أَمِنْ رَسْمِ دارٍ ماءُ عَيْنَيكَ يَسْفَحُ

أَمِنْ رَسْمِ دارٍ ماءُ عَيْنَيكَ يَسْفَحُ

غَدا من مُقامٍ أَهْلُهُ وتَرَوَّحُوا

غَدا من مُقامٍ أَهْلُهُ وتَرَوَّحُوا

Is it over a dwelling's traces that the water of your eyes pours forth,

Is it from the abode's sketch that the water of your eyes spills

Whose people left their abode at dawn and journeyed on at evening?

Tomorrow, from a dwelling whose people departed and went on an excursion?

تُزَجِّي بِها خُنْسُ الظِّباءِ سِخالَها

تُزَجِّي بِها خُنْسُ الظِّباءِ سِخالَها

جَآذِرُها بالجَوِّ وَرْدٌ وأَصْبَحُ

جَآذِرُها بالجَوِّ وَرْدٌ وأَصْبَحُ

There the snub-nosed gazelles drive their young along;

You adorn it with the shy gazelles' young, their smooth coats

Their calves in the open plain are reddish and pale-tawny.

Its roots are flowers and roses in the atmosphere and mornings

أَمِنْ بِنْتِ عَجْلانَ الخَيالُ المُطَرَّحُ

أَمِنْ بِنْتِ عَجْلانَ الخَيالُ المُطَرَّحُ

أَلَمَّ ورَحْلِي ساقِطٌ مُتَزَحْزِحُ

أَلَمَّ ورَحْلِي ساقِطٌ مُتَزَحْزِحُ

Was it the far-flung phantom of Ajlan's daughter

Or is it the imagined daughter of Ajlan, the discarded imagination

That visited, while my saddle lay fallen and askew?

That coerced my riding camel and made it stagger and waver?

فلمَّا انْتَبَهْتُ بالخَيالِ وراعَنِي

فلمَّا انْتَبَهْتُ بالخَيالِ وراعَنِي

إذا هُوَ رَحْلِي والبِلادُ تَوَضَّحُ

إذا هُوَ رَحْلِي والبِلادُ تَوَضَّحُ

When I awoke at the phantom, and it startled me,

When I woke up from the imagination, it startled me

It was my saddle, and the land was growing light.

There was my camel, and the horizons became clear

ولكِنَّهُ زَوْرٌ يُيَقِّظُ نائِماً

ولكِنَّهُ زَوْرٌ يُيَقِّظُ نائِماً

ويُحْدِثُ أَشْجاناً بقَلْبِكَ تَجْرَحُ

ويُحْدِثُ أَشْجاناً بقَلْبِكَ تَجْرَحُ

But it is a visitor that awakens a sleeper

But it is falsehood that awakens a sleeper

And stirs sorrows that wound your heart.

And stirs passions in your heart that wound

بِكُلِّ مَبِيتٍ يَعْتَرِينا ومَنْزِلٍ

بِكُلِّ مَبِيتٍ يَعْتَرِينا ومَنْزِلٍ

فلوْ أَنَّها إذْ تُدْلِجُ اللَّيْلَ تُصْبحُ

فلوْ أَنَّها إذْ تُدْلِجُ اللَّيْلَ تُصْبحُ

At every night's lodging and stopping place it visits us;

In every night that befalls us and every stopover

If only, when she journeys through the night, she would stay till dawn!

If only when it makes the night dark, it dawns

فوَلَّتْ وقد بَثَّتْ تباريحَ ما تَرى

فوَلَّتْ وقد بَثَّتْ تباريحَ ما تَرى

ووجْدي بها إذْ تَحْدُرُ الدَّمْعَ أَبْرَحُ

ووجْدي بها إذْ تَحْدُرُ الدَّمْعَ أَبْرَحُ

Then she turned away, having confided the torments she felt;

It turned away after spreading the sights it sees

Yet my longing for her, as she made tears fall, was fiercer still.

While my love for it, when tears roll down, does not diminish

وما قَهْوَةٌ صَهْباءُ كالمِسْكِ ريحُها

وما قَهْوَةٌ صَهْباءُ كالمِسْكِ ريحُها

تُعَلَّى على النَّاجُودِ طَوْراً وتُقْدَحُ

تُعَلَّى على النَّاجُودِ طَوْراً وتُقْدَحُ

Nor is any tawny wine, whose scent is like musk,

A gray coffee, whose aroma is like musk

Raised over the wine vessel at times and ladled out,

Is brewed over embers for a while and sipped

ثَوَتْ في سِباءِ الدَّنِّ عِشْرِينَ حِجَّةً

ثَوَتْ في سِباءِ الدَّنِّ عِشْرِينَ حِجَّةً

يُطانُ عليها قَرْمَدٌ وتَرَوَّحُ

يُطانُ عليها قَرْمَدٌ وتَرَوَّحُ

That lay stored, a bought vintage, in its cask for twenty years,

She camped in the lowlands of vileness for twenty pilgrimages

With baked clay plastered over it, its fragrance wafting,

Above which a shabby cloak flaps as she takes excursions

سَباها رِجالٌ من يَهُودَ تَباعَدُوا

سَباها رِجالٌ من يَهُودَ تَباعَدُوا

لِجِيلانَ يُدْنيها من السُّوقِ مُرْبِحُ

لِجِيلانَ يُدْنيها من السُّوقِ مُرْبِحُ

Bought by Jewish men who traveled far

Some Jews who have spread out bought her

To Jilan, brought from the market by a profit-making trader,

Two scoundrels bring her closer to the market for profit

بأَطْيَبَ مِنْ فيها إذا جئْتَ طارِقاً

بأَطْيَبَ مِنْ فيها إذا جئْتَ طارِقاً

منَ اللَّيْلِ بَلْ فُوها أَلَذُّ وأَنْصَحُ

منَ اللَّيْلِ بَلْ فُوها أَلَذُّ وأَنْصَحُ

Any sweeter than her mouth when you come calling

With the most delicious thing in it, when you come visiting

By night; rather, her mouth is more delicious and purer.

