بَكَرَت لِتُحزِنَ عاشِقاً طَفلُ

بَكَرَت لِتُحزِنَ عاشِقاً طَفلُ

وَتَباعَدَت وَتَخَرَّمَ الوَصلُ

وَتَباعَدَت وَتَخَرَّمَ الوَصلُ

Tafl set out early to sadden a lover.

The child wept to sadden a lover

And she went far away, and the bond of union was severed.

And the union faded and cracked

أَوَ كُلَّما اِختَلَفَت نَوىً وَتَفَرَّقوا

أَوَ كُلَّما اِختَلَفَت نَوىً وَتَفَرَّقوا

لِفُؤادِهِ مِن أَجلِهِم تَبلُ

لِفُؤادِهِ مِن أَجلِهِم تَبلُ

And must it be, whenever destinations diverge and they part,

Or whenever they differed in intention and parted

That his heart suffers love-sickness on their account?

For his heart's sake they shed tears

وَإِذا تُكَلِّمُنا تَرى عَجَباً

وَإِذا تُكَلِّمُنا تَرى عَجَباً

بَرَداً تَرَقرَقَ فَوقَهُ ضَحلُ

بَرَداً تَرَقرَقَ فَوقَهُ ضَحلُ

And when she speaks to us, you see a marvel:

And when we converse you see wonder

Hail, with shallow water shimmering over it.

A coldness trickling above which lies a mirage

وَلَقَد أَرى ظُعُناً أُخَيِّلُها

وَلَقَد أَرى ظُعُناً أُخَيِّلُها

تَخدي كَأَنَّ زُهاءَها نَخلُ

تَخدي كَأَنَّ زُهاءَها نَخلُ

And indeed, I see women's camel-litters; I picture them

And I see burrows I imagine

Moving swiftly, their multitude like palm trees.

Creeping as though their beauty is a palm tree

في الآلِ يَرفَعُها وَيَخفِضُها

في الآلِ يَرفَعُها وَيَخفِضُها

ريعٌ كَأَنَّ مُتونَهُ سَحلُ

ريعٌ كَأَنَّ مُتونَهُ سَحلُ

In the mirage, they are raised and lowered by

In the family it raises and lowers them

A ridge whose broad backs seem like white cotton cloth.

A torrent as though its waves are arid plains

عَقماً وَرَقماً ثُمَّ أَردَفَهُ

عَقماً وَرَقماً ثُمَّ أَردَفَهُ

كِلَلٌ عَلى أَطرافِها الخَملُ

كِلَلٌ عَلى أَطرافِها الخَملُ

Brocade and embroidery, followed in turn by

Barren and rough-hewn then lined

Canopies with fringes along their edges,

With baldness along its edges

كَدَمِ الرُعافِ عَلى مَآزِرِها

كَدَمِ الرُعافِ عَلى مَآزِرِها

وَكَأَنَّهُنَّ ضَوامِراً إِجلُ

وَكَأَنَّهُنَّ ضَوامِراً إِجلُ

Like blood from a nosebleed upon their wraps.

Like blood stains on its waterskins

And they, lean, seem a herd of wild cattle.

As though they were containers patched

وَلَقَد رَأَيتُ الفاعِلينَ وَفِعلَهُم

وَلَقَد رَأَيتُ الفاعِلينَ وَفِعلَهُم

وَلِذي الرُقَيبَةِ مالِكٍ فَضلُ

وَلِذي الرُقَيبَةِ مالِكٍ فَضلُ

And indeed, I have seen men of deeds and their deeds,

And I saw the doers and their deeds

And Malik, Dhu al-Ruqaybah, has the greater merit.

And the excellent favor of the guardian Malek

كَفّاهُ مُخلِفَةٌ وَمُتلِفَةٌ

كَفّاهُ مُخلِفَةٌ وَمُتلِفَةٌ

وَعطاؤُهُ مُتَخَرِّقٌ جَزلُ

وَعطاؤُهُ مُتَخَرِّقٌ جَزلُ

His two hands—one replenishes, the other spends lavishly;

His protection and unification sufficed

And his giving is boundlessly lavish and abundant.

