَمسى صَحيحاً مُسَلَّما

    And surely we feast the guest who comes by night

    On fat from beasts that were sound and unharmed that evening.

  31. أَلَسنا نَرُدُّ الكَبشَ عَن طِيَّةِ الهَوى

    وَنَقلِبُ مُرّانَ الوَشيجِ مُحَطَّما

    Do we not turn the ram back from his chosen course,

    And turn the spears of dense-grown wood to splinters?

  32. وَكائِن تَرى مِن سَيِّدٍ ذي مَهابَةٍ

    أَبوهُ أَبونا وَاِبنُ أُختٍ وَمَحرَما

    How many an awe-inspiring chief you see,

    Whose father is ours, or who is a sister's son or close kinsman.

  33. لَنا الجَفَناتُ الغُرُّ يَلمَعنَ بِالضُحى

    وَأَسيافُنا يَقطُرنَ مِن نَجدَةٍ دَما

    Ours are the bright bowls, gleaming in the forenoon,

    And our swords, through valor, drip with blood.

  34. أَبى فِعلُنا المَعروفُ أَن نَنطِقَ الخَنا

    وَقائِلُنا بِالعُرفِ إِلّا تَكَلُّما

    Our honorable deeds forbid us to utter foul speech,

    And our spokesman refuses all but honorable speech.

  35. أَبى جاهُنا عِندَ المُلوكِ وَدَفعُنا

    وَمَلءُ جِفانِ الشيزِ حَتّى تَهَزَّما

    Our standing with kings forbids it, as does our defense,

    And our filling shīz-wood bowls until they split.

  36. فَكُلُّ مَعَدٍّ قَد جَزَينا بِصُنعِهِ

    فَبُؤسى بِبُؤساها وَبِالنُعمِ أَنعُما

    We have repaid all Maʿadd according to their deeds:

    Harm for their harm, and favors for favors.