أَلا تِلكَ عِرسي أُمُّ سَكنٍ تَنَكَّرَت

أَلا تِلكَ عِرسي أُمُّ سَكنٍ تَنَكَّرَت

خَلائِقُها لي والخُطوبُ تَقَلَّبُ

خَلائِقُها لي والخُطوبُ تَقَلَّبُ

Ah, my wife there, Umm Sakan, has changed

Alas! That is my dwelling, mother of tranquility, disguised

in her ways toward me; fortunes keep turning.

Her ways to me and hopes fluctuate

تَعَرَّضُ أَحياناً وَأَزعُمُ أَنَّها

تَعَرَّضُ أَحياناً وَأَزعُمُ أَنَّها

تُحَوِّطُ أَمراً عِندَهُ تَتَقرَّبُ

تُحَوِّطُ أَمراً عِندَهُ تَتَقرَّبُ

Sometimes she makes hints, and I suppose that she

Sometimes she acts coyly and I suppose

is carefully managing some matter, seeking favor through it.

She harbors something, drawing near

فَقُلتُ لَها لا تَعجَلي كُلُّ كُربَةٍ

فَقُلتُ لَها لا تَعجَلي كُلُّ كُربَةٍ

سَتَمضي وَلَو دامَت قَليلاً فَتَذهَبُ

سَتَمضي وَلَو دامَت قَليلاً فَتَذهَبُ

So I told her: Do not be hasty; every distress

So I said do not hurry, every sorrow

will pass; even if it lingers a little, it will go.

Will pass even if briefly, then go

فَإِمّا تَرَيني لا أَريمُكِ قاعِداً

فَإِمّا تَرَيني لا أَريمُكِ قاعِداً

لَدى البابِ لا أَغزو وَلا أَتَغَيَّبُ

لَدى البابِ لا أَغزو وَلا أَتَغَيَّبُ

So if you see me sitting, never leaving you,

Whether you see me or not, sitting

beside the door, neither raiding nor going away,

At the door, not traveling or absent

فَإِنَّكِ لا تَدرينَ أَن رُبَّ سَربَخٍ

فَإِنَّكِ لا تَدرينَ أَن رُبَّ سَربَخٍ

دِقاقُ الحَصى مِنهُ رِمالٌ وَسَبسَبُ

دِقاقُ الحَصى مِنهُ رِمالٌ وَسَبسَبُ

you do not know how many a trackless waste—

For you know not that sometimes a mirage

with fine gravel, sands, and open stretches—

With pebbles so smooth, is but sand and dust

أَقَمتُ الهَدى فيهِ إِذا المَرءُ غَمَّهُ

أَقَمتُ الهَدى فيهِ إِذا المَرءُ غَمَّهُ

سَقيطُ النَدى وَالدّاخِنُ المُتَحَلِّبُ

سَقيطُ النَدى وَالدّاخِنُ المُتَحَلِّبُ

I held my course through, when a man was weighed down

I stayed the course though worried

by falling dew and dripping, smoke-like mist,

With dew fallen and scorching heat

إِلى أَن بَدا فَجرُ الصَباحِ وَنَجمُهُ

إِلى أَن بَدا فَجرُ الصَباحِ وَنَجمُهُ

وَزالَ سَوادُ اللَيلِ عَمّا يُغَيِّبُ

وَزالَ سَوادُ اللَيلِ عَمّا يُغَيِّبُ

until morning's dawn appeared, and its star,

Until dawn broke with its star

and night's blackness lifted from what it concealed.

And night’s darkness vanished, fading away

وَصَحراءَ سِختيتٍ يَحارُ بِها القَطا

وَصَحراءَ سِختيتٍ يَحارُ بِها القَطا

وَيرتَدُّ فيها الطَرفُ أَو يَتَقَضَّبُ

وَيرتَدُّ فيها الطَرفُ أَو يَتَقَضَّبُ

And many a hard, barren desert where sandgrouse lose their way,

And Sikhitiyah desert where gazelle wanders

and where the gaze recoils or falls short,

And sight wanders or crumbles away

قطعتُ إِذا كانَ السَرابُ كَأَنَّهُ

قطعتُ إِذا كانَ السَرابُ كَأَنَّهُ

سَحابٌ عَلى أَعجازِهِ مُتَنَصِّبُ

سَحابٌ عَلى أَعجازِهِ مُتَنَصِّبُ

I crossed when the mirage seemed

When mirage was like clouds

a cloud rearing upright on its hindquarters,

Lofty on its heels, arising

عَلى ذاتِ لَوثٍ تَجعَلُ الوَضعَ مَشيَها

عَلى ذاتِ لَوثٍ تَجعَلُ الوَضعَ مَشيَها

كَما انقَضَّ عَيرُ الصَخرَةِ المُتَرَقِّبُ

كَما انقَضَّ عَيرُ الصَخرَةِ المُتَرَقِّبُ

on a sturdy she-camel whose walking pace is a swift trot,

On a figure so graceful, its walk

like the watchful wild ass of the crag hurtling down.

As caravan on rock collapsed

تَراها إِذا ما استَحمَلَ القَومُ بَعضَهُم

تَراها إِذا ما استَحمَلَ القَومُ بَعضَهُم

عَلَيها مَتاعٌ لِلرَّديقِ وَمَركِبُ

عَلَيها مَتاعٌ لِلرَّديقِ وَمَركِبُ

You see her, when the men ask their fellows for a mount,

You see it when people loaded upon it

with a frail traveler's baggage upon her, and room to ride.