At night, rather, its flavor is more delicious and pure

غَدَوْنا بِصافٍ كالعَسِيبِ مُجَلَّلٍ

غَدَوْنا بِصافٍ كالعَسِيبِ مُجَلَّلٍ

طويناهُ حِيناً فَهْوَ شِربٌ مُلَوَّحُ

طويناهُ حِيناً فَهْوَ شِربٌ مُلَوَّحُ

We set out at dawn with a lean, blanketed horse, like a palm stalk;

We went in the morning, clear as chrysolite, adorned

We had kept him lean awhile; he was [word unclear], gaunt.

We folded it for a while, and it is brackish water

أَسِيلٌ نَبِيلٌ ليسَ فيهِ مَعابَةٌ

أَسِيلٌ نَبِيلٌ ليسَ فيهِ مَعابَةٌ

كُمَيْتٌ كَلَوْنِ الصِّرْفِ أَرْجَلُ أَقْرَحُ

كُمَيْتٌ كَلَوْنِ الصِّرْفِ أَرْجَلُ أَقْرَحُ

Smooth-cheeked and noble, with no flaw in him,

A generous, noble horse, no defects in it

Bay, the color of red dye, white on one hind leg, with a white star on his brow.

Mute, like the color of money, shanks mottled and pockmarked

على مِثْلِهِ آتِي النَّدِيَّ مُخايِلاً

على مِثْلِهِ آتِي النَّدِيَّ مُخايِلاً

وأَغْمِزُ سِرّاً أًيُّ أَمْرَيَّ أَرْبَحُ

وأَغْمِزُ سِرّاً أًيُّ أَمْرَيَّ أَرْبَحُ

On one like him I come swaggering to the assembly,

The like of it, I come visiting the neighbor coquettishly

And secretly probe which of my two courses is more gainful.

And wink secretly: which matter of mine is more profitable?

ويَسْبِقُ مَطْرُوداً ويَلْحَقُ طارِداً

ويَسْبِقُ مَطْرُوداً ويَلْحَقُ طارِداً

ويَخْرُجُ من غَمِّ المَضِيقِ وَيجْرَحُ

ويَخْرُجُ من غَمِّ المَضِيقِ وَيجْرَحُ

He outstrips them when pursued and overtakes them when pursuing,

It outruns the chased and catches up with the chaser

And escapes the distress of the narrow passage, dealing wounds.

And emerges from the narrowness of adversity, wounded

تَراهُ بِشِكَّاتِ المُدَجِّجِ بَعْدَ ما

تَراهُ بِشِكَّاتِ المُدَجِّجِ بَعْدَ ما

تقَطَّعَ أَقْرانُ المُغِيرَةِ يَجْمَحُ

تقَطَّعَ أَقْرانُ المُغِيرَةِ يَجْمَحُ

You see him bearing the fully armored warrior's gear, after

You see it, after the studded saddle blankets were

The other raiding steeds have fallen away, still galloping headlong.

Torn, with the brisk ones' reins, attack

شَهِدْتُ بِهِ في غارَةٍ مُسْبَطِرَّةٍ

شَهِدْتُ بِهِ في غارَةٍ مُسْبَطِرَّةٍ

يُطاعِنُ أُولاها فِئامٌ مُصَبَّحُ

يُطاعِنُ أُولاها فِئامٌ مُصَبَّحُ

I took part on him in a far-ranging raid,

I witnessed it in a dreadful raid

Where a host attacked at dawn exchanged spear-thrusts with the raiders' vanguard.

Charging the vanguard, a bright sword unsheathed

كما انْتَفَجَتْ منَ الظِّباءِ جَدايَةٌ

كما انْتَفَجَتْ منَ الظِّباءِ جَدايَةٌ

أَشَمُّ إذا ذَكَّرْتَهُ الشَّدَّ أَفْيَحُ

أَشَمُّ إذا ذَكَّرْتَهُ الشَّدَّ أَفْيَحُ

Like a young gazelle springing out from among the herd,

As if, from the gazelles, a rock partridge burst forth

High-nosed, wide-striding when you urge him to gallop.

When you remind it of firmness, I smell its scent, fragrant

يَجُمُّ جُمُومَ الحِسْيِ جاشَ مَضِيقُهُ

يَجُمُّ جُمُومَ الحِسْيِ جاشَ مَضِيقُهُ

وجَرَّدَهُ من تَحْتُ غَيْلٌ وأَبْطَحُ

وجَرَّدَهُ من تَحْتُ غَيْلٌ وأَبْطَحُ

He renews his strength like a sand spring, its narrow outlet surging,

It collects like the mourning camel, its difficulty peaked

Scoured clear from beneath by a flowing stream and a pebbly bed.

And a deluge stripped it, from beneath, of high ground and dunes