مَحا رَسمَ دارٍ بِالصَريمَةِ مُسبِلٌ

مَحا رَسمَ دارٍ بِالصَريمَةِ مُسبِلٌ

نَضوحٌ وَريحٌ تَعتَريهُ جَفولُ

نَضوحٌ وَريحٌ تَعتَريهُ جَفولُ

A pouring raincloud erased a dwelling's traces at al-Sarimah,

The trace of a house in ruins wiped away

Showering abundantly, with a rushing wind sweeping over it.

By floods and winds sweeping unrestrained

فَغَيَّرَ آياتِ الحَبيبِ مَعَ البِلى

فَغَيَّرَ آياتِ الحَبيبِ مَعَ البِلى

بَوارِحُ تَطوي تُربَها وَسُيولُ

بَوارِحُ تَطوي تُربَها وَسُيولُ

So, along with decay, the beloved's traces were altered

So it changed the signs of the beloved

By scorching winds that sweep up its soil, and floods.

With members burying the soil in torrents

دِيارٌ لِأَروى وَالرَبابِ وَمَن يَكُن

دِيارٌ لِأَروى وَالرَبابِ وَمَن يَكُن

لَهُ عِندَ أَروى وَالرَبابِ تُبولُ

لَهُ عِندَ أَروى وَالرَبابِ تُبولُ

Dwellings of Arwa and al-Rabab; whoever has

A land for bushes, grasshoppers, and whoever

Blood-feuds to avenge against Arwa and al-Rabab

Has a place with bushes and grasshoppers

يَبِت وَهوَ مَشحوذٌ عَلَيهِ وَلا يُرى

يَبِت وَهوَ مَشحوذٌ عَلَيهِ وَلا يُرى

إِلى بَيضَتي وَكرِ الأَنوقِ سَبيلُ

إِلى بَيضَتي وَكرِ الأَنوقِ سَبيلُ

Spends the night with hostility whetted against him; no way is seen

He spends the night sharpened against it unseen

To the two eggs in the vulture's nest.

To my tent and the burrows of the gazelles a path

وَما خِفتُ بَينَ الحَيِّ حَتّى رَأَيتُهُم

وَما خِفتُ بَينَ الحَيِّ حَتّى رَأَيتُهُم

لَهُم بِأَعالي الجَلهَتَينِ حُمولُ

لَهُم بِأَعالي الجَلهَتَينِ حُمولُ

And I did not fear the tribe's departure until I saw them

I did not fear among the living until I saw them

With laden camels on the heights of the two valley-sides.

With skulls on the tops of the two barren tracts

فَبانوا بِأَروى يَومَ ذاكَ كَأَنَّها

فَبانوا بِأَروى يَومَ ذاكَ كَأَنَّها

مِنَ الأُدمِ غَنّاءُ البُغامِ خَذولُ

مِنَ الأُدمِ غَنّاءُ البُغامِ خَذولُ

Then they departed with Arwa that day, as though she

So they appeared at Arwa as if it were

Were one of the pale gazelles, nasal-voiced and apart from the herd.

Among the leather, the singing slave girls, unkempt

مُبِنَّةُ غارٍ أَينَما التَجَّ شَمسُهُ

مُبِنَّةُ غارٍ أَينَما التَجَّ شَمسُهُ

بِحالٍ فَقَرنُ الشاةِ فيهِ ظَليلُ

بِحالٍ فَقَرنُ الشاةِ فيهِ ظَليلُ

Dwelling in a cave—wherever its sunlight blazes,

A cavern wherever its sun declines

Whatever the conditions, the doe's horn there stays shaded.

In a condition the sheep's horn in it a shade

لَها مِن وَراقٍ ناعِمٍ ما يُكِنُها

لَها مِن وَراقٍ ناعِمٍ ما يُكِنُها

مَرَفٌّ تَرَعّاهُ الضُحى وَرُبولُ

مَرَفٌّ تَرَعّاهُ الضُحى وَرُبولُ

She has tender foliage to shelter her,

It has from a soft leafiness that hides it

A pasture she grazes in the forenoon, and fresh autumn shoots.

A pasture grazed at dawn and dusk

وَكَم قَتَلَت أَروى بِلا تِرَةٍ لَها

وَكَم قَتَلَت أَروى بِلا تِرَةٍ لَها

وَأَروى لِفُرّاغِ الرِجالِ قَتولُ

وَأَروى لِفُرّاغِ الرِجالِ قَتولُ

And how many Arwa has killed without a blood-debt owed her!

And how many Arwa killed without a spear belonging to it

And Arwa is deadly to men at leisure.