Goods for supply and mount

وَتُصبِحُ عَن غَبِّ السُرى وَكَأَنَّها

وَتُصبِحُ عَن غَبِّ السُرى وَكَأَنَّها

إِذا ضُرِبَ الأَقصى مِنَ الرَّكبِ تُضرَبُ

إِذا ضُرِبَ الأَقصى مِنَ الرَّكبِ تُضرَبُ

And after night travel she greets the morning as though,

And it wakes from the hardship of travel as if

when the caravan's farthest mount is whipped, she too is whipped.

When the rear struck, it too is struck

كَأَنَّ لَها رَأماً تَراهُ أَمامَها

كَأَنَّ لَها رَأماً تَراهُ أَمامَها

مَدى العَينِ تُستَهوى إِلَيهِ وَتَذهَبُ

مَدى العَينِ تُستَهوى إِلَيهِ وَتَذهَبُ

As though she had a calf she saw before her,

As if it has a goal ahead

at the limit of sight; she is drawn toward it and goes.

As far as the eye can see, sought and goes

وَخَلٍّ مَخُوفٍ بَينَ ضِرسٍ وَغابَةٍ

وَخَلٍّ مَخُوفٍ بَينَ ضِرسٍ وَغابَةٍ

أَلَفَّ مَضيقٍ لَيسَ عَنهُ مُجَنَّبُ

أَلَفَّ مَضيقٍ لَيسَ عَنهُ مُجَنَّبُ

And many a dreaded track between crag and thicket,

And an awe-inspiring valley between fang and forest

tangled and narrow, with no way to skirt it—

Where a narrow pass has no alternative

كَأَنَّ مَصاماتِ الأُسودِ بِبَطنِهِ

كَأَنَّ مَصاماتِ الأُسودِ بِبَطنِهِ

مَراغٌ وَآثارُ الأَراجيلِ ملعَبُ

مَراغٌ وَآثارُ الأَراجيلِ ملعَبُ

as though the lions' lairs in its hollow

As if the lion's dens in its belly

were wallowing places, and men's tracks a playground—

Are hearth and the lion paths its playground

سَلَكتُ إِذا ما جَنَّ ثَغَر طَريقِهِ

سَلَكتُ إِذا ما جَنَّ ثَغَر طَريقِهِ

أَغَمُّ دَجوجيٌّ مِنَ اللَيلِ غَيهَبُ

أَغَمُّ دَجوجيٌّ مِنَ اللَيلِ غَيهَبُ

I traversed when the mouth of its path was veiled

I walked when his mouth frowned

by dense, pitch-black darkness of night,

Gloomy darkness from night hovers

بِذي هَبَراتٍ أَو بِأَبيَضَ مُرهَفٍ

بِذي هَبَراتٍ أَو بِأَبيَضَ مُرهَفٍ

سَقاهُ السِمامَ الهِندِكيُّ المُخَرَّبُ

سَقاهُ السِمامَ الهِندِكيُّ المُخَرَّبُ

with a cleaving sword, or a keen-edged white blade,

On a swift or shiny white Oryx

which the pierced-eared Indian had steeped in poisons.

Sated by Indian poison ruined

تَجاوَزتُهُ يَمشي بِرُكنيَ مِخشَفٌ

تَجاوَزتُهُ يَمشي بِرُكنيَ مِخشَفٌ

كَسيدِ الفِضا سِر بالُهُ مُتَجَوِّبُ

كَسيدِ الفِضا سِر بالُهُ مُتَجَوِّبُ

I passed through it, an intrepid man walking at my side,

I passed it walking proudly

like a wolf of the wastes, his tunic torn through:

Like master of space, his mind roaming

كَريمٌ حَليمٌ لا يُخافُ أَذاتُهُ

كَريمٌ حَليمٌ لا يُخافُ أَذاتُهُ

وَلا جَهلُهُ فيما يَجِدُّ وَيَلعَبُ

وَلا جَهلُهُ فيما يَجِدُّ وَيَلعَبُ

generous, forbearing, whose harm is never feared,

Noble and kind, his harm not feared

nor his rashness, in earnest or in play.

Nor his ignorance in what he finds and plays

إِذا قُلتُ قَد أَغضَبتُهُ عادَ وُدُّهُ

إِذا قُلتُ قَد أَغضَبتُهُ عادَ وُدُّهُ

كَما عادَ وُدُّ الرَيَّةِ المُتَثَوِّبُ

كَما عادَ وُدُّ الرَيَّةِ المُتَثَوِّبُ

When I say, 'I have angered him,' his affection returns,

When I said I angered him, his love returned

as longing for a thirst-quenching drink returns again.

As the Oryx’s love returned vibrating

وَكانَ إِذا ما يَلتَقي القَومَ قَرنُهُ

وَكانَ إِذا ما يَلتَقي القَومَ قَرنُهُ

كَمَا عَادَ وُدُّ الرَّيَّةِ المُتَثَوِّبُ

كَمَا عَادَ وُدُّ الرَّيَّةِ المُتَثَوِّبُ

And when he faced the men, his adversary was—

And when meeting people, his company

as longing for a thirst-quenching drink returns again.

Returned as the Oryx's love, fluctuating