طافَ خَيالٌ مِن سُلَيمى فَاِعتَرى

طافَ خَيالٌ مِن سُلَيمى فَاِعتَرى

حَنَّت وَقالَت بِنتُها حَتّى مَتى

حَنَّت وَقالَت بِنتُها حَتّى مَتى

An apparition of Sulayma passed by and came upon me.

A vision from Sulaima passed by and lingered,

She yearned, and her daughter said, "How much longer?"

She sighed and said to her daughter, “For how long,

تُبَشَّري بِالرِفهِ وَالماءِ الرِوى

تُبَشَّري بِالرِفهِ وَالماءِ الرِوى

وَفَرَجٍ مِنكِ قَريبٍ قَد أَتى

وَفَرَجٍ مِنكِ قَريبٍ قَد أَتى

Receive glad tidings of ease and thirst-quenching water,

Will you be given hope of comfort and flowing water,

and relief, close to you, that has already arrived.

And relief from you that has come near?

يَتبَعنَ ذَيّالاً كَسَرحانِ الغَضا

يَتبَعنَ ذَيّالاً كَسَرحانِ الغَضا

إِذا سَمَت حَلائِلٌ لَهُ سَما

إِذا سَمَت حَلائِلٌ لَهُ سَما

They follow a long-tailed male, like a wolf of the ghada thickets.

It follows a lost one like a free-roaming horse,

When his mates rise toward him, he rises.

When bindings are loosened for it to roam.

فَهوَ أَبٌ لِهاتِهِ وَاِبنٌ لِتا

فَهوَ أَبٌ لِهاتِهِ وَاِبنٌ لِتا

بِثَجرَ أَو تَيماءَ أَو وادي القُرى

بِثَجرَ أَو تَيماءَ أَو وادي القُرى

Thus he is father to this one and son to that,

So it is a father to this one and a son to that,

at Thajr, or Tayma, or Wadi al-Qura.

At Thajr, or Taima, or Wadi al-Qura.

فَمَنَعَ النَومَ وَمَنّانا المُنى

فَمَنَعَ النَومَ وَمَنّانا المُنى

فَقُلتُ أَهلاً بِالخَيالِ إِذ سَرى

فَقُلتُ أَهلاً بِالخَيالِ إِذ سَرى

So it kept us from sleep and filled us with hopes.

It kept away sleep and denied us wishes,

So I said, "Welcome, apparition," when it came by night.

So I said, “Welcome to the vision as it traveled on

وَالرَكبُ فَوقَ لاحِبٍ مُلسِ الحَصى

وَالرَكبُ فَوقَ لاحِبٍ مُلسِ الحَصى

أَبلَقَ لا يَقضي بِهِ القَومُ الكَرى

أَبلَقَ لا يَقضي بِهِ القَومُ الكَرى

And the riders were upon a broad road of smooth pebbles,

And the band above a bare plain of smooth pebbles,

dappled, where the company get no sleep,

Spotted, not finishing what the people began,

مُعَبَّدٍ يَهدي إِلى ماءٍ صَرى

مُعَبَّدٍ يَهدي إِلى ماءٍ صَرى

طامي الجِمامِ لَم تُكَدِّرهُ الدَلا

طامي الجِمامِ لَم تُكَدِّرهُ الدَلا

well-trodden, leading to standing water,

A paved road guiding to flowing water,

brimming with pooled water, not muddied by buckets.

Pure, not muddied by turbidity.

بِجانِبَيهِ زَقَياتٌ لِلصَدى

بِجانِبَيهِ زَقَياتٌ لِلصَدى

يَهدي الضَلولَ يَنتَحي حَيثُ اِنتَحى

يَهدي الضَلولَ يَنتَحي حَيثُ اِنتَحى

On either side of it sound the owl's cries.

On its sides are rocky areas echoing,

It guides the lost traveler, whichever way he turns.

Guiding the lost, veering wherever it turned aside,

لَهُ عَلاماتٌ عَلى حَدِّ الصُوى

لَهُ عَلاماتٌ عَلى حَدِّ الصُوى

أَقبَلنَ مِن مِصرَ يُبارينَ البُرى

أَقبَلنَ مِن مِصرَ يُبارينَ البُرى

It has markers along the line of cairns.

It has markings at the limit of vision.

They came from Egypt, straining against the nose-rings,

They came from Egypt contending with the wilderness,

يَشكونَ قُرحاً بِالدُفوفِ وَالكُلى

يَشكونَ قُرحاً بِالدُفوفِ وَالكُلى

يَسأَلُها عَن بَعلِها أَيُّ فَتى

يَسأَلُها عَن بَعلِها أَيُّ فَتى

complaining of sores on their flanks and loins.

Complaining of wounds in the ribs and kidneys.

He asks her about her husband: "What kind of man is he?"

She asks her about her husband, “What kind of man?”

