1. لَيتَ شِعري هَل تُخَبِّرُني الدِيارُ

    بَيَقينٍ عَن أَهلِها أَينَ ساروا

    If only I knew: will the dwellings tell me

    with certainty about their people, where they went?

  2. أَسَفاً هَيَّجَت فَمالَكَ مِنها ال

    يَومَ إِلّا تَفَجُّعٌ وَاِدِّكارُ

    They stirred sorrow; from them today you have

    nothing but anguish and remembrance.

  3. لا يُجيبُ الأَحياءَ مَن لَيسَ حَيّاً

    وَالعَمى عِندَ غَيرِهِ الأَخبارُ

    One who is not alive cannot answer the living.

    Blindness—news lies with someone other than him.

  4. دارُ حَيٍّ تَقادَمَ العَهدُ مِنها

    بَعدَ حُضّارِها فَبارَت وَباروا

    A tribe's abode, its days of habitation long past;

    its dwellers gone, it fell desolate, and they perished.

  5. صادَفوا مِن غَوائِل الدَهرِ غَولاً

    بَعدَما أَنجَدوا سِنينَ وَغاروا

    They encountered a scourge among time's calamities,

    after years of traveling through uplands and lowlands.

  6. فَكَأَنّي مِن ذِكرِهِم خالَطَتني

    مِن فِلَسطينَ خَمرُ جَلسٍ عُقارُ

    Remembering them, I feel as though I were suffused

    with potent highland wine from Palestine,

  7. عُتِّقَت في القِلالِ مِن بَيتِ رَأسٍ

    سَنواتٍ وَما سَبَتها التِجارُ

    aged in jars, from Bayt Ra's,

    for years, never bought by merchants.

  8. فَهيَ صَهباءُ تَترُكُ المَرءَ أَعشى

    في بَياضِ العَينَينِ مِنهُ اِحمِرارُ

    It is tawny wine that leaves a man dim-sighted,

    with redness in the whites of his eyes.

  9. حالَتِ الحَربُ دونَ سَلمى فَقَلبِي

    عِندَها لَو تُثيبُهُ مُستَعارُ

    War barred the way to Salma; my heart

    is on loan to her—if only she would reward it.

  10. فَنَأَت وَاِنثَوى بِها عَن هَواها

    شَظَفُ العَيشِ آبِلٌ سَيّارُ

    She went far away; a man withdrew with her from her love—

    a rough-living camel-herd, ever roaming.

  11. رُبَّ إِبلٍ إِذا اِجتَوى أَرضَ قَومٍ

    شَيَّعَتهُ هُمومُهُ نَعّارُ

    Owner of camels, when he loathes a people's land,

    his cares see him off, a loud-bawling man.

  12. وَحشُ بَرِّيَةٍ بِها وَلَدَتهُ

    أُمُّهُ لا يَزولُ مِنها الصِيارُ

    A wild creature of the wilderness; there she bore him—

    his mother; its wild-cattle herds never leave.

  13. غَيرُ صَبٍّ إِلى الصَديقِ إِذا ما

    أَضمَرَت بَيتَهُ اللِماعُ القِفارُ

    Not one to pine for a friend when

    the empty, glimmering wastes conceal his tent.

  14. عُلِّقَ القَلبُ عِرسَ ذاكَ وَأَنّى

    تُمَكِّنُ الرامِيَ المَهاةُ النَوارُ

    My heart is attached to that man's wife; yet how

    can a skittish oryx cow give the archer his chance?

  15. رَوضَةٌ ظاهَرَ الرَبيعُ ثَراها

    بِسُيولٍ وَزانها النُوّارُ

    A meadow whose soil spring has enriched

    with floods, and which blossoms have adorned.

  16. حَصِرَ الناسُ أَن يَنالوا حِماها

    وَأَرَنَّت بِرَوضِها الأَمطارُ

    People are powerless to reach its protected ground,

    and rains have resounded across its meadow.

  17. فَهيَ حَوّاءُ تَكتَسي كُلَّ لَونٍ

    زينَةً كُلَّما اِستَقَلَّ النَهارُ

    Dark-green, it clothes itself in every color,

    as adornment whenever the daylight rises.

  18. وَلَقَد أَغتَدي بِأَجرَدَ نَهدٍ

    لاحَهُ بَعدَ طَيِّهِ المِضمارُ

    Indeed, I ride out at dawn on a sleek, powerful steed,

    whom the training-course has pared lean after his slimming.

