يُمَنّونَني مِنكِ اللِقاءَ وَإِنَّني
لَأَعلَمُ لا أَلقاكِ مِن دونِ قابِلِ
They wish me to meet you, though I know
I'll never meet you, with no chance for a meeting.
إِلى ذاكَ ما حارَت أُمورُكَ وَإِنجَلَت
غَيابَةُ حُبِّيكِ إِنجِلاءَ المَخايِلِ
To that end, your affairs are confused, though yearning's
Absence has made me pine like a lovelorn camel.
إِذا حَلَّ أَهلي بِالجِنابِ وَأَهلُها
بِحَيثُ إِلتَقى الغُلّانُ مِن ذي أَرائِلِ
When my family camps on one side, and hers on the other,
Where the young camels of the noble ladies gather,
أَقُل خُلَّةٌ بانَت وَأَدبَرَوَصلُها
تَقَطَّعَ مِنها باقِياتُ الحَبائِلِ
I say, “An affection has passed whose covenants
Are now severed, the bonds between us undone.”
وَحالَت شُهورُالصَيفِ بَيني وَبَينَها
وَرَفعُ الأَعادي كُلَّ حَقٍّ وَباطِلِ
The months of summer stood between us,
And the enemies had their way, right or wrong.
أَقولُ لِعَذّالَيَّ لَمّا تَقابَلا
عَلَيَّ بِلَومٍ مِثلَ طَعنِ المَعابِلِ
I say to the blamer when we meet,
“Do not reproach me with a stab like a polished spear.”
لا تُكثِرا عَنها السُّؤالَ فَإِنَّها
مُصَلصِلَةٌ مِن بَعضِ تِلكَ الصَلاصِلِ
Do not question her much, for she’s
A prattling camel bell with cracked clapper.
مِنَ الصُّفرِ لا وَرهاءُ سَمجٌ دَلالُها
وَلَيسَت مِنَ السّودِ القِصارِ الحَوائِلِ
She’s neither white, with a fox's telltale tracks,
Nor black, short-haired; but a sweet basil,
وَلَكِنَّها رَيحانَةٌ طابَ نَشرُها
وَرَدتُ عَلَيها بِالضُّحى وَالأَصَائِلِ
Whose fragrance I’ve gathered at dawn and dusk.
Would that the ties of love would be renewed for us
فَيالَيتَ رَثَّ الوَصلِ مِن أُمِّ جَحدَرٍ
لَنا بِجَديدٍ مِن أولاكَ البَدائِلِ
With fresh first loves, and nothing left
Of affection but hidden messages.
وَلَم يَبقَ مِمّا كانَ بَيني وَبَينَها
مِنَ الودِّ إِلّا مُخفَياتِ الرَسائِلِ
When I wake from the sweetness of sleep
I'm flung into love for her like a warrior.
وَإِنّي إِذا إِستَنبَهتُ مِن حُلوِ رَقدَةٍ
رُمِيتُ بِحُبّيها كَرَميِ المُناضِلِ
I forget nothing—not her words,
Nor her tears wetting the kohl on her lids.
فَما أَنسَ مِنَ الأَشياءِ لا أَنسَ قَولَها
وَأَدمُعُها يُذرينَ حَشوَ المَكاحِلِ
“Savor this brief day, for it will be
A hostage to the long months ahead.”
تَمَتَّعِ بِذا اليَومِ القَصيرِ فإِنَّهُ
رَهينٌ بِأَيامِ الشُهورِ الأَطاوِلِ
Once I was a man who shot arrows amiably,
But now I have bidden shooting arrows farewell.
وَكُنتُ إِمرَأً أَرمي الزَوائِلَ مَرَّةً
فَأَصبَحتُ قَد وَدَّعتُ رَميَ الزَّوائِلِ
I have stilled my bow of diversion, which was too swift,
And my arrows lie broken between flexed bow and string.
وَعَطَّلتُ قَوسَ اللَهوِ مِن سَرَعانِها
وَعادَت سِهامي بَينَ رَثٍّ وَناصِلِ
When my abode was between Badr and Mazin,
Once I gained the sun—and it weighed heavy on my shoulder.
إِذا حَلَّ بَيتي بَينَ بَدرٍ وَمازِنٍ
وَمُرَّةَ نِلتُ الشَمسَ وَإِشتَدَّ كاهِلي
We are the clan of Thuban, foremost
Of the tribes esteemed, to whom glory returns.
وَنَحنُ بَنو ذُيبانَ في رَأسِ رَبوَةٍ
إِلَيكِ تَناهى عِزُّ تِلكَ القَبائِلِ
To us the peak of Qays—who can claim the like?
Misleading words mix with truth when they speak.
هُمُ أَنفُ قَيسٍ مَن يَقُل مِثلَها لَهُم
مِنَ الناسِ يَخلِط قَولَ حَقٍّ وَباطِلِ
We have outstripped Quraysh, except for Muhammad's kin
And the family of Marwan, people of merit.
فَضَلنا قُرَيشاً غَيرَ رَهطِ مُحَمَّدٍ
وَغَيرَ بَني مَروانَ أَهلِ الفَضائِلِ
To every clan we have proposed to their daughters
With a bridal gift of a roaring, brawling camel stallion.
إِلى كُلِّ قَومٍ قَد خَطَبنا بَناتِهم
بِأَرعَنَ جَرّارٍ كَثيرِ الصَواهِلِ
We raided Tamim and made free with their women,
While Judham and Bakr the son of Wail submitted.
غَزَونا تَميماً فإِستَبَحنا نِسائَها
وَتَغلِبَ جَدَّعنا وَبَكرَ إِبنَ وائِلِ
In every quarter of Kuda'a and Qahtan we have
A resounding combat that makes widows weep.
وَفي كُلِّ حَيٍّ مِن قُضاعَةَ وَقعَةٌ
لَنا ضَخمَةٌ تُبكي عُيونَ الأَرامِلِ
They swagger at the noble clans and take pride
In the worst rogues of the land, branded as camels.
يُشَنظِرُ بِالقَومِ الكِرامِ وَيَعتَزي
إِلى شَرِّ حافٍ في البِلادِ وَناعِلِ
They break the bridges of the lofty and head
For a breach in their truce, humiliated.
تَمَصَّخُ أَسناخَ الرُّخامى وَتَرعَوي
إِلى خَرِقٍ في عَهدِها مُتَضائِلِ
