شَجا قَلبَهُ أَظعانُ سُعدى السَوالِكُ

شَجا قَلبَهُ أَظعانُ سُعدى السَوالِكُ

وَأَجمالُها يَومَ البُلَيدِ الرَواتِكُ

وَأَجمالُها يَومَ البُلَيدِ الرَواتِكُ

Su'da’s traveling caravans grieved his heart,

The complaints of Sa'dya's camels have broken his heart

and her swiftly striding camels on the day at al-Bulayd.

And their beauty on the day they set out, marching

أَقولُ وَقَد جاوَزنَ أَعلامَ ذي دَمٍ

أَقولُ وَقَد جاوَزنَ أَعلامَ ذي دَمٍ

وَذي وَجَمى أَو دونَهُنَّ الدَوانِكُ

وَذي وَجَمى أَو دونَهُنَّ الدَوانِكُ

I say, when they have passed the landmarks of Dhu Dam

I say, though we have passed the landmarks of bloodshed

and Dhu Wajama—or with al-Dawanik before them:

And shame, or less than them, the small hills

تَأَمَّل كَذا هَل تَرعَوي وَكَأَنَّما

تَأَمَّل كَذا هَل تَرعَوي وَكَأَنَّما

مَوائِجُ شيزى أَمرَحتَها الدَوامِكُ

مَوائِجُ شيزى أَمرَحتَها الدَوامِكُ

Look at this—will you desist? They seem like

Look - does it graze like this? As if

tossing vessels of shiza wood, sped by the driving waves.

The waves of Shayza were stirred up by the constant winds

وَهَل تَرَيني بَعدَ أَن تُنزَعَ البُرى

وَهَل تَرَيني بَعدَ أَن تُنزَعَ البُرى

وَقَد أُبنَ أَنضاءً وَهُنَّ زَواحِكُ

وَقَد أُبنَ أَنضاءً وَهُنَّ زَواحِكُ

And will you see me after the nose-rings are removed,

Do you see me after the cattle were taken away

when they have returned, worn out and dragging their feet?

When does were built, and they are your friends

وَرَدنَ بُصاقاً بَعدَ عِشرينَ لَيلَةً

وَرَدنَ بُصاقاً بَعدَ عِشرينَ لَيلَةً

وَهُنَّ كَليلاتُ العُيونِ رَكائِكُ

وَهُنَّ كَليلاتُ العُيونِ رَكائِكُ

They reached Busaq after twenty nights,

They returned with contempt after twenty nights

and they were dull-eyed and feeble.

While they are the little nights of the eyes, your comrades

فَأُبنَ وَما مِنهُنَّ مِن ذاتِ نَجدَةٍ

فَأُبنَ وَما مِنهُنَّ مِن ذاتِ نَجدَةٍ

وَلَو بَلَغَت إِلّا تُرى وَهيَ زاحِكُ

وَلَو بَلَغَت إِلّا تُرى وَهيَ زاحِكُ

So they returned, and not one of the sturdy among them,

Does were built, but none of them were beneficial

even if she arrived, was seen without dragging her feet.

Even if they reached, you would see her laughing

نَفى السَيرُ عَنها كُلَّ جاءِ إِقامَةٍ

نَفى السَيرُ عَنها كُلَّ جاءِ إِقامَةٍ

فَهُنَّ رَذايا بِالطَريقِ تَرائِكُ

فَهُنَّ رَذايا بِالطَريقِ تَرائِكُ

The journey stripped her of all the flesh gained at rest;

Travel denied everything that came to stay

so they are spent camels, abandoned along the road.

So they are gazelles on the path, your peers

وَحُمِّلَتِ الحاجاتِ خوصاً كَأَنَّها

وَحُمِّلَتِ الحاجاتِ خوصاً كَأَنَّها

وَقد ضَمِرَت صُفرُ القِسِيِّ العَواتِكُ

وَقد ضَمِرَت صُفرُ القِسِيِّ العَواتِكُ

And sunken-eyed camels were laden with necessities, as though,

The needs were loaded on thin camels as if

now grown lean, they were yellow bows darkened with age.

Their yellow saddle blankets were shriveled

وَمَقرُبَةٌ دُهمٌ وَكُمتٌ كَأَنَّها

وَمَقرُبَةٌ دُهمٌ وَكُمتٌ كَأَنَّها

طَماطِمُ يوفونَ الوُفورَ هَنادِكُ

طَماطِمُ يوفونَ الوُفورَ هَنادِكُ

And close-kept horses, black and bay, seemed like

A pot is smoked and silent as if it were

foreign-tongued Indians letting their locks grow full.

Tomatoes overflowing with boiling here and there

كَأَنَّ عَدَولِيّاً زُهاءَ حُمولَها

كَأَنَّ عَدَولِيّاً زُهاءَ حُمولَها

غَدَت تَرتَمي الدَهنا بِها وَالدَهالِكُ

غَدَت تَرتَمي الدَهنا بِها وَالدَهالِكُ

It was as though an Aduli ship, about the size of her laden caravan,

As if the driver's camels were about to throw off

were tossed about at dawn by ad-Dahna and ad-Dahalik.

Their fat here and there and the luggage

وَفَوقَ جِمالِ الحَيِّ بيضٌ كَأَنَّها

وَفَوقَ جِمالِ الحَيِّ بيضٌ كَأَنَّها

عَلى الرَقمِ آرامُ الأَثيلِ الأَوارِكُ

عَلى الرَقمِ آرامُ الأَثيلِ الأَوارِكُ

And above the tribe’s camels were fair women, like,

And over the live white as if they were

upon patterned cloth, arak-browsing gazelles of al-Athil.

