لِمَن الحدوج علَت على أَقتابها

لِمَن الحدوج علَت على أَقتابها

وَحدا بها الحادونَ خلفَ رِكابِها

وَحدا بها الحادونَ خلفَ رِكابِها

Whose are the howdahs raised upon their saddle frames?

For whom did the curves grow on their stalks,

And the camel-drivers sang them onward behind their mounts.

And the men sharpened them behind their backs,

سارَت بأمثالِ البدورِ حواصن

سارَت بأمثالِ البدورِ حواصن

غيد زَكت بِالفجر في أحسابِها

غيد زَكت بِالفجر في أحسابِها

They journeyed with chaste women like full moons,

They travelled like the full moons in their prime,

Graceful women, whose ancestral honors flourished at dawn.

Rising beautifully at dawn in their reckoning,

أَتبعتُهم نظري غَداةَ تَحمّلوا

أَتبعتُهم نظري غَداةَ تَحمّلوا

وَاليعمُلات تخوضُ لجّ سَرابها

وَاليعمُلات تخوضُ لجّ سَرابها

I followed them with my gaze the morning they departed,

I followed them with my gaze when they bore

While the sturdy she-camels waded through their mirage's depths.

The impassable mirages plowing their illusion,

ما بالُ طاوية الحَشا ما واصَلت

ما بالُ طاوية الحَشا ما واصَلت

في الحبّ أَسبابي إِلى أَسبابِها

في الحبّ أَسبابي إِلى أَسبابِها

What ails the slender-waisted one, who has not joined

Why is the curving bow not reaching

My bonds in love to her own?

My love to its love through its cause,

يا لَيتَ شعري ما أَرادَ تهاوما

يا لَيتَ شعري ما أَرادَ تهاوما

عنوان ما أَبدت غداةَ عتابها

عنوان ما أَبدت غداةَ عتابها

Would that I knew what, in drowsy swaying, was meant by

Oh, how I wish I knew what Tahwim meant

The sign of what she showed on the morning of her reproach.

By the title she gave the day after her rebuke,

أَسفاً عَلى أَسفٍ على تقبيل ذا

أَسفاً عَلى أَسفٍ على تقبيل ذا

ك الطلع ممّا كانَ تحتَ نقابِها

ك الطلع ممّا كانَ تحتَ نقابِها

Grief upon grief over kissing that

Regrets upon regrets for kissing the one

Palm blossom among what lay beneath her veil.

Whose buds were under her veil,

نارُ الكآبةِ يستلذّ عذابها

نارُ الكآبةِ يستلذّ عذابها

قلقٌ وَلم يَسأم أَليم عذابها

قلقٌ وَلم يَسأم أَليم عذابها

The fire of sorrow—its torment delights

The fire of sadness finds pleasure in its torment,

A restless one, who has not tired of its painful torment.

Restless and unwearied of its painful torment,

شَمسٌ إِذا سَفَرت تلألأ وَجهها

شَمسٌ إِذا سَفَرت تلألأ وَجهها

بِالنورِ بينَ خِيامِها وقبابِها

بِالنورِ بينَ خِيامِها وقبابِها

A sun: when she unveils, her face sparkles

A sun that sparkles and brightens her face

With light between her tents and pavilions.

With light amidst her tents and dwellings when she travels

وَلَها ثناياتٌ لطاف المتنِ كال

وَلَها ثناياتٌ لطاف المتنِ كال

أَغصانِ خير مِن عنّابها

أَغصانِ خير مِن عنّابها

And her front teeth are delicate in form, like

And she has gentle, smooth curves like

Branches, better than her jujubes.

The branches, better than her imploring,

وَلَقد أَغار على محاسنِ حُسنها

وَلَقد أَغار على محاسنِ حُسنها

إِن صافَحته بِحليها وثيابِها

إِن صافَحته بِحليها وثيابِها

And indeed I am jealous over the charms of her beauty,

And he was jealous of the beauty of her beauty

If she touches it with her jewels and garments.

If she greeted him with her jewellery and clothes,

وَأَغار مِن مِسواكها في الرشف إن

وَأَغار مِن مِسواكها في الرشف إن

عاينتهُ مترشّفاً لرضابها

عاينتهُ مترشّفاً لرضابها

And I envy her tooth-stick for its sipping, if

And he was jealous of her toothbrush in the morning if

I see it sipping her saliva.

He saw her holding it to brush her teeth,

ما لى أبيدُ العمرَ بين معاشري

ما لى أبيدُ العمرَ بين معاشري

أزري بها النقصان في أَلبابِها

أزري بها النقصان في أَلبابِها

Why do I squander my life among my companions,

Why should I spend my life among kinsmen

Whom deficiency in their minds has debased?

Who bring me down in their minds,

لَم تسعَ سعياً قطّ طول حياتها

لَم تسعَ سعياً قطّ طول حياتها

إلّا لكدش طعامِها وَشرابِها

إلّا لكدش طعامِها وَشرابِها

They never strove at all throughout their lives,

She never sought, throughout her life,

Except to obtain their food and drink.

Except to get her food and drink,

عَميت عنِ الآداب حتّى أَصبَحت

عَميت عنِ الآداب حتّى أَصبَحت

مَمنوعةً في ذاكَ عن آدابِها

مَمنوعةً في ذاكَ عن آدابِها

They were blind to culture, until they became

She was blind to manners until she became

Deprived, in that, of their own refinement.

