1. بَينَ العَقيقِ وَبَينَ بُرقَةِ ثَهمَدِ

    طَلَلٌ لِعَبلَة مُستَهِلُّ المَعهَدِ

    Between al-‘Aqiq and Burqat Thahmad

    Stand the ruins of ‘Abla, their old site plainly visible.

  2. يا مَسرَحَ الآرامِ في وادي الحِمى

    هَل فيكَ ذو شَجَنٍ يَروحُ وَيَغتَدي

    O grazing ground of gazelles in al-Hima's valley,

    Does one burdened with sorrow wander in you at dusk and dawn?

  3. في أَيمَنِ العَلَمينِ دَرسُ مَعالِمٍ

    أَوهى بِها جَلَدي وَبانَ تَجَلُّدي

    To the right of the two landmarks lie faded traces—

    There my endurance was sapped, and my composure fled—

  4. مِن كُلِّ فاتِنَةٍ تَلَفَّتَ جيدُها

    مَرَحاً كَسالِفَةِ الغَزالِ الأَغيَدِ

    Of every enchantress whose neck turned

    Playfully, like the neck of a supple gazelle.

  5. يا عَبلَ كَم يُشجى فُؤادي بِالنَوى

    وَيَروعُني صَوتُ الغُرابِ الأَسوَدِ

    O ‘Abla, how often my heart is grieved by separation,

    And the cry of the black raven frightens me.

  6. كَيفَ السَلُوُّ وَما سَمِعتُ حَمائِماً

    يَندُبنَ إِلّا كُنتُ أَوَّلَ مُنشِدِ

    How can I forget? Never have I heard doves

    Lament without being the first to chant.

  7. وَلَقَد حَبَستُ الدَمعَ لا بُخلاً بِهِ

    يَومَ الوَداعِ عَلى رُسومِ المَعهَدِ

    And indeed I held back my tears, not begrudging them,

    On the day of farewell, over the traces of the old dwelling.

  8. وَسَأَلتُ طَيرَ الدَوحِ كَم مِثلي شَجا

    بِأَنينِهِ وَحَنينِهِ المُتَرَدِّدِ

    And I asked the bird of the great trees how many like me it had saddened

    With its moaning and its recurring cries of longing.

  9. نادَيتُهُ وَمَدامِعي مُنهَلَّةٌ

    أَينَ الخَلِيُّ مِنَ الشَجِيِّ المُكمَدِ

    I called to it, my tears streaming:

    How far the carefree are from the sorrowful, consumed by grief!

  10. لَو كُنتَ مِثلي ما لَبِثتَ مَلاوَةٌ

    وَهَتَفتَ في غُصنِ النَقا المُتَأَوِّدِ

    Were you like me, you would not linger long

    And call out from the dune's bending branch.

  11. رَفَعوا القِبابَ عَلى وُجوهٍ أَشرَقَت

    فيها فَغَيَّبتِ السُها في الفَرقَدِ

    They raised the canopies over faces that shone

    Within them, eclipsing al-Suha in al-Farqad.

  12. وَاِستَوكَفوا ماءَ العُيونِ بِأَعيُنٍ

    مَكحولَةٍ بِالسِحرِ لا بِالإِثمِدِ

    And they drew tears from eyes by means of eyes

    Kohled with enchantment, not with antimony.

  13. وَالشَمسُ بَينَ مُضَرَّجٍ وَمُبَلَّجٍ

    وَالغُصنُ بَينَ مُوَشَّحٍ وَمُقَلَّدِ

    And the sun among faces rosy and radiant,

    And the bough among figures sashed and necklaced:

  14. يَطلُعنَ بَينَ سَوالِفٍ وَمَعاطِفٍ

    وَقَلائِدٍ مِن لُؤلُؤٍ وَزَبَرجَدِ

    They appear among necks and curving forms,

    And necklaces of pearls and chrysolite.

  15. قالوا اللِقاءَ غَداً بِمُنعَرَجِ اللِوى

    وَأَطولَ شَوقِ المُستَهامِ إِلى غَدِ

    They said, 'The meeting is tomorrow at the bend of al-Liwa.'

    And how long the love-maddened one's yearning for tomorrow!

