يا دارَ زَينَبَ بِالعَقيقِ تَبَسَّمي
مِنْ فِي السّرورِ وَبالعذيبِ تكلَّمي
O home of Zainab with red carnelians, smile
With joy and with a sweet voice, speak
دَارٌ لِغانِيةٍ كَشمسٍ وَجهُها
وَالبرقُ يَلمَعُ مِن خِلالِ المبسمِ
A home for a singing bird, her face like the sun
And lightning flashes through her eyelids when she blinks
غَيداءَ بِنتُ الأُسدِ تَرتَعُ في الفَلا
وَهيَ الغَزالَةُ في الكناسِ المُحتمي
Ghayda, daughter of the lion, grazes in the meadow
She is the gazelle hiding in the thicket
قَد أُولِعَت بِالصّيد غيرَ مَصيدَةٍ
وَمَصيدُها لبُّ الهِزَبرِ الضّيغَمِ
She loves hunting but is not hunted
And her prey is the old foolish hyena
مِن كلِّ صمصامٍ تَقلَّد صارِماً
مِن كلّ مُعتقِل بِأَسمرَ لَهذَمِ
With every sword she arms herself
With every prisoner she takes the dark skinned one as booty
مِن كلِّ لَيثٍ في الكَريهَةِ صائلٍ
يَهوى المنيّةَ لَيسَ مِنها يَحتَمي
With every fierce lion in battle
Who desires death since he cannot protect himself
يُعطي وَيَأخُذُ في الكَريهَةِ ثابتاً
وَيَعودُ لَيسَ بِمُعدَمٍ بل معدمِ
She gives and takes in battle unyielding
And returns not vanished but making others vanish
يَعدو عَلى طِرْفٍ أَصيلٍ فارِهٍ
مثلِ النّسيمِ وَإِنّها لَم تلجَمِ
She runs on an authentic noble steed
Like a breeze yet she is not held back
يَسطو عَلَيهِ غَضَنفَراً بِزَئيرِهِ
لَكِنّهُ لَو خَرّ مِثلَ الهَيثَمِ
The snarling leopard attacks her
But if it falls it is like scattered pearls
لَو خاضَ في صفّ العِداةِ رَأَيتَهُ
بِجَوادِهِ قَد داسَ فَوقَ الديسَمِ
If she enters the ranks of the enemies you would see her
With her steed she trampled over them
عَلَّقتها حَوراءَ خوطَة بانَةٍ
شَمساً تَلوح فلَيلُها لم يُظلمِ
Hawraa suspended it with a clear line
A sun shining though its night was not darkened
كَحلاءَ تَبدو شامَةٌ في خَدِّها
زادَتهُ حُسناً كَالسّوار لِمَعصَمِ
Like a beauty mark appearing on her cheek
Increasing her beauty like a bracelet on a wrist
هاتيكَ مِن دَمِها اِستَحالَت عَنبَراً
فَاِسْودَّ بعدُ وَكانَ مِثلَ العَندَمِ
That blood of hers was transformed into ambergris
Then it blackened and became like antimony
وَالمِسكُ بَعضُ دَمِ الغَزالِ وَإِنّما
في المِسكِ مَعنىً لَيسَ يوجَدُ في الدمِ
And musk is some gazelle blood, but really
In musk there is meaning not found in blood
يا زينَ إِنّي في هَواكِ مُتيّمٌ
أَصبَحت فيهِ بِذي الغَرامِ الأَهيمِ
O Zain, I am infatuated with your love
I have become in it bewildered, crazed with passion
جُبتُ الفَيافي لَستُ أَدري مَقصداً
تيهاً وَذا حالُ المحبِّ المُغرَمِ
I roamed the deserts not knowing where I was headed
Lost and crazed is the state of the enamored lover
أَحرَقتِ قَلبي بِالنّوى يا جَنَّتي
وَحَللتِ فيهِ وَإِنّه كَجَهنَّمِ
You burned my heart with purpose O my paradise
And you took residence in it though it is like hell
أَفَلا حَسستِ بِنارِهِ وَلَهيبِهِ
فَحبَوتِهِ بِتَرَأُّفٍ وترحُّمُ
Why didn’t you feel its fire and flames?
So you would have treated it with mercy and compassion
قالَت بَلى اِستَحلَيت مُرَّ عذابهِ
كَالظّبيِ يَستَحلي مَذاقَ العلقمِ
She said: “Yes, I made the bitterness of his torment lawful
Like the gazelle finds the taste of unripe fruit lawful”
يا زين هَل للصبِّ قُربٌ واِلْتِقا
فبُعادُه عينُ العَذابِ المُؤلمِ
O Zain, is there nearness and meeting for the lover
For distance from you is the essence of painful torment?
