وَمُر تَبَعٍ مِن مَسقَطِ الرَّملِ بِالحِمى

وَمُر تَبَعٍ مِن مَسقَطِ الرَّملِ بِالحِمى

يُخاصِرُهُ وادٍ أَغَنُّ خَصيبُ

يُخاصِرُهُ وادٍ أَغَنُّ خَصيبُ

And Marr Tubbaʿ, from the sand’s downslope at al-Ḥimā,

And a spring pasture along the sands’ slope at al-Hima,

is girdled about by a lush, fertile valley.

A lush, fertile valley flanks it.

تَحِلُّ بِهِ ظَمياءُ وَهيَ حَبيبَةٌ

تَحِلُّ بِهِ ظَمياءُ وَهيَ حَبيبَةٌ

إِليَّ وَمَغناها إِليَّ حَبيبُ

إِليَّ وَمَغناها إِليَّ حَبيبُ

ʿAmyāʾ alights there, and she is dear

Zamya dwells there, and she is dear

to me; her dwelling, too, is dear to me.

To me, and her dwelling is dear to me.

إِذا سَحَبَتْ أَذيالَها في عِراصِهِ

إِذا سَحَبَتْ أَذيالَها في عِراصِهِ

وَجَدتُ ثَرى تِلكَ الرِّباعِ يَطيبُ

وَجَدتُ ثَرى تِلكَ الرِّباعِ يَطيبُ

When she trails her skirts through its open courts,

Whenever she trails her hems through its open grounds,

I find the soil of those dwellings turning fragrant.

I find the soil of those dwellings fragrant.

وَيَحلو بِفِيَّ الشِّعرُ ما أُطرِبَتْ بِهِ

وَيَحلو بِفِيَّ الشِّعرُ ما أُطرِبَتْ بِهِ

وَما كانَ يَحلو لي لَدىَّ نَسيبُ

وَما كانَ يَحلو لي لَدىَّ نَسيبُ

Poetry grows sweet within my soul whenever she delights me with it,

And poetry is sweet in my mouth so long as she is delighted by it,

though no love-prelude had ever seemed sweet to me.

Though love verse had never been sweet to me.

وَلَمّا رأَت وَخطَ القَتيرِ بلِمَّتي

وَلَمّا رأَت وَخطَ القَتيرِ بلِمَّتي

تَوَلَّت كَما راعَ الغَزالَةَ ذيبُ

تَوَلَّت كَما راعَ الغَزالَةَ ذيبُ

And when she saw gray begin to thread my locks,

And when she saw gray flecking my locks,

she turned away, as a wolf startles a gazelle.

She turned away like a gazelle frightened by a wolf.

وَكُنّا كَغُصنَي بانَةٍ طابَ عِرقُها

وَكُنّا كَغُصنَي بانَةٍ طابَ عِرقُها

فَطالا وَلكن ذابِلٌ وَرَطيبُ

فَطالا وَلكن ذابِلٌ وَرَطيبُ

We had been like two boughs of a ben tree, wholesome at the root:

And we were like two boughs of a ban tree whose root was sound;

both grew tall—but one is withered, the other fresh.

So both grew tall, but one is withered and the other fresh.

فَما بالُها تَرمي إِلَيَّ بِنَظرَةٍ

فَما بالُها تَرمي إِلَيَّ بِنَظرَةٍ

تُغازِلُها البَغضاءُ وَهيَ تُريبُ

تُغازِلُها البَغضاءُ وَهيَ تُريبُ

Why, then, does she cast at me a glance

So why does she cast a glance toward me

with which hatred dallies, and which awakens mistrust?

With which hatred flirts, and which arouses doubt?

كَأَنّي اِبتَدَعتُ الشَّيبَ أَو لَيسَ في الوَرى

كَأَنّي اِبتَدَعتُ الشَّيبَ أَو لَيسَ في الوَرى

ذوائبُ في أَطرافِهِنَّ مَشيبُ

ذوائبُ في أَطرافِهِنَّ مَشيبُ

As though I had invented gray hair—or as though among mankind

As though I had invented gray hair, or there were among mankind no

there were no tresses touched with gray at their tips!

Tresses with gray at their ends.

وَلا غَروَ أَن أُكسى القِلَى مِن كواعِبٍ

وَلا غَروَ أَن أُكسى القِلَى مِن كواعِبٍ

رِداءُ شَبابي عِندَهُنَّ سَليبُ

رِداءُ شَبابي عِندَهُنَّ سَليبُ

No wonder I should be clothed in aversion by budding maidens:

And no wonder I am clad in loathing by budding-breasted maidens:

the mantle of my youth lies plundered in their keeping.

The cloak of my youth, in their eyes, has been stripped away.