1. أَلمِم عَلى طَلَلٍ عَفا مُتَقادِمِ

    بَينَ الذُؤَيبِ وَبَينَ غَيبِ الناعِمِ

    Visit an ancient campsite's time-effaced ruins,

    between al-Dhu'ayb and Ghayb al-Na'im.

  2. بِمَجَرِّ أَهبِرَةِ الكِناسِ تَلَفَّعَت

    بَعدي بِمُنكَرِ تُربِها المُتَراكِمِ

    At the course through al-Kinas's sandy hollows, they have wrapped themselves,

    since I left, in their strange, heaped-up dust.

  3. لِتَزورَ أَرمِدَةً كَأَنَّ مُتونَها

    في الأَرضِ عَن حِجَجٍ مُتونُ حَمائِمِ

    to visit ash-heaps whose backs seem,

    after years upon the earth, like the backs of doves.

  4. فَظَلِلتُ مُكتَئِباً كَأَنَّ تَذَكُّري

    مِمّا عَرِفتُ بها تَوهُمُ حالِمِ

    So I remained downcast, as though my recollection

    of what I recognized there were a dreamer's imagining.

  5. ثُمَّ اِنتَبَهتُ وَقُلتُ بعد لُجاجَةً

    ماذا يَرُدُّ سُؤالُ أَخرَسَ كاظِمِ

    Then I awoke and said, after persisting:

    What can questioning a mute, silent thing bring back?

  6. وَتَجَلَّتِ الكَأباءُ عَنّى بَعدَما

    شَرِقَ الجُفونُ بِماءِ شَجوٍ ساجِمِ

    And sorrow lifted from me after

    my eyelids choked with the streaming water of grief.

  7. لَولا الحَياءُ وَأَنَّ رَأسِيَ قَد عَثا

    فيهِ المَشيبُ لِزُرتُ أُمَّ القاسِمِ

    But for modesty, and the havoc wrought upon my head

    by gray hair, I would have visited Umm al-Qasim.

  8. وَكَأَنَّها وَسَطَ النِساءِ أَعارَها

    عَينَيهِ أَحوَرُ مِن جَآذِرِ جاسِمِ

    And among women, it is as though she were lent

    the eyes of a dark-eyed wild-cow calf of Jasim.

  9. وَسنانُ أَقصَدَهُ النُعاسُ فَرَنَّقَت

    في عَينِهِ سِنَةٌ وَلَيسَ بِنائِمِ

    Drowsy, felled by sleepiness, so there hovered

    a drowse in its eye, though it was not asleep.

  10. يَصطادُ يَقظانَ الرِجالِ حَديثُها

    وَتَطيرُ لَذَّتُها بِروحِ النائِمِ

    Her speech ensnares the wakeful among men,

    and her sweetness flies away with the sleeper's soul.

  11. وَإِذا هِيَ اِبتَسَمَت بَذا مُتَشَتَّتٌ

    عَذبٌ تَروعُ بهِ فُؤادَ الحَالِمِ

    And when she smiles, a spaced row of teeth appears,

    sweet, with which she startles the dreamer's heart.

  12. وَمِنَ الضَلالَةِ بِعدَما ذَهَبَ الصِبا

    نَظَري إِلى حورِ العُيونِ نَواعِمِ

    And it is folly, after youth has gone,

    for me to gaze at delicate women with dark, lustrous eyes.

  13. يَذعَرنَ مِن صَلَعِ الرِجالِ وَشَيبِهِم

    وِيَمِقنَ شيمَةَ كُلِّ أَهيَفَ عارِمِ

    They recoil from men's baldness and gray hair,

    and love the disposition of every slender, unruly youth.

  14. أَعرَضنَ حينَ فَقَدنَ غَربَ بَطالَتي

    وَنَسينَ حُسنَ خَلائِقي وَتَمائِمي

    They turned away when the edge of my revelry was gone,

    and forgot my fine character and my amulets.

  15. فَإِذا مُلامَسَةُ الشَبابِ وَلَهوُهُ

    مِنهُنَّ لا قَصَصَ الفَقيدِ العالِمِ

    So it is youth's caresses and its play

    that come from them—not the tales of a bereft, learned man.

  16. فَاِقطَع بَقِيَّةَ وَصلِهِنَّ بِأَينُقٍ

    خَوصٍ يَسِجنَ بِرَكبِهِنَّ سَواهِمِ

    Sever what remains of your bond with them by riding she-camels,

    narrow-eyed and gaunt, striding swiftly with their riders.

  17. يَعدونَهُنَّ إِذا أَرادوا حاجَةً

    بِأَزمَةٍ مَجدولَةٍ وَخَزائِمِ

    They drive them onward when they seek some purpose,

    with plaited reins and nose-rings.

  18. وَإِذا بَدا عَلَمٌ لَهُنَّ كَأَنَّهُ

    في الآلِ حينَ بَدا ذُؤابَةُ عائِمِ

    And when a landmark appears to them, as though it were

    in the mirage, when it appears, a swimmer's forelock,

  19. سَبَحَت إِلّيهِ صُدورُهُنَّ بِأَذرُعٍ

    وَفُراسِنٍ سُمرِ العَجا وَمناسِمِ

    their chests swim toward it on forelegs

    and padded feet with dark sinews, and hoof-tips.

