لا تسلني غداة نعمانَ مَا بي

لا تسلني غداة نعمانَ مَا بي

وترفّق فليس حالُك حالي

وترفّق فليس حالُك حالي

Do not ask me, that morning at Nu'man, what ails me.

Do not ask me tomorrow about Numan’s bliss

And be gentle, for your state is not mine.

And be gentle, for your state is not my state

مَدمعي سَافحٌ ودَمْعُكَ راقِ

مَدمعي سَافحٌ ودَمْعُكَ راقِ

كبدي موثقٌ وقلبُك خالي

كبدي موثقٌ وقلبُك خالي

My tears are flowing, while your tears have ceased.

My tears flow and your tear is still

My liver is fettered, while your heart is carefree.

My liver is tied and your heart is empty

لُمتني في الهوى ولو ذُقتَ ما ذُقْتُ

لُمتني في الهوى ولو ذُقتَ ما ذُقْتُ

ضللت الهدى كعهد ضلالي

ضللت الهدى كعهد ضلالي

You blamed me for love; had you tasted what I tasted,

You have blamed me in love, and if you had tasted what I tasted

You would have lost the way, as I did in my days of straying.

You would have lost direction like my days of misguidance

مَا وقوفي على منازلِ ليْلى

مَا وقوفي على منازلِ ليْلى

وسُؤالي وما يُفيدُ سُؤالي

وسُؤالي وما يُفيدُ سُؤالي

What use is my standing at Layla's dwellings,

I do not stand at Layla’s dwellings

And my questioning? What does my questioning avail?

And my asking is of no use, nor is my question

حالفتَني وخالفتني ومالتْ

حالفتَني وخالفتني ومالتْ

عنْ وُصَولي واعرضت عن وِصالي

عنْ وُصَولي واعرضت عن وِصالي

You pledged yourself to me, then opposed me; she turned

You have sworn oaths to me and broken them and turned

Away from my approach and shunned union with me.

Away from my arrival and ignored my union

وحمتني خيالهَا في منامي

وحمتني خيالهَا في منامي

حفظ اللهُ طيفَ ذاك الخيالِ

حفظ اللهُ طيفَ ذاك الخيالِ

And she withheld her image from me in my sleep.

And her imagination has protected me in my sleep

May God preserve the phantom of that vision!

May God protect the image of that imagination

أه من فرقها وأه عليها

أه من فرقها وأه عليها

يومَ شدوا الجمال للترحالِ

يومَ شدوا الجمال للترحالِ

Ah, for parting from her! Ah, for her,

Oh how I suffer from her separation, oh for her sake

The day they saddled the camels for departure.

The day they packed the camel for travel

بكَروا بالشموس تحت الدياجي

بكَروا بالشموس تحت الدياجي

وسروا بالجَمَال فوق الجِمَالِ

وسروا بالجَمَال فوق الجِمَالِ

They set out early with suns beneath night's darkness,

They set out early with the suns under the canopies

And traveled by night with beauty atop the camels.

And traveled with the camel over the dunes

أرْخصَ البينَ كلّ دمعٍ مصونٍ

أرْخصَ البينَ كلّ دمعٍ مصونٍ

وكذا البينُ مُرْخِصٌ كلَّ غالي

وكذا البينُ مُرْخِصٌ كلَّ غالي

Parting cheapened every guarded tear,

I have made the separation cheaper, every hidden teardrop

And so parting cheapens everything precious.

And so the separation is cheap, however dear

يا سميري من حريمةَ شِيْمَا

يا سميري من حريمةَ شِيْمَا

وَامضاً للبُوَيْرق المتلآلي

وَامضاً للبُوَيْرق المتلآلي

O my two night companions, from Huraymah watch

Oh my friend from Shima’s protected place

A flash of the glittering little bolt of lightning.