  19. أَبِّدُ القُصرَيَينِ ما قِيدَ يَوماً

    لِيُعَنّى بِصَرعِهِ بَيطارُ

    Broad between the short ribs, never once was he led

    for a farrier to labor at throwing him down.

  20. حَوشَبَ الصُلبِ أفرِعَت كَتِفاهُ

    في مَحاني ضُلوعِهِ اِجفارُ

    Thick of backbone, his shoulders rise high;

    his curved ribs enclose a spacious barrel.

  21. وَيُرى مُجفِراً إِذا هُوَ وَلّى

    في حِمايَتِهِ شِدَّةٌ وَاِنبِتارُ

    He looks broad-barreled as he turns away;

    his running has force and a swift, cutting rush.

  22. مُدمَجاً خَلقُهُ يِكادُ إِذا ما

    راعَهُ صَوتُ صارِخٍ يُستَطارُ

    His build is compact; he almost, whenever

    a crier's voice alarms him, takes flight.

  23. وَإِذا اِهتَزَّ مُقبِلاً زانَهُ أَتلَع

    كَالجِذعِ ما يُنالُ العِذارُ

    When he quivers, coming forward, a lofty neck adorns him,

    like a palm trunk, the cheek-strap out of reach.

  24. حَمَلَتهُ رَجلٌ قَذوفٌ عَلى

    عَضبِ يَدٍ ما يُخافُ مِنها عِثارُ

    A thrusting hind leg carries him upon

    a powerful foreleg, from which no stumble is feared.

  25. وَنُسورٌ لَها حَوافِرُ صُمٌّ

    ما يُرى في أَرساغِهِنَّ اِنتِشارُ

    And hoof-frogs, enclosed by solid hooves,

    with no splaying visible in their pasterns,

  26. كَالجَلاميدِ في المَسيلِ عَلاهُنَّ

    مِنَ الماءِ خُضرَةٌ وَاِسمِرارُ

    like boulders in a streambed, overlaid

    by water with green and dusky brown.

  27. مُشِقَ اللَحمُ عَن شَواهِنَ مَشْ

    تَماً فَتَعالى وَاِشتَدَّتِ الأَوتارُ

    The flesh was pared from their lower limbs, drawn high,

    then rose, and the tendons grew taut.

  28. وَعَلا الزَورُ مِنبَضَ القَلبِ مِنهُ

    بِحَيازيمَ بَينَها أَستارُ

    His breast rises above the heart's pulsing place,

    with breast-ribs and veils between them.

  29. وَضُلوعٌ كَأَنَّها حينَ وَلّى

    لاحَ مِنها بِكُلِّ ضِلعٍ شِجارُ

    And ribs that seem, when he turns away,

    to show a wooden brace in each rib.

  30. فَعَلا الصُلبُ فَاِستَتَبَّ إِلى حَي

    ثُ تَكونُ الفُرسانُ مِنهُ الفِقارُ

    The backbone rises, running even as far as where

    horsemen sit upon his vertebrae.

  31. فَهوَ طاوٍ أَقَبُّ كَالمَسَدِ الأَمْ

    لس عاري الشَوى مُمَرٌّ مُغارُ

    Lean and narrow-bellied, like a smooth rope,

    bare-limbed, firmly wound and tightly twisted.

  32. فَاِقتَنَصنا بِهِ وَقيلَ بِأَحوى

    ذاتِ فِرقَينِ عانَةٌ وَحِبارُ

    We hunted with him; word came: 'In a dark-green tract,

    divided in two, are a wild-ass herd and bustards.'

  33. فَإِذا الأَخدَرِيَّةُ الصُهبُ تَقروا

    لَمَعاً بَينَها لَهُنَّ اِخضِرارُ

    And there were the tawny Akhdari wild asses, browsing

    patches with green growth for them in between.

  34. كَأَنَّ جُزوءاً لَم يَعدُ ذَلِكَ حَتّى

    بَدُنَ اللَحمُ وَالبُطونُ صِغارُ

    As though forage without drinking had been enough, until

    their flesh grew plump, while their bellies stayed small.