لَيسَ البعاد عليك حَتماً لازِماً
وعليكِ وَصْلي لم يكن بمحرّمِ
Distance from you is not necessarily binding
And our union was not forbidden
أَسمَعتِ قَولَ اللائِمينَ وَعِذلِهم
يا زينَ بئسَ القولُ قولُ اللُّوَّمِ
Did you hear the words and censure of the blamers
What a terrible saying, the words of the criticizers!
يا لَهفَ قَلبي وَالغَرامُ أَذابَهُ
فَبَكيته دَمعاً جَرى كَالعَندَمِ
O burning of my heart, passion melted it
So I wept it with tears flowing like antimony
كَيفَ الخَلاصُ مِنَ الهَوى ما حيلَتي
وَمَذاقُهُ حُلوٌ لَذيذُ المَطعَمِ
How can I be free from love? What is my stratagem
When its taste is sweet, delicious to the palate?
وَلَقَد طُبِعتُ عَلى الهَوى وَاِعتَدتُهُ
وَتغيُّرُ العادات غيرُ مسلَّمِ
I was inherently disposed to love and accustomed to it
And changing ingrained habits is not easily done
وَاِعتَدت طَبعاً مَدحَ أَكرمِ ماجدٍ
وأجلِّ شهمٍ في الأكارِمِ أفخمِ
And I was naturally accustomed to praising the most generous
And greatest hero among the most honorable of the noble
لَيث العَرينِ وَشِبل قَسورَة الوغَى
مُردي الأسودَ وذاكَ شَأنُ الضّيغَمِ
Lion of the lair and cub of the ferocious battle
Who tosses aside the lions and that is the wont of the warrior
شاكي السّلاح مُقذّفٌ مُتقدّمٌ
أَظفارُهُ حينَ الوَغى لَم تقلَّمِ
Brandishing his sword, advancing
His claws in battle are not blunted
بَطلٍ إِذا رَكِبَ الجَواد رأيتَهُ
أَسَداً على طَوْدٍ رَفيعٍ شَيظَمِ
When the hero rides his steed you see him
A lion on a tall, lofty camel
فَسلاحُهُ وَصهيل طِرفٍ تَحتَهُ
بَرقٌ وَرعدٌ في العَجاجِ الأقتَمِ
His weapons and the neighing of his swift steed beneath him
Are lightning and thunder in the darkest clouds
ذي الجاهِ بَل هوَ جاهُهُ وَقوامُهُ
لَولاهُ كانَ الجاهُ غير مقوَّمِ
The one with glory, rather he is his glory and his pillar
Without him glory would not be straight
ذي المَجدِ وَالعَلياءِ مَن قَد فاقَ في
حُسنِ الوَفا وَالعزّ مِثل محلَّمِ
The one with glory and nobility, who has surpassed in
Good faithfulness and honor the likes of Mihyar
بَحرُ المَكارِمِ وَالنّدى لا حاتمٌ
يَحكيهِ في جودٍ ولا بِتَكرُّمِ
Ocean of nobility and dew, no seal
Describes his generosity or nobility
طَلقِ المُحيّا في لِثامِ بَشاشَةٍ
وَوَسامَةٍ تَزهو ضحوكِ المَبسمِ
Free spirited with a smile in his veil
And grace that glows with his bright grin
فَردٍ نَبيهٍ فاضِلٍ متأدّبٍ
فَخمٍ وَجيهٍ كامِلٍ ومكرَّمِ
A cultured, virtuous, refined gentleman
Noble, distinguished, perfect and honored
قِسُّ البلاغَةِ كَم أَرى سَحبانها
يَبدو لَدَيهِ بالأرتِّ الأبكَمِ
Master of rhetoric, how often I see its clouds
Manifest through him in clear eloquent speech
يا ذا المَعالي وَالمَكارِمِ وَالتّقى
وَأَخا المَفاخِرِ وَالجَنابِ الأَكرَمِ
O you of nobility, magnanimity, piety
And brother of pride and the most honorable nobility
إِنّي اِمرُؤٌ مُهدٍ إِلَيكَ خَريدَةً
بِكراً مُهفهَفةً وَباسمةَ الفمِ
I am a man leading to you a thoroughbred
Colt fluttering its eyelids with smiling lips
خوداً تَقَرطقُ بِالجَواهِر أُذنَها
ومِثالُه لنظيرها لم يُنظَمِ
A lively spirited one whose ear rings
With jewels and its likes were never fashioned
وَتَقلّدَت أَحلى العقود بِنَحرِها
مِن كلّ دُرٍّ كَالجُمانِ منظَّمِ
And it wore the most beautiful necklaces around its neck
Made of every pearl like strung pearls
