Sol 6.1

  1. أَفيما خَلا مِن سالِفِ العَيشِ تَدَّكِر

    أَحاديثَ لا يُنسيكَها الشَيبُ وَالعُمُر

    Do you recall, from your life long past,

    tales that neither gray hair nor age can make you forget?

  2. طَرِبتَ إِلى مَن لا تُؤاتيكَ دارُهُ

    وَمَن هُوَ ناءٍ وَالصَبابَةُ قَد تَضُر

    You yearn for one whose home is beyond your reach,

    one far away—and longing can cause harm—

  3. إِلى طَفلَةِ الأَطرافِ زَيَّنَ جيدَها

    مَعا الحَليِ وَالطيبِ المَجاسِدُ وَالخُمُر

    for a tender-limbed maiden whose neck is adorned

    by saffron-dyed robes and veils, with jewels and perfume.

  4. مِنَ البيضِ كَالغِزلانِ وَالغُرِّ كَالدُمى

    حِسانٌ عَلَيهِنَّ المَعاطِفُ وَالأُزُر

    Among fair women like gazelles, radiant ones like carved figures,

    beauties wearing mantles and waist-wraps.

  5. تَرى الزَعفَرانَ الوَردَ فيهِنَّ شامِلاً

    وَإِن شِئنَ مِسكاً خالِصاً ريحُهُ ذَفِر

    You see rose-red saffron spread all over them,

    and, if they wish, pure musk with a pungent scent,

  6. عَليلاً عَلى لَبّاتِ بيضٍ كَأَنَّها

    بَناتُ المَلا مِنها المَقاليتُ وَالنُزُر

    applied anew to fair women's bosoms, as though they were

    daughters of the sandy plains, some with no surviving young, others with few.

  7. بَني عَمَّنا إِنَّ الرِكابَ بِأَهلِها

    إِذا سائَها المَولى تَروحُ وَتَبتَكِر

    Cousins, the riding camels, bearing their people,

    when a kinsman mistreats them, leave at dusk and at dawn.

  8. بَني عَمَّنا ما أَسرَعَ اللَومَ مِنكُمُ

    إِلَينا وَلا نَبغي عَلَيكُم وَلا نَجُر

    Cousins, how swiftly blame comes from you

    toward us, though we neither oppress you nor do you wrong.

  9. وَنَشرَبُ رَنقَ الماءِ مِن دونِ سُخطِكُم

    وَلا يَستَوي الصافي مِنَ الماءِ وَالكَدِر

    And we drink muddy water rather than incur your anger,

    though clear water and turbid water are not alike.

  10. غَضِبتُم عَلَينا أَن قَتَلنا بِخالِدٍ

    بَني مالِكٍ ها إِنَّ ذا غَضَبٌ مُطِر

    You are angry with us for killing, in vengeance for Khalid,

    the sons of Malik—look, such anger is excessive!

  11. وَكُنّا إِذا دارَت عَلَيكُم عَظيمَةٌ

    نَهَضنا فَلَم يَنهَض ضِعافٌ وَلا ضُجُر

    And whenever a great calamity came upon you,

    we rose—no weaklings rose, nor men quick to tire.

  12. وَنَحنُ إِذا ما الخَيلُ جاءَت كَأَنَّها

    جَرادٌ زَفَت أَعجازَهُ الريحُ مُنتَشِر

    And we, when the horses come as though they were

    scattered locusts, their hindparts swept along by the wind,

  13. إِذا الخَفِراتُ البيضُ أَبدَت خِدامَها

    وَقامَت فَزالَت عَن مَعاقِدِها الأُزُر

    when fair, modest women expose their anklets

    and rise, their waist-wraps slipping loose from their fastenings,

  14. نُحامي وَراءَ السَبيِ مِنكُم كَما حَمَت

    أُسودٌ ضَوارٍ حَولَ أَشبالِها هُصُر

    we shield your captives from behind, as do

    ravening, prey-crushing lions around their cubs;

  15. عَلى كُلِّ مَحبوكِ المَراكِلِ سابِحٍ

    إِذا أُشرِعَت لِلمَوتِ خَطِّيَةٌ سُمُر

    astride every firm-flanked steed that swims in its stride,

    when brown Khatt spears are leveled for death.

