1. I watch for union - has it come or gone unnoticed,
Or does all your debt stem from unrequited passion?
١. أَنِاظِرُ الوَصْلُ أَمْ غادٍ فَمَصْرُومُ
أَمْ كُلُّ دَيْنِكَ مِنْ دَهْمَاءَ مَغْرُومُ
2. Do you not recall that ardour when it first arose
In the upland pastures while the riders were still youths?
٢. أَمْ مَا تَذَكَّرُ مِنْ دَهْمَاءَ إِذْ طَلَعَتْ
نَجْدَيْ مَرِيعٍ وقَدْ شَابَ المَقَادِيمُ
3. Did ever a lover gain his heart's desire from ardour
In pagan days before the Faith of old was spurned?
٣. هَلْ عَاشِقٌ نَالَ مِنْ دَهْمَاءَ حَاجَتَهُ
في الجَاهِليَّةِ قَبْلَ الدِّينِ مَرْحُومُ
4. The whiteness of the sand-grouse with their tufted crests
Among their dwellings, their plumage dappled and barred,
٤. بَيْضُ الأَنُوقِ بِرَعْمٍ دُونَ مَسْكَنِهَا
وبِالأَبَارِقِ مِنْ طِلْحَامض مَرْكُومُ
5. And a land-turtle, dun and mottled, nothing of
Such rarities, now lost and hid, was then forsworn.
٥. وطَفْلَةٍ غَبيْر جُبَّاءٍ ولاَ نَصَفٍ
مِنْ سِرِّ أَمْثَالِهَا بَادٍ ومَكْتُومُ
6. A wench the men's cloaks were content to wrap themselves in,
Though little given, how miserly and how debarred!
٦. خَوْدٌ تَلَبَّسُ إِلْبَابُ الرِّجَالِ بِهَا
مُعْطىً قَلِيلاً عَلى بُخْلٍ ومَحْرُومُ
7. I clasped her, she was pliant to my clasp, bending as bends
The hissing adder to the charm the charmers ply.
٧. عَانَقْتُهَا فَانْثَنَتْ طَوْعَ العِنَاقِ كَمَا
مَالتْ بِشَارِبِهَا صَهْبَاءُ خُرْطُومُ
8. A creature full of quality, whose glances run
With pepper-bland and pomegranate – guarded ever!
٨. صِرْفٌ تَرَقْرَقُ في النَّاجُودِ نَاِطلُهَا
بالْفُلْفُلِ الجَوْنِ والرُّمَّانِ مَخْتُومُ
9. Her twisting sides the pleats of her gown constrain
When her soft fingers plait it in double thickness.
٩. يَمُجُّهَا أَكْلَفُ الإِسْكَابِ وَافَقَهُ
أَيْدِي الهَبَانِيقِ بِالمَثْنَاةِ مَعْكُومُ
10. She is like one of the wild cows with coat dappled,
Parted from the wild cows, and now to milking brought.
١٠. كأَنَّهَا مَارِنُ العِرْنِينَ مُفْتَصَلٌ
مِنَ الظِّبَاءِ عَلَيْهِ الوَدْعُ مَنْظُومُ
11. Adorned with sprigs of basil, patterned with the marks
Of tattoo in indigo upon his flexing boughs.
١١. مُقَلَّدٌ قُضُبَ الرَّيْحَانِ ذُو جُدَدٍ
في جَوْزِهِ مِنْ نِجَارِ الأَدْمِ تَوْسِيمُ
12. What girls not born to him yet relish in him -
The smoothing of the hands, the robes, the lullabies;
١٢. مِمَّا تَبَنَّى عَذَارَى الحَيِّ آنَسَهُ
مَسْحُ الأَكُفِّ وإِلْبَاسٌ وتَنْوِيمُ
13. Then, after she has bared her leg to suckle him,
His little shirt leaves nothing of it covered up.
١٣. مِنْ بَعْدِ مَا نَزَّ تُزْجِيهِ مُرَشَّحَةٌ
أَخْلَى تِيَاسٌ عَلَيْهَا فَالبَرَاعِيمُ
14. Her flesh not coarse, no glutton she, delicate boned, hollow flicked;
A night the hue of elephants, the pleiades remaking it;
١٤. لا سَافِرُ اللَّحْمِ مَدْخُولٌ ولاَ هَبِجٌ
كَاسي العِظَامِ لَطِيفُ الكَشْحِ مَهْضُومُ
15. I taxed her, on her walk, to sway, as swaying goes
A litter-camel, when the housings are star-embroidered.
