Sol 6.1

  1. أَلا حَيِّ مِن أَهلِ المَحَبَّةِ مَنزِلا

    تَبَدَّلَ مِن أَيّامِهِ ما تَبَدَّلا

    Ah, greet a dwelling of the people of love,

    changed from its former days—how greatly changed!

  2. أُبِن لي سَقاكَ الغَيثُ حَتّى تَمَلَّهُ

    عَنِ الآنِسِ المَفقودِ أَينَ تَحَمَّلا

    Tell me—may rain water you until you tire of it—

    of the lost companion: where did he journey?

  3. كَأَنَّ التَصابي كانَ تَعريسَ نازِلٍ

    ثَوى ساعَةً مِن لَيلِهِ وَتَرَحَّلا

    Youthful dalliance was like a traveler’s night halt:

    he stayed an hour of his night, then journeyed on.

  4. وَماءٍ كَأُفقِ الصُبحِ صافٍ جِمامُهُ

    دَفَعتُ القَطا عَنهُ وَخَفَّفتُ كَلكَلا

    And a pool, its gathered waters clear as dawn’s horizon:

    I drove the sandgrouse from it and eased a heavy breast.

  5. إِذا اِستَجفَلَتهُ الريحُ جالَت قَذاتُهُ

    وَجُرِّدَ مِن أَغمادِهِ فَتَسَلسَلا

    Whenever the wind startled it, its floating specks swirled,

    and, drawn from its sheaths, it rippled.

  6. زَجَرتُ بِهِ سِيّاحَ قَفرٍ كَأَنَّهُ

    يَخافُ لَجاقاً أَو يُبادِرُ آفِلا

    I drove the desert’s wanderers from it, as though they

    feared pursuit or raced the setting sun.

  7. وَبَيداءَ مِمحالٍ أَطارَ بِها القَطا

    كَما قَذَفَت أَيدي المُرامينَ جَندَلا

    And a barren waste, its sandgrouse sent flying

    like stones hurled by rival throwers’ hands:

  8. كَنّي عَلى حَقباءُ تَتلو لَواحِقاً

    غَدَونَ بِإِمساءٍ يُطالِبنَ مَنهَلا

    as though I rode a white-bellied she-ass following lean companions,

    setting out at dusk in search of a watering place.

  9. يُسَوِّقُها طاوٍ أَقَبُّ كَأَنَّما

    يُحَرِّكُ في حَيزومِهِ النَهقُ جُلجَلا

    A gaunt, hollow-flanked male drove them, as though

    his braying shook a bell within his chest.

  10. أُتيهَ لَهُ لُهفانُ يَخطِرُ قَوسَهُ

    بِأَصغَرَ حَنّانِ القَرا غَيرَ أَعزَلا

    A famished hunter came his way, flourishing his bow—

    a small, singing-backed one—and he was not unarmed.

  11. فَأَودَعَهُ سَهماً كَمِدرى مَواشِطٍ

    بَعَثنَ بِهِ في مَفرَقٍ فَتَغَلَّلا

    Then he fitted it with an arrow like the pin of women combing hair,

    which they thrust into a parting, where it slipped deep:

  12. بَطيئاً إِذا أَسرَعتَ إِطلاقَ فَوقِهِ

    وَلَكِن إِذا أَبطَأتَ في الريحِ عَجَّلا

    slow if you hasten the release of its nock,

    but, if you delay, it speeds through the wind.

  13. أَذَلِكَ أَم فَردٌ بِقَفرٍ أَجادَهُ

    مِنَ الغَيثِ أَيكٌ فَرعُهُ قَد تَهَلَّلا

    Was it that one, or a lone bull in a waste, sheltered

    from rain by a thicket whose boughs spread wide,

  14. لَدى لَيلَةٍ خَوّارَةِ المُزنِ كُلَّما

    تَنَفَّسَ في أَرجائِها البَرقُ أَسبَلا

    during a night of bellowing rain clouds, whenever

    lightning breathed across its reaches, rain poured down?

