عاوَدَ عَينَي نَصبُهَا وَغُرورُها

عاوَدَ عَينَي نَصبُهَا وَغُرورُها

أهمُّ عَناهَا أمْ قَذَاها يَعُورُهَا

أهمُّ عَناهَا أمْ قَذَاها يَعُورُهَا

Weariness and streaming tears have returned to my eye;

Her eyes have returned to torment me, and her pride,

is it sorrow afflicting it, or grit that pains it?

Are they blind or do they ache when they see me?

أم الدار أَمسَت قَد تَعَفَّت كأَنَّهَ

أم الدار أَمسَت قَد تَعَفَّت كأَنَّهَ

زَبُورُ يَمَانٍ نَقَّشَتهُ سُطُورُهَا

زَبُورُ يَمَانٍ نَقَّشَتهُ سُطُورُهَا

Or the dwelling, now effaced, as though it were

Or has the house become desolate as though

a Yemeni's manuscript, inscribed with its lines?

It were a Yemeni parchment inscribed with poetry?

ذَكَرَتُ بِها هِنداً وأترابَها الأُلَى

ذَكَرَتُ بِها هِنداً وأترابَها الأُلَى

بِهَا يُكذَبُ الوَاشي ويُعصَى أميرُهَا

بِهَا يُكذَبُ الوَاشي ويُعصَى أميرُهَا

There I remembered Hind and her peers, those

I remembered in it India and its dream companions,

among whom the tale-bearer is disbelieved and her chief disobeyed.

Through it the spy is disproved and its ruler disobeyed,

فَمَا مُعولٌ تَبكِي لِفَقدِ أَلِيفِهَا

فَمَا مُعولٌ تَبكِي لِفَقدِ أَلِيفِهَا

إِذَا ذَكَرَتهُ لاَ يَكُفُّ زَفِيرُها

إِذَا ذَكَرَتهُ لاَ يَكُفُّ زَفِيرُها

No mourner weeping for her lost companion,

So what chisel weeps for the loss of its friend

whose sighing never ceases when she remembers him,

When it remembers it, its sobbing will not stop,

بِأَغْزرَ مِنّي عَبرةً إِذَ رَأيتُهَا

بِأَغْزرَ مِنّي عَبرةً إِذَ رَأيتُهَا

يحَثُ بِهَا قَبلَ الصَّبَاحِ بَعيرُهَا

يحَثُ بِهَا قَبلَ الصَّبَاحِ بَعيرُهَا

sheds more tears than I did when I saw her,

With more copious tears than mine when I saw it

her camel hastening along with her before dawn.

Urging its camel before dawn with them

أَلَم يَأتِ هِنداً كَيفَما صُنعُ قَومِه

أَلَم يَأتِ هِنداً كَيفَما صُنعُ قَومِه

بَني عَامِر إِذا جَاءَ يَسعَى نَذِيرُهَا

بَني عَامِر إِذا جَاءَ يَسعَى نَذِيرُهَا

Has Hind not heard how his people acted—

Did it not come to India however its people acted

Banu Amir—when their warning messenger came hurrying?

The clan of Aamir, when its warner came running

فَقَالُوا لَنَا إِنَّا نُحِبُّ لِقَاءَكُم

فَقَالُوا لَنَا إِنَّا نُحِبُّ لِقَاءَكُم

وَأَنَّا نُحَيِّيي أرضَكُم ونَزُورُها

وَأَنَّا نُحَيِّيي أرضَكُم ونَزُورُها

They said to us, 'We love meeting you,

And they said to us, "We love to meet you

and we salute your land and visit it.'

And we greet your land and will visit it"

فَقُلنَا إِذن لاَ نَنكُلُ الدَّهرَ عنكُمُ

فَقُلنَا إِذن لاَ نَنكُلُ الدَّهرَ عنكُمُ

بِصُمِّ القَنَا اللاَّئِي الدِّمَاءَ تُميرُها

بِصُمِّ القَنَا اللاَّئِي الدِّمَاءَ تُميرُها

So we said, 'Then we shall never shrink from you,

So we said, "Then we will not evade you for long,

with stout spears that blood feeds.'

With the silence of the spearheads which blood reddens"

فَلاَ غَروَ أَنَّ الخَيلَ تَنحَطُ في القَنَا

فَلاَ غَروَ أَنَّ الخَيلَ تَنحَطُ في القَنَا

تَمَطَّرُ مِن تَحتِ العوالي ذُكُورها

تَمَطَّرُ مِن تَحتِ العوالي ذُكُورها

So it is no wonder that the horses plunge among the spears,

So no wonder the horses cough in the spearhead

their stallions pouring forth from beneath the lanceheads,

As the stallions thunder beneath the hilts

تَأَوَّهُ مِمّا مَسَّها مِن كَرِيهَةٍ

تَأَوَّهُ مِمّا مَسَّها مِن كَرِيهَةٍ

وتُصغِىِ الخُدُودَ وَالرِّمَاحُ تَصُورُها

وتُصغِىِ الخُدُودَ وَالرِّمَاحُ تَصُورُها

groaning at the dreadful ordeal that has struck them,

It moans from the ugly thing that befell it

and tilting their cheeks as the spears bend them.

And lowers its cheeks, and the lances shape it

وأَرْبابُها صَرعى بِبُرقَةِ أَخرَبٍ

وأَرْبابُها صَرعى بِبُرقَةِ أَخرَبٍ

تُجرِّرُهُم ضِبعَانُها ونُسورُها

تُجرِّرُهُم ضِبعَانُها ونُسورُها

Their masters lie slain at Burqat Akhrab,

And its masters are slain by the havoc of ruin

its hyenas and vultures dragging them about.

Its lionesses and leopards drag them

فَأبلِغ أَبَا الحَجَّاجِ عَنِّي رِسَالَةً

فَأبلِغ أَبَا الحَجَّاجِ عَنِّي رِسَالَةً

مُغلغَلةً لاَ يُفلِتَنكَ بُسُورُها

مُغلغَلةً لاَ يُفلِتَنكَ بُسُورُها

So convey to Abu al-Hajjaj a message from me,

So convey to Abu Al-Hajjaj my message from me

carried far; let not its sternness escape you:

Fettered, do not let its locks escape you

فَأَنتَ مَنَعتَ السَّلمَ يَومَ لَقِيتَنَا

فَأَنتَ مَنَعتَ السَّلمَ يَومَ لَقِيتَنَا

بِكفِّيك تُسدِي غَيَّةً وتُنيرُهَا

بِكفِّيك تُسدِي غَيَّةً وتُنيرُهَا

For you denied peace the day you met us,

You who barred peace the day you met us

with your two hands, laying the warp of folly and weaving it.

With your palms covering deceit and kindling it

فَذُوقُوا عَلَى مَا كَانَ مِن فَرط إحنَةٍ

فَذُوقُوا عَلَى مَا كَانَ مِن فَرط إحنَةٍ

حَلائِبَنَا إِذ غَابَ عَنَّا نَصِيرُها

حَلائِبَنَا إِذ غَابَ عَنَّا نَصِيرُها

So taste, for the excessive rancor there has been,

So taste what was of the excess of malice

our allied war-bands, when their champion was absent from us.

Our milk-stock when our supporter was absent from us