Sol 6.1

  1. أَخالِدَ عادَ وَعدُكُمُ خِلابا

    وَمَنَّيتِ المَواعِدَ وَالكِذابا

    O Khalida, your promise has proved deceitful,

    and you held out promises and lies.

  2. أَلَم تَتَبَيَّني كَلَفي وَوَجدي

    غَداةَ يُرَدُّ أَهلُكُمُ الرِكابا

    Did you not discern my infatuation and anguish

    the morning your people turned back the riding camels?

  3. أَهَذا الوُدُّ زادَكِ كُلَّ يَومٍ

    مُباعَدَةً لِإِلفِكَ وَاِجتِنابا

    Has this love increased in you each day

    estrangement from your beloved and avoidance?

  4. لَقَد طَرِبَ الحَمامُ فَهاجَ شَوقاً

    لِقَلبٍ ما يَزالُ بِكُم مُصابا

    Indeed, the doves sang and stirred a longing

    in a heart still stricken by you.

  5. وَنَرهَبُ أَن نَزورَكُمُ عُيوناً

    مُصانَعَةً لِأَهلِكِ وَاِرتِقابا

    When visiting you, we fear watching eyes,

    out of deference to your family and caution.

  6. فَما بالَيتِ لَيلَتَنا بِنَجدٍ

    وَدَمعُ العَينِ يَنحَدِرُ اِنسِكابا

    Yet you cared nothing for our night in Najd,

    while tears streamed from the eye in torrents,

  7. لِذِكرِكِ حينَ فَوَّزَتِ المَطايا

    عَلى شَرَكٍ تَخالُ بِهِ سِبابا

    at the thought of you, as the mounts crossed the wilderness

    along a track where one might imagine cursing.

  8. أَلا يا قَلبِ مالَكَ إِذ تَصابى

    وَهَذا الشَيبُ قَد غَلَبَ الشَبابا

    Ah, my heart, what ails you, playing at youthful love,

    when this gray hair has already overcome youth?

  9. كَما طَرَدَ النَهارُ سَوادَ لَيلٍ

    فَأَزمَعَ حينَ حَلَّ بِهِ الذَهابا

    Just as day drove out the darkness of night,

    and night resolved to depart when day came upon it.

  10. سَأَحفَظُ ما زَعَمتِ لَنا وَأَرعى

    إِيابَ الوُدِّ إِنَّ لَهُ إِيابا

    I shall keep what you pledged to us, and await

    love's return; surely it does return.

  11. وَلَيلٍ قَد أَبيتُ بِهِ طَويلٌ

    لِحُبِّكِ ما جَزَيتِ بِهِ ثَوابا

    Many a long night I have passed

    for love of you, with no reward from you.

  12. أَخالِدَ كانَ أَهلُكَ لي صَديقاً

    فَقَد أَمسَوا لِحُبِّكُمُ حِرابا

    O Khalida, your people were once my friends,

    but now, because I love you, they have become enemies.

  13. بِنَفسي مَن أَزورُ فَلا أَراهُ

    وَيَضرِبُ دونَهُ الخَدَمُ الحِجابا

    My life be ransom for the one I visit but cannot see,

    as servants draw a curtain before them.

  14. أَخالِدَ لَو سَأَلتِ عَلِمتِ أَنّي

    لَقيتُ بِحُبِّكِ العَجَبَ العُجابا

    O Khalida, if you asked, you would know that I

    have encountered the strangest wonders through loving you.

  15. سَتَطلُعُ مِن ذُرى شُعَبى قَوافٍ

    عَلى الكِندِيِّ تَلتَهِبُ اِلتِهابا

    From the heights of Shuʿaba, rhymes will rise

    against the Kindite, blazing fiercely.

  16. أَعَبداً حَلَّ في شُعَبى غَريباً

    أَلُؤماً لا أَبالَكَ وَاِغتِرابا

    A slave who settled in Shuʿaba as a stranger?

    Baseness and exile too—may you have no father!

  17. وَيَوماً في فَزارَةَ مُستَجيراً

    وَيَوماً ناشِداً حَلِفاً كِلابا

    One day seeking protection among Fazara,

    another day asking Kilab for an alliance.

