لَكَ الخَيرُ إن واعَدتَ حَمَّاءَ فَالقَها

لَكَ الخَيرُ إن واعَدتَ حَمَّاءَ فَالقَها

نَهاراً ولا تُدلِج إِذا اللَّيلُ أَظلَما

نَهاراً ولا تُدلِج إِذا اللَّيلُ أَظلَما

May good be yours: if you make a tryst with Ḥummāʾ, meet her

Good fortune to you! If you arrange to meet Ḥammāʾ, meet her

by daylight, and do not journey when night has grown dark.

by day, and do not travel by night when night grows dark.

فَإنَّكَ لا تَدرِى أَبيضاءَ طَفلَةً

فَإنَّكَ لا تَدرِى أَبيضاءَ طَفلَةً

تُعانِقُ أَم لَيثاً مِنَ القَومِ قَشعَما

تُعانِقُ أَم لَيثاً مِنَ القَومِ قَشعَما

For you cannot tell whether a fair-skinned, tender young woman

For you do not know whether it is a fair-skinned, tender woman

is in your embrace—or a formidable lion from among the tribe.

you embrace, or a hulking old lion from the tribe.

فَلَمّا سَرَى عَن ساعِدَى وَلِحيَتِى

فَلَمّا سَرَى عَن ساعِدَى وَلِحيَتِى

وَأَيقَنَ أَنِّى لَستُ حمّاءَ جَمجَمَا

وَأَيقَنَ أَنِّى لَستُ حمّاءَ جَمجَمَا

Then, when the darkness lifted from my forearms and beard,

So when he uncovered my forearms and my beard,

and he realized that I was not Ḥummāʾ, he muttered.

and realized I was not Ḥammāʾ, he mumbled.