ومرنحين من النعاس فلت بهم

ومرنحين من النعاس فلت بهم

ايدي المطي نواصي الكثبان

ايدي المطي نواصي الكثبان

And riders swaying with drowsiness, borne onward,

Their eyes heavy with drowsiness, the reins slipped through their hands,

Their mounts' forelegs cleaving the forelocks of the dunes.

As the horses ambled on through the dunes.

عبثت بهم سنة الكرى فتمايلوا

عبثت بهم سنة الكرى فتمايلوا

فوق الرحال تمايل النشوان

فوق الرحال تمايل النشوان

A touch of sleep toyed with them, and they swayed

The years of misery made them sway

Above their saddles with a drunken man's sway.

Atop their mounts, swaying like shoots of anemone.

من كل منخرق القميص مسربل

من كل منخرق القميص مسربل

في البيد شملة ليلةِ السرحان

في البيد شملة ليلةِ السرحان

Each a torn-shirted man, cloaked

Through each torn shirt was bared

In the wastes in the mantle of a wolf's night.

A cloak for the night of wakefulness.

وملوح العرنين يختبط الضحى

وملوح العرنين يختبط الضحى

عنقا يلفُّ اباطحا برعان

عنقا يلفُّ اباطحا برعان

And one with a sun-scorched nose, striding through the forenoon,

The salty sweat dripped down in the morning

At a swift pace, folding gravelly flats into mountain spurs.

A neck twisting and writhing without restraint.

واشيعثُ من داب وعثاء السرى

واشيعثُ من داب وعثاء السرى

حتى يعلَّ عواطش المران

حتى يعلَّ عواطش المران

And a tousled fellow, worn by the toil of arduous night travel,

Disheveled were they from pacing about,

Until he gives the thirsty spear-shafts another draught.

Until the hut tops of Muraan appeared.

مر وابمعتاج الكثيب وعرَّست

مر وابمعتاج الكثيب وعرَّست

بهم الركائب في ربى نعمان

بهم الركائب في ربى نعمان

They passed the dune's bend, and the mounts made a night halt

Past the sand-dune they went, their mounts stumbling

With them upon the hills of Nuʿmān.

And the riders thrown in the meadows of Na'maan.

يتطلعون على الملاعب غزلةً

يتطلعون على الملاعب غزلةً

غناء تمرح في ظلال البان

غناء تمرح في ظلال البان

They gaze over the frolicking grounds at gazelles,

They looked out over the playgrounds longingly,

Nasal-voiced, gamboling in the shade of the bān trees.

A song frolicking in the shade of the acacias.

وربارباً عينا تدير محاجراً

وربارباً عينا تدير محاجراً

مرضى مواقع اثمد الاجفان

مرضى مواقع اثمد الاجفان

And herds of wide-eyed wild cattle, turning their eyes—

An eye goes round and round, its lids

Languid sockets where the eyelids' kohl is laid.

Sickened, its lashes frozen.

وبمسقط الرمل الانيق غزيَّل

وبمسقط الرمل الانيق غزيَّل

يرنو بفاتر اكحل وسنان

يرنو بفاتر اكحل وسنان

And at the foot of the lovely sands, a little gazelle

In the charming, delicate sands, a gazelle

Gazes with a languid, kohl-dark, drowsy eye.

Glances languidly, kohl-lined eyes and teeth.

مستشرف يرتاد روض خميلةٍ

مستشرف يرتاد روض خميلةٍ

عبقت بنشر ذوائب الريحان

عبقت بنشر ذوائب الريحان

Head raised, it seeks the meadow of a leafy thicket,

One who aspires to the garden of a beautiful Khameela,

Fragrant with the wafted scent of basil's tresses.

Fragrant with the blossoms of sweet basil.

شرق الترائب يشرئب فانثني

شرق الترائب يشرئب فانثني

والعين تشرق بالنجيع القاني

والعين تشرق بالنجيع القاني

Radiant-breasted, it cranes its neck, and I turn away,

The wavy mirage shimmers and I swoon,

And my eye brims with deep-crimson blood.

My eyes bedazzled by the distant, hazy horizon.

يرمي بسهمي ادعجين ويتقي

يرمي بسهمي ادعجين ويتقي

عن رخص سالفةٍ برخص بنان

عن رخص سالفةٍ برخص بنان

It shoots with the two arrows of dark eyes, and shields

With my two arrows I take aim and am cautious

A tender neck with delicate fingertips.

Of former boons with the boons of Banan.

هل لي بردِّ جموح سافح عفرة

هل لي بردِّ جموح سافح عفرة

اجريتها بالسفح من نجران

اجريتها بالسفح من نجران

Can I rein in the headlong spilling of a [tear?],

Would that I had the impetuous gallop of a she-camel, gray-haired,

Which I set flowing on the slope from Najrān?

That I spurred down the slope from Najran!

او أن اسام به القلى فاربما

او أن اسام به القلى فاربما

شمخت بانفي نخوة الغيران

شمخت بانفي نخوة الغيران

Or must I suffer aversion for it? For often

Or that I could breathe valor into my soul, so perhaps

A jealous man's pride has made me hold my nose high.

My nostrils would flare with the pride of the noble!

خلّفتني ما بين اظهر عصبة

خلّفتني ما بين اظهر عصبة

رخو البطون تألَّبت لهواني

رخو البطون تألَّبت لهواني

You left me amid a band,

You left me amid the rearmost of the tribe,

Soft-bellied, banded together to humiliate me.