خِبٌّ جَبانٌ وَإِذا جاعَ بَكى

خِبٌّ جَبانٌ وَإِذا جاعَ بَكى

لا حَطَبَ القَومَ وَلا القَومَ سَقى

لا حَطَبَ القَومَ وَلا القَومَ سَقى

A sly coward: when he grows hungry, he cries.

A cowardly fool, and when hungry he cries,

He gathers no firewood for the company, nor gives them water;

He neither gathered wood for the people nor watered them,

وَلا رِكابَ القَومِ إِن ضاعَت بَغى

وَلا رِكابَ القَومِ إِن ضاعَت بَغى

وَلا يُواري فَرجَهُ إِذا اِصطلى

وَلا يُواري فَرجَهُ إِذا اِصطلى

nor seeks the company's riding camels if they stray;

Nor sought the people’s lost mounts if they strayed,

nor covers his private parts when he warms himself by the fire.

Nor covers his private part when he urinates,

وَيَأكُلُ التَمرَ وَلا يُلقي النَوى

وَيَأكُلُ التَمرَ وَلا يُلقي النَوى

كَأَنَّهُ غِرارَةٌ مَلأى حَثى

كَأَنَّهُ غِرارَةٌ مَلأى حَثى

And he eats dates without throwing away the pits,

And eats dates but doesn’t throw away the pits,

as though he were a grain-sack filled with chaff.

As if he were a waterskin filled with pebbles

لَمّا رَأى الرَملَ وَقيزانَ الغَصا

لَمّا رَأى الرَملَ وَقيزانَ الغَصا

وَالبَقَر المُلَمَّعاتِ بِالشَوى

وَالبَقَر المُلَمَّعاتِ بِالشَوى

When he saw the sand and the dunes of al-Ghasa,

When he saw the sand and dripping trees of al-Ghadha

and the wild cattle, mottled on their legs,

And the cattle with brands on their sides,

بَكى وَقالَ هَل تَرَونَ ما أَرى

بَكى وَقالَ هَل تَرَونَ ما أَرى

أَلَيسَ لِلسَيرِ الطَويلِ مُنتَهى

أَلَيسَ لِلسَيرِ الطَويلِ مُنتَهى

he wept and said, "Do you see what I see?"

He cried and said, “Do you see what I see?

"Is there no end to the long journey?"

Is there no end to this long journey?”

قُلتُ أُعَزّي صاحِبي أَلا بَلى

قُلتُ أُعَزّي صاحِبي أَلا بَلى

إِن يَطُلِ السَيرُ وَتَنقاضُ العُرى

إِن يَطُلِ السَيرُ وَتَنقاضُ العُرى

I said, consoling my companion, "Yes, indeed there is."

I said, “I will console my companion! Yes indeed!

If the journey grows long and the loops give way,

If the journey is long and the knots of tent ropes loosen,

تَرَ اِمرَءاً يُحقَبُ إِحقابَ الخَلا

تَرَ اِمرَءاً يُحقَبُ إِحقابَ الخَلا

إِنّي إِذا الجِبسُ عَلى الكورِ اِنثَنى

إِنّي إِذا الجِبسُ عَلى الكورِ اِنثَنى

you will see a man strapped behind the saddle like green fodder.

You see a man shrink with the shrinking of a waterskin

For my part, when the coward slumps over the camel-saddle,

When the patch is bent onto the leather bottle

وَحُزِمَت أَصلابُهُ فَوقَ العُرى

وَحُزِمَت أَصلابُهُ فَوقَ العُرى

فَقالَ أُنعيتُ فَقُلتُ قَد أَرى

فَقالَ أُنعيتُ فَقُلتُ قَد أَرى

and his loins are lashed above the loops,

And his ribs are bundled over the tent pegs.”

and he says, "My death has been announced!"—I say, "I do see."

So he said, “You have announced my death.” I said, “I see

أَو يُسأَلُ المالَ فِداءً لا اِفتَدى

أَو يُسأَلُ المالَ فِداءً لا اِفتَدى

أَو يَغفُلُ القَومُ قَليلاً لا اِنقَضى

أَو يَغفُلُ القَومُ قَليلاً لا اِنقَضى

Or he is asked for money as ransom, yet does not ransom himself;

Either wealth will be asked in ransom but not paid,

or the company are heedless a little—he does not finish.

Or the people will be neglected a little but not perish.

عِندَ الصَباحِ يَحمَدُ القَومُ السُرى

عِندَ الصَباحِ يَحمَدُ القَومُ السُرى

وَتَنجَلي عَنهُم غَياباتُ الكَرى

وَتَنجَلي عَنهُم غَياباتُ الكَرى

At dawn the company praise the night journey,

In the morning, the people will praise the journey

and the deep shadows of slumber lift from them.

And the darkness of worries will disappear from them.”