بِأَثيلاتِ النَقا سِربُ قَطا
ضَرَبَ الحُسنُ عَلَيها طُنُبا
With the slender-waisted fair maidens a flock of wild cats
Beauty itself made its abode among them
وَبِأَجوازِ الفَلا مِن إِضَمٍ
نَعَمٌ تَرعى عَلَيها وَظِبا
And with the spacious howdah litters borne by camels
A blessing that grazes among them like gazelles
يا خَليلَيَّ قِفا وَاِستَنطِقا
رَسمَ دارٍ بَعدَهُم قَد خَرِبا
O my two friends stop and question
The vestige of an abode after them now lying in ruins
وَاِندُبا قَلبَ فَتىً فارَقَهُ
يَومَ بانوا وَاِبكِيا وَاِنتَحِبا
And mourn the heart of a youth who has left it
The day they left, weeping and wailing
عَلَّهُ يُخبِرُ حَيثُ يَمَّموا
أَلِجَرعاءِ الحِمى أَول لِقَبا
Perhaps it will tell where they went
To Al-Jar’a’s fortresses or just nomad camps
رَحَلوا العيسَ وَلَم أَشعُر بِهِم
أَلِسَهوٍ كانَ أَم طَرفٌ نَبا
They departed at night and I did not feel them leave
Was it forgetfully or just a wink?
لَم يَكُن ذاكَ وَلا هذا وَما
كانَ إِلّا وَلَهٌ قَد غَلَبا
It was neither this nor that, but
Simply a departure that has won out
يا هُموماً شَرَدَت وَاِفتَرَقَت
خَلفَهُم تَطلُبُهُم أَيدي سَبا
O dispersing, scattered worries
Behind them, seeking them are outstretched hands
أَيَّ ريحٍ نَسَمَت ناديتُها
يا شَمالٌ يا جَنوبٌ يا صَبا
I called to every passing breeze
“O north wind, south wind or gentle zephyr!
هَل لَدَيكُم خَبَرٌ مِمّا نَبا
قَد لَقينا مِن نَواهُم نَصَبا
Have you any news of what has come to pass?
We have endured from their departure great pain”
أَسنَدَت ريحُ الصَبا أَخبارَها
عَن نَباتِ الشيحِ عَن زَهرِ الرُبى
The gentle breeze relayed her news
About the vegetation, about the flowers of the hillside arbutus
إِنَّ مَن أَمرَضَهُ داءُ الهَوى
فَليُعَلَّل بِأَحاديثِ الصِبا
“He whom the malady of love has sickened
Let him treat it with the tales of the zephyr”
ثُمَّ قالَت يا شَمالُ خَبِّري
مِثلَ ما خَبَّرتُهُ أَو أَعجَبا
Then she said “O north wind tell me
The like of what I have told him or even better”
ثُمَّ أَنتِ يا جَنوبُ حَدِّثي
مِثلَ ما حَدَّثتُهُ أَو أَعذَبا
Then you, O south wind, relate
The like of what I have related or even sweeter
قالَتِ الشَمالُ عِندي فَرَجٌ
شارَكَت فيهِ الشَمالُ الأَزيَبا
The north wind said “I have respite
In which the gentle north wind shared the most wonderful”
كُلُّ سَوءٍ في هَواهُم حَسُنا
وَعَذابي بِرِضاهُم عَذُبا
“Every evil in their love is goodness
And my torment in their contentment is sweet”
فَإِلى ما وَعَلى ما وَلَمّا
تَشتَكي البَثَّ وَتَشكو الوَصَبا
“To what and for what and when
Does one complain of distress or lament isolation?
