هَل لا يُهَيِّجُ شَوقُكَ الطَلَلُ

أَم لا يُفَرِّطُ شَيخَكَ الغَزَلُ

Does not your longing stir the deserted abodes?

Or does not your elder pine away through separation?

أَم ذا القَطينَ أَصابَ مَقتَلَهُ

مِنهُ وَخانوهُ إِذا اِحتَمَلوا

Or has the wild cat met its death,

And it betrayed you when they bore it?

وَرَأَيتَ ظُعنَهُمُ مُقَفِّيَةً

تَعلو المَخارِمَ سَيرُها رَمَلُ

And you saw their teats drawn up

Ascending the sand-hills, the track of which is sand.

قَنَأَ العُهونَ عَلى حَوامِلِها

وَعَلى الرُهاوِيّاتِ وَالكِلَلُ

It milks the pregnant camels in due season,

And those in milk, though barren and dry.

وَكَأَنَّ غِزلانَ الصَريمِ بِها

تَحتَ الخُدورِ يُظِلُّها الظُلَلُ

And as though the gazelles of Sarim were with it

Under the thorn bushes shaded from the sun.

تامَت فُؤادَكَ يَومَ بَينِهِمُ

عِندَ التَفَرُّقِ ظَبيَةٌ عُطُلُ

Your heart was melted the day they departed

At the moment of separation, O impetuous doe!

شَنِفَت إِلى رَشَأٍ تُرَبِّبُه

وَلَها بِذاتِ الحاذِ مُعتَزَلُ

It turned aside to a copse, which contained it,

And for it the thickets of Al-Had are a dwelling secluded.

ظِلٌ إِذا ضَحِيَت وَمُرَتَقَبُ

وَلا يَكونُ لِلَيلِها دَغَلُ

A shade which appears when the sun shines,

And no darkness is there for its night.

فَسَقى مَنازِلَها وَحِلَّتَها

قِردُ الرَبابِ لِصَوتِهِ زَجَلُ

So the music of its cord made its dwellings joyful,

And resounded for it with the moaning of the lute.

أَبدى مَحاسِنَهُ لِناظِرِهِ

ذاتَ العِشاءِ مُهَلَّبٌ خَضِلُ

It showed its beauties to its visitor

In the evening, stripped bare, not clothed.

مُتَحَلِّبٌ تَهوي الجَنوبُ بِهِ

فَتَكادُ تَعدِلُهُ وَيَنجَفِلُ

Swaying, the zephyr blowing on it,

It almost spoke plainly, and would scarcely stammer.

وَضَعَت لَدى الأَصناعِ ضاحِيَةً

فَوَهى السُيوبُ وَحُطَّتِ العِجَلُ

It laid down, to try them, the ornaments,

And took off its long robes and wrapped them up.

فَسَقى اِمرِأَ القَيسِ بنِ عَمَرَةَ إِنَّ

الأَكرَمينَ لِذِكرِهِم نَبَلُ

So Imru al-Qais, son of Amr, gave water to drink when

Those most generous shared the remembrance of them.

كَم طَعنَةٍ لَكَ غَيرِ طائِشَةٍ

ما إِن يَكونُ لِجُرحِها خَلَلُ

How many a piercing thrust is there for you not random,

Which, though it would not cause death, has no cure!

فَطَعَنتَها وَضَرَبتَ ثانِيَةً

أُخرى وَتَنزِلُ إِن هُمُ نَزَلوا

You pierced with it, then you struck again,

Another, while they descend, if they should descend.

يَهَبُ المَخاضَ عَلى غَوارِبِها

زَبَدُ الفُحولِ مَعانُها بَقِلُ

The parturient camel hastens with its burden,

The juice of valiant men mixed with it decreases.

وَعِشارُها بَعدَ المَخاضِ وَقَد

صافَت وَعَمَّ رِباعَها النَفَلُ

And after parturition, when it was purified,

And its sides flowed with milk, it was covered with butter.

وَإِذا المُجَزِّىءُ حانَ مَشرَبُهُ

عِندَ المَصيفِ وَسَرَّهُ النَهَلُ

And when the weaned foal attains his time of drinking

In the hot weather, and his delight is the water-skin.

رَشفُ الذِنابِ عَلى جَماجِمِها

ما إِن يَكونُ لِحَوضِها سَمَلُ

It drinks the contents of the water-skins in its joy,

Not ceasing till its sides and its hinder-parts are wet.