  15. كَأَنَّ عَلَيها مِن سَقيطِ قُطارِها

    جُماناً وَهَت أَسلاكُهُ فَتَفَصَّلا

    As though upon it, from its falling showers, lay

    pearls whose strings had frayed, and so they scattered.

  16. فَباتَ بِلَيلِ العاشِقينَ مُسَهَّداً

    إِلى أَن رَأى صُبحاً أَغَرَّ مُحَجَّلا

    So he spent the lovers’ night sleepless,

    until he saw dawn, white-blazed and white-stockinged.

  17. فَنَفَّضَ عَن سِربالِهِ لُؤلُؤَ النَدى

    وَآيَسَ ذُعراً قَلبُهُ فَتَأَمَّلا

    Then he shook the dew’s pearls from his coat;

    his heart gave fear no hope, and he looked about.

  18. إِذا هَزَّ قِرنَيهِ حَسِبتَ أَساوِداً

    سَمَت في مَعاليهِ لِتَحتَلَّ مَقتَلا

    When he shook his two horns, you would think them black snakes

    that rose to his crown to settle on a vital spot.

  19. كَأَنَّ عُروقَ الدَوحِ مِن تَحتِهِ الثَرى

    قُوىً مِن حِبالٍ أُعجِلَت أَن تُفَتَّلا

    The great trees’ roots in the soil beneath him seemed

    strands of rope, hurried before they could be twisted.

  20. وَداعٍ دَعا وَاللَيلُ بَيني وَبَينَهُ

    فَكُنتُ مَكانَ الظَنِّ مِنهُ وَأَفضَلا

    And a caller called, with night between me and him;

    I proved equal to his hopes, and better.

  21. دَعا ماجِداً لا يَعلَمُ الشُحَّ قَلبُهُ

    إِذا ما عَراهُ الحَقُّ يَوماً تَهَلَّلا

    He called a noble man whose heart knows no stinginess,

    who beams whenever duty comes to him.

  22. وَأَعدَدتُ لِلحَربِ العَوانِ مُهَنَّداً

    وَأَسمَرَ خَطِّيّاً إِذا هُزَّ أَرفَلا

    And I readied for renewed war an Indian-forged sword,

    and a brown Khatt spear that sways when shaken,

  23. وَجَيشاً كَرُكنِ الطَودِ رَحباً تَريقُهُ

    إِذا ما عَلا حَزناً مِنَ الأَرضِ أَسهَلا

    and an army like a mountain’s flank, broad in its course:

    whenever it mounted rugged ground, it made it level.

  24. وَجَرّوا إِلَينا الحَربَ حَتّى إِذا غَلَت

    وَفارَت رَأوا صَبراً عَلى الحَربِ أَفضَلا

    They dragged war upon us, until, when it boiled

    and seethed, they saw a superior steadfastness in battle.

  25. وَعاذوا عِياذاً بِالفِرارِ وَقَبلَهُ

    أَضاعوا بِدارِ السِلمِ حِرزاً وَمَعقِلا

    They sought refuge—refuge in flight—though before it

    they had squandered, in peace’s abode, a refuge and a stronghold.

  26. بَني عَمِّنا أَيقَظتُمُ الشَرَّ بَينَنا

    فَكانَت إِلَيكُم عَدوَةَ الشَرِّ أَعجَلا

    Our cousins, you awakened evil between us,

    and evil’s onrush reached you all the sooner.

  27. فَصَبراً عَلى ما قَد جَرَرتُم فَإِنَّكُم

    فَتَحتُم لَنا باباً مِنَ الشَرِّ مُقفَلا

    So bear what you have brought on, for you

    have opened to us a gate of evil that was locked.

  28. وَما كُنتُ أَخشى أَن تَكونَ سُيوفُنا

    تَرُدَّ عَلَينا بَأسَها وَتُقَتِّلا

    I never feared that our swords would

    turn their fury back upon us and slaughter us.

  29. وَلَمّا أَسَنّوا الضِغنَ تَحتَ صُدورِهِم

    حَسَمناهُ عَنّا قَبلَ أَن يَتَكَهَّلا

    And when they let rancor age beneath their breasts,

    we cut it off from us before it reached its prime.