هَل تَعرِفُ الرَبعَ الَّذي تَنَكَّرا

هَل تَعرِفُ الرَبعَ الَّذي تَنَكَّرا

بَينَ المَواعِيسِ إِلى وادي القِرى

بَينَ المَواعِيسِ إِلى وادي القِرى

Do you recognize the encampment that has become unrecognizable?

Do you know the quarter that was disguised

Between al-Mawa'is and Wadi al-Qura,

Between the lanterns to Wadi Qura

إِلى الشَرى يا حَبَّذا ذاكَ الشَرى

إِلى الشَرى يا حَبَّذا ذاكَ الشَرى

حَيثُ تَرى مِنهُ الكَثيبَ الأَعفَرا

حَيثُ تَرى مِنهُ الكَثيبَ الأَعفَرا

To al-Shara—ah, how lovely that al-Shara!

To Ash-Sharaa, how excellent is that Ash-Sharaa

Where you see its tawny sand dune,

Where you see from it the yellowed sand dune

مُعَمَّماً بِنَورِهِ مُؤَزَّرا

مُعَمَّماً بِنَورِهِ مُؤَزَّرا

يَغشى نَسيمُ الرِيحِ ذاكَ العَبهَرا

يَغشى نَسيمُ الرِيحِ ذاكَ العَبهَرا

Turbaned and girdled with its blossoms,

Covered with its light, girded

The wind's breeze sweeps over that narcissus,

The breeze of the wind spreads that fragrance

وَالرَندَ فَيّاحَ الشَذا وَالعَرعَرا

وَالرَندَ فَيّاحَ الشَذا وَالعَرعَرا

حَتّى تَسُوفَ بِالوِهادِ وَالذُرى

حَتّى تَسُوفَ بِالوِهادِ وَالذُرى

And the laurel, lavish with fragrance, and the juniper,

And the myrtle fresh with aroma and flowers

Until, in hollows and on heights, you smell

Until it roams in the valleys and plains

عُوداً قُمارِيّاً وَمِسكاً أَذفَرا

عُوداً قُمارِيّاً وَمِسكاً أَذفَرا

مَنازِلاً ذَكَّرنَ مَن تَذَكَّرا

مَنازِلاً ذَكَّرنَ مَن تَذَكَّرا

Qumari aloeswood and pungent musk.

Aloeswood and musk make it prosperous

Dwellings that reminded whoever remembered

Dwellings that remind those who remember

عَيشاً هَنيِئاً وَزَماناً أَنضَرا

عَيشاً هَنيِئاً وَزَماناً أَنضَرا

يا صاحِبيَّ غَلِّسا أَو هَجِّرا

يا صاحِبيَّ غَلِّسا أَو هَجِّرا

Of a blissful life and a more radiant time.

A blessed life and a green era

O my two companions, travel before dawn or at midday,

O my friend set forth or estrange

وَقَبِّلا العِيسَ المَخُوفَ الأَكدَرا

وَقَبِّلا العِيسَ المَخُوفَ الأَكدَرا

طَلائِحاً تَنفُح في صُفرِ البُرى

طَلائِحاً تَنفُح في صُفرِ البُرى

And steer the pale camels toward the fearsome, dusky waste,

And kiss the feared, sombre calf

Exhausted, snorting through brass nose-rings,

Doeskin bags give off scent in the yellow wasteland

كَأَنَّها مِنَ الوَجيفِ وَالسُرى

كَأَنَّها مِنَ الوَجيفِ وَالسُرى

قِسِيُّ رامٍ أَم جَرِيدٌ حُسِّرا

قِسِيُّ رامٍ أَم جَرِيدٌ حُسِّرا

As though, from swift trotting and night travel, they were

As if they were from carrion and charnel

An archer's bows, or palm branches stripped bare.

Is it a firm rope or a peeled palm branch

قَلائِصاً باتَت لَغُوباً حُسَّراً

قَلائِصاً باتَت لَغُوباً حُسَّراً

يَكتُبنَ بِالأَيدي عَلى وَجهِ الثَرى

يَكتُبنَ بِالأَيدي عَلى وَجهِ الثَرى

Young she-camels that spent the night weary and exhausted,

Withered garments that spent the night folded

Writing with their forelegs upon the earth's face

They write with hands on the earth’s face

مِنَ الذَميلِ أَحرُفاً وَأَسطُراً

مِنَ الذَميلِ أَحرُفاً وَأَسطُراً

قُلنا لَها وَالنَجمُ قَد تَغَوَّرا

قُلنا لَها وَالنَجمُ قَد تَغَوَّرا

Letters and lines with their light-footed trot.

