Sol 6.1

  1. أرَّق العينَ خيالٌ قد طرقْ

    عجُزَ الليلِ وعِرنينَ الفَلقْ

    An apparition came by night and kept my eye awake,

    at night's end and the first gleam of dawn.

  2. زارَ جوَابيْ مَوامٍ عرّسوا

    غِبَّ إدلاجٍ بأذيالِ الغسَقْ

    It visited desert wanderers who had halted to rest,

    after night travel through darkness's trailing skirts,

  3. مُسْلهمّينَ برى أجسامهم

    قُحَمُ البيدِ وتَجواب الصَّلقْ

    haggard, their bodies worn away

    by the perils of the wastes and the crossing of bare plains,

  4. من جيبٍ طوَّحت عني به

    نيَّةٌ ذات اغترابٍ ومَقَقْ

    from a bosom swept far away from me

    by a purpose bent on exile and vast distance.

  5. ليتَ شِعري يومَ زُّموا عيرهم

    رُفقاً بالبُدْن يتَّبعن رُفَقْ

    If only I knew, the day they harnessed their caravan,

    in traveling bands, with stout camels following band after band,

  6. يومَ كاد البينُ أن يقتلني

    حين لمَّا يَتَّرِكْ فيَّ رمقْ

    the day separation almost killed me,

    when it had left no spark of life in me.

  7. أظهرُ الصبر فلا أسطيعه

    وشؤونُ الدمع سكباً تستبقْ

    I show patience, but cannot sustain it,

    while the channels of tears race to pour forth.

  8. أدرت موذيةٌ ما عَنَّ لي

    حين أضمرت من البينِ شفقْ

    Did Mudhiyah know what befell me

    when I concealed my dread of separation?

  9. لو دَرى الحادي بها أني بها

    مغرم جعجعَ حبساً ورَفقْ

    Had her camel-driver known that I was

    enamored of her, he would have halted and held back kindly.

  10. مَن لقلبٍ كلما قيلَ سلا

    عاده عائد شوقٍ فخفقْ

    Who will help a heart that, whenever they say it has forgotten,

    is revisited by longing and begins to flutter?

  11. ولجفنٍ كلما قيلَ غَفا

    أو سيغفو زاره طيفُ الأرقْ

    And an eyelid that, whenever they say it has slept,

    or will sleep, is visited by sleeplessness's phantom?

  12. ولعينٍ كلما قيلَ رقا

    دمعها أرفضَّ تُؤاماً واندفقْ

    And an eye that, whenever they say it has dried,

    scatters its tears in pairs and lets them stream?

  13. لهفَ نفسي لديارٍ بُدّلِت

    بعد أهليها من الوحش حِزَقْ

    Alas for my soul, for dwellings now changed:

    after their people, bands of wild beasts.

  14. ولقد يَغنى بها قبل النَّوى

    وإذ الحيُّ جميع ما افترقْ

    Once there dwelt in them, before departure,

    when the clan was whole and undivided,

  15. خُرَّدٌ عُنٌّ حِسان بُهَج

    وُضَّح يسحبنَ أذيالَ السَّرقْ

    bashful maidens, coquettish, beautiful, radiant,

    fair-complexioned, trailing their silken hems,

  16. لؤلؤَّيات الثَّنايا شُمّس

    ناعمات عنبرَّياتُ العَرقْ

    pearl-toothed, proudly aloof,

    tender, their sweat amber-scented,

  17. عطِراتٌ عَوهجّياتُ الطُّلى

    خطرات نرجسيات الحدقْ

    fragrant, with the necks of slender gazelles,

    graceful in gait, with narcissus-like eyes,

  18. رُخَّص الأطراف عذبات الَّلمى

    رجحَّ الأردافِ غضَّات فُنُقِْ

    delicate of limb, sweet in their dusky lips,

    heavy-hipped, tender, pampered,

  19. بَهكناتُ فاتنات نُهَّد

    بدويات مغاوير عُشُقْ

    soft and full-bodied, enchanting, budding-breasted,

    desert-born, bold, ardent lovers.