  16. وَتَخالُ أَنفاسي إِذا رَدَّدتُها

    بَينَ الطُلولِ مَحَت نُقوشَ المِبرَدِ

    And you would think my sighs, when I repeat them,

    Among the ruins, had effaced a file's grooves.

  17. وَتَنوفَةٍ مَجهولَةٍ قَد خُضتُها

    بِسِنانِ رُمحٍ نارُهُ لَم تَخمُدِ

    And many an unknown wilderness have I traversed

    With the point of a spear whose fire did not die out.

  18. باكَرتُها في فِتيَةٍ عَبسِيَّةٍ

    مِن كُلِّ أَروَعِ في الكَريهَةِ أَصيَدِ

    I came to it at dawn with young men of ‘Abs,

    Each an awe-inspiring warrior, proud-necked in battle.

  19. وَتَرى بِها الراياتِ تَخفُقُ وَالقَنا

    وَتَرى العَجاجَ كَمِثلِ بَحرٍ مُزبِدِ

    And there you see the banners and spears waving,

    And you see the dust-cloud like a foaming sea.

  20. فَهُناكَ تَنظُرُ آلُ عَبسٍ مَوقِفي

    وَالخَيلُ تَعثَرُ بِالوَشيجِ الأَملَدِ

    There the people of ‘Abs behold my stand,

    While horses stumble over supple spear-shafts.

  21. وَبَوارِقُ البيضِ الرِقاقِ لَوامِعٌ

    في عارِضٍ مِثلِ الغَمامَ المُرعِدِ

    And flashes of thin, bright swords gleam

    In a battle-front like a thundering cloud.

  22. وَذَوابِلُ السُمرُ الرِقاقِ كَأَنَّها

    تَحتَ القَتامِ نُجومِ لَيلٍ أَسوَدِ

    And the slender tawny spears look like

    Stars of a black night beneath the dust-cloud.

  23. وَحَوافِرُ الخَيلِ العِناقِ عَلى الصَفا

    مِثلُ الصَواعِقِ في قِفارِ الفَدفَدِ

    And the long-necked horses' hooves upon smooth rock

    Are like thunderbolts across the broad plain's barren wastes.

  24. باشَرتُ مَوكِبَها وَخُضتُ غُبارَها

    أَطفَأتُ جَمرَ لَهيبِها المُتَوَقِّدِ

    I confronted their mounted host and plunged into their dust;

    I quenched the embers of their blazing flame.

  25. وَكَرَرتُ وَالأَبطالُ بَينَ تَصادُمٍ

    وَتَهاجُمٍ وَتَحَزُّبٍ وَتَشَدُّدِ

    And I charged again, while champions were locked in clashes,

    Mutual assaults, banding together, and fierce resistance.

  26. وَفَوارِسُ الهَيجاءِ بَينَ مُمانِعٍ

    وَمُدافِعٍ وَمُخادِعٍ وَمُعَربِدِ

    And battle's horsemen—some resisting,

    Some defending, some deceiving, some raging.

  27. وَالبيضُ تَلمَعُ وَالرِماحُ عَواسِلٌ

    وَالقَومُ بَينَ مُجَدَّلٍ وَمُقَيَّدِ

    And the bright swords gleam, while the spears quiver,

    And the men are some struck down, some bound,

  28. وَمُوَسَّدٍ تَحتَ التُرابِ وَغَيرُهُ

    فَوقَ التُرابِ يَئِنُّ غَيرَ مُوَسَّدِ

    And some pillowed beneath the earth, while others

    Groan upon the earth, unpillowed.

  29. وَالجَوُّ أَقتَمُ وَالنُجومُ مُضيئَةٌ

    وَالأُفقُ مُغبَرُّ العَنانِ الأَربَدِ

    And the air is dust-dark, while the stars shine,

    And the horizon is dust-veiled, its clouds dark grey.

  30. أَقحَمتُ مُهري تَحتَ ظِلِّ عَجاجَةٍ

    بِسِنانِ رُمحٍ ذابِلٍ وَمُهَنَّدِ

    I drove my colt beneath a dust-cloud's shadow,

    With a slender spear's point and an Indian-steel sword.

  31. وَرَغَمتُ أَنفَ الحاسِدينَ بِسَطوَتي

    فَغَدَوا لَها مِن راكِعينَ وَسُجَّدِ

    And with my might I rubbed the envious men's noses in dust,

    So they bowed and fell prostrate before it.