لا وليال بالحمى من نجد

لا وليال بالحمى من نجد

لا حلت عن عهدي ووجدي وجدي

لا حلت عن عهدي ووجدي وجدي

Nay—by nights at al-Ḥimā in Najd,

No, by nights in the sanctuary of Najd,

that have never left my remembrance or my passion—my passion.

I have not turned from my pledge, my passion, or my earnest devotion.

ولا جرى ذكر العقيق مذ بدا

ولا جرى ذكر العقيق مذ بدا

الا جرى من مقلتي في خدي

الا جرى من مقلتي في خدي

Whenever al-ʿAqīq has been mentioned since it first appeared,

Nor has al-'Aqiq been mentioned, since it appeared,

tears have streamed from my eye down my cheek.

without tears flowing from my eye down my cheek.

يا بانة ناعة الطرف بها

يا بانة ناعة الطرف بها

لقد حلا لي في هواها سهدي

لقد حلا لي في هواها سهدي

O bāna tree there, whose glance heralds death,

O ban-tree maiden, tender of gaze [reading uncertain],

how sweet my sleeplessness in loving her has become!

truly, my sleeplessness in loving her has grown sweet to me.

خود ينادي بالبدور وجهها

خود ينادي بالبدور وجهها

وشعرها يقول بالجعدي

وشعرها يقول بالجعدي

A tender maiden—her face challenges the full moons,

A young beauty: her face calls out to the full moons,

and her hair proclaims “al-Jaʿdī”—the curly one.

and her hair speaks of al-Ja'di.

يشوقني وقد تبدت قولها

يشوقني وقد تبدت قولها

ما هكذا شرط الهوى يا بعدي

ما هكذا شرط الهوى يا بعدي

She stirs my longing when she appears, saying:

Her words stir my longing when she appears:

“This is not love’s compact, O you far from me.”

"Love's terms are not like this, my dear."

ورخرخت عن جلنار خدها

ورخرخت عن جلنار خدها

وابرزت رمان ذاك النهد

وابرزت رمان ذاك النهد

She loosened the veil from her pomegranate-blossom cheek,

And she unveiled her cheek's pomegranate blossom,

and bared the pomegranates of that bosom.

and revealed the pomegranate of that breast.

وابتسمت عن لؤلؤ رطب وعن

وابتسمت عن لؤلؤ رطب وعن

نور وعن طلع ند وند

نور وعن طلع ند وند

She smiled, revealing moist pearls, and

And she smiled, revealing moist pearls, and

radiance and fresh palm-blossom, gleaming fresh.

blossoms, and dewy palm flowers, and perfume.

فرحت من حديثها وثغرها

فرحت من حديثها وثغرها

لم ادر أي اغلى عندي

لم ادر أي اغلى عندي

I thrilled to her speech and her smiling mouth;

I rejoiced in her speech and her mouth;

I knew not which was more precious to me.

I did not know which was dearer to me.

واعجبا لحظ مهاة لحظها

واعجبا لحظ مهاة لحظها

وهي بنا نفعل فعل الاسد

وهي بنا نفعل فعل الاسد

Wonder of wonders: an oryx-doe’s glance is her glance,

And how wondrous! Her gaze is an oryx's gaze,

yet at her hands we are dealt with as by a lion.

while toward us [she acts] like a lion.

قوامها به استطالت وغدت

قوامها به استطالت وغدت

تصول باللحظ ورمح القد

تصول باللحظ ورمح القد

By her stature she towers proudly, then goes forth

She grew proud of her stature, and began

charging with her glance and the spear of her figure.

to charge with her glance and the spear of her figure.

وسودها بالسكر فينا عربدت

وسودها بالسكر فينا عربدت

وبيضها تجاوزت في الحد

وبيضها تجاوزت في الحد

Her dark eyes, drunk with enchantment, rioted among us,

And her dark ones, drunk, ran riot among us,

and her fair charms exceeded every bound.

and her white ones overstepped all bounds.

هيفاء ما جرت ذيول بردها

هيفاء ما جرت ذيول بردها

الا واعيا وصفها ابن برد

الا واعيا وصفها ابن برد

Slender-waisted: no sooner does she trail her mantle’s skirts

Slender-waisted, never did she trail her mantle's hems

than Ibn Burd has learned her portrait by heart.

without leaving Ibn Burd at a loss to describe her.

كأن رضوان سها عن حفظها

كأن رضوان سها عن حفظها

يوما ففرت من جنان الخلد

يوما ففرت من جنان الخلد

As though Riḍwān once grew heedless of guarding her,

It is as though Ridwan neglected to guard her

and she escaped from the Gardens of Eternity.

one day, and so she fled the gardens of eternity.

قل للذي قال النباتي غدا

قل للذي قال النباتي غدا

ريقتها والورد دون الخد

ريقتها والورد دون الخد

Tell the man who said, “Rock candy has become

Tell him who said, "Nabati sugar has become

her saliva, and the rose falls short of her cheek”—

her saliva, and the rose falls short of her cheek":

اخطأت لا كان النباتي ولا

اخطأت لا كان النباتي ولا

كيدا ولا كرامة للورد

كيدا ولا كرامة للورد

“You err! Away with rock candy; nor is this

"You err! May there be no nabati sugar, nor

mere spite—the rose deserves no deference.”

spite, nor any honor for the rose!"

يا للهوى قد صرت رقا عبدها

يا للهوى قد صرت رقا عبدها

وليتها تقول لي يا عبدي

وليتها تقول لي يا عبدي

Ah, love! I have become her bondsman, her slave.

Ah, love! I have become a bondsman, her slave,

If only she would say to me, “O my slave!”

and if only she would say to me, "O my slave!"

ولو دعتني باسم سعد عبدها

ولو دعتني باسم سعد عبدها

لقلت هذا من كمال سعدي

لقلت هذا من كمال سعدي

Even if she called me—her slave—by the name Saʿd,

And even if she called me by the name of Sa'd, her slave,

I would say, “This completes my happiness.”

I would say, "This is the height of my good fortune."

يا عاذلي اليك عن نصحي فما

يا عاذلي اليك عن نصحي فما

نصحك عني في الغرام يجدي

نصحك عني في الغرام يجدي

O my censor, spare me your counsel, for

O my reproacher, cease advising me, for no

your counsel cannot help me in love.

counsel of yours can help me in love.

باي عذر حسنها القى اذا

باي عذر حسنها القى اذا

ما رحت ابغي الغي بعد ارشدي

ما رحت ابغي الغي بعد ارشدي

With what excuse shall I face her beauty if

With what excuse shall I face her beauty, if

I set out seeking error after guidance?

I go seeking error after [my guidance]?

لا كنت اذ اضمرت سلوة ولا

لا كنت اذ اضمرت سلوة ولا

بلغت من شمس المعالي قصدي

بلغت من شمس المعالي قصدي

May I cease to be if ever I harbor a thought of forgetting; nor

May I not exist if I harbor thoughts of forgetting her, nor

may I attain my desire from the Sun of Glory.

attain my desire from Shams al-Ma'ali.