هَوى أُمِّ بِشرٍ أَن تَراني بِغَبطَةٍ

هَوى أُمِّ بِشرٍ أَن تَراني بِغَبطَةٍ

وَتَهوى نُمَيرٌ غَيرَ ذاكَ وَأَكلُبُ

وَتَهوى نُمَيرٌ غَيرَ ذاكَ وَأَكلُبُ

Umm Bishr wishes to see me in enviable good fortune,

A mother of mankind wished to see me in joy,

And Numayr and Aklub desire otherwise.

While Numayr desired other than that, and Aklub,

قُضاعِيَّةٌ أَحمَت عَلَيها رِماحُنا

قُضاعِيَّةٌ أَحمَت عَلَيها رِماحُنا

صَحارِيَ فيها لِلمَكاكِيِّ مَلعَبُ

صَحارِيَ فيها لِلمَكاكِيِّ مَلعَبُ

A woman of Quda'ah—our spears have barred her from

Quda'iyya on which our spears bore down,

Deserts where larks have their playground.

Deserts wherein the sly foxes gambol,

وَكَم دونَها مِن مَلعَبٍ وَمَفازَةٍ

وَكَم دونَها مِن مَلعَبٍ وَمَفازَةٍ

تَظَلُّ بِها الوُرقُ الخِفافُ تَقَلَّبُ

تَظَلُّ بِها الوُرقُ الخِفافُ تَقَلَّبُ

And how many playgrounds and desert wastes lie before one reaches her,

And how many a playground and wilderness beneath it,

Where nimble, ash-gray birds spend the day wheeling.

Wherein the light leaves flutter and turn.

إِذا ما مَصايِيفُ القَطا قَرَبَت بِهِ

إِذا ما مَصايِيفُ القَطا قَرَبَت بِهِ

مِنَ القَيظِ أَدناها السُرى وَهيَ لُغَّبُ

مِنَ القَيظِ أَدناها السُرى وَهيَ لُغَّبُ

When summer-breeding sandgrouse make for water there,

When the summer rains of El-Qata drew near to him,

Driven by summer heat, night flight brings them near, exhausted.

Because of the heat, he brought them the Sura, and it was confused,

إِذا ما اِستَقَت ما تَستَقي الهيفُ فَرَّغَت

إِذا ما اِستَقَت ما تَستَقي الهيفُ فَرَّغَت

مِياهَ سَواقيها حَواصِلُ نُضَّبُ

مِياهَ سَواقيها حَواصِلُ نُضَّبُ

When they draw what parched camels draw, emptied are

When it took what the howdahs take, and it emptied

Their water-bearers' waters by parched crops,

The waters of its cisterns, the buckets pulled up.

بِوَفرٍ رِقاقٍ لَم تُخَرَّز قُعورُها

بِوَفرٍ رِقاقٍ لَم تُخَرَّز قُعورُها

وَلا شُربُها أَفواهُها لا تُصَوَّبُ

وَلا شُربُها أَفواهُها لا تُصَوَّبُ

In large, thin waterskins whose bottoms have not been stitched,

With ample intervening plains its depths were not pierced,

Nor their spouts; their mouths are never tipped down.

And its waters mouths drank not, nor were they aimed straight.

وَعَنسٍ بَراها رِحلَتي فَكَأَنَّها

وَعَنسٍ بَراها رِحلَتي فَكَأَنَّها

مِنَ الحَبسِ في الأَمصارِ وَالخَسفِ مِشجَبُ

مِنَ الحَبسِ في الأَمصارِ وَالخَسفِ مِشجَبُ

And a sturdy she-camel my journey has worn thin, so she seems,

By bleak Uensa my companions passed the night, so it seemed

From confinement in towns and privation, a clothes-rack.

As if from confinement in settled regions and wadis, distracted.

عَلى أَنَّها تَهدي المَطِيَّ إِذا عَوى

عَلى أَنَّها تَهدي المَطِيَّ إِذا عَوى

مِنَ اللَيلِ مَمشوقُ الذِراعَينِ هَبهَبُ

مِنَ اللَيلِ مَمشوقُ الذِراعَينِ هَبهَبُ

Yet she guides the riding camels when a howl sounds

Though it guides the rider, when wandering at night,

At night from a fleet wolf, slender of foreleg.

With arms outstretched, confused.