  18. إِذا جَهِلَ اللَئيمُ وَلَم يُقَدِّر

    لَبَعضِ الأَمرِ أَوشَكَ أَن يُصابا

    When a base man acts foolishly, failing to consider

    some aspects of the matter, he is soon brought to grief.

  19. فَما فارَقتَ كِندَةَ عَن تَراضٍ

    وَما وَبَّرتَ في شُعَبى اِرتِغابا

    You did not leave Kinda by mutual consent,

    nor did you settle in Shuʿaba out of desire.

  20. ضَرَبتَ بِحَفَّتَي صَنعاءَ لَمّا

    أَحادَ أَبوكَ بِالجَنَدِ العِصابا

    You roamed both sides of Sanaʿa when

    your father turned the bands aside at al-Janad.

  21. وَكُنتَ وَلَم يُصِبكَ ذُبابُ حَربي

    سَتَلقى مِن مَعَرَّتِها ذُبابا

    And you were—though my war's sting had not touched you—

    to feel a sting of the harm it brings.

  22. أَلَم تُخبَر بِمَسرَحَيَ القَوافي

    فَلا عَيّاً بِهِنَّ وَلا اِجتِلابا

    Have you not heard how I let my rhymes roam?

    No faltering over them, nor borrowing.

  23. سَأَجعَلُ نَقدَ أُمِّكَ غَيرَ دَينٍ

    وَأُنسيكَ العِتابَ فَلا عِتابا

    I shall make your mother's payment cash, not credit,

    and make you forget reproach—then no reproach remains.

  24. عَوَيتَ كَما عَوى لي مِن شَقاهُ

    فَذاقوا النارَ وَاِشتَرَكوا العَذابا

    You howled as others howled at me, driven by misery;

    then they tasted fire and shared the torment.

  25. عَوَيتَ عُواءَ جَفنَةَ مِن بَعيدٍ

    فَحَسبُكَ أَن تُصيبَ كَما أَصابا

    You howled Jafna's howl from afar;

    enough for you to suffer as he suffered.

  26. إِذا مَرَّ الحَجيجُ عَلى قُنَيعٍ

    دَبَبتَ اللَيلَ تَستَرِقُ العِيابا

    When the pilgrims pass through Qunayʿ,

    you creep through the night, stealing the baggage.

  27. فَقَد حَلَّت يَمينُكَ إِن إِمامٌ

    أَقامَ الحَدَّ وَاِتَّبَعَ الكِتابا

    Your right hand is forfeit, if a ruler

    enforces the prescribed penalty and follows the Book.

  28. تُلاقي طالَ رَغمُ أَبيكَ قَيساً

    وَأَهلُ المَوسِمينَ لَنا غِضابا

    You face Qays—may your father's humiliation endure—

    and the people of both festivals, angry on our behalf.

  29. أَعَنّاباً تُجاوِرُ حينَ أَجنَت

    نَخيلُ أَجاً وَأَعنُزَهُ الرُبابا

    Do you live beside ʿAnnab, when fruit appears

    on Aja's palms—and beside his newly kidded goats?

  30. أَصابوا الجارَ لَيلَةَ غابَ عَنهُم

    فَبِئسَ القَومُ إِذ شَهِدوا وَغابا

    They wronged their neighbor the night he was away from them;

    what vile people, present while he was absent!

  31. فَما خَفِيَت هُضَيبَةُ حينَ جُرَّت

    وَلا إِطعامُ سَخلَتِها الكِلابا

    Hudaiba's dragging was no secret,

    nor the feeding of her kid to the dogs.

  32. يُقَطِّعُ بِالمَعابِلِ حالِبَيها

    وَقَد بَلَّت مَشيمَتُها الثِيابا

    He severs her two flank-veins with broad arrowheads,

    while her afterbirth has soaked the clothes.

  33. فَقَد حَمَلَت ثَمانِيَةً وَوَفَّت

    بِتاسِعِها وَتَحسِبُها كَعابا

    She has borne eight, and completed the count

    with her ninth—yet you think her a budding maiden.