  20. يتعاهدنَ خِبا موذيةٍ

    لسلامٍ إذْ كسا الليلُ الأُفقْ

    They would visit Mudhiyah's tent

    to exchange greetings, when night clothed the horizon.

  21. وهي عَجزاءُ هضمٌ كشحُها

    رخصة المِعصمِ غيداءُ العنقْ

    She was full-hipped, slender-waisted,

    delicate of wrist, supple-necked.

  22. أنا حتى الموتِ من سُكر الهوى

    أيها العاذل فيها لم أفقْ

    I, until death, from love's intoxication—

    O you who blame me for her—have not sobered.

  23. كيف يصحو من طلى الشوقِ فتىً

    قلبه في شَرَكِ الحب علقْ

    How can a youth sober from longing's wine,

    when his heart is caught in love's snare?

  24. تَيَّمت قلبي بعينيْ فرقدٍ

    مُفردٍ فاجأه الرعبُ لَهِقْ

    She enslaved my heart with the eyes of a wild cow's calf,

    solitary and white, suddenly seized by terror,

  25. وبخّدِ عَندمّيٍ واضح

    بمياه الحُسن ريَّانَ شَرِقْ

    and with a bright cheek, red as dragon's blood,

    brimming and overflowing with beauty's waters,

  26. وبكا لدّيجورِ فعمٍ فاحم

    بأريج العنبر الورد عبِقْ

    and thick, coal-black locks like deepest night,

    fragrant with the scent of rose-hued ambergris.

  27. ولها سالفتا مُغْزلةٍ

    آنست نبأةَ قنَّاصٍ حنِقْ

    She has the two neck-sides of a doe nursing a fawn,

    that has heard the faint sound of an angry hunter,

  28. وقوامٌ ناعمٌ أعطافه

    حسن الخطرة كالخُوطِ الورِقْ

    and a figure whose curves are tender,

    graceful in motion, like a leafy bough.

  29. غرق الخِلخالُ في مَدمجها

    وعلى مهضومها الحَلي قَلقْ

    The anklet sinks into her rounded leg,

    while ornaments sway upon her slender middle.

  30. ولقد تَبْسِمُ عن ذي أشُرٍ

    مشرقٍ مثل الجُمانِ المتَّسقْ

    She smiles, revealing finely notched teeth,

    shining like pearls strung in order,

  31. عنبريِ النشرِ عذبٍ طعمه

    آخر الليل مُدامٍ قد عَتقْ

    amber-scented, sweet to the taste,

    aged wine at the end of night.

  32. رُبَّ يومٍ مُدجنٍ نازعتها

    طيَّبَ الرَّاح بقصرٍ قد سَمقْ

    Many a clouded day I shared with her

    fine wine in a palace that rose high.

  33. كلما عللتُها من صفوةٍ

    أشرقت وجهاً وخَلقاً وخُلقْ

    Whenever I plied her with its purest draught,

    her face, her form, and her character shone.

  34. وانبرت تسُمعني من نغمها

    كغناءِ الوُرْقِ بالدَّوحِ الوَرقْ

    And she began to let me hear her melodies,

    like gray doves singing in leafy trees,

  35. برخيمِ السوت لو يسمعه

    صائمُ الدهر تَصابي وصَعِقْ

    in a mellow voice that, if he heard it,

    would make a lifelong faster turn amorous and swoon.

  36. ولقد أقضي اللُّبانات إذا

    صام يومي وإذا جنَّ الغسقْ

    I fulfill my desires when

    my day stands at noon, and when dusk grows dark,

  37. بأمونٍ جَسرةٍ عَيرانةٍ

    خَيْفقٍ توضح ظرَّانَ الصَّلقْ

    on a reliable, sturdy, wild-ass-like she-camel,

    swift, laying bare the flints of the open plain.

  38. ولقد أسعرُ نيرانَ الوغى

    حين يخبو من لَظاها ما ائتلقْ

    I kindle the fires of battle,

    when what once flared in their blaze dies down.