Returning to the shedding burqa

وأعيْدَا ليَ الحديثَ الذي ك

وأعيْدَا ليَ الحديثَ الذي ك

ان لليلى على اللوى والمطال

ان لليلى على اللوى والمطال

And repeat for me the tale that

And restore to me the tale that was

Was Layla's at al-Liwa and al-Matal,

For Layla is above passion and reproach

والليالي التي مضين بسَلْعٍ

والليالي التي مضين بسَلْعٍ

آه واحسرتي لتلك الليالي

آه واحسرتي لتلك الليالي

And the nights that passed at Sal'—

And the nights that passed with commerce

Ah, my sorrow for those nights!

Oh how I regret those nights

وأسال العيسَ كمْ أطرت كُلاها

وأسال العيسَ كمْ أطرت كُلاها

لهباً بالوجيف والأرْقَالِ

لهباً بالوجيف والأرْقَالِ

And ask the pale camels how often I sent their kidneys flying,

And ask the young man, how long did he spend with them

Like flame, with trotting and swift running.

A flame with firewood and burning coal

كلّما هَوَّنَتْ وقلْتُ رِدى بي

كلّما هَوَّنَتْ وقلْتُ رِدى بي

رمَع الخِصبَ أُنشطَتْ من عقال

رمَع الخِصبَ أُنشطَتْ من عقال

Whenever they slackened and I said, "Carry me

Whenever it softened and I said my cure is near

To fertile Rima'," they bounded as if loosed from a hobble.

The fertile place sparked more than a mare in heat

ذكرت من مُعَيبدٍ خير مَرْعيَ

ذكرت من مُعَيبدٍ خير مَرْعيَ

ترتعيه وَعذبَ ماءٍ زُلاَلِ

ترتعيه وَعذبَ ماءٍ زُلاَلِ

They recalled, from Mu'aybid, the finest pasture

I remembered from Mu’ayyad the best pasture

To graze upon, and sweet, limpid water,

That she grazes, and the sweet flowing water

ورحَاباً فديتُها منْ رِحابٍ

ورحَاباً فديتُها منْ رِحابٍ

وظلالاً فديتُها مِنْ ظِلالِ

وظلالاً فديتُها مِنْ ظِلالِ

And broad courts—such courts I would give my life for!

And open spaces that I ransom with spaces

And shade—such shade I would give my life for!

And shade that I ransom with shade

يمنيّ مُعَيْبديُّ إذَا ما

يمنيّ مُعَيْبديُّ إذَا ما

عَضَّني الدهرُ قال مَالُك مَالي

عَضَّني الدهرُ قال مَالُك مَالي

A Yemeni, a Mu'aybidi—whenever

My Mu’ayyadi friend, whenever

Time bites me, he says, "My wealth is yours."

Hard times befall me, says what is wrong with you

سَاد علياء أشعر ابنة كهلان

سَاد علياء أشعر ابنة كهلان

وساد الجميع قبل إكتهال

وساد الجميع قبل إكتهال

He surpassed the noblest of Ash'ar, daughter of Kahlan,

Sa’da the bright daughter of Kuhlan presided

And surpassed them all before middle age.

And she presided over all before maturity

من أبي بكر حاز ذاك وعب

من أبي بكر حاز ذاك وعب

د الله والشَّبْلُ مشبُهُ الرّئبال

د الله والشَّبْلُ مشبُهُ الرّئبال

From Abu Bakr he gained that, and from

From Abu Bakr this was attained, and Obed

'Abd Allah—and the cub resembles the lion.

Abdullah and the cub resembling the old lion

من بلالِ بن بُرْدةَ ورث المج

من بلالِ بن بُرْدةَ ورث المج

د ومَنْ ذا كبرُدةٍ وبلالِ

د ومَنْ ذا كبرُدةٍ وبلالِ

From Bilal ibn Burdah he inherited

From Bilal bin Bardah the glory was inherited

Glory—and who can match Burdah and Bilal?

And who is like Bardah and Bilal