From ink, letters and lines

We said to them, when the star had set,

We said to it while the star had set

وَالصُبحُ قَد أَسفَرَ أَو ما أَسفَرَا

وَالصُبحُ قَد أَسفَرَ أَو ما أَسفَرَا

وَهِيَ مِنَ الإِدلاجِ تَخفى أَو تُرى

وَهِيَ مِنَ الإِدلاجِ تَخفى أَو تُرى

And dawn had brightened—or had not yet brightened—

And dawn had broken or nearly broken

While on their night journey they were hidden or visible:

It hides in the darkness or can be seen

يا عِيسُ أُمّي المَلِكَ المُؤَمَّرا

يا عِيسُ أُمّي المَلِكَ المُؤَمَّرا

وَانتَجِعي ذاكَ الجَنابَ الأَخضَرا

وَانتَجِعي ذاكَ الجَنابَ الأَخضَرا

O pale camels, make for the king invested with command,

O Jesus my mother the appointed King

And seek pasture in that verdant domain.

And withdraw to that green side

فَإِن أَزَرناكِ المُعِزَّ الأَزهَرا

فَإِن أَزَرناكِ المُعِزَّ الأَزهَرا

فَما تَرَينَ نَصَباً وَلا نَرى

فَما تَرَينَ نَصَباً وَلا نَرى

For if we take you to visit radiant al-Mu'izz,

If we visit you, the most blossoming protector

Then you will know no weariness, nor will we.

Then you see no misfortune and we see none

يا خَيرَ قَيسٍ مَحتِداً وَعُنصُرا

يا خَيرَ قَيسٍ مَحتِداً وَعُنصُرا

دُونَكَ هَذا الكَلِمَ المُسَيَّرا

دُونَكَ هَذا الكَلِمَ المُسَيَّرا

O best of Qays in lineage and origin,

O best of Qais argumentative and helper

Here for you are these words, sent forth;

Below this destined speech

أَرَّقَنِي تَأَليفُهُ وَأَسهَرا

أَرَّقَنِي تَأَليفُهُ وَأَسهَرا

وَبِتُّ لا أُطعِمُ أَجفاني الكَرى

وَبِتُّ لا أُطعِمُ أَجفاني الكَرى

Composing them robbed me of sleep and kept me awake,

Its composition kept me awake and sleepless

And I spent the night feeding my eyelids no sleep,

And I stay not feeding my eyelids sleep

حَتّى نَظَمتُ المُونِقَ المُحَبَّرا

حَتّى نَظَمتُ المُونِقَ المُحَبَّرا

قَلائِداً مِنَ القَريضِ نُدَّرا

قَلائِداً مِنَ القَريضِ نُدَّرا

Until I composed the delightful, finely adorned verse—

Until I strung the inked pearls

Rare necklaces of poetry,

Necklaces of poetry, strung

كَأَنَّما أَنظِمُ مِنها جَوهَرا

كَأَنَّما أَنظِمُ مِنها جَوهَرا

تِجارَةٌ قَد أَربَحَت مَن أَتجَرا

تِجارَةٌ قَد أَربَحَت مَن أَتجَرا

As though I were stringing jewels from them.

As if I string from them a jewel

A trade that has profited whoever dealt in it.

A trade that has profited those who traded

فاسلَم وَلا زِلتَ الأَعَزَّ الأَكبَرا

فاسلَم وَلا زِلتَ الأَعَزَّ الأَكبَرا

مُؤَيَّدا مُسَدَّداً مُظَفَّرا

مُؤَيَّدا مُسَدَّداً مُظَفَّرا

So be well, and may you ever remain the mightiest and greatest,

So submit and you still remain the greatest elder

Supported, rightly guided, granted victory,

Supported, guided, and victorious

مُعَمَّراً وَلا تُرى مُغَمَّرا

مُعَمَّراً وَلا تُرى مُغَمَّرا

Long-lived, and may you never be seen belittled.

Long-lived and not seen senile