Forbidden, in that, from manners,

وَرواحل تنفي اللغاب إِذا حدت

وَرواحل تنفي اللغاب إِذا حدت

فَيطيرُ مثل الطرسِ فيض لغابها

فَيطيرُ مثل الطرسِ فيض لغابها

And riding-camels fling off spittle when they hasten,

And rides that drive away boredom when they pass,

So their streaming spittle flies like parchment.

So it flies like an eagle in the expanse of its boredom,

طَوت المسافة في السرى حتّى اِنطوت

طَوت المسافة في السرى حتّى اِنطوت

مِن طولِ قطع عمارِها وخرابها

مِن طولِ قطع عمارِها وخرابها

They folded up the distance by night, until they themselves shrank

It crossed vast distances until it folded

From long crossing its settled regions and wastes.

From the length of the ruin and construction of her buildings,

صلنا نجوبُ بِها النقا وتهزّنا

صلنا نجوبُ بِها النقا وتهزّنا

فرح منَ الرجوى على أَصلابها

فرح منَ الرجوى على أَصلابها

We surged on, traversing the dunes on them, and were stirred

We arrived, roaming it, crossing the plains, shaken

By joy born of hope upon their backs.

With joy at the hope on its backs,

متوجّهين إِلى المتوّج حمير

متوجّهين إِلى المتوّج حمير

شمسِ المفاخرِ بدرها وشهابها

شمسِ المفاخرِ بدرها وشهابها

Heading toward the crowned Himyar,

Heading towards Himyar, the crowned one,

The sun of glories, their full moon and their shooting star.

The sun of glories, its full moons and comets,

ملك تسيحُ هباتهُ للوفدِ كال

ملك تسيحُ هباتهُ للوفدِ كال

أَمطارِ تهطلُ مِن خلالِ سحابها

أَمطارِ تهطلُ مِن خلالِ سحابها

A king whose gifts stream to visiting delegations like

A king whose gifts pour unto the delegates like

Rains pouring from within their clouds.

The rains falling through the midst of their clouds,

أَموالُه لا تستقرّ كأنّما

أَموالُه لا تستقرّ كأنّما

فيها دَعا للبينِ صوتُ غرابِها

فيها دَعا للبينِ صوتُ غرابِها

His wealth never stays still, as though

His wealth does not settle, as if

Within it, its raven's cry had called for parting.

Among them he called out to separation in its cawing,

عَرَفَ الصنائعَ فاِصطَفى مَحمودها

عَرَفَ الصنائعَ فاِصطَفى مَحمودها

ذُخراً وَأَعرض عن صلاتِ مغابها

ذُخراً وَأَعرض عن صلاتِ مغابها

He knew benefactions and chose their praiseworthy kinds

He knew the crafts, so he chose their praiseworthiness

As treasure, and shunned gifts with ill consequences.

As a treasure, and turned away from the prayers of its caves,

خَطَبته أَبكارُ النساءِ لأنّها

خَطَبته أَبكارُ النساءِ لأنّها

وجدتهُ أَولى الخلقِ من خطّابها

وجدتهُ أَولى الخلقِ من خطّابها

Virgin women sought his hand, because they

The virgins of women proposed to him, because

Found him the worthiest of mankind among their suitors.

They found him the most worthy of people for their courting,

وَكذاك جردُ الخيلِ تعلم أنّه

وَكذاك جردُ الخيلِ تعلم أنّه

أَولى جميعِ الناس من ركّابها

أَولى جميعِ الناس من ركّابها

And likewise, the sleek horses know that he

And likewise the horses know that he

Is the worthiest of all people among their riders.

Is the most worthy of all people for riding them,

وَإِذا الملوكُ رأَته يوماً طأطأت

وَإِذا الملوكُ رأَته يوماً طأطأت

في دستهِ برؤوسِها وَرقابها

في دستهِ برؤوسِها وَرقابها

And when kings see him one day, they lower

And when the kings see him one day, they bow

Their heads and necks in his court.

Before him with their heads and necks,

يا خيرَ مَن وَجدت به زيافة

يا خيرَ مَن وَجدت به زيافة

محفوفة بِجلالها وَقرابِها

محفوفة بِجلالها وَقرابِها

O best of those for whom a swift she-camel has yearned,

O best one I found blessedness in him

Clad in her saddlecloths and covering.

Enveloped in its majesty and kin,

ما راية للمجدِ لاحت مرّة

ما راية للمجدِ لاحت مرّة

إِلّا وَأَنت مِن الورى أَولى بها

إِلّا وَأَنت مِن الورى أَولى بها

No banner of glory has ever once appeared

The banner of glory never shone once

Without you, among mankind, being most worthy of it.

Unless you were the worthiest of it amongst mankind,

لولاك ما الدنيا حَلَت يوماً ولا

لولاك ما الدنيا حَلَت يوماً ولا

عَطفت بدرّتها على أَصحابِها

عَطفت بدرّتها على أَصحابِها

Without you, the world would never have grown sweet, nor

Were it not for you, the world would not have settled one day,

Turned to her people with her flowing milk.

Nor cast its pearls upon its companions,