أَلا لَيتَ شِعري هَل أَرى أُمَّ سالِمٍ

أَلا لَيتَ شِعري هَل أَرى أُمَّ سالِمٍ

بِمُرتَبَعٍ بَينَ العُذَيبِ وَبارِقِ

بِمُرتَبَعٍ بَينَ العُذَيبِ وَبارِقِ

Oh, would that I knew whether I shall see Umm Salim

Alas! I wonder, will I see Umm Salim’s abode,

At a spring pasture between al-ʿUdhayb and Bariq,

In the valley between al-Udhayb and Bariq?

وَأَسري إِلَيها وَالهَوى يَستَفِزُّني

وَأَسري إِلَيها وَالهَوى يَستَفِزُّني

بِمُحمَرَّةِ الأَخفافِ فُتلِ المَرافِقِ

بِمُحمَرَّةِ الأَخفافِ فُتلِ المَرافِقِ

And travel by night to her, with passion urging me on,

I will journey to her, while passion spurs me on,

On camels with reddish footpads and splayed elbows!

With the red-dyed forelocks and the quick-pacèd mounts.

مَعي صاحِبٌ مِن سِرِّ عَدنانَ ماجِدٌ

مَعي صاحِبٌ مِن سِرِّ عَدنانَ ماجِدٌ

مُضيءُ نَواحي الوَجهِ غَمرُ الخَلائِقِ

مُضيءُ نَواحي الوَجهِ غَمرُ الخَلائِقِ

With me is a noble companion of ʿAdnan's finest stock,

My companion is a man of ‘Adnan’s secret, Majid,

His face radiant on every side, his virtues abundant.

Who illuminates the horizons and all creation.

ضَعيفُ وِكاءِ الكيسِ لا جارُهُ أَذٍ

ضَعيفُ وِكاءِ الكيسِ لا جارُهُ أَذٍ

وَلا ضَيفُهُ بِالمَنزِلِ المُتَضايقِ

وَلا ضَيفُهُ بِالمَنزِلِ المُتَضايقِ

His purse's tie is loose; his neighbor suffers no harm,

Of weak constitution, not inclined to harm others,

Nor is his guest lodged in a cramped dwelling.

Nor does his humble abode crowd his guest.

إِذا هَوَّمَ الرَّكبُ الطِّلاحُ حَدا بِهِم

إِذا هَوَّمَ الرَّكبُ الطِّلاحُ حَدا بِهِم

وَلفَّ رَذايا عيسِهِم بِالسَّوابِقِ

وَلفَّ رَذايا عيسِهِم بِالسَّوابِقِ

When the exhausted riders doze, he urges them on with song,

When the riders spur on their camels at sunrise

And brings their worn-out pale camels alongside the frontrunners.

And the masters lead their steeds ahead in the race

كَأَنَّ أَخا عَبْسٍ عَلى الكُورِ أَجدَلٌ

كَأَنَّ أَخا عَبْسٍ عَلى الكُورِ أَجدَلٌ

بِمُرتَبأٍ مِن ذي الأَراكَةِ شاهِقِ

بِمُرتَبأٍ مِن ذي الأَراكَةِ شاهِقِ

The man of ʿAbs on his camel-saddle seems a falcon,

He is like Abs’ brother on the sand dunes,

At a lofty lookout in Dhu al-Arakah.

Lofty upon his she-camel descending from Dhu Arrakah.

وَلا عَيبَ فيهِ غَيرَ أَنَّ مَطيَّهُ

وَلا عَيبَ فيهِ غَيرَ أَنَّ مَطيَّهُ

عَلى اليأسِ مِن تَغويرِهِ في الوَدائِقِ

عَلى اليأسِ مِن تَغويرِهِ في الوَدائِقِ

And he has no fault, except that his riding camels

He has no fault but that his mount upon the dunes

Despair of his taking a midday rest in the scorching heat;

Despairs of outpacing the others in the valley.

وَأَنَّ كَرى عَينَيْهِ في لَيلَةِ السُّرى

وَأَنَّ كَرى عَينَيْهِ في لَيلَةِ السُّرى

قَليلٌ بِحَيثُ اللَّيلُ جَمُّ البَوائِقِ

قَليلٌ بِحَيثُ اللَّيلُ جَمُّ البَوائِقِ

And that the sleep of his eyes on a night of travel

And that his eyesight on the night journey was dim,

Is scant where the night teems with perils;

As the dark night obscures all vision.

وَأَنّي أُعاني في الصَّبابَةِ لَومَهُ

وَأَنّي أُعاني في الصَّبابَةِ لَومَهُ

وَما هُوَ عِندي بِالرَّفيقِ المُماذِقِ

وَما هُوَ عِندي بِالرَّفيقِ المُماذِقِ

And that in my longing I endure his reproach,

And that I bear the blame for his youth,

Yet in my eyes he is no false-hearted companion.

Though he is no burden, and I am no harsh taskmaster.