١٥. وليْلَةٍ مِثْلِ لَوْنِ الفِيلِ غَيَّرهَا
طُمْسُ الكَوَاكِبِ والبِيدُ الدَّيَامِيمُ
16. At fault therein, though dimly sensed, her guidance was
The Bear, that sets in motion still the Pointers' dance.
١٦. كَلَّفْتُهَا عَنْدَلاً في مَشْيِهَا دَفَقٌ
تَفْرِي الفَرِيَّ إذِا امْتَدَّ البَلاَعيِمُ
17. She spurned my tenderness; I turned it back on her;
My swordblade intimate with all her alleys is.
١٧. فِيهَا إذَا الشَّرَكُ المَجْهُولُ أَخْطَأَهُ
أُمُّ الأَدِلاَّءِ واغْبَرَّ الأَيَادِيمُ
18. Such is my wont with her, to pen her in, and keep
Her limbs from rest, her person perched and watching.
١٨. مُعَوَّلٌ حِينَ يَسْتَوْلِي بِرَاكِبِهِ
خَرْقٌ كَأَنَّ مَطَايَا سَفْرِهِ هِيمُ
19. The mounts from 'Anbar, never have their girths been loosed,
Their sturdy leather polished and their cinches clasped.
١٩. بَاتَتْ عَلَى ثَفِنٍ لأُمٍ مَرَاكِزُهُ
جَافَى بِهِ مُسْتَعِدَّاتٌ أَطَامِيمُ
20. Amid a living tribe's domain they scorn the butcher; yet
To neighbour and to guest they are a flock of Demons.
٢٠. غَيْرَى عَلَى الشَّجِعَاتِ العُوجِ أَرْجُلُهَا
إِذَا تَفَاضَلَتِ البُزْلُ العَلاَكِيمُ
21. True men, when by the matter they were put to proof,
Their defenders' hands shed blood that was forbidden.
٢١. يَهْوِي لَهَا بَيْنَ أَيْدِيهَا وأَرْجُلِهَا
إِذَا اشْفَتَرَّ الحَصَى حُمْرٌ مَلاَئِيمُ
22. Firm in the knowledge that man's wealth will follow him,
A duty on the righteous few forever binding.
٢٢. رَضْخَ الإِمَاءِ النَّوَى رَدَّتْ نَوَازِيَهُ
إِذَا اسْتَدَرَّتْ بِأَيْدِيهَا المَلاَدِيمُ
23. A frame like sapling trees of Qar, smooth-skinned, with pliant
Waist; amongst the girls a very shoot of green.
٢٣. إِنْ يَنْقُصِ الدَّهْرِ مِنِّي فَالْفَتَى غَرَضٌ
لِلدَّهْرِ مِنْ عُودِهِ وَافٍ ومَثْلُومُ
24. As if what lies between his flanks and breast were wrought
Of intertwisted Rod and Cord well trodden down.
٢٤. وإِنْ يَكُنْ ذَاكَ مِقْدَاراً أُصِبْتُ بِهِ
فَسِيرَةُ الدَّهْرِ تَعْوِيجُ وتَقْوِيمُ
25. With a Khorasan-forged shield no swordblade's edge has pierced,
The choice of heroes for their uprights and their bosses.
٢٥. مَا أَطْيَبَ العَيْشَ لَوْ أَنَّ الفَتَى حَجَرٌ
تَنْبُو الحَوادِثُ عَنْهُ وَهْوَ مَلْمُومُ
26. I made him to the fore on many a hill and flat
Where the wild asses bray and the sandgrouse in numbers.
٢٦. لاَ يُحْرِزُ المَرْءَ أَنْصَارٌ ورَابِيَةٌ
تَأْبَى الهَوَانَ إِذَا عُدَّ الجَرَاثِيمُ
27. With hooves like sieves, the legs of all the donkeys there
Shed their old shoes whene'er the smooth rocks split their nails.
٢٧. لاَ تَمْنَعُ المَرْءَ أَحْجَاءُ البِلاَدِ ولاَ
تُبْنَى لَهُ في السَّمَواتِ السَّلاَلِيمُ
28. Between her hands and feet it comes to rest, what time
The worn stones crumble under russet stains of blood.
٢٨. فَقَدْ أُكَثِّرُ لِلْمَوْلَى بِحَاجَتِهِ
وقَدْ أَرُدُّ عَلَيْهِ وَهْوَ مَظْلُومُ
29. I roughed him up, a guide across a barren plain,
Where the birds haunt in flocks, to a deserted ruin,
٢٩. حَتَّى يَنُوءَ بِمَا قَدَّمْتُ مِنْ حَسَنٍ
إِنَّ المَوَالِي مَحْمُودٌ ومَذْمُومُ
30. Like sieves the donkeys' hooves, their toenails shed
There to the smooth stones, when the eroded descend.
