لِمَنِ الظُّعْنُ بالضُّحى طافِياتٍ

لِمَنِ الظُّعْنُ بالضُّحى طافِياتٍ

شِبْهُها الدَّوْمُ أَوْ خَلايا سَفِينِ

شِبْهُها الدَّوْمُ أَوْ خَلايا سَفِينِ

Whose are the women in litters, floating by in the forenoon?

For whom are the gazelles wandering at dawn,

They resemble doum palms, or the great ships of a fleet,

Their likeness is smoke or cells of a ship,

جاعِلاتٍ بَطْنَ الضِّباعِ شِمالاً

جاعِلاتٍ بَطْنَ الضِّباعِ شِمالاً

وبِراقَ النِّعافِ ذاتَ اليَمِينِ

وبِراقَ النِّعافِ ذاتَ اليَمِينِ

leaving the valley of al-Diba‘ to their left,

Making the abdomen of the hyenas north,

and the stony rises of al-Ni‘af to their right;

And the radiance of the graceful ones to the right,

رافعاتٍ رَقْماً تُهالُ لَهُ العَيْـ

رافعاتٍ رَقْماً تُهالُ لَهُ العَيْـ

ـنُ على كلِّ بازِلٍ مُسْتَكِينِ

ـنُ على كلِّ بازِلٍ مُسْتَكِينِ

raising patterned cloth that fills with awe

Raising a number that seduces the eye

the eye, upon every mature, docile camel,

Over every miserable humiliated one,

أَوْ عَلاةٍ قد دُرِّبَتْ دَرَجَ المِشْ

أَوْ عَلاةٍ قد دُرِّبَتْ دَرَجَ المِشْ

يَةِ حَرْفٍ مِثْلِ المَهاةِ ذَقُونِ

يَةِ حَرْفٍ مِثْلِ المَهاةِ ذَقُونِ

or a sturdy she-camel already schooled in the steps

Or trained she-camels who climbed the steps of walking,

of her gait, lean as an oryx, nodding her head;

With a skill like that of the freely-flowing water,

عامِداتٍ لِخَلِّ سَمْسَمَ ما يَنْ

عامِداتٍ لِخَلِّ سَمْسَمَ ما يَنْ

ظُرْنَ صَوْتاً لِحاجةِ المَحْزُونِ

ظُرْنَ صَوْتاً لِحاجةِ المَحْزُونِ

heading for the sand-pass of Samsam; they do not

Supporting to undo the confusion of what they see

heed a cry for the grief-stricken one's need.

A voice for the need of the melancholy one,

أَبْلِغا المُنْذِرَ المُنقِب عَنِّي

أَبْلِغا المُنْذِرَ المُنقِب عَنِّي

غيرَ مُستَعْتِبٍ ولا مُستَعِينِ

غيرَ مُستَعْتِبٍ ولا مُستَعِينِ

You two, tell al-Mundhir al-Munqib on my behalf:

Inform the warner, the explorer about me

I seek neither reconciliation nor help.

Neither complaining nor seeking help,

لاتَ هَنَّا ولَيْتَنِي طَرَفَ الزُّجْـ

لاتَ هَنَّا ولَيْتَنِي طَرَفَ الزُّجْـ

ـجِ وأَهْلِي بالشَّأْمِ ذاتِ القُرونِ

ـجِ وأَهْلِي بالشَّأْمِ ذاتِ القُرونِ

Not now! Would that I were at the edge

No, here, and would that I were on the edge of Zhūzh

of al-Zujj, and my people in al-Sha'm, with its hornlike peaks.

And my family in Syria, land of spears,

بامْرِىءٍ ما فَعَلْت عَفٍّ يَؤُوسٍ

بامْرِىءٍ ما فَعَلْت عَفٍّ يَؤُوسٍ

صَدَقَتْهُ المُنى لِعَوْضِ الحينِ

صَدَقَتْهُ المُنى لِعَوْضِ الحينِ

You have done what you did to a self-restrained man who expects nothing,

By a man who has not performed a despairing disappointment

whose hopes have proved true for all time,

Which opportunity has verified for the sake of the present,

غيرَ مُسْتَسْلِمٍ إذا اعْتَصَرَ العا

غيرَ مُسْتَسْلِمٍ إذا اعْتَصَرَ العا

جِزُ بالسَّكْتِ في ظِلالِ الهُونِ

جِزُ بالسَّكْتِ في ظِلالِ الهُونِ

unyielding when

Not submissive when the incapable falters

the helpless man shelters in silence, in the shadows of humiliation.

With silence in the shades of disgrace

يُعْمِلُ البازِلَ المُجِدَّة بالرَّحْـ

يُعْمِلُ البازِلَ المُجِدَّة بالرَّحْـ

ـلِ تَشَكَّى النِّجادَ بَعْدَ الحُزُونِ

ـلِ تَشَكَّى النِّجادَ بَعْدَ الحُزُونِ

He drives on the mature she-camel, straining beneath

Who makes the misled camel work with the foot

the saddle, complaining of uplands after rugged terrain,

The weeper complained after the gloomy one

بَفَتىً ناحِفٍ وأَمْرٍ أَحَذٍّ

بَفَتىً ناحِفٍ وأَمْرٍ أَحَذٍّ

وحُسامٍ كالمِلْحِ طَوْعِ اليَمينِ

وحُسامٍ كالمِلْحِ طَوْعِ اليَمينِ

bearing a lean youth, a swift resolve,

With an emaciated hero and a biting command,

and a sword like salt, obedient to the right hand.

And a sword swift as salt to the right hand