  39. سلْ نبي عَمْروٍ وسائلْ عامراً

    وعميراً حين تحمرُّ الحَدقْ

    Ask the sons of Amr, and ask Amir,

    and Umayr, when eyes redden,

  40. وربيعاً وبني كعبٍ وسَل

    آلَ طّيٍ حين يشتدُّ الفَرَقْ

    and Rabi', and the sons of Ka'b, and ask

    the house of Tayy, when terror intensifies.

  41. أفلم أرعف أنابيبَ القنا

    عَلَقاً إذ تمطر الخيل عرقْ

    Did I not make the spear-shafts bleed

    clotted blood, as the horses rained sweat?

  42. أفلم أحسب بسيفي عَلَلاً

    بعد نَهْلٍ من نجيعٍ منهرقْ

    Did I not sate my sword with a second draught,

    after its first drink of streaming blood?

  43. أفلم أترك قِريْني في الثرى

    مجلخِداً حوله الطُير فِرَقْ

    Did I not leave my adversary upon the earth,

    stretched out, with birds flocking all around him?

  44. خرست أسيافُ أملاك الورى

    وحُسامي بثنائي قد نطقْ

    The swords of the world's kings fell silent,

    while my blade spoke my praise.

  45. وعُمان إذ عَتَت واعصوصبت

    قطعت كبراً وجهلاً وحرقْ

    And Oman, when it rebelled and massed together,

    marched on in arrogance, ignorance, and fury,

  46. وأتت تسحب مُرَّان القَنا

    فوق جُرْدٍ سُبَّقٍ ضمرٍ لُحُقْ

    and came trailing ash-wood spear-shafts

    upon short-coated, swift, lean, fleet horses,

  47. في ألوفٍ سبعةٍ لو زاحمت

    ركنَ رضوى انهدَّ منه ما شَهَقْ

    in seven thousand, who, had they pressed against

    Radwa's flank, would have brought its towering heights crashing down,

  48. إذ مُلوك العُجم أكبا زندها

    نبوةُ العزمِ وضنُّ بالوَرقْ

    when the foreign kings' fire-sticks were quenched by

    failing resolve and stinginess with silver,

  49. وملوك العربِ ذَلَّت رهبةً

    وتداعت كتداعي المنهرقْ

    and the Arab kings bowed low in fear

    and gave way like liquid pouring out.

  50. فتقدمتُ وتحتي سابق

    لو يجاري لامعَ البرق سبقْ

    Then I advanced, with a racer beneath me,

    that would outstrip flashing lightning in a race:

  51. أعوجيٌّ شَيظمٌ كأنه

    مجدل سُمَّق خَلقاً فسمَقْ

    an A'waj-bred, towering horse, as though

    a fortress fashioned tall and towering high,

  52. واسع الخُطوةِ جمّامُ الجَرى

    أملس الصهوةِ بذَّاخ العُنقْ

    long-striding, with an inexhaustible run,

    smooth-backed, proudly lifting its neck,

  53. مُشمخرٌّ عَتِد ذو ميعةٍ

    يُعجب العينَ وتَصهالٍ صَلقْ

    lofty, robust, full of vigor,

    pleasing the eye, with a ringing neigh.

  54. وبكفي مَشرفيٌّ باتر

    مُرهف الحدَّينِ ما مسَّ فَلقْ

    And in my hand, a cleaving Mashrafi sword,

    with both edges keen: whatever it touched, it split.

  55. مستبدّاً لم أخف عاقبةً

    ليس خوَّاضُ الوغى كالمرتفقْ

    Acting alone, I feared no consequence:

    one who plunges into battle is not like one reclining at ease.

  56. حين وارى عَيثرُ الخيلِ السَّما

    واستمر الطعن واشتد القلقْ

    When the horses' dust hid the sky,

    and thrusting went on, and turmoil intensified,

  57. ضارباً في جمعهم لم يَغشى

    في التقاءِ الجمعِ طيش ونَزَقْ

    I struck into their host, untouched,

    in the clash of armies, by rashness or recklessness.