٣٠. وأُنْبِهُ الخِرْقَ لَمْ يَلْمِسْ بِمَضْجَعِهِ
كَأَنَّهُ مِنْ قِتَالِ السَّيْرِ مَأْمُومُ
31. Of diverse colours, from such company cut off,
A piebald black-and-white, spineless and humpbacked,
٣١. ويُنْفِرُ النِّيبَ سَيْفِي بَيْنَ أَسْوُقِهَا
لَمْ يَبْقَ مِنْ سِرِّهَا إِلاَّ شَرَاذِيمُ
32. Until in haste I sped to serve my Lord with gifts
Of Rod and Cord well twisted into his cheekpiece.
٣٢. فَذَاكَ دأْبِي بِهَا حَالاً وأَحْبِسُهَا
يَسْعَى بِأوْصَالِهَا الشُّعْثُ المَقَارِيمُ
33. As though a wanderer begging for the appointed time
Of 'Abd Manaf, when the battle was enjoined.
٣٣. مِنْ عاتِقِ النَّبْع لَمْ تُغْمَزْ مَواصِمُهُ
حُذَّ المَتَاقَةِ أَغْفَالٌ وَمَوْسومُ
34. He folds around his guardians in the shadow of his mount
A day God-times at al-Gawsa green and blessed.
٣٤. في دَارِ حَيٍّ يُهِينُونَ الِّلحَامَ وهُمْ
لِلجَارِ والضَّيْفِ يَغْشَاهُمْ مَكَارِيمُ
35. So Safra's thorns were mute, their points concerted in
Assault, ringstraked with the knots his reins had twisted.
٣٥. فِتْيَانُ صِدْقٍ إِذَا مَا الأَمْرُ جَدَّ بِهِمْ
أَيْدِي حَوَاطِبِهِمْ دَامٍ ومَكْلُومُ
36. A strainer for the wine that had been dregs he is;
None call on him when the howdahs are uproaded.
٣٦. قَدْ أَيْقَنُوا أَنَّ مَالَ المَرْءِ يَتْبَعُهُ
حَقٌّ عَلَى صَالِحِ الأَقْوَامِ مَعْلُومُ
٣٧. وهَيْكَلٍ كشِجَارِ القَرِّ مُطَّرِدٍ
في مِرْفَقَيْهِ وفي الأَنْسَاءِ تَجْرِيمُ
٣٨. كَأَنَّ مَا بَيْنَ جَنْبَيهِ ومَنْقَبِهَ
مِنْ جَوْزِهِ وَمَقطّ القُنْبِ مَلْطُومُ
٣٩. بِتُرْسِ أَعْجَمَ لَمْ تَنْخَرْ مَثَاقِبُهُ
مِمَّا تَخَيَّرُ في آطَامِهَا الرُّومُ
٤٠. عَرَّجْتُهُ رَائداً في عَازِبٍ عَرِدٍ
جُنَّ النَّوَاصِفُ فِيهِ واليَحَامِيمُ
٤١. مِثْلُ الطَراِبيلِ أُحْدَانُ الحَمِيرِ بِهِ
تَفْلِي مَعَارِفَهَا الجُونُ العَلاَجِيمُ
٤٢. شَذَّ الحَوَاليَّ عَنْهَا شَوْذَبٌ حَدِبٌ
عِارِي النَّوَاهِقِ بِالتَّنْهَاقِ مَنْهُومُ
٤٣. حَتَّى دُفِعْتُ لِمَسْتُورِي عَلَى عَجَلٍ
في جَوْزِهِ ونَصِيلِ الرَّأْسِ تَقْدِيمُ
٤٤. كَأَنَّهُ نَاشِدٌ نَادَى لِمَوْعِدِهِ
عَبْدَ مَنَافٍ إِذَا اشْتَدَّ الحَيَازِيمُ
٤٥. يَثْنِي عَلَى حَامِيَيْهِ ظِلَّ حَارِكِهِ
يَوْمٌ قُدَيْدِيمَةَ الجَوْزَاءِ مَسْمُومُ
٤٦. فَصَامَ شَوْكُ السَّفَى يَرْمِي أَشَاعِرَهُ
نِيطَتْ بِأَرْسَاغِهِ مِنْهُ أَضَامِيمُ
٤٧. وَرَّادُ نَقْعٍ عَلَى مَا كَانَ مِنْ وَحَلٍ
لاَ يُسْتَهَدُّ إِذَا مَا صَوَّتَ البُومُ