And his generosity ripped asunder and plentiful

يَهَبُ الجِيادَ كَأَنَّها عُسُبٌ

يَهَبُ الجِيادَ كَأَنَّها عُسُبٌ

جُردٌ أَطارَ نَسيلَها البَقلُ

جُردٌ أَطارَ نَسيلَها البَقلُ

He gives fine horses, as though they were palm stalks,

He grants steeds as though they were hyraxes

Sleek, their loose hair cast off by green herbage.

A barefoot herd scattered by the wind

وَالضامِراتِ كَأَنَّها بَقَرٌ

وَالضامِراتِ كَأَنَّها بَقَرٌ

تَقرو دَكادِكَ بَينَها الرَملُ

تَقرو دَكادِكَ بَينَها الرَملُ

And the lean ones, as though they were wild cattle,

And the she-camels as though they were cows

Roaming low hillocks, with sand between them.

Chewing dates amidst which is the sand

وَالدُهمَ كَالعَيدانِ آزَرَها

وَالدُهمَ كَالعَيدانِ آزَرَها

وَسطَ الأَشاءِ مُكَمَّمٌ جَعلُ

وَسطَ الأَشاءِ مُكَمَّمٌ جَعلُ

And the dark ones, like tall palms, buttressed by

And the smoke like rods backed them

A short, stout, spathe-clad palm amid the young palms.

And hooded amidst the thickets an ibex

وَإِذا الشَمالُ حَدَت قَلائِصَها

وَإِذا الشَمالُ حَدَت قَلائِصَها

رَتَكاً فَلَيسَ لِمالِكٍ مِثلُ

رَتَكاً فَلَيسَ لِمالِكٍ مِثلُ

And when the north wind drives its young she-camels

And when the north wind bares its fangs

At a brisk trot, Malik has no equal

With spittle, Malek has no equal

لِلضَيفِ وَالجارِ الغَريبِ وَلِل

لِلضَيفِ وَالجارِ الغَريبِ وَلِل

طِفلِ التَريكِ كَأَنَّهُ رَألُ

طِفلِ التَريكِ كَأَنَّهُ رَألُ

For the guest, the foreign neighbor, and for the

For the guest, the strange neighbor, and the

Abandoned child, like an ostrich chick.

Helpless orphan child it is as though he is a meadow

وَلَقَد تَناوَلَني بِنائِلِهِ

وَلَقَد تَناوَلَني بِنائِلِهِ

فَأَصابَني مِن مالِهِ سَجلُ

فَأَصابَني مِن مالِهِ سَجلُ

And indeed, he reached me with his bounty,

And he has afflicted me with his gifts

So a brimming bucketful from his wealth came to me—

And from his money I received a flood

مُتَبَعِّجُ التَيّارِ ذو حَدَبٍ

مُتَبَعِّجُ التَيّارِ ذو حَدَبٍ

مُغرَورِبٍ تَيّارُهُ يَعلو

مُغرَورِبٍ تَيّارُهُ يَعلو

With a wide, gushing current and a swelling crest,

Sinuous in current, humpbacked

Dark-hued, its current rising high.

Western in flow, his currents rise

فَلَأَشكُرَنَّ فُضولَ نَعمَتِهِ

فَلَأَشكُرَنَّ فُضولَ نَعمَتِهِ

حَتّى أَموتَ وَفَضلُهُ فَضلُ

حَتّى أَموتَ وَفَضلُهُ فَضلُ

So I shall surely give thanks for his abundant favor

I will thank his abundant favor

Until I die—and his bounty is bounty indeed.

Until I die while his excellence remains excellence

أَنتَ الشُجاعُ إِذا هُمُ نَزَلوا

أَنتَ الشُجاعُ إِذا هُمُ نَزَلوا

عِندَ المَضيقِ وَفِعلُكَ الفِعلُ

عِندَ المَضيقِ وَفِعلُكَ الفِعلُ

You are the brave one when they encamp

You are the brave one when they descended

At the narrow pass, and your action is true action.

At the strait, and your deed is the deed