أَراكَ زَنيماً إِذا تَعَرَّضتَ لَيلَةً

أَراكَ زَنيماً إِذا تَعَرَّضتَ لَيلَةً

لِأُدمِ رِماحٍ أَو لِغُزلانِ أَزنَما

لِأُدمِ رِماحٍ أَو لِغُزلانِ أَزنَما

I deem you baseborn if, one night, you make advances

I see you as a coward whenever you face

to the white antelopes of Rimāḥ or the gazelles of Aznam.

A night of lances or a herd of gazelles

غَنائِمُ قَومٍ سَوفَ يَنهَبُها الرَدى

غَنائِمُ قَومٍ سَوفَ يَنهَبُها الرَدى

فَلا تَدنُ مِنها وَاِجعَل النُسكَ مُغنَما

فَلا تَدنُ مِنها وَاِجعَل النُسكَ مُغنَما

A people's spoils, which death will plunder—

The spoils of a people soon snatched by fate

so do not approach them, and make devotion your prize.

So do not go near them or make piety your gain

يُرَنِّمنَ بِالدُرِّ الثَمينِ مَسامِعاً

يُرَنِّمنَ بِالدُرِّ الثَمينِ مَسامِعاً

وَيَزجرنَ لِلبَينِ السَوامَ المُزَنَّما

وَيَزجرنَ لِلبَينِ السَوامَ المُزَنَّما

They make ears sing with precious pearls,

They murmur with precious pearls to hearings

and drive the ear-marked herds onward for departure.

And deter the bold horses, adorned

وَلَمّا تَناءَت بَلدَةٌ عَنَمِيَّةٌ

وَلَمّا تَناءَت بَلدَةٌ عَنَمِيَّةٌ

مِن الغَورِ أَبدَينَ البَنانَ المُعَنَّما

مِن الغَورِ أَبدَينَ البَنانَ المُعَنَّما

And when a town of ʿAnam grew distant

And when a lofty village appeared

in the lowlands, they showed their red-dyed fingertips.

From the caves, she showed banners adorned

يُرينَ عَلى ما لَيسَ يُمكِنُ قُدرَةً

يُرينَ عَلى ما لَيسَ يُمكِنُ قُدرَةً

وَيَعمَلنَ في كَيدِ الفَوارِسِ هِنَّما

وَيَعمَلنَ في كَيدِ الفَوارِسِ هِنَّما

They display power over the impossible,

They show what power cannot achieve

and wield red dye in their plots against horsemen.

And they work in the guile of knights, annoyed

لَدى سَمُراتِ الحَيِّ غادَرنَ سامِراً

لَدى سَمُراتِ الحَيِّ غادَرنَ سامِراً

وَخَيَّمنَ لِلنَومِ الرَفيعَ المُنَمنَما

وَخَيَّمنَ لِلنَومِ الرَفيعَ المُنَمنَما

By the clan's acacias they left a man awake at night,

Beside the thickets of life, they left a companion

and pitched the lofty, embroidered tent for sleep.

And pitched for sleep sublime, embroidered

جِنانٌ وَرُضوانُ الَّذي هُوَ مالِكٌ

جِنانٌ وَرُضوانُ الَّذي هُوَ مالِكٌ

لَها عَنكَ يَنفي مالِكاً وَجَهَنَّما

لَها عَنكَ يَنفي مالِكاً وَجَهَنَّما

Gardens of Paradise—and Riḍwān, who is keeper

Gardens and bliss which He owns

of them, banishes Mālik and Hell from you.

Banishes for you an owner and Hellfire

حَلُمنَ وَجُنَّ الحَليُ مِن فَرطِ لَهجَةٍ

حَلُمنَ وَجُنَّ الحَليُ مِن فَرطِ لَهجَةٍ

فَوَسوَسَ مِن تَحتِ الثِيابِ وَهَينَما

فَوَسوَسَ مِن تَحتِ الثِيابِ وَهَينَما

They were composed; their jewelry went mad with excessive passion,

They dreamed, and dreams of imagination from an overflow of passion

so it whispered from beneath the clothes and murmured.

Whispered from beneath clothes and tossed

وَقَد صَمَتَت أَحجالُها عَن تَرَنُّمٍ

وَقَد صَمَتَت أَحجالُها عَن تَرَنُّمٍ

وَأَعيا غَريقاً كُظَّ أَن يَتَرَنَّما

وَأَعيا غَريقاً كُظَّ أَن يَتَرَنَّما

And her anklets had fallen silent, no longer singing;

And their imaginations fell silent from murmuring

and a choking, drowning man cannot sing.

And the drowned struggled not to murmur

فَلا تَبكِ جَمَلاً إِن رَأَيتَ جِمالَها

فَلا تَبكِ جَمَلاً إِن رَأَيتَ جِمالَها

تَسَنَّمنَ مِن رَملِ الغَضا ما تُسُنَّما

تَسَنَّمنَ مِن رَملِ الغَضا ما تُسُنَّما

So do not weep for Jamal if you see her camels

So do not cry for camels if you see their perfection

cresting the dunes of al-Ghaḍā that have been crested before.

Climbing the smooth sands whatever they climb