  35. فَحَمَلنا غُلامَنا فَوقَ طِرفٍ

    وَأَشَرنا فَقالَ أَنّى أَشاروا

    We mounted our boy upon a noble steed,

    and pointed; he said, 'Where did they point?'

  36. فَتَكَشَّفنَ مُقبِلاتٍ فَقُلنا

    أَسُكونٌ بِهِنَّ ذا أَم نِفارُ

    Then they emerged, coming toward us, and we said,

    'Is this calm in them, or alarm?'

  37. فَزِعَ الوَحشُ ثُمَّ وَلَينَ لَمّا

    صَدَقَتهُنَّ ما هُوَ الأَبصارُ

    The wild beasts took fright, then turned away when

    their eyes showed them truly what he was.

  38. هارِباتٍ فَما يَرَينَ وَلَكِن

    لا يُنَجّي مِنَ المَنايا الفِرارُ

    Fleeing, they could see nothing; yet

    flight does not save one from death.

  39. ثُمَّ أَربى عَلى النَواشِطِ مِنها

    سابِحٌ بَعدَ غَربِهِ مَوّارُ

    Then the darting ones among them were overtaken

    by a swimming steed, still surging after his first burst.

  40. شاخِصُ الحُرَّتَينِ يَنفُضُ عَنهُ

    قُطَعَ الرَبوِ مَنخَرٌ نَثّارُ

    With his two fine ears erect, he shakes off

    bursts of panting through a snorting nostril.

  41. فَتَصَدَّعنَ عَن جَرائِحِ مَرعى

    وَاِنجلى عَن مُتونِهِنَّ الغُبارُ

    They scattered, leaving wounded grazers behind,

    and dust cleared from their backs.

  42. وَهوَ شاحٍ كَأَنَّ لَحيَيهِ حِنوا

    قَتَبٍ لاحَ مِنهُما النَجارُ

    He gapes, his jaws like the two bows

    of a pack-saddle, their timber laid bare,

  43. عَن لِسانٍ كَجُثَّةِ الوَرِلِ الأَص

    فَرِ مَجَّ النَدى عَلَيهِ العَرارُ

    exposing a tongue like the body of a yellow

    monitor lizard, with dew spat upon it by 'arar blossoms.

  44. زَعَمَ الناسُ أَنَّ خَيرَ قُرَيشٍ

    حَسَباً حينَ تُنسَبُ الأَسوارُ

    People say that the best of Quraysh

    in lineage, when the nobles' pedigrees are traced,

  45. بَينَ حَربٍ وَعامِرِ بنِ كَريزٍ

    فَأُلالَ الأَكارِمُ الأَخيارُ

    are between Harb and Amir ibn Kurayz;

    those are the noble, the excellent.

  46. وَلَدَتهُم حَواضِنٌ مُنجِباتٌ

    وَأُلالُ الحَواضِنُ الأَحرارُ

    Nurturing mothers, bearers of noble offspring, bore them,

    and those nurturing mothers are freeborn.

  47. وَإِذا ما تَضَعضَعَت نارُ حَربٍ

    رَفَعوا نارَ حَربِهِم فَاِستَثاروا

    And when the fire of war dwindles,

    they raise their own war-fire and stir it up.

  48. وَإِذا ما الرَبيعُ أَحجَمَ أَحيَوا

    مَن يَليهِم وَأَحرَزوا مَن أَجاروا

    And when spring holds back, they keep alive

    their neighbors and keep safe those they shelter.

  49. فَهُمُ القَومُ سُؤدَداً وَفعالاً

    وَنَدىً حينَ تُبتَلى الأَخبارُ

    They are the men of eminence and worthy deeds,

    and generosity, when reports are put to the test.

  50. وَالمُحامونَ حينَ يَحتَضِرُ الناسُ

    وَبِالأَكرَمينَ يُحمى الذِمارُ

    They are the defenders when people gather;

    by the noblest, honor and dependents are protected.

  51. طَرَدوا الذَمَّ فَهو مِنهُم بَعيدٌ

    مالَهُ حَيثُ يَسكُنونَ قَرارُ

    They drove reproach away; it lies far from them,

    finding no resting place wherever they dwell.

  52. وَأَبى الحَمدُ أَن يُحالِفَ قَوماً

    غَيرَهُم فَهوَ صائِرٌ حَيثُ صاروا

    Praise refuses to ally itself with any people

    but them; it follows wherever they go.