أزِفَ الرَّحيلُ فودَّعتْني مُقْلةٌ

أزِفَ الرَّحيلُ فودَّعتْني مُقْلةٌ

أوْحتْ إليَّ جُفونُها بسَلامِ

أوْحتْ إليَّ جُفونُها بسَلامِ

Departure drew near, so an eye bade me farewell;

The time of departure drew near, so a darling bid me farewell,

Its eyelids conveyed a greeting to me.

Her eyelids conveyed to me a message of peace,

وتَطلَّعتْ بينَ الحُدوجِ كأنَّها

وتَطلَّعتْ بينَ الحُدوجِ كأنَّها

شمسٌ تَطلَّعُ في خِلالِ غَمامِ

شمسٌ تَطلَّعُ في خِلالِ غَمامِ

And she peered out among the camel litters, as though she were

And she looked between the cheeks as if she were

A sun emerging through clouds.

A sun peering through the clouds' midst.

وشكَتْ تَباريحَ الصَّبابةِ والهَوى

وشكَتْ تَباريحَ الصَّبابةِ والهَوى

بمدامعٍ نَطقتْ بغَيرِ كلامِ

بمدامعٍ نَطقتْ بغَيرِ كلامِ

And she lamented the torments of longing and love

She complained of the tenderness of youth and passion

With tears that spoke without words.

With tears that spoke without words,

كمهاةِ رَملٍ قد تَربَّعتِ الحِمَى

كمهاةِ رَملٍ قد تَربَّعتِ الحِمَى

بينَ الظُّباءِ العُفر والآرامِ

بينَ الظُّباءِ العُفر والآرامِ

Like an oryx of the sands that had spent spring in the protected pasture,

Like the sands of a dune where the heat mirage

Among the tawny gazelles and the white ones,

Shimmers between the motley grasses and sands.

حتَّى إذا ضَربَ المصيفُ رُواقَهُ

حتَّى إذا ضَربَ المصيفُ رُواقَهُ

صافَتْ بظلِّ أراكَةٍ وبشامِ

صافَتْ بظلِّ أراكَةٍ وبشامِ

Until, when summer pitched its canopy,

Until when summer pitched its canopy,

She spent the summer in the shade of an arak tree and basham trees.

She rested in the shade of an arâkah-tree and perfumed herbs.