قَفا نتشاكا ما تَشاكاهُ وَامقُ

قَفا نتشاكا ما تَشاكاهُ وَامقُ

وَقَد ظَعنت بِالغانيات الأَيانِقُ

وَقَد ظَعنت بِالغانيات الأَيانِقُ

Halt, you two; let us lament what a lover lamented,

With hesitant steps she walks, so gracefully,

For the she-camels have departed with the beautiful women.

Adorned with necklaces, a beauty to see,

كَثير سهاد العَين نزر هُجوعهُ

كَثير سهاد العَين نزر هُجوعهُ

يُواصل طَيفاً مِنهُم وَيُفارق

يُواصل طَيفاً مِنهُم وَيُفارق

Great is his eye's sleeplessness, scant his slumber;

Eyes that slay with a mere glance, though fleeting it be,

He communes with a dream-phantom of them, and parts from it.

A phantom she passes, comes and goes carefree,

وَقَد سَوَّدت مِنهُ وُجوه مَآرب

وَقَد سَوَّدت مِنهُ وُجوه مَآرب

مِن البين وَأَبيضت يَديهِ مَفارِقُ

مِن البين وَأَبيضت يَديهِ مَفارِقُ

And the faces of his hopes have already been blackened

From her my dreams turned hopeful, brightened with glee,

By separation; and hair-partings have whitened his hands [wording unclear].

But when she left, in darkness and grief drowned me,

تَملك حُب العامرية قَلبُهُ

تَملك حُب العامرية قَلبُهُ

وَما عاقَهُ عَنها مِن الحَي عائِقُ

وَما عاقَهُ عَنها مِن الحَي عائِقُ

Love for al-ʿĀmiriyyah has possessed his heart,

The love of Al-Amiriya fills his heart utterly,

And no one of the tribe has kept him from her.

No barriers block him from her, however mighty,

غَزالية تَغشي العُيون جَلالة

غَزالية تَغشي العُيون جَلالة

مَغاربها أَحشاؤُنا وَالمَشارِقُ

مَغاربها أَحشاؤُنا وَالمَشارِقُ

Gazelle-like, her majesty veils the eyes;

A gazelle's shyness covers her eyes like a veil, softly,

Our inmost hearts are her places of setting and rising.

Sunsets and dawns are in her being, shining brightly,

فَإِن خَطرت زَهواً فَغصن مَنعم

فَإِن خَطرت زَهواً فَغصن مَنعم

وَإِن عَبقت رَيا فَثم حَدائِقُ

وَإِن عَبقت رَيا فَثم حَدائِقُ

So if she sways in pride, she is a tender bough;

Should she exude pride, a branch sways gently,

And if she exudes fragrance, then there are gardens.

Should she smile, gardens bloom, smelling sweetly,

وَإِن يَك في ثَغر الحسان عُذوبة

وَإِن يَك في ثَغر الحسان عُذوبة

فَفي ثَغر مَن أَهوى عَذيب وَبارق

فَفي ثَغر مَن أَهوى عَذيب وَبارق

And if fair women's mouths hold sweetness,

If lips like sugared candy smile at me,

Then the mouth of the one I love holds ʿUdhayb and Bāriq.

Then hers are sweetest wine mixed with honey.

شَغلت بِها في المَهد عَنها صَبابة

شَغلت بِها في المَهد عَنها صَبابة

ولَم تَكُ قَدَت فيهِ عَني البَخانِقُ

ولَم تَكُ قَدَت فيهِ عَني البَخانِقُ

In the cradle I was absorbed in her, yearning while apart from her;

In childhood, girls distracted me temporarily,

And there the infant hoods had not yet been cut off me.

But my eyes for others had no vacancy,

وَبي حالة العُشاق في كُل حالة

وَبي حالة العُشاق في كُل حالة

وَلَكِنَّني لَم أَدرِ مَن أَنا عاشِق

وَلَكِنَّني لَم أَدرِ مَن أَنا عاشِق

And in every state, mine is the lovers' state,

The state of lovers I know intimately,

Yet I do not know whom I love.

But who I love, that remains a mystery,

رَعى اللَهُ بِالجَرعاءِ وَقفة ساعةٍ

رَعى اللَهُ بِالجَرعاءِ وَقفة ساعةٍ

وَنَحُن بِأَلحاظ الهَوى نَترامق

وَنَحُن بِأَلحاظ الهَوى نَترامق

May God preserve an hour's halt at al-Jarʿāʾ,

May God grant us a moment with our rarity,

While we exchanged the glances of love.

As we steal glances, hopes blaze fervently,

يَشير بِأَطراف البنان ويَشتَكي

يَشير بِأَطراف البنان ويَشتَكي

اليم الجَوى مِنا مَشوق وَشائق

اليم الجَوى مِنا مَشوق وَشائق

They gesture with their fingertips and lament

With fingers that hint, eyes that speak ardently,

Love's painful anguish—the yearning one among us and the one who inspires yearning—

Prompting hearts aflame to yearn silently,

إِلى أَن قَضى التَوديع فينا قَضاءَهُ

إِلى أَن قَضى التَوديع فينا قَضاءَهُ

وَسارَت تؤم الجزع فينا السَوابق

وَسارَت تؤم الجزع فينا السَوابق

Until farewell passed its judgment upon us,

Until farewells brought bitter finality,

And the swift steeds among us set out toward al-Jizʿ.

And anguish flowed freely with no disparity,

رَجعت وَطَرفي لا تَغيض دُموعُهُ

رَجعت وَطَرفي لا تَغيض دُموعُهُ

وَقَلبيَ لا ذُقت النَوى وَهُوَ خافق

وَقَلبيَ لا ذُقت النَوى وَهُوَ خافق

I returned, and my eye's tears would not ebb,

I returned with tears that flowed ceaselessly,

And my heart—may you never taste separation—was throbbing.

My heart still quaked though far she moved from me.