وَسِرْبِ عَذارَى مِنْ عُقيلٍ سَمِعْنَني

وَسِرْبِ عَذارَى مِنْ عُقيلٍ سَمِعْنَني

وَراءَ بُيوتِ الحَيِّ مُرْتَجِزاً أَشْدو

وَراءَ بُيوتِ الحَيِّ مُرْتَجِزاً أَشْدو

And a bevy of maidens from ʿUqayl heard me

A flock of maidens from 'Uqail heard me

behind the tribe's dwellings, singing in rajaz verse.

Reciting poetry behind the dwellings of Hayy

فَسُدَّتْ خَصاصَاتُ الخُدورِ بِأَعْيُنٍ

فَسُدَّتْ خَصاصَاتُ الخُدورِ بِأَعْيُنٍ

حَكَتْ قُضُباً في كُلِّ قَلْبٍ لَها غِمْدُ

حَكَتْ قُضُباً في كُلِّ قَلْبٍ لَها غِمْدُ

Then the chinks in the curtained chambers were filled with eyes

So the eyeholes of the chambers were blocked

like swords, with a sheath for them in every heart.

By staves that pierced every heart that had a sheath

وَرَدَّدْنَ أَنْفاسَاً تُقَدُّ مِنَ الحَشَى

وَرَدَّدْنَ أَنْفاسَاً تُقَدُّ مِنَ الحَشَى

وَتَدْمَى فَلَمْ يَسْلَمْ لِغَانِيَةٍ عِقْدُ

وَتَدْمَى فَلَمْ يَسْلَمْ لِغَانِيَةٍ عِقْدُ

And they heaved breath after breath, cut from deep within,

And they breathed sighs that ignited my fervor

and bleeding; no fair woman's necklace remained intact.

And bled, but no necklace was safe for a singing girl

وَفِيهِنَّ هِنْدٌ وَهْيَ خَوْدٌ غَزيرةٌ

وَفِيهِنَّ هِنْدٌ وَهْيَ خَوْدٌ غَزيرةٌ

وَمُنْيَةُ نَفْسِي دونَ أَتْرابِها هِنْدُ

وَمُنْيَةُ نَفْسِي دونَ أَتْرابِها هِنْدُ

And among them was Hind, a tender, richly endowed maiden;

Among them were a Hind and a Hayya, plump

and Hind, not her peers, is my soul's desire.

And my soul's demise is for their sake, O Hind!

فَقُلْنَ لَهَا مِنْ أَينَ أَوْضَحَ ذا الفَتى

فَقُلْنَ لَهَا مِنْ أَينَ أَوْضَحَ ذا الفَتى

وَمَنْشَؤُهُ غَوْرا تِهامَةَ أَوْ نَجْدُ

وَمَنْشَؤُهُ غَوْرا تِهامَةَ أَوْ نَجْدُ

Then they asked her, ‘From where did this youth emerge,

They asked her, "Whence did this young man come

and is his homeland Tihāma's lowlands, or Najd?

From a valley in Tihama or from Najd?"

فَفي لَفْظِهِ عُلْويَّةٌ مِنْ فَصاحَةٍ

فَفي لَفْظِهِ عُلْويَّةٌ مِنْ فَصاحَةٍ

وَقَدْ كادَ مِنْ أَشْعارِهِ يَقْطُرُ المَجْدُ

وَقَدْ كادَ مِنْ أَشْعارِهِ يَقْطُرُ المَجْدُ

For his speech has an upland strain of eloquence,

In his diction is a highborn eloquence

and glory all but drips from his verses.’

And from his poetry glory drips

فَقالَتْ غُلامٌ مِنْ قُرَيْشٍ تَقاذَفَتْ

فَقالَتْ غُلامٌ مِنْ قُرَيْشٍ تَقاذَفَتْ

بِهِ نِيَّةٌ يَعْيَى بِها العاجِزُ الوَغْدُ

بِهِ نِيَّةٌ يَعْيَى بِها العاجِزُ الوَغْدُ

She said, ‘A youth of Quraysh, tossed about

A girl said, "A Qurayshi youth upon whom

by a purpose that exhausts the feeble, base man.’

An ambition was cast to revive the frail weakling

لَعَمْرُ أَبيها إِنَّها لَخَبيرةٌ

لَعَمْرُ أَبيها إِنَّها لَخَبيرةٌ

بِأَرْوَعَ يَمْري دَرَّ نائِلِهِ الحَمْدُ

بِأَرْوَعَ يَمْري دَرَّ نائِلِهِ الحَمْدُ

By her father's life, she is indeed well acquainted

By his father's life! She is an expert

with a splendid man whose bounty's milk praise coaxes forth,

At the finest camel-borne litters of praise."

مِنَ القَوْمِ تَسْتَحْلِي المَنايَا نُفُوسَهُمْ

مِنَ القَوْمِ تَسْتَحْلِي المَنايَا نُفُوسَهُمْ

وَيَخْتالُ تِيهاً في ظِلالِهِمُ الوَفْدُ

وَيَخْتالُ تِيهاً في ظِلالِهِمُ الوَفْدُ

one of a people whose souls Death savors,

Of a people whose souls crave calamities

and in whose shade delegations strut with pride.

While the delegation wanders lost in their shade

وَمَنْ لانَ لِلْخَطْبِ المُلِمِّ عَريكَةً

وَمَنْ لانَ لِلْخَطْبِ المُلِمِّ عَريكَةً

فَإنّي على ما نَابَني حَجَرٌ صَلْدُ

فَإنّي على ما نَابَني حَجَرٌ صَلْدُ

And if anyone's temper softens before a calamity that strikes,

Whoever recoils from the terrible disaster

I am hard stone against whatever has befallen me.

I am, for what has afflicted me, an impenetrable stone

بَلَغْتُ أَشُدِّي وَالزَّمانُ مُمارِسٌ

بَلَغْتُ أَشُدِّي وَالزَّمانُ مُمارِسٌ

جِماحِي عَلَيْهِ وَهْو ما راضَنِي بَعْدُ

جِماحِي عَلَيْهِ وَهْو ما راضَنِي بَعْدُ

I have reached my prime, while Time wrestles

I reached my prime, and time kept

with my defiance of it; it has not tamed me yet.

Goading me, though it has not pleased me yet