رُدِّي الْكَرَى لأَرَاكِ فِي أَحْلامِهِ

إِنْ كَانَ وَعْدُكِ لا يَفِي بِذِمَامِهِ

Return the caravan so I can see you in its dreams,

If your promise does not fulfill its purpose,

أَوْ فَابْعَثِي قَلْبِي إِلَيَّ فَإِنَّهُ

جَارَى هَوَاكِ فَقَادَهُ بِزِمَامِهِ

Or send my heart back to me, for it

Followed your love, so it led him by his reins.

قَدْ كَانَ خَلَّفَنِي لِمَوْعِدِ سَاعَةٍ

مِنْ يَوْمِهِ فَقَضَى مَسِيرَةَ عَامِهِ

He once disappointed me for an hour’s appointment

From his day, so he traveled a year’s journey.

لَمْ أَدْرِ هَلْ ثَابَتْ إِلَيْهِ أَنَاتُهُ

أَمْ لَمْ يَزَلْ فِي غَيِّهِ وَهُيَامِهِ

I do not know if his resolve remained steadfast to him

Or if he still wanders confused and bewildered.

عَهْدِي بِهِ صَعْبُ الْقِيَادِ فَمَا لَهُ

أَلْقَى يَدَاً لِلسِّلْمِ بَعْدَ غَرَامِهِ

My pact with him is hard to lead, so why doesn’t he

Extend a hand of peace after his passion?

خَدَعَتْهُ سَاحِرَةُ الْعُيُونِ بِنَظْرَةٍ

مِنْهَا فَمَلَّكَهَا عِذَارَ لِجَامِهِ

The sorceress of eyes enchanted him with a glance,

Making her his beloved’s excuse.

يَا هَلْ يَعُودُ إِلَى الْجَوَانِحِ بَعْدَمَا

سَلَبَتْ فَتَاةُ الْحَيِّ ثِنْيَ لِجَامِهِ

O does he return to his senses after

The girl of the tribe stole the loyalty of his allies?

تَاللَّهِ لَوْ مَلَكَتْ يَدَايَ جِمَاحَهُ

لَعَقَدْتُ قَائِمَ رَسْنِهِ بِخِدَامِهِ

By God, if my hands could grasp his bridle

I would tie the stallion’s reins to his servants.

يَا لائِمَ الْمُشْتَاقِ فِي أَطْرَابِهِ

مَهْلاً إِلَيْكَ فَلَسْتَ مِنْ لُوَّامِهِ

O you who blame the lover in his confusion,

Wait, do not blame him.

أَظَنَنْتَ لَوْعَتَهُ فُكَاهَةَ مَازِحٍ

فَطَفِقْتَ تَعْذِلُهُ عَلَى تَهْيَامِهِ

You thought his torment was a joking matter,

So you began to rebuke him for his raving.

إِنْ كُنْتَ تُنْكِرُ شَجْوَهُ فَانْظُر إِلَى

أَنْفَاسِهِ وَدُمُوعِهِ وَسَقَامِهِ

If you deny his lament, then look to

His breath, his tears, his illness.

صَبّ بَرَتْهُ يَدُ الضَّنى حَتَّى اخْتَفَى

عَنْ أَعْيُنِ الْعُوَّادِ غَيْرَ كَلامِهِ

Hardship has poured on him until he disappeared

From the visitors’ eyes, nothing left but his speech.

نَطَقَتْ مَدَامِعُهُ بِسِرِّ ضَمِيرِهِ

وَذَكَتْ جَوَانِحُهُ بِنَارِ غَرَامِهِ

His tears spoke of his heart’s secret

And his innermost being blazed with the fire of passion.

طَوْرَاً يُخَامِرُهُ الذُّهُولُ وَتَارَةً

يَبْكِي بُكَاءَ الطِّفْلِ عِنْدَ فِطَامِهِ

Sometimes oblivion engulfs him and sometimes

He cries the cry of a child during weaning.

يَصْبُو إِلَى بَانِ الْعَقِيقِ وَرَنْدِهِ

وَعَرَارِهِ وَبَرِيرِهِ وَبَشَامِهِ

He yearns for the slopes of al-‘Aqiq, its ravines,

its meadows, its valleys, and its mountains,

وَادٍ سَرَى فِي جَوِّهِ كَنَسِيمِهِ

وَبَكَى عَلَى أَغْصَانِهِ كَحَمَامِهِ

A valley through which the breeze flowed gently

And wept over its branches like a dove.

أَرِجُ النَّبَاتِ كَأَنَّمَا غَمَرَ الثَّرَى

طِيباً مُرُورُ الْخِضْرِ بَيْنَ إِكَامِهِ

The scent of vegetation is as though musk permeates the earth

With the passing fragrance wafting through its bushes.