  20. وَكَأَنَّ رَنَّةَ ما يُصبنَ مِنَ الحَصى

    في كُلِّ فَدفَدَةٍ صَليلُ دَراهِمِ

    And the ringing of the pebbles they strike seems,

    on every broad upland, like the clink of dirhams.

  21. يَتبَعنَ ناجِيَةً كَأَنَّ بِدَفِّها

    مِن غَرضَ نَسعَيها عُلوبَ مَواسِمِ

    They follow a swift she-camel, as though on her flank were

    branding scars from the tightening of her two girth-straps.

  22. إِن شاكَها حَجَرٌ يَضُرُّ حُسامُهُ

    بِالخُفِّ أَو أَذِيَت بِأَخنَسَ آزِمِ

    If a stone pricks her, its sharp edge hurting

    her foot-pad, or a snub-nosed biting fly troubles her,

  23. خَبَطَت بِفَرسَنِها الجَنوبُ كَأَنَّما

    صالَت بِنَصرَتِها يَمينُ مُلاطِمِ

    she strikes her flanks with her padded foot, as though

    a brawler's right hand struck in her defense.

  24. وَالقَومُ قَد شَدّوا الأَخادِعَ وَاللَحى

    بِفُضولِ أَردِيَةٍ لَهُم وَعمائِمِ

    And the men have bound their necks and beards

    with the loose ends of their cloaks and turbans.

  25. جَشَموا السُرى بَعدَ الرواحِ فَأَصبَحوا

    سودَ الوجوهِ بِهِم سُهامَ سَمائِمِ

    They endured night travel after the evening march, and reached morning

    black-faced, bearing the ravages of scorching winds.

  26. وَلَقَد لَجَأتُ مِنَ الوَليدِ إِلى اِمرِئٍ

    أَغنى وَلَيسَ مَن اِصطِفاهُ بِنادِمِ

    Indeed, I sought refuge in al-Walid—a man

    who enriched me; whoever chooses him does not regret it.

  27. لِلحَمدِ فيهِ مَذاهِبٌ ما تَنتَهي

    وَمَكارِمٌ يَعلونَ كُلَّ مَكارِمِ

    In him are endless avenues for praise,

    and noble deeds surpassing all noble deeds,

  28. وَمَهابَةُ المَلَكِ العَزيزِ وَنائِلٌ

    يُنضي الجَوادَ وَأَنتَ نِكلُ الظالِمِ

    and the awe of a mighty king, and bounty

    that exhausts the generous; you are the oppressor's scourge.

  29. وَإِذا نَظَرتَ بِحَرِّ وَجهِكَ كُلِّهِ

    نَحوَ اِمرِئٍ فَيَظَلُّ مِثلَ الغائِمِ

    And when you gaze, turning the full front of your face

    toward a man, he remains like one parched with thirst.

  30. وَإِذا قَضى فَصلُ القَضاءِ فَلَم تَمِل

    قُربى عَلَيهِ وَلا مَلامَةُ لائِمِ

    And when he pronounces decisive judgment, he is not swayed

    by kinship, nor by a reproacher's blame.

  31. تُربي عَلى الفَيضِ الكَثيرِ فَواضِلاً

    نَفَحاتُ أَيامٍ لَهُ وَمُقاوَمِ

    Surpassing the abundant flood in favors are

    the generous breezes of his days and public occasions.

  32. فَرعٌ كَأَنَّ الناسَ حينَ يَرَونَهُ

    يَتباشَرونَ بِقُبلِ غَيثٍ دائِمِ

    A noble scion: when people see him, it is as though

    they rejoice together at the approach of ceaseless rain.

  33. الجامِعَ الحِلمَ الأَصيلَ وَسُؤدَداً

    غَمراً يُعاشُ بِهِ وَحِكمَةَ حازِمِ

    He combines deep-rooted forbearance with nobility

    so abundant that people live by it, and a resolute man's wisdom.

  34. وَإِذا وَدِدتَ فَإِنَّ وُدَّكَ نافِعٌ

    وَمَنِ اِنتَطَحَت فَلَيسَ مِنكَ بِسالِمِ

    And when you love, your love brings benefit;

    whoever you lock horns with does not escape you unharmed.

  35. الواهِبُ القَيناتِ أَمثالَ الدُمى

    مُتَسَجِياتِ ظِلالِ أَسوَدَ فاحِمِ

    The giver of singing-girls like sculpted figures,

    cloaked in the shadows of coal-black hair,

  36. وَالخَيلُ وَالنِعَمُ المُبينُ وطالَما

    أَعطى الجَزيلَ وَلَيسَ ذاكَ بِعاتِمِ

    and of horses and conspicuous livestock; how often

    he has given lavishly, without delay,

  37. مِن بَينِ خوصٍ في مَناخِرِها البُرى

    وَحَوافِلٍ ضَرّاتُهُنَّ رَوائِمِ

    from among narrow-eyed camels with nose-rings in their nostrils,

    and milk-laden females with tenderly nursing udders.