أَلا أَصبَحَت عِرسي مِنَ البَيتِ جامِحاً

أَلا أَصبَحَت عِرسي مِنَ البَيتِ جامِحاً

عَلى غَيرِ شَيءٍ أَيُّ أَمرٍ بَدا لَها

عَلى غَيرِ شَيءٍ أَيُّ أَمرٍ بَدا لَها

Lo, this morning my wife has bolted from the house,

Alas, my wedding procession left home in haste

for no reason—what notion has struck her?

For no reason, what idea got into its head?

عَلى خَيرَةٍ كانَت أَمِ العِرسُ جامِحٌ

عَلى خَيرَةٍ كانَت أَمِ العِرسُ جامِحٌ

وَكَيفَ وَقَد سُقنا إِلى الحَيِّ مالَها

وَكَيفَ وَقَد سُقنا إِلى الحَيِّ مالَها

Was it a considered choice, or is the wife headstrong?

Though the procession began happy, it became hasty

And how, when we have driven her livestock to the clan?

How could it not when we were led to worthy folk?

وَلَم تَدرِ ما خُلقي فَتَعلَمُ أَنَّني

وَلَم تَدرِ ما خُلقي فَتَعلَمُ أَنَّني

لَدى مُستَقَرِّ البَيتِ أُنعِمُ بالَها

لَدى مُستَقَرِّ البَيتِ أُنعِمُ بالَها

Nor did she know my character well enough to learn that I

It did not know my nature, so as to realize

in the settled home, give her peace of mind.

That at home I enjoy tranquility and comfort

سَتَرجِعُ نَدمى خَسَّةَ الحَظِّ عِندَنا

سَتَرجِعُ نَدمى خَسَّةَ الحَظِّ عِندَنا

كَما صَرَمَت مِنّا بِلَيلٍ وِصالَها

كَما صَرَمَت مِنّا بِلَيلٍ وِصالَها

She will return regretful, held in little favor among us,

My shame at ill fate will return to haunt me

just as she severed her bond with us by night.

As she sullenly left us in the night after union

أَعَدوَ القِبِصّى قَبلَ عَيرٍ وَما جَرى

أَعَدوَ القِبِصّى قَبلَ عَيرٍ وَما جَرى

وَلَم تَدرِ ما خُبري وَلَم أَدرِ ما لَها

وَلَم تَدرِ ما خُبري وَلَم أَدرِ ما لَها

A bounding dash, before an eye’s pupil has even moved?

I ran ahead of the caravan before it got underway

She did not know my true nature, nor I what ailed her.

And she did not know my situation nor I hers

وَكُنتُ إِذا زالَت رِحالَةُ صاحِبٍ

وَكُنتُ إِذا زالَت رِحالَةُ صاحِبٍ

شَتِمتُ بِهِ حَتّى لَقيتُ مِثالَها

شَتِمتُ بِهِ حَتّى لَقيتُ مِثالَها

And whenever a companion’s saddle slipped,

Whenever a friend’s goods were packed up

I would mock him for it—until I encountered its like.

I would insult him until we parted

وَجاءَت سُلَيمٌ قَضَّها بِقَضيضِها

وَجاءَت سُلَيمٌ قَضَّها بِقَضيضِها

تُمَسِّحُ حَولي بِالبَقيعِ سِبالَها

تُمَسِّحُ حَولي بِالبَقيعِ سِبالَها

And Sulaym came, every last one of them,

Sulaim came and took her away roughly

stroking their moustaches around me at al-Baqīʿ.

Wiping her tears with her sleeve as she went

يَقولونَ لي اِحلِف فَلَستُ بِحالِفٍ

يَقولونَ لي اِحلِف فَلَستُ بِحالِفٍ

أُخادِعُهُم عَنها لِكَيما أَنالَها

أُخادِعُهُم عَنها لِكَيما أَنالَها

They tell me, ‘Swear!’—but I am not one to swear;

They tell me, “take an oath,” but I won’t swear

I try to trick them concerning her, so that I may win her.

I deceive them about her so I can get her

فَفَرَّجتُ كَربَ النَفسِ عَنّي بِحَلفَةٍ

فَفَرَّجتُ كَربَ النَفسِ عَنّي بِحَلفَةٍ

كَما شَقَّتِ الشَقراءُ عَنها جِلالَها

كَما شَقَّتِ الشَقراءُ عَنها جِلالَها

So I dispelled my soul’s anguish with an oath,

So I relieved my soul’s anguish with a false oath

as the chestnut mare tore her coverings off herself—

As she relieved hers by rending her cloak

بِصاعِقَةٍ لَو صادَفَت رَملَ عالِجٍ

بِصاعِقَةٍ لَو صادَفَت رَملَ عالِجٍ

وَرَملَ الغَنا يَوماً لَهالَت رِمالَها

وَرَملَ الغَنا يَوماً لَهالَت رِمالَها

with a thunderbolt that, had it struck the sands of ʿĀlij

With a lightning bolt, that if it struck the sands of Al-Alij

and the sands of al-Ghanā one day, would have sent their sands tumbling.

Or the sands of Al-Ghanu one day, it would turn them to glass

فَقالوا أَعِدها نَستَمِع كَيفَ قُلتَها

فَقالوا أَعِدها نَستَمِع كَيفَ قُلتَها

فَقالَ كَثيرٌ لا نُحِلُّ عِلالَها

فَقالَ كَثيرٌ لا نُحِلُّ عِلالَها

Then they said, ‘Repeat it; let us hear how you said it.’

So they said, “Say it again so we can hear how you put it”

Then Kathīr said, ‘We allow no second draught of it.’

But Kathir said, “We will not make public her shame.”