Gazelles resting on the hilltops, grazing

ظِباءُ خَريفٍ حَشَّت السَدرَ خُضَّع

ظِباءُ خَريفٍ حَشَّت السَدرَ خُضَّع

ثَنى سِربَها أَطفالُهُنَّ العَوالِكُ

ثَنى سِربَها أَطفالُهُنَّ العَوالِكُ

Autumn gazelles cropping the lote trees, heads bowed,

Autumn deer that lodged on the lotus tree bent

their suckling young had turned their herd back.

Their fawns gathered them, the teeny ones

فَما زِلتُ أُبقي الظَعنَ حَتّى كَأَنَّها

فَما زِلتُ أُبقي الظَعنَ حَتّى كَأَنَّها

أَواقي سَدىً تَغتالُهُنَّ الحَوائِكُ

أَواقي سَدىً تَغتالُهُنَّ الحَوائِكُ

So I kept watching the departing caravan until it seemed like

So I remained complaining until it was as if they were

ounces of warp-thread, consumed by the weavers.

Tent pegs of blazing fire consumed by the winds

فَإِنَّ شِفائي نَظرَة إِن نَظَرتُها

فَإِنَّ شِفائي نَظرَة إِن نَظَرتُها

إِلى ثافِلٍ يَوماً وَخَلفي شَنائِكُ

إِلى ثافِلٍ يَوماً وَخَلفي شَنائِكُ

For my cure is a glance, if I cast it

For my recovery is a glance if I looked at it

toward Thafil one day, with Shana'ik behind me.

At the rear of the caravan another day, and behind me are your companions

وَإِن بَدَتِ الخَيماتُ مِن بَطنِ أَرثَدٍ

وَإِن بَدَتِ الخَيماتُ مِن بَطنِ أَرثَدٍ

لَنا وَفِيافي المَرخَتَينِ الدَكادِكُ

لَنا وَفِيافي المَرخَتَينِ الدَكادِكُ

And if the tents appear from the valley of Arthad

And if the tents appeared from the belly of Arthad

to us, along with al-Markhatayn’s low sandy wastes.

For us, the two slit tents are decaying

تَجَنَّبتَ لَيلى عنوَةً أَن تَزورَها

تَجَنَّبتَ لَيلى عنوَةً أَن تَزورَها

وَأَنتَ اِمرُؤٌ في اَهلِ وُدِّكَ تارِكُ

وَأَنتَ اِمرُؤٌ في اَهلِ وُدِّكَ تارِكُ

You deliberately avoided paying Layla a visit,

You avoided visiting Layla tyrannically

and you are a man who forsakes those you love.

While you are a man among your loving people

أَقولُ إِذا الحَيّانِ كَعبٌ وَعامِرٌ

أَقولُ إِذا الحَيّانِ كَعبٌ وَعامِرٌ

تَلاقوا وَلَفَّتنا هُناكَ المَناسِكُ

تَلاقوا وَلَفَّتنا هُناكَ المَناسِكُ

I say, when the two clans, Ka'b and 'Amir,

I say: Since the live ones are Ka'b and 'Amir

meet, and the pilgrimage rites bring us together there:

They met us and the rituals rolled us up there

جَزى اللَهُ حَيّاً بالموقر نَضرَةً

جَزى اللَهُ حَيّاً بالموقر نَضرَةً

وَجادَت عَلَيهِ الرائِحاتُ الهَواتِكُ

وَجادَت عَلَيهِ الرائِحاتُ الهَواتِكُ

May God reward a clan at al-Muwaqqar with verdure,

May God reward the live one with blessed freshness

and may the rain-bursting evening clouds drench it,

And the winds blew goodness upon him

بِكُلِّ حَثيثِ الوَبلِ زَهرٍ غَمامُهُ

بِكُلِّ حَثيثِ الوَبلِ زَهرٍ غَمامُهُ

لَهُ دِرَرٌ بِالقَسطَلَينِ حَواشِكُ

لَهُ دِرَرٌ بِالقَسطَلَينِ حَواشِكُ

with every swift downpour whose clouds gleam white,

With every dripping cloud of springtime its flowers

bearing copious showers over al-Qastalayn.

For him are pearls in the two cheekbones

كَما قَد عَمَمتَ المُؤمِنينَ بِنائِلٍ

كَما قَد عَمَمتَ المُؤمِنينَ بِنائِلٍ

أَبا خالِدٍ صَلَّت عَلَيكَ المَلائِكُ

أَبا خالِدٍ صَلَّت عَلَيكَ المَلائِكُ

Just as you have spread bounty over all the believers,

As you have blessed the believers with clouds

O Abu Khalid, may the angels pray blessings upon you.

Abu Khalid, upon you peace the angels

وَما يَكُ مِنّي قَد أَتاكَ فَإِنَّهُ

وَما يَكُ مِنّي قَد أَتاكَ فَإِنَّهُ

عِتابٌ أَبا مَروانَ وَالقَلبُ سادِكُ

عِتابٌ أَبا مَروانَ وَالقَلبُ سادِكُ

And whatever may have reached you from me is

What is wrong with me has come to you, for it is

reproach, O Abu Marwan, while my heart remains attached.

Reproach, Abu Marwan, while my heart is pleased