أجارتنا غُضِّي من السّير أو قِفِي

أجارتنا غُضِّي من السّير أو قِفِي

وإن كُنتِ لما تُزمعي البَين فأصرِفي

وإن كُنتِ لما تُزمعي البَين فأصرِفي

O our neighbor, slow your pace or stop.

Chide me for walking or stop here,

And if you have not yet resolved to depart, turn aside.

Though you intend to part, be turned from your intent,

أسائلكِ أو أُخبركِ عن ذي لُبانَةٍ

أسائلكِ أو أُخبركِ عن ذي لُبانَةٍ

سقيم فؤادٍ بالحِسانِ مُكَلَّفِ

سقيم فؤادٍ بالحِسانِ مُكَلَّفِ

Let me question you, or tell you of one with a longing,

I ask or inform you about the sandalwood perfume,

sick at heart, infatuated with beautiful women.

Whose loving heart is burdened and troubled,

فَصَدَّت وقالَت والكَبيرُ بسُهمَة

فَصَدَّت وقالَت والكَبيرُ بسُهمَة

متى يَبكِ يوماً للتصابي يُعَنَّفِ

متى يَبكِ يوماً للتصابي يُعَنَّفِ

She turned away and said: "An old man is suspect;

She turned away and said while the old man dozed,

if ever he weeps for youthful dalliance, he is rebuked."

"When will he weep one day for the loss?"

ولو عَرضَت يوم الرَّحيل بنشرها

ولو عَرضَت يوم الرَّحيل بنشرها

لذي كَربةٍ مُوفٍ على الموت مُدنَفِ

لذي كَربةٍ مُوفٍ على الموت مُدنَفِ

And had she appeared on departure day with her fragrance

Had she on the day of departure tried to comfort him,

before one in anguish, wasted with illness and on the brink of death,

The distressed man, loyal to death,

إذَن لشفته بعد ما خيل أنه

إذَن لشفته بعد ما خيل أنه

أخو سَقم قد خالط النفس مُتلِفِ

أخو سَقم قد خالط النفس مُتلِفِ

she would surely have healed him, after it had seemed that he

Then she would have allowed him after he imagined,

was afflicted with a deadly sickness that had mingled with his soul.

That he was like a sick brother to her soul,

سبيّةُ سَفَّانين قد خُدعا بها

سبيّةُ سَفَّانين قد خُدعا بها

تصيبُ الفؤادَ من لذيذٍ وتشتفي

تصيبُ الفؤادَ من لذيذٍ وتشتفي

A captive of two sailors, both already beguiled by her,

A captive of sailors tricked by her,

she strikes the heart with sweetness and finds satisfaction.

Who takes hearts with pleasure yet is jealous,

ولو لُقي النُّعمانُ حَيّاً لَنالها

ولو لُقي النُّعمانُ حَيّاً لَنالها

ولو بعث الجنيّ في الناس يصطفي

ولو بعث الجنيّ في الناس يصطفي

And had al-Nu‘man been found alive, he would have won her;

Had Nu'man lived he would have won her,

and had a jinn been sent among people to choose,

Or if he returned to choose from all people,

لغاضَ عليها ذاتَ دلٍّ ومِيسمٍ

لغاضَ عليها ذاتَ دلٍّ ومِيسمٍ

ووجهٍ كدينار العزيز المشوّفِ

ووجهٍ كدينار العزيز المشوّفِ

he would have descended upon her, endowed with charm and beauty,

He would desire her with a supple body and dimples,

and a face like al-‘Aziz’s burnished dinar.

And a face like a precious golden coin,

أسِيلَةُ مُستَنِّ الدُّموعِ نَبيلةٌ

أسِيلَةُ مُستَنِّ الدُّموعِ نَبيلةٌ

كأَدماء من أظبي نَبالةَ مُخرفِ

كأَدماء من أظبي نَبالةَ مُخرفِ

Smooth along the tears’ course, noble of form,

A willow of tear shedding, a noble one,

like a pale doe among Nabalah’s gazelles in autumn pasture,

Like the blood of a grey deer richly adorned,

تَظَلُّ النهارَ في الظِلال وترتعي

تَظَلُّ النهارَ في الظِلال وترتعي

فروعَ الهدَالِ والأراك المصَيّفِ

فروعَ الهدَالِ والأراك المصَيّفِ

she spends the day in the shade and grazes on

She stays in the shade by day and grazes,

the boughs of mistletoe and arak watered by summer rain.

On the tender tips and fresh treetops,

ويَذعَرُ سرب الحيّ وسواسُ حليها

ويَذعَرُ سرب الحيّ وسواسُ حليها

إذا حركته من دعاثٍ ورفرفِ

إذا حركته من دعاثٍ ورفرفِ

The soft tinkling of her ornaments startles the camp’s flock,

And a flock takes alarm and its trinkets clatter,

when she stirs them amid soft sand-mounds and flowing drapery.

When she stirs it with her pace and fluttering,

ولم أرَ في سُفلي ربيعةَ مثلها

ولم أرَ في سُفلي ربيعةَ مثلها

ولا مضرَ الأعلين قيس وخندفِ

ولا مضرَ الأعلين قيس وخندفِ

And I have not seen her like in lower Rabi‘ah,

And I have not seen among the lowly women of Rabi'ah one like her,

nor among upper Mudar—Qays and Khindif.

Nor among the noble women of Mudar, Qais and Khindif.

إذا هي قامت في الثياب تأوذن

إذا هي قامت في الثياب تأوذن

سقية غَيلٍ أو غَمامَة صيفِ

سقية غَيلٍ أو غَمامَة صيفِ

When she stands up in her robes, she sways—

When she stands in clothes, she sways gently,

a stream-watered palm, or a summer cloud.

Like a cup of wine or a summer cloud,

تداركني أسيابَ آل مُجَلّم

تداركني أسيابَ آل مُجَلّم

وقد كدت أهوى بين نيقين نفنفِ

وقد كدت أهوى بين نيقين نفنفِ

The gifts of the house of Mujallam came to my rescue,

She makes me forget the kinsmen of Mujallem,

when I had almost plunged into a chasm between two peaks.

When I had nearly fallen between two cliffs,

همُ القومُ يُمسي جارُهم في غضارة

همُ القومُ يُمسي جارُهم في غضارة

سليماً سَويّ اللحم لم يُتجرّفِ

سليماً سَويّ اللحم لم يُتجرّفِ

They are the people whose neighbor spends the evening in plenty,

While the people at dusk find their neighbor,

unharmed, sound of flesh, not wasted away.

Unharmed, intact, not ripped to shreds,

وَهم يضربون الكبش يبرقُ بيضُه

وَهم يضربون الكبش يبرقُ بيضُه

بأسنانِهم والماسِخيِّ المزخرفِ

بأسنانِهم والماسِخيِّ المزخرفِ

And they strike the ram of battle, his helmets flashing,

And they strike the ram whose fleece flashes white,

with their spear-teeth and the ornamented Masikhi bow.

With their teeth and decorated knife.