يا لَيتَ شِعري هَل يُخبَرُ الطَلَلُ

يا لَيتَ شِعري هَل يُخبَرُ الطَلَلُ

وَلَيتَ شِعري لِأَيَّةٍ رَحَلُوا

وَلَيتَ شِعري لِأَيَّةٍ رَحَلُوا

If only I knew—can the deserted campsite tell?

And if only I knew what place they journeyed toward.

أَكانَ نَحوَ العِراقِ وِجهَتُهُم

أَكانَ نَحوَ العِراقِ وِجهَتُهُم

أَو نَحوَ سَلعٍ تَحَمَّلَ الثَقَلُ

أَو نَحوَ سَلعٍ تَحَمَّلَ الثَقَلُ

Was their destination toward Iraq,

or did they load their baggage and set out toward Salʿ?

قَد كِدتُ أَقضي غَداةَ بَينِهِمِ

قَد كِدتُ أَقضي غَداةَ بَينِهِمِ

لَمّا تَنادوا في الصُبح وَاِحتَمَلُوا

لَمّا تَنادوا في الصُبح وَاِحتَمَلُوا

I nearly died on the morning of their parting,

when they called to one another at dawn and moved away.

وَفِيهم حُرَّةٌ مُبَتَّلَةٌ

وَفِيهم حُرَّةٌ مُبَتَّلَةٌ

مَهضُومَةُ الكَشحِ ما لَها مَثَلُ

مَهضُومَةُ الكَشحِ ما لَها مَثَلُ

And among them was a noblewoman, perfectly formed,

slender-waisted, without an equal.

مَلِيحَةُ الدَلِّ كَالمَهاة لَها

مَلِيحَةُ الدَلِّ كَالمَهاة لَها

لَونٌ جَلاهُ النَعِيمُ فَالكِلَلُ

لَونٌ جَلاهُ النَعِيمُ فَالكِلَلُ

Lovely in her coy grace, like an oryx doe, she had

a complexion luxury had burnished to perfection.

قَد يَعلَمُ اللَهُ أَنَّ نَأَيَكُمُ

قَد يَعلَمُ اللَهُ أَنَّ نَأَيَكُمُ

حُزنٌ وَأَنّي بِقُربِكُم جَذِلُ

حُزنٌ وَأَنّي بِقُربِكُم جَذِلُ

God surely knows that your remoteness

is sorrow, and that near you I rejoice.