وَإِذا ما وَعَدوكُم ما تَرى
بَرقَهُ إِلّا بَريقاً خُلَّبا
And if they make a promise to you that you will see
Its lightning be nothing but a flitting glow”
رَقَمَ الغيمُ عَلى رَدنِ الغَما
مِن سَنا البَرقِ طِرازاً مُذهَبا
The clouds traced on the cheek of gloom
From the lightning’s illumination a gilded tattoo
فَجَرَت أَدمُعُها مِنها عَلى
صَحنِ خَدَّيها فَأَذكَت لَهَبا
Her tears flowed from it onto
The platter of her cheek, igniting a blaze
وَرَدةٌ نابِتَةٌ مِن أَدمُعٍ
نَرجِسٌ تُمطِرُ غَيثاً عَجَبا
A budding rose from tears
A narcissus that rains a wondrous downpour
وَمَتى رُمتَ جَناها أَرسَلَت
عِطفَ صُدغَيها عَلَيها عَقرَبا
And when you shoot it a glance, it unleashes
The curve of its cheek upon it like a scorpion
تُشرِقُ الشَمسُ إِذا ما اِبتَسَمَت
رَبَّ ما أَنوَرَ ذاكَ الحَبَبا
The sun beams when she smiles
My, how it makes that beloved shine!
يَطلُعُ اللَيلُ إِذا ما أَسدَلَت
فاحِماً جَثلاً أَثيثاً غَيهَبا
Night falls when she lets down her hair
Billowing, disheveled, dark tresses
يَتَجارى النَحلُ مَهما تَفلَت
رَبَّ ما أَعذَبَ ذاكَ الشَنَبا
The bees compete whenever she steps out
My! How sweet that sip is!
وَإِذا مالَت أَرَتنا فَنَناً
أَو رَنَت سالَت مِن اللَحظِ ظُبى
And when she sways and glances coyly
How many gazelles spring from her glances!
كَم تُناغي بِالنَقا مِن حاجِرٍ
يا سَليلَ العَرَبِيِّ العُرُبا
How you flirt with the slender-waisted fair ones
O descendant of the purebred Arabs!
أَنا إلّا عَرَبِيٌّ وَلِذا
أَعشَقُ البيضَ وَأَهوى العَرَبا
I am nothing but an Arab and thus
I love the fair complexioned and yearn for Arabs
لا أُبالي شَرَّقَ الوَجدُ بِنا
حَيثُ ما كانَت بِهِ أَو غَرَّبا
I care not where fervent love has scorched us
Whether there or made us go abroad
كُلَّما قُلتُ أَلا قالوا أَما
وَإِذا ما قُلتُ هَل قالوا أَبى
Whenever I say “can not”, they say “oh but”
And when I say “why not”, they say “yes!”
وَمَتى ما أَنجَدوا أَو أَنهَموا
أَقطَعُ البيدَ أَحُثَّ الطَلَبا
And whenever they come to my aid or rescue
I cut across the desert, hastening the quest
سامِرِيُّ الوَقتِ قَلبي كُلَّما
أَبصَرَ الآثارَ يَبغي المَذهَبا
My heart is with every passing moment
A Samaritan, whenever it sees the traces it desires the roads
وَإِذا هُم شَرَّقوا أَو غَرَّبوا
كانَ ذو القَرنَينِ يَقفو السَبَبا
And when they head east or west
It is as if Thul-Qarnayn follows their footsteps
كَم دَعَونا لِوِصالٍ رَغَبا
كَم دَعَونا مِن فِراقٍ رَهَبا
How often we called for union covetously
How often we called to part anxiously!
يا بَني الزَوراءِ هذا قَمَرٌ
عِندَكُم لاحَ وَعِندي غَرَبا
O clan of Zawra this moon over by you
Has risen, while by me it has set
حَرَبي وَاللَهِ مِنهُ حَرَبي
كَم أُنادي خَلفَهُ وَاِحرَبا
By God, they fight me and I fight them
How often I call behind them and take up arms!
لَهفَ نَفسي لَهفَ نَفسي لِفَتىً
كُلَّما غَنّى حَمامٌ غَيِّبا
My soul pants, my soul pants for a youth
Whenever a dove coos longingly!