وَأَعلَمُ أَنَّ العَذلَ مِنهُ نَصيحَةٌ

وَأَعلَمُ أَنَّ العَذلَ مِنهُ نَصيحَةٌ

وَلَيسَ بِعَدلٍ نُصحُ سالٍ لِعاشِقِ

وَلَيسَ بِعَدلٍ نُصحُ سالٍ لِعاشِقِ

And I know that his rebuke is sincere counsel,

And I know that his reproach comes from care for me;

Yet it is not fair for one untroubled by love to counsel a lover.

It is not just to reprimand a friend for loving.

أَلَم تَرَ عَيني لا تَرى السُّوءَ بِاللِّوى

أَلَم تَرَ عَيني لا تَرى السُّوءَ بِاللِّوى

مُعَرَّسَ طَيفٍ آخِرَ اللَيلِ طارِقِ

مُعَرَّسَ طَيفٍ آخِرَ اللَيلِ طارِقِ

Did my eye not see—may it never see harm—at al-Liwa

Do you not see that my eyes discern no evil in the beloved,

The resting-place of a dream-phantom visiting at night's end,

A vision that comes to me late in the blackest night?

لِقَيسيَّةٍ لا ذِكرُها فاضِحٌ أَباً

لِقَيسيَّةٍ لا ذِكرُها فاضِحٌ أَباً

وَلاوَجهُها نُهبى العيونِ الرَّوامِقِ

وَلاوَجهُها نُهبى العيونِ الرَّوامِقِ

Of a woman of Qays whose mention shames no father,

A Qaysiyyah whose name does not shame her father,

And whose face is no plunder for gazing eyes?

Nor is her face the plunder of spying eyes.

تَعَلَّقتُها طِفلَينِ وَالدَّهرُ عِندَنا

تَعَلَّقتُها طِفلَينِ وَالدَّهرُ عِندَنا

كَثيرٌ أَياديِهِ قَليلُ العوائِقِ

كَثيرٌ أَياديِهِ قَليلُ العوائِقِ

I fell in love with her when we were both children, and time, for us,

I clung to her as a child, and fate is with us

Was lavish in favors and scant in hindrances.

Whose hands are generous, unobstructed.

فَما زالَ يَنمى حُبُّها في شَبيبَتي

فَما زالَ يَنمى حُبُّها في شَبيبَتي

وَفي الشَّيبِ إِذ أَلقى يَداً في المَفارِقِ

وَفي الشَّيبِ إِذ أَلقى يَداً في المَفارِقِ

So my love for her kept growing in my youth,

So my love for her kept growing through my youth

And in grayness, when it laid a hand upon the partings of my hair.

And into old age when I enter the farewell.

إِذا ما التَقَينا لاذتِ الأُزرُ بِالتُقى

إِذا ما التَقَينا لاذتِ الأُزرُ بِالتُقى

وَناجى وِشاحَيها النِجادُ بِعاتِقي

وَناجى وِشاحَيها النِجادُ بِعاتِقي

Whenever we meet, our waist-wraps take refuge in piety,

When we come together, my cloak clings to her cloak,

And the sword-baldric on my shoulder whispers to her two sashes.

And my neckband whispers with her neckband.

وَأَكرَمُ أَخلاقٍ يُدِلُّ بِها الفَتى

وَأَكرَمُ أَخلاقٍ يُدِلُّ بِها الفَتى

عَفافُ مَشوقٍ حينَ يَخلو بِشائِقِ

عَفافُ مَشوقٍ حينَ يَخلو بِشائِقِ

And the noblest of virtues in which a young man takes pride

Noblest manners a man shows are perfect discretion

Is a lover's chastity when alone with the one he longs for.

When he is private with the one he loves.

أَأُصغي إِلى اللاّحي وَبَيني وَبَينها

أَأُصغي إِلى اللاّحي وَبَيني وَبَينها

حَديثٌ كَسِمطِ اللؤلؤِ المُتناسِقِ

حَديثٌ كَسِمطِ اللؤلؤِ المُتناسِقِ

Should I heed the reproacher, when between me and her

Shall I listen to the slanderer while she and I

Is conversation like a strand of well-ordered pearls?

Share talk that flows like matched pearls?

وَلَو قَدَرَتْ أَترابُها لَخَبَأْنَنِي

وَلَو قَدَرَتْ أَترابُها لَخَبَأْنَنِي

عَلى شَغَفٍ بَينَ الطُّلَى وَالمَخانِقِ

عَلى شَغَفٍ بَينَ الطُّلَى وَالمَخانِقِ

And if her companions could, they would surely hide me

If her peers could, they would hide me away from her

In passionate love, between their necks and necklaces.

For a passion kept secret between the dunes and ravines.

فَما كَذِبُ الواشي بِظَمياءَ نافِعٌ

فَما كَذِبُ الواشي بِظَمياءَ نافِعٌ

لَديَّ وَلا وُدِّي لَها غَيرُ صادِقِ

لَديَّ وَلا وُدِّي لَها غَيرُ صادِقِ

So the slanderer's lies about Ẓamyāʾ are of no avail

So the fault-finder’s lies bring me no shame;

With me, nor is my love for her anything but sincere.

My love for her is true, no one else’s.