Yet Arwa is for the relief of men, a slayer

فلَو كانَ مَبكى ساعَةٍ لَبَكَيتُها

فلَو كانَ مَبكى ساعَةٍ لَبَكَيتُها

وَلَكِنَّ شَرَّ الغانِياتِ طَويلُ

وَلَكِنَّ شَرَّ الغانِياتِ طَويلُ

So, if it were only an hour's weeping, I would weep for her;

If a crying time had cried, I would have cried it

But the harm of beautiful women lasts long.

But the worst of singing slave girls is unending

ظَلِلتُ كَأَنّي شارِبٌ بابِلِيَّةً

ظَلِلتُ كَأَنّي شارِبٌ بابِلِيَّةً

رَكودُ الحُمَيّا في العِظامِ شَمولُ

رَكودُ الحُمَيّا في العِظامِ شَمولُ

All day I was as though drinking Babylonian wine,

I have lingered as if drinking Babylonian

Wine whose heady warmth lingers in the bones;

Stagnant fever in the bones pervading

صَريعُ فِلَسطينِيَّةٍ راعَهُ بِها

صَريعُ فِلَسطينِيَّةٍ راعَهُ بِها

مِنَ الغَورِ عَن طولِ الفِراقِ خَليلِ

مِنَ الغَورِ عَن طولِ الفِراقِ خَليلِ

Like one felled by Palestinian wine, surprised with it

The stupor of a young Philistine woman tended it

By a friend from al-Ghawr, after a long separation.

From the exultation, from the length of parting, a friend

أَبوا أَن يَقيلوا إِذ تَوَقَّدَ يَومُهُم

أَبوا أَن يَقيلوا إِذ تَوَقَّدَ يَومُهُم

وَقَد جَعَلَت عُفرُ الظِباءِ تَقيلُ

وَقَد جَعَلَت عُفرُ الظِباءِ تَقيلُ

They refused to rest at noon when their day blazed,

They refused to rest when their day kindled

Though the tawny gazelles had already begun their noonday rest.

And the thickets of gazelles had been made to rest

وَأَشرَفَ حِرباءُ الظَهيرَةِ يَصطَلي

وَأَشرَفَ حِرباءُ الظَهيرَةِ يَصطَلي

وَهُنَّ عَلى عيدانِهِنَّ جُذولُ

وَهُنَّ عَلى عيدانِهِنَّ جُذولُ

And the noonday chameleon climbed up to bask,

The she-lizards of noon basked

While they stand like stumps upon their branches.

While they were upon their limbs ungainly

أَجَدّوا نَجاءً غَيَّبَتهُم عَشِيَّةً

أَجَدّوا نَجاءً غَيَّبَتهُم عَشِيَّةً

خَمائِلُ مِن ذاتِ الغَضى وَهُجولُ

خَمائِلُ مِن ذاتِ الغَضى وَهُجولُ

They pressed hard in swift flight; by evening they were hidden

They met an evening that caused them to disappear

By thickets of Dhat al-Ghada and open hollows.

Crazed from the slim waisted and stirred

وَكُنتُ صَحيحَ القَلبِ حَتّى أَصابَني

وَكُنتُ صَحيحَ القَلبِ حَتّى أَصابَني

مِنَ اللامِعاتِ المُبرِقاتِ خُبولُ

مِنَ اللامِعاتِ المُبرِقاتِ خُبولُ

And my heart was sound until I was afflicted

I was sound of heart until I was struck

With madness by the gleaming, flashing women,

By the brilliant, shining, stare of a gazelle

مِنَ المائِلاتِ الغيدِ وَهناً وَإِنَّها

مِنَ المائِلاتِ الغيدِ وَهناً وَإِنَّها

عَلى صُرمِهِ أَو وَصلِهِ لَغَفولُ

عَلى صُرمِهِ أَو وَصلِهِ لَغَفولُ

Among the swaying, supple-necked women late at night; and indeed she

Of the swaying, sliding, oh now, and she

Is heedless of his severing or maintaining their bond.

On his declivity or union is heedless

وَكُنَّ عَلى أَحيانِهِنَّ يَصِدنَني

وَكُنَّ عَلى أَحيانِهِنَّ يَصِدنَني

وَهُنَّ مَنايا لِلرِجالِ وَغولُ

وَهُنَّ مَنايا لِلرِجالِ وَغولُ

And at times they would ensnare me,

And they bar me from their times

And they are death to men, and a ghoul.

While they are a death wish for men, a marauder

فَإِنَّ اِمرَأً لا يَنتَهي عَن غَوايَةٍ

فَإِنَّ اِمرَأً لا يَنتَهي عَن غَوايَةٍ

إِذا ما اِشتَهَتها نَفسُهُ لَجَهولُ

إِذا ما اِشتَهَتها نَفسُهُ لَجَهولُ

For a man who will not desist from waywardness,

For a man will not abstain from going astray

When his soul desires it, is surely a fool.

If his soul desires it, obscure