أَلا حَيّيا رَسماً بِذي العُشِّ مُقفِراً

وَرَبعاً بِذي المَمدورِ مُستَعجِماً قَفراً

Behold, how the abode of Dhi al-`Ush has become desolate

And the quarter of Dhi al-Mamdūr alien and empty.

أَضَرَّ بِهِ حَتّى تَنَكَّرَ عَهدَهُ

حَراجِفُ يَسفِرنَ الرِغامَ بِها سَفرا

So it is ruined until its covenant is unrecognizable,

By the sands drifting relentlessly in wilderness.

فَذا العُشِّ أُسقيتَ الغَمامَ وَلا يَزَل

تَرودُ بِكَ الآجالُ مُغلَولِباً نَضرا

So this abode of Dhi al-`Ush has quenched the clouds, yet still

The enduring rains come to you gushing and fresh.

فَأَعجَبُ دارٍ دارُها غَيرَ أَنَّني

إِذا ما أَتَيتُ الدارَ تَرجِعُني صِفراً

Strange is a house whose dwellers have left it;

Whenever I come to it, I return depressed.

أَلا لا تَعُد لِيَ لَوعَةٌ مِثلَ لَوعَتي

عَلَيكَ بأَدمى وَالهَوى يَرجِعُ الذِكرا

Do not repeat to me a torment like my torment

Over you, while passion makes recollection recur.

عَشيَّةَ أَثني بِالرِداءِ عَلى الحَشى

كَأَنَّ الحَشى مِن دونِهِ أُسعِرَت جَمراً

One evening I leaned my cheek against the enclosure

As if, without it being so, the enclosure were aflame.

يَميلُ بِنا شَحطُ النَوى ثُمَّ نَلتَقي

عِدادَ الثُرَيّا صادَفَت لَيلةً بَدرا

The bending bough brought us together, then we met

After counting the Pleiades, on a night with the full moon bright.

خَليلَيَّ مِن غَيظِ بنِ مُرَّةَ بَلِّغا

رَسائِلَ مِنّي لاتَزيدُكُما وِقرا

O my two friends, convey to the Banū Murra

Messages from me; do not increase them in frequency.

وَمُرّا عَلى تَيماءَ نَسأَلُ يَهودَها

فَإِنَّ لَدى تَيماءَ مِن رَكبِها خُبرا

And pass by Taimá and question its Jews,

For in Taimá are tidings of their caravan.

وَبِالغَمرِ قَد جازَت وَجازَ مَطيُّها

فَأَسقى الغَوادي بَطنَ نيّانَ فَالغَمر

By al-Ghamr they have crossed, and their beasts have crossed,

So the torrents have watered the belly of Niyyān, by al-Ghamr.

فَلَمّا رَأَت أَن قَد قَرُبنَ أَباتِراً

عَواسِفُ سُهبٌ تارِكاتٌ بِنا ثَجرا

When the mares saw that the camel-borne litters had drawn near,

Wild she-camels leaving us behind in haste,

أَثارَ لَها شَحطُ الدِيارِ وَحَمحَمَت

أُموراً وَحاجاتٍ نَضيقُ بِها صَدرا

The bending of the encampments stirred things up,

Matters and needs that straiten the breast.

إِذا جاوَزَت بُصرى تَقَطَّعَ وَصلُها

وَأَغلَقَ بَوّابانِ مِن دونِها قَصرا

When she went beyond al-Buşrà her visitation ceased

And the guards closed the palace's gate behind her.

فَلا وَصلَ إِلّا أَن تُقارِبَ بَينَنا

قَلائِصُ يَجسُرنَ الفَلاةَ بِنا جَسرا

No visit is possible unless you bring us together,

By mounts that dare cross the dreadful wilderness.

غُرَيريَّةُ الأَنسابِ أَو ما طِليَّةٌ

تُنازِعُ أَيدي القَومِ مُلويَّةٌ سُمرا

Is she a short-statured Ghurayr, or a Tall Umm

That disputes with her tribe's hands, bending branches?

إِذا رَكَدَت شَمسُ النَهارِ وَوَضَّعَت

طَنافِسَها وَلَيَنها الأَعيُنَ الخُزرا

When the sun of day declined, laid down

Its chiffon mantle, the gazes of onlookers cast down,

أَلا لَيتَ شِعري هَل إِلى أُمِّ جَحدَرٍ

سَبيلٌ فأَما الصَبرُ عَنها فلا صَبرا

Lo, would that I knew! Is there a way to Umm Juḥdar

Or else, for me, there is no patience from her?

وَلَو كانَ نَذرٌ مُدنِياً أُمِّ جَحدَرٍ

إِلَيَّ لقد أَوذَمتُ في عُنُقي نَذرا

Had there been a vow made by me, O Umm Juḥdar,

Binding my neck, indeed I would have fulfilled it!

أَلا لا تَلِطّي السِترَ يا أُمَّ جَحدَرٍ

كَفَى بِذُرا الأَعلَمِ مِن دونِنا سِترا

Do not conceal yourself, O Umm Juḥdar!

The covering of lofty stature suffices beside us.

لَعَمري لَئِن أَمسَيتِ يا أُمَّ جَحدَرٍ

نَأَيتِ فَقَد أَبلَيتُ في طَلَبٍ عُذرا

By my life! If you are absent, O Umm Juḥdar,

In seeking you I surely will have striven and made effort!

وَإِنّي لَأَستَنشي الحَديثَ مِن أَجلِها

لِأَسمَعَ عَنها وَهِيَ نازِحَةٌ ذِكرا

I excite conversation about her in order

To hear of her, while she departs from mention.

وَإِنّي لَأَستَحيِي مِنَ اللَهِ أَن أُرى

إِذا غَدَرَ الخُلّانُ أَنوي لَها غَدرا

I am too shy before God that I should intend

Betrayal, if intimate friends have betrayed.

تَفاقَدَ قَومي إِذ يَبيعونَ مُهجَتي

بِجارِيَةٍ بَهراً لَهُم بَعدَها بَهرا

My people noticed when they sold my love

For a slave-girl - a dazzlement for them after her.

أَلا لَيتَ شِعري هَل يَحُلَّنَّ أَهلُنا

وَأَهلُكِ رَوضاتٍ بِبَطنِ اللِوى خُضرا

Would that I knew! Will our people and your people

Encamp on meadows in the belly of al-Liwá, green?

وَهَل تَطرُقَنَّ الريحُ تَدرُجُ مَوهِناً

بِرَيّاكِ تَعرَوري بِها الجَرَعَ العَفرا

Will the sweet breeze creep in, visiting our tents,

Stirring up your fragrance, making the taste exquisite?

بِريحِ خُزامى الرَملِ باتَ مُعانِقاً

فُروعَ الأَقاحي تَنضُبَ الطَلَّ وَالقَطرا

With the wind of Khuzāmah wafting the sands, he spent the night

Embracing the branches of Artemisia, dripping honey and rainwater.