مَالَتْ خَمَائِلُهُ بِخُضْرِ غُصُونِهِ

وَصَفَتْ مَوَارِدُهُ بِزُرْقِ جِمَامِهِ

Its bending palm trees and the blue pools of its creeks,

My friend, if you come to visit this tribe,

يَا صَاحِبِيإِنْ جِئْتَ ذَيَّاكَ الْحِمَى

فَاحْذَرْ عُيُونَ الْعَيْنِ مِنْ آرامِهِ

Then beware the sly eyes from their tents.

Ask about the radiant full moon, the pride of its light and height.

وَاسْأَلْ عَنِ الْبَدْرِ الَّذِي كَسَمِيِّهِ

فِي نُورِ غُرَّتِهِ وَبُعْدِ مَرَامِهِ

So if you are confused and cannot find a guide,

Then listen to the heart’s moan by its tent.

فَإِنِ اشْتَبَهْتَ وَلَمْ تَجِدْ لَكَ هَادِياً

فَاسْمَعْ أَنِينَ الْقَلْبِ عِنْدَ خِيَامِهِ

For in that valley a delicate gazelle

Tells the story of deadly charm from its burrows.

فَبِذَلِكَ الْوَادِي غَزَالَةُ كِلَّةٍ

تَرْوُي حَدِيثَ الْفَتْكِ عَنْ ضِرْغَامِهِ

Her stature rivals the height of his carriage

And her glance relates the flash of his sword.

ضَاهَتْ بِقَامَتِهَا سرَاحَ قَنَاتِهِ

وَحَكَتْ بِلَحْظَتِهَا مَضَاءَ حُسَامِهِ

She is like him in charm or he is like her -

The impact of her glance or his arrows is the same.

هِيَ مِثْلُهُ فِي الْفَتْكِ أَوْ هُوَ مِثْلُهَا

سِيَّانِ وَقْعُ لِحَاظِهَا وَسِهَامِهِ

The tribe quenched my tears’ thirst whenever life grew hard

With droplets from his bucket, sipping his cup.

فَسَقَى الْحِمى دَمْعِي إِذَا ضَنَّ الْحَيَا

بِجُمَانِ دِرَّتِهِ سُلافَةَ جَامِهِ

As relief I herded the prime of youth still green

And quenched my heart with sips from his clouds.

مَغْنَىً رَعَيْتُ بِهِ الشَّبِيبَةَ غَضَّةً

وَرَوَيْتُ قَلْبِي مِنْ سُلافِ غَمَامِهِ

So the breeze of my soul is from the ether of his air

And the constitution of my body from the mix of his dust.

فَنَسِيمُ رُوحِي مِنْ أَثِيرِ هَوَائِهِ

وَقِوَامُ جِسْمِي مِنْ مِزَاجِ رَغَامِهِ

My longing for him never ends and rarely

Does the heart’s groaning for his chanting cease.

لا يَنْتَهِي شَوْقِي إِلَيْهِ وَقَلَّمَا

يَسْلُو حَمَامُ الأَيْكِ عَنْ تَرْنَامِهِ

O excellent is the era of youth! Excellent

Is an orchard where I gathered roses from his bushes!

يَا حَبَّذَا عَصْرُ الشَّبَابِ وَحَبَّذَا

رَوْضٌ جَنَيْتُ الْوَرْدَ مِنْ أَكْمَامِهِ

An era where, when imagination drew its image

In the tablet of my mind, it appeared before me incomplete.

عَصْرٌ إِذَا رَسَمَ الْخَيَالُ مِثَالَهُ

فِي لَوْحِ فِكْرِي لاحَ لِي بِتَمَامِهِ

I remember him and know I still remain

Accountable for the sins from his misdeeds.

إِنِّي لأَذْكُرُهُ وَأَعْلَمُ أَنَّنِي

بَاقٍ عَلَى التَّبِعَاتِ مِنْ آثَامِهِ

How good was his loyalty to me had it lasted!

But how can it last for me forever?

مَا كَانَ أَحْسَنَ عَهْدَهُ لَوْ دَامَ لِي

مِنْهُ الْوِدَادُ وَكَيْفَ لِي بِدَوَامِهِ

Time’s course is a lesson, if only we

Recite the record of betrayal from its sins.

وَالدَّهْرُ مَصْدَرُ عِبْرَةٍ لَوْ أَنَّنَا

نَتْلُو سِجِلَّ الْغَدْرِ مِنْ آثَامِهِ

My life - youth has traveled on and returned me

To old age which attached itself to my temples white as stripes.

عَمْرِي لَقَدْ رَحَلَ الشَّبَابُ وَعَادَنِي

شَيْبٌ تَحَيَّفَ لِمَّتِي بِثَغَامِهِ