  16. مَطاعينُ في الهَيجاءِ بيضٌ وُجوهُهُم

    إِذا ضَجَّ أَهلُ الرَوعِ ساروا وَهُم وُقُر

    Men of many spear-thrusts in battle, their faces bright;

    when the terrified cry out, they advance composed.

  17. فَأَمّا بِجادٌ رَهطُ جَحشٍ فَإِنَّهُم

    عَلى النائِباتِ لا كِرامٌ وَلا صُبُر

    But as for Bijad, the kinsmen of Jahsh, they

    are neither noble nor steadfast in adversity.

  18. إِذا نَهَضَت يَوماً بِجادٌ إِلى العُلى

    أَبى الناشِئُ المَوهونُ وَالأَشمَطُ الغُمُر

    When Bijad rises one day toward high honor,

    the enfeebled youth and the inexperienced graybeard refuse.

  19. تُدَرّونَ إِن شُدَّ العِصابُ عَلَيكُمُ

    وَنَأبى إِذا شُدَّ العِصابُ فَلا نَدُر

    You are made to yield milk when the milking-band is tightened upon you,

    but we refuse when it is tightened, and give no milk.

  20. نَعامٌ إِذا ما صيحَ في حَجَراتِكُم

    وَأَنتُم إِذا لَم تَسمَعوا صارِخاً دُثُر

    You are ostriches when a cry rings out in your quarters,

    yet, when you hear no call for help, you are a vast multitude.

  21. تَرى اللُؤمَ مِنهُم في رِقابٍ كَأَنَّها

    رِقابُ ضِباعٍ فَوقَ آذانِها الغَفَر

    You see their baseness in necks that resemble

    hyenas' necks, with tufts of fur above their ears.

  22. إِذا طَلَعَت أولى المُغيرَةِ قَوَّموا

    كَما قَوَّمَت نيبٌ مُخَزَّمَةٌ زُجُر

    When the first of the raiders appears, they hurry away,

    as old, nose-ringed she-camels hasten off, driven by cries.

  23. أَرى قَومَنا لا يَغفِرونَ ذُنوبَنا

    وَنَحنُ إِذا ما أَذنَبوا لَهُمُ غُفُر

    I see our people do not forgive our offenses,

    though whenever they offend, we forgive them.

  24. وَنَحنُ إِذا جَبَّبتُمُ عَن نِسائِكُم

    كَما جَبَّبَت مِن عِندِ أَولادِها الحُمُر

    And we, when you flee from your women,

    as asses flee from beside their young,

  25. عَطَفنا العِتاقَ الجُردَ خَلفَ نِسائِكُم

    هِيَ الخَيلُ مَسقاها زُبالَةُ أَو يُسُر

    turn our noble, sleek steeds back behind your women;

    these are horses watered at Zubalah or Yusur.

  26. يَجُلنَ بِفِتيانِ الوَغى بِأَكُفِّهِم

    رُدَينِيَّةٌ سُمرٌ أَسِنَّتُها حُمرُ

    They wheel with the youths of battle, in whose hands

    are brown Rudayni spears, their spearheads red.

  27. إِذا أَجحَفَت بِالناسِ شَهباءُ صَعبَةٌ

    لَها حَرجَفٌ مِمّا يَقِلُّ بِهِ القُتُر

    When a harsh, gray year lays waste to the people,

    with a biting gale before which roasting smoke grows scant,

  28. نَصَبنا وَكانَ المَجدُ مِنّا سَجِيَّةً

    قُدوراً وَقَد تَشقى بِأَسيافِنا الجُزُر

    we set up—and nobility was our inborn nature—

    cooking pots, while slaughter-camels suffer beneath our swords.

  29. وَمِنّا المُحامي مِن وَراءِ ذِمارِكُم

    وَنَمنَعُ أُخراكُم إِذا ضُيِّعَ الدُبُر

    And among us is the man who fights behind all you hold sacred,

    and we guard your rear ranks when the rear is abandoned.