عسَاها بعدَ رحْلَتِنا عسَاها

تعاودني وترعَى منْ رعاها

Perhaps after our journey, perhaps

She will return to me and tend to those she tended

عَسَاهَا تذكرُ الذّممَ اللواتي

بنهلة إذ حشاي على حشاها

Perhaps she will remember the debts that

In Nahla, when my tent pole leaned upon its pole

وليلةَ وسَّديني دملجاها

وبتَّ مقبلا يا سعْدُ فاها

And the night I made her a refuge

And in the morning, oh happiness of her mouth

ويومَ أتت وفي يدها زجاجٌ

به خَمْرٌ حَكَتْه وَجْنَتَاها

And the day she came, and in her hand a bottle

In it wine she had fermented and harvested

نعمتُ ليالياً بجوار لَيلى

ومضروبٌ خِبايَ إلى خباهَا

I enjoyed nights in the company of Layla

And my tents were pitched next to her tents

وكنتُ أزورها واللّيلُ داج

وأسقى البابليّةَ من لماها

And I used to visit her while the night was dark

And quenched the Babylonians from her well

وبعدَ حضورها غبنا وشطتْ

بكل قبيلة منّا نواها

And after she left us and journeyed on

To every tribe among us she bid farewell

وحَلت في بلادٍ لا تراني

بها أمُّ البنين ولا أراها

And settled in lands where I cannot see her

Neither the mother of sons nor the one I love

إلى الله الشكايةُ من زمان

به الأيامُ أبدتْ لي جفاها

To God is my lament over a time

In which days have shown me their harshness

زمان لا ترى فيه غَنِيا

يُشامُ مُروَأةً إلاّ أتاها

A time in which you see no rich man

Who suckles a baby except the one who bore her

وكان الناس يرعى البعض بعضا

وحتى الذئب يستبقي الشياها

And people used to herd one another

Even the wolf would spare the lambs

وكانت قبل ذا خنساء صخْرٍ

إذا افتقرت دعت صخراً أخاها

And before this there was Khensa of Sakhra

When she grew poor she would call Sakhra her brother

يُخَيّرها كرائمَ ما حَواه

ويسألها ويكشف ما عَنَاها

Giving her the choice of the best he owned

And asking her and disclosing her secrets