أَلا مَن لِقَلبٍ عارِمِ النَظَراتِ

أَلا مَن لِقَلبٍ عارِمِ النَظَراتِ

يُقَطِّعُ طولَ اللَيلِ بِالزَفَراتِ

يُقَطِّعُ طولَ اللَيلِ بِالزَفَراتِ

Ah, who will aid a heart wayward in its glances,

Ah, who will help a heart of unruly glances,

A heart that spends the long night racked by sighs,

that passes the long night in sighs?

إِذا ما الثُرَيّا آخِرَ اللَيلِ أَعنَقَت

إِذا ما الثُرَيّا آخِرَ اللَيلِ أَعنَقَت

كَواكِبُها كَالجُزعِ مُنحَدِراتِ

كَواكِبُها كَالجُزعِ مُنحَدِراتِ

When the Pleiades, toward night’s end, rise high,

When, at night's end, the Pleiades hasten onward,

Their stars descending like beads of onyx?

their stars descending like onyx beads.

هُنالِكَ لا أَخشى مَقالَةَ كاشِحٍ

هُنالِكَ لا أَخشى مَقالَةَ كاشِحٍ

إِذا نُبِذَ العُزّابُ بِالحَجَراتِ

إِذا نُبِذَ العُزّابُ بِالحَجَراتِ

Then I fear no taunt from a spiteful foe,

There I do not fear a spiteful foe's words,

When bachelors are banished to their chambers.

when bachelors are cast out to the fringes.

لَعَمري لَقَد جَرَّبتُكُم فَوَجَدتُكُم

لَعَمري لَقَد جَرَّبتُكُم فَوَجَدتُكُم

قِباحَ الوُجوهِ سَيِّئي العِذَراتِ

قِباحَ الوُجوهِ سَيِّئي العِذَراتِ

By my life, I have tried you and found you

By my life, I have tested you and found you

Ugly of face and vile in your excuses:

ugly of face and poor in excuses.

لَهُم نَفَرٌ مِثلُ التُيوسِ وَنِسوَةٌ

لَهُم نَفَرٌ مِثلُ التُيوسِ وَنِسوَةٌ

مَماجينُ مِثلُ الآتُنِ النَعِراتِ

مَماجينُ مِثلُ الآتُنِ النَعِراتِ

You have a band of men like billy goats, and women

They have men like he-goats, and women

Shameless and bawdy as loud-braying she-asses.

shameless as she-asses tormented by botflies.

وَجَدتُكُمُ لَم تَجبُروا عَظمَ هالِكٍ

وَجَدتُكُمُ لَم تَجبُروا عَظمَ هالِكٍ

وَلا تَنحَرونَ النيبَ في الحُجُراتِ

وَلا تَنحَرونَ النيبَ في الحُجُراتِ

I found that you never mended a ruined man’s broken bone,

I found you never mend the bone of a ruined man,

Nor slaughtered mature she-camels in the courtyards.

nor slaughter old she-camels in the enclosures.

فَإِن يَصطَنِعني اللَهُ لا أَصطَنِعكُمُ

فَإِن يَصطَنِعني اللَهُ لا أَصطَنِعكُمُ

وَلا أوتِكُم مالي عَلى العَثَراتِ

وَلا أوتِكُم مالي عَلى العَثَراتِ

So if God takes me into His favor, I shall not favor you,

So if God favors me, I shall not favor you,

Nor give you my wealth amid misfortunes—

nor give you my wealth when you stumble—

عَطاءَ الإِلَهِ إِذ بَخِلتُم بِمالِكُم

عَطاءَ الإِلَهِ إِذ بَخِلتُم بِمالِكُم

مَهاريسَ تَرعى عازِبَ القَفَراتِ

مَهاريسَ تَرعى عازِبَ القَفَراتِ

A gift from God, since you withheld your wealth:

God's gift, while you were miserly with your wealth:

Massive she-camels grazing the desert’s farthest reaches;

massive she-camels grazing the remote desert wastes.

مَهاريسُ يُروي رِسلُها ضَيفَ أَهلِها

مَهاريسُ يُروي رِسلُها ضَيفَ أَهلِها

إِذا النارُ أَبدَت أَوجُهَ الخَفِراتِ

إِذا النارُ أَبدَت أَوجُهَ الخَفِراتِ

Massive she-camels whose flowing milk slakes their household’s guest

Massive she-camels whose milk quenches their owners' guest,

When the firelight reveals the faces of modest women.

when the fire reveals the faces of the modest women.

عِظامُ مَقيلِ الهامِ غُلبٌ رِقابُها

عِظامُ مَقيلِ الهامِ غُلبٌ رِقابُها

يُباكِرنَ بَردَ الماءِ بِالسَبَراتِ

يُباكِرنَ بَردَ الماءِ بِالسَبَراتِ

Huge, with broad resting places for their heads, their necks thick and strong;

Massive where their heads rest, thick of neck,

They seek the water’s coolness at dawn amid piercing cold.

they reach the cold water early in the morning frosts.

يُزيلُ القَتادَ جَذبُها عَن أُصولِهِ

يُزيلُ القَتادَ جَذبُها عَن أُصولِهِ

إِذا ما غَدَت مُقوَرَّةً خَرِصاتِ

إِذا ما غَدَت مُقوَرَّةً خَرِصاتِ

Their tug uproots the camel-thorn from its roots

Their tugging tears the thornbush from its roots,

When they set out at morning, hollow-flanked and silent.

when they set out at dawn, hollow-flanked, hungry and cold.