Soft bellies who submit to lowliness.

اورى التشاحن في فراش صدورها

اورى التشاحن في فراش صدورها

شررا فشبَّ مثورا بدخان

شررا فشبَّ مثورا بدخان

Rancor kindled in the delicate bones of their breasts

I almost see the sparks in the hearts’ bedding flare up

Sparks; then it blazed, stirred up with smoke.

Then die down in smoke.

لولا الدوارج من شبولك لم تزل

لولا الدوارج من شبولك لم تزل

بين الترعرع ثمَّ والجولان

بين الترعرع ثمَّ والجولان

Were it not for your toddling lion cubs, who remain

Were it not for the horsemen of Shabeelak, still

There between growing up and roaming about,

You’d be between at-Tara’ar and al-Jawlan.

لصرفت عن طرق المذلة خاطري

لصرفت عن طرق المذلة خاطري

وعطفت عن دار الهوان عناني

وعطفت عن دار الهوان عناني

I would have turned my thoughts from the paths of abasement,

I would have turned my spirit from the path of disgrace

And turned my rein away from the abode of humiliation,

And pulled on my steed's reins away from the house of dishonor.

بخفاف اردية الفخار رقائق

بخفاف اردية الفخار رقائق

وثقال اوعية الحلوم رزان

وثقال اوعية الحلوم رزان

With gentle men, light in the robes of glory,

With the light armor of earthenware pots, delicate

And weighty in the vessels of judgment, dignified.

And the heavy vessels of meats, dignified.

كم عزمةٍ ارهفت فيك غرارها

كم عزمةٍ ارهفت فيك غرارها

ارهاف ذي شطب اجب يَّماني

ارهاف ذي شطب اجب يَّماني

How many a resolve—its edge I honed for you,

How many resolves have been sharpened against you

As one hones a grooved, broad Yemeni blade.

With the sharpening of a Yemeni Indian sword!

ما كنت احسب ان تزلَّ باخمصي

ما كنت احسب ان تزلَّ باخمصي

قدمي وطوع يدي يد الحدثان

قدمي وطوع يدي يد الحدثان

I never thought my foot would slip beneath me,

I did not expect that my feet would slip

While the hand of fate was obedient to my hand.

And that the hands of youths would dominate my hands.

فلقد نبا عضبي واصدء جوهري

فلقد نبا عضبي واصدء جوهري

وانبثَّ بعد الرصف عقد جماني

وانبثَّ بعد الرصف عقد جماني

For my keen blade has failed, and my steel has rusted,

My pride was awakened and my essence shook;

And my pearl necklace, once neatly strung, lies scattered.

After being woven my necklace of pearls was unstrung.

مالي وللأيام تمنع درَّها

مالي وللأيام تمنع درَّها

عني وتاخذ عن يدي ولساني

عني وتاخذ عن يدي ولساني

What have I to do with days that withhold their milk

What is wrong with the days that they withhold

From me, and restrain my hand and tongue?

Their gold from me, take my hand and tongue from me?

والدهر مرَّ علي ينحت مروتي

والدهر مرَّ علي ينحت مروتي

حتى اناخ بكلكلي وجراني

حتى اناخ بكلكلي وجراني

And time passed over me, chiseling my flint,

Time passed me by sculpting my inclinations

Until it knelt upon my chest and throat.

Until it lingered around my ankles and pulled me along.

فكأني في زحلٍ مطالع طالعي

فكأني في زحلٍ مطالع طالعي

او أن في الدبران نجم قراني

او أن في الدبران نجم قراني

So it is as though my ascendant's rising points were in Saturn,

So I feel as if in my ascendant stars an eclipse rises

Or the star of my conjunction were in Aldebaran.

Or a star conjoins me as I set.

فاليك خذ بيدي فديتك من عنا

فاليك خذ بيدي فديتك من عنا

دهرٍ جنى مالي عليه يدان

دهرٍ جنى مالي عليه يدان

To you, then—take me by the hand, may I be your ransom—from the anguish

So take me by the hand – my life for you – from the

Of a time that wronged me, against which my hands are powerless.

Clutches of a lifetime whose hands have seized my possessions.

تجد الأبا والعز حيث وجدتني

تجد الأبا والعز حيث وجدتني

وترى العلى والمجد حيث تراني

وترى العلى والمجد حيث تراني

You find proud dignity and honor wherever you find me,

You will find glory and honor where you find me,

And see eminence and glory wherever you see me.

And you will see nobility and glory where you look upon me.

ولئن نميت الى الفخار فأنما

ولئن نميت الى الفخار فأنما

علويُّ مجدك للفخار نماني

علويُّ مجدك للفخار نماني

And if my lineage is traced to glory, it is only

And if I sleep on earthenware, it is only

Your ʿAlid glory that has traced me to glory.

Because your glory makes the earthenware sleep gloriously.

هبني جنيت وما جنيت وإنما

هبني جنيت وما جنيت وإنما

قد جنَّ ذاك المستبدُّ الجاني

قد جنَّ ذاك المستبدُّ الجاني

Grant that I did wrong—though I did not; it is only

It has brought me down, what it has brought down, but rather

That tyrannical wrongdoer who has gone mad.

That tyrant who wronged me has brought it down.