أَقولُ لها يَومَ جَدَّتْ بنا

أَقولُ لها يَومَ جَدَّتْ بنا

وقَد أَوْجَبَ المجدُ ترحالَها

وقَد أَوْجَبَ المجدُ ترحالَها

I say to her, on the day she earnestly bore us away,

I say to her, the day she hastened on with us,

I say to her when she decides to part from me

when glory had ordained her departure:

when glory had demanded her journey,

And glory demands her departure

إلى حيث تهوى نفوس الكرام

إلى حيث تهوى نفوس الكرام

وتبلُغٍ بالعِزّ تسآلَها

وتبلُغٍ بالعِزّ تسآلَها

Toward the place for which noble souls yearn,

toward where the souls of the noble yearn,

To where the souls of the generous long to be

there, through honor, to attain all they seek.

and through honor attain what they seek:

And through honor she seeks to fulfill her wants

لئنْ جُزتِ بي أَثلاثِ الغُوَير

لئنْ جُزتِ بي أَثلاثِ الغُوَير

وجُبْتِ الديارَ وأطلالَها

وجُبْتِ الديارَ وأطلالَها

If you carry me past the three reaches of al-Ghuwayr

If you carry me past the tamarisks of al-Ghuwayr,

If you've had your fill of me for three days

and traverse those abodes and their ruins,

and traverse the dwellings and their ruins,

And left the abodes and their ruins

سَقَيْتُك يا ناقُ من مائها

سَقَيْتُك يا ناقُ من مائها

وقلتُ اشربي اليوم جريالَها

وقلتُ اشربي اليوم جريالَها

I shall give you, O she-camel, water from its springs

I will water you, O she-camel, from their waters,

I gave you to drink, O she-camel, from its water

and say, “Drink deeply today of its flowing abundance.”

and say, 'Drink their ruby wine today,'

And said, "Drink today from its running stream"

ونشَّقْتُك الرِّيح من حاجر

ونشَّقْتُك الرِّيح من حاجر

تجرُّ على الرَّند أذيالَها

تجرُّ على الرَّند أذيالَها

And I shall let you breathe the breeze from Hājir,

and let you inhale the breeze from Hajir,

And the wind blew open your saddle-cloth

trailing its skirts over the fragrant myrtle.

trailing its skirts over the laurel trees.

Dragging its ends over the smooth rock

رآها هذيم كأَنَّ الغرام

رآها هذيم كأَنَّ الغرام

يقطّع بالوجد أوصالَها

يقطّع بالوجد أوصالَها

Hudhaym saw her—as though passion

Hudhaym saw her as though passion

Hudhaym saw her as if passion

were rending her limbs with yearning.

were tearing her limbs apart with longing.

Was cutting her limbs with anguish

متى ذكرت عهدها باللّوى

متى ذكرت عهدها باللّوى

أهاج التذكُّر بلبالَها

أهاج التذكُّر بلبالَها

Whenever she recalled her days at al-Liwā,

Whenever she recalled her former days at al-Liwa,

Whenever she remembered her pact with al-Lawá

remembrance stirred her heart’s turmoil.

recollection stirred her anguish.

Remembrance stirred up her confusion

تُؤَمِّل في ذي الغضا وقفةً

تُؤَمِّل في ذي الغضا وقفةً

ويحرمها البين آمالَها

ويحرمها البين آمالَها

She hopes for a pause at Dhū al-Ghaḍā,

She hopes for a halt at Dhu al-Ghada,

She lingers hopefully in Dhu al-Ghadah

but separation denies her hopes.

and separation robs her of her hopes.

But separation denies her hopes

فقال بها والهوى جنَّة

فقال بها والهوى جنَّة

وكم أَتْلَفَ الشَّوقُ أمثالَها

وكم أَتْلَفَ الشَّوقُ أمثالَها

He spoke of her—for love is madness,

Then he said, 'By love, she is mad!

So he said, and passion is a madness

and how many like her has longing destroyed!

And how many like her longing has destroyed!

And how much longing destroys the likes of her

فلو صَبَرتْ عن ربوع الحمى

فلو صَبَرتْ عن ربوع الحمى

لكان التصبُّر أولى لها

لكان التصبُّر أولى لها

Had she endured being away from the homeland’s dwellings,

Had she borne absence from the dwellings of the protected pasture,

If only she had patience from the meadows

then patience would have served her better.

patient endurance would have been more fitting for her.'

Patience would have better suited her

وهل تقبل النَّفس مشغوفة

وهل تقبل النَّفس مشغوفة

بمن هي تهواه عذَّالَها

بمن هي تهواه عذَّالَها

But will a soul, deeply enamored

And will a soul, deeply enamored,

Can a passionate soul accept

of the one she loves, heed her reproachers?

of the one it loves, heed its reproachers?

One whom she loves to torment her?

عَرَفْتُ بآي الهوى ما بها

عَرَفْتُ بآي الهوى ما بها

وأَنْتَ تقول لنا ما لَها

وأَنْتَ تقول لنا ما لَها

By the signs of love I knew what ailed her,

I knew from love's signs what ailed her,

I recognized by the signs of love what ailed her

while you kept asking us, “What is wrong with her?”

while you ask us, 'What is wrong with her?'

While you said to us, "What ails her?"

وقالت ومن حالها يا هُذيم

وقالت ومن حالها يا هُذيم

لسان يترجم أقوالَها

لسان يترجم أقوالَها

She spoke—and her very state, O Hudhaym,

And she said—and from her state, O Hudhaym,

And she said, while Hudhaym translated her words

is a tongue interpreting all her words:

comes a tongue that interprets her words—

A tongue to convey her speech

نعمتُ زماناً بتلك الوجوه

نعمتُ زماناً بتلك الوجوه

وقاسيتُ من بعدها أهوالَها

وقاسيتُ من بعدها أهوالَها

“For a time I delighted in those faces,

'For a time I delighted in those faces,

"For a time I enjoyed those faces

and after they were gone, I suffered terrors.

and after their departure I endured its terrors.'

Then after them I suffered terrors"

حَبَسْتِ بعينيك هذي الدُّموع

حَبَسْتِ بعينيك هذي الدُّموع

تريدين يا ناقُ إرسالَها

تريدين يا ناقُ إرسالَها

You have held back within your eyes these tears

You have held these tears back in your eyes;

"You’ve trapped these tears in your eyes

that you long, O she-camel, to release.

you wish, O she-camel, to let them flow.

Wanting, O she-camel, to release them"

هَلُمِّي بنا نستجدّ البكاءَ

هَلُمِّي بنا نستجدّ البكاءَ

فَقَدْ حَمَّلَ العينَ أثقالَها

فَقَدْ حَمَّلَ العينَ أثقالَها

Come, let us summon fresh weeping,

Come along with us; let us weep anew,

"Come, let us weep anew

for sorrow has laden the eye with its burdens.”

for it has weighed the eye down with its burdens.

For my eyes are heavily burdened"