إِذا أَجحَرَ الكَلبَ الصَقيعَ اِتَّقَينَهُ

إِذا أَجحَرَ الكَلبَ الصَقيعَ اِتَّقَينَهُ

بِأَثباجِ لا خورٍ وَلا قَفِراتِ

بِأَثباجِ لا خورٍ وَلا قَفِراتِ

When frost drives even the dog into its den, they shield themselves from it

When frost drives the dog into its den, they ward it off

With broad backs, neither weak nor gaunt.

with broad backs, neither weak nor lean.

وَإِن لَم يَكُن إِلّا الأَماليسَ أَصبَحَت

وَإِن لَم يَكُن إِلّا الأَماليسَ أَصبَحَت

لَها حُلُّقٌ ضَرّاتُها شَكِراتِ

لَها حُلُّقٌ ضَرّاتُها شَكِراتِ

Even if there is nothing there but bare, smooth tracts, by morning

Even if there is nothing but bare, smooth ground, at dawn

Their udders stand rounded, brimming with milk.

their high-set udders are rich in milk.

وَتَرعى بَراحاً حَيثُ لا يَستَطيعُها

وَتَرعى بَراحاً حَيثُ لا يَستَطيعُها

مِنَ الناسِ أَهلُ الشاءِ وَالحُمُراتِ

مِنَ الناسِ أَهلُ الشاءِ وَالحُمُراتِ

They graze open wastes where none can reach them—

And they graze open country where they cannot be reached

Neither the keepers of sheep nor those of donkeys.

by the keepers of sheep and asses among men.

إِذا أَنفَدَ المَيّارُ ما في وِعائِهِ

إِذا أَنفَدَ المَيّارُ ما في وِعائِهِ

وَفى كَيلُ لا نيبٍ وَلا بَكَراتِ

وَفى كَيلُ لا نيبٍ وَلا بَكَراتِ

When the provisioner has exhausted all his bag contains,

When the grain-carrier exhausts what is in his sack,

A measure suffices: no mature she-camel and no young one need be slaughtered.

a measure of milk from she-camels neither old nor young suffices.

وَلَيسَ بِناهيها عَنِ الحَوضِ أَن تَرى

وَلَيسَ بِناهيها عَنِ الحَوضِ أَن تَرى

مَعَ الذادَةِ المَقشورَةِ العَجِراتِ

مَعَ الذادَةِ المَقشورَةِ العَجِراتِ

Nor are they kept from the watering trough by the sight

Nor are they kept from the trough by seeing

Of warders there with short, knotty staffs.

the warders with their peeled, knotted clubs.

نَزائِعُ آفاقِ البِلادِ يَزينُها

نَزائِعُ آفاقِ البِلادِ يَزينُها

بَراطيلُ في أَعناقِها البَتِعاتِ

بَراطيلُ في أَعناقِها البَتِعاتِ

Drawn from the far horizons of the land, they are adorned

Drawn from the land's far horizons, they are adorned

With long pendants upon their stout, lengthy necks.

by oblong stone pendants on their thick necks.

وَكَم مِن عَدُوٍّ قَد رَأى بَكَراتِها

وَكَم مِن عَدُوٍّ قَد رَأى بَكَراتِها

تَقَطَّعُ فيها نَفسُهُ حَسَراتِ

تَقَطَّعُ فيها نَفسُهُ حَسَراتِ

How many an enemy has beheld their young she-camels

And how many a foe has seen their young she-camels,

And had his soul torn apart with regret over them!

his soul torn apart with regret over them!

وَإِن طافَ فيها الحالِبانِ اِتَّقَتهُما

وَإِن طافَ فيها الحالِبانِ اِتَّقَتهُما

بِجوفٍ عَلى أَيديهِما هَمِراتِ

بِجوفٍ عَلى أَيديهِما هَمِراتِ

And if the two milkers make their rounds among them, the camels meet them both

And if the two milkers make their rounds among them, they ward them off

With capacious udders, torrents pouring over their hands.

with capacious udders pouring milk over both men's hands.

إِذا وَرَدَت مِن آخِرِ اللَيلِ لَم تَعَف

إِذا وَرَدَت مِن آخِرِ اللَيلِ لَم تَعَف

حِياضَ الأَضا المَطروقَةِ الكَدِراتِ

حِياضَ الأَضا المَطروقَةِ الكَدِراتِ

When they come to water late at night, they do not disdain

When they come to water toward night's end, they do not shun

The frequented, turbid pools of the lowlands.

the pools' trampled, murky basins.

وَغَيثٍ جُمادِيٍّ كَأَنَّ تِلاعَهُ

وَغَيثٍ جُمادِيٍّ كَأَنَّ تِلاعَهُ

وَحِزّانَهُ مَكسُوَّةٌ حَبِراتِ

وَحِزّانَهُ مَكسُوَّةٌ حَبِراتِ

And rain in Jumādā—as though its ravines

And a pasture watered by Jumada rain, as though its gullies

And rugged uplands had been clothed in striped robes;

and rugged ridges were clad in patterned robes—

يَظَلُّ بِهِ الشَيخُ الَّذي كانَ فانِياً

يَظَلُّ بِهِ الشَيخُ الَّذي كانَ فانِياً

يَدِفُّ عَلى عوجٍ لَهُ نَخِراتِ

يَدِفُّ عَلى عوجٍ لَهُ نَخِراتِ

Beneath it, the old man who had been wasting away spends the day

there the old man who had been wasting away spends the day

Shuffling on crooked legs, his breath coming in rasps.

taking short steps on his crooked, crumbling bones.