  58. فابذعرّوا واشمعلُّوا هرباً

    رهبةً من حدّ سيفي وسبقْ

    Then they scattered in terror and sped away fleeing,

    in dread of my sword's edge, and in haste,

  59. كجرادٍ عصف الريح به

    فسعيدُ الحظّ منهم من سبقْ

    like locusts swept along by the wind;

    the fortunate among them was whoever got away first.

  60. فتجاوزت بعفوٍ عنهم

    وإذا ما مَلك الحُرُّ عَتَقْ

    Then I passed over their wrongs with pardon;

    when a noble man gains power, he grants freedom.

  61. أنا أحرى كلَّ ملكِ بالثَّنا

    وربيع الناس في العامِ المحقْ

    Of all kings, I am the most deserving of praise,

    the people's springtime in a year of blight.

  62. أصدق القولَ إذا أبديتُه

    إنما يحرز حمداً مَن صدقْ

    I speak truly when I utter words;

    only the truthful win praise.

  63. ولكم أغنيتُ من ذي فاقةٍ

    خصّه الدهر شقاءً واغترقْ

    How many a needy man have I enriched,

    whom time singled out for misery and engulfed.

  64. وهزبرٌ باسلٌ ذو نخوةٍ

    يورث الخيلَ ارتعاداً إن زَعقْ

    And a fearless lion, filled with pride,

    whose shout makes horses tremble,

  65. مِسعر الهيجاءِ شرّيب الطّلا

    محصَد النجدةِ وهَّاب الوَرقْ

    a kindler of battle, a great drinker of wine,

    firm in valor, generous with silver—

  66. نُشته بالقرنِ عرضاً فهوى

    وعلى ثوبيه سَلحٌ وَعَلقْ

    I struck him broadside with the spear-point, and he fell,

    with excrement and clotted blood upon his two garments.

  67. أنا من جرثومةٍ هوديةٍ

    لو يراها قيصر الرُّوم برقْ

    I am of a Hudite root-stock,

    that would dazzle the Romans' Caesar if he saw it.

  68. ملك من ملكٍ من ملكٍ

    من ملوك تُرعَد الأرضَ فَرقْ

    A king descended from a king, descended from a king,

    from kings who make the earth tremble with fear.

  69. إن يكن عند ملوكِ الأرضْ قد

    كسدَ المدح فعندي قد نفقْ

    If, among the kings of the earth,

    praise has gone unsold, with me it finds a ready market.

  70. شرف من شرفٍ من شرفٍ

    نافَ واستوسقَ عزاً واتَّسقْ

    Honor from honor from honor,

    rising high, complete in might, and well arrayed.

  71. أهب الراجين ما أحرزته

    وأخو البُخلِ بما حاز وثَقْ

    I give those who hope in me what I have gained,

    while the miser trusts in what he has amassed.

  72. قُل لأملاك الورى أين النَّجا

    من هُمامٍ فتقُه لا يُرتتقْ

    Tell the kings of the world: where is escape

    from a mighty lord whose breach cannot be repaired?

  73. إنما عاجَ بكم عن طاعتي

    قلُّ توفيقٍ عراكم وحَمقْ

    What turned you aside from obedience to me

    was only a lack of sound guidance that befell you, and folly.

  74. غير مجد أتخذتم سُلماً

    للسَّمواتِ وللأرض نفَقْ

    It avails you nothing, though you take a ladder

    to the heavens, and a tunnel into the earth.

  75. غرَّكم شُغلي بتطلاب العُلى

    واَّطراحِ العزم جهلا وخُرقْ

    My pursuit of lofty glory deceived you,

    and the laying aside of resolve, in ignorance and folly.

  76. وكذا العيرُ متى ما يسمعن

    بزئير الليث أدلى ونهقْ

    So too the wild ass, whenever it hears

    the lion's roar, lets its member droop and brays.