أَلاَ يَا دِيَارَ الحَيِّ بِالسَّبُعَانِ

أَمَلَّ عَلَيْهَا بِالبِلَى المَلَوَانِ

O dwellings of the living with the two Sabu'ans,

Upon them time has spread its manifold changes,

نَهَارٌ ولَيْلٌ دَاِئمٌ مَلَوَاهُمَا

عَلَى كُلِّ حَالِ الدَّهْرِ يَخْتَلِفَانِ

Day and night are constant in their succession

Through every state of fate they alternate.

أَبِيني دِيَارَ الحَيِّ لاَ هَجْرَ بَيْنَنَا

ولَكِنَّ رَوْعَاتٍ مِنَ الحَدَثَانِ

Show me dwellings of the living, let no estrangement be between us,

But only the excitements of youth.

لِدَهْمَاءَ إِذْ لِلنَّاسِ والعَيْشِ غِرَّةٌ

وإِذْا خُلُقَانَا بِالصِّبَا يَسَرَانِ

For to people and life there is always allurement,

And when we were young our manners were easy.

تَشَكَّتْ بِبَعْضِ الطَّرْفِ حَتَّى فَهِمْتُهُ

حَيَاءً ومَا فَاهَتْ بِهِ الشَّفَتَانِ

She hinted with a glance of her eye until I understood

Modestly, though her lips did not speak it.

كَبَيْضَةِ أُدْحِيٍّ يُوَحْوِحُ فَوْقَهَا

هِجَفَّانِ مُرْتَاعَا الضُّحَى وَحدَانِ

Like the egg of a crested lark fluttering above,

Two fledglings, startled at dawn yet alone.

أَحَسَّا حَسِيساً مِنْ سِبَاعٍ وطَائِفٍ

فَلاَ وَخْدَ إِلاَّ دُونَ مَا يَخِدَانِ

They sensed the presence of beasts of prey and enemies,

So they crouched fearful beneath the tall nest.

يَكَادَانِ بَيْنَ الدَّوْنَكَيْنِ وأَلْوَةٍ

وذَاتِ القَتَادِ السُّمْرِ يَنْسَلِخَانِ

They huddled between the two sand hills and thickets

And the smooth-barked jujube tree's branches.

عَشِيَّةَ قَالَتْ لِي وقَالَتْ لِصَاحِبِي

بِبُرْقَةِ مَلْحُوبٍ أَلاَ تَلِجَانِ

One evening she said to me and to my companion

With a flash of her beautiful teeth, "Will you not come in?"

فَلَمَّا وَلَجْنَا أَمْكَنَتْ مِنْ عِنَانِهَا

وأَمْسَكْتُ عَنْ بَعْضِ الخِلاَطِ عِنَانِي

When we entered she drew in her bridle

And I held back from some of the boon companions.

تَأَمَّلْ خَلِيلِي هَلْ تَرَى مِنْ ظَعَائِنٍ

تَحَمَّلْنَ بِالْعَلْيَاءِ فَوْقَ إِطَانِ

Consider, my friend, do you see any of the gazelles

Borne by the lofty sands above the meadow?

فَقَالَ أَرَاهَا بَيْنَ تِبْرَاكَ مَوْهِناً

وطِلْحَامَ إِذْ عِلْمُ البِلاَدِ هَدَانِي

He said, "I see them between the soft sands of Tibraka

And Tilham, now that the knowledge of places has led me."

وقدْ أَفْضَلَتْ عَيْنِي عَلَى عَيْنِهِ

وقَطَّعَ إِلْحَاقُ الحُدَاةِ قِرَانِي

And her eye has excelled over his,

While the cutting of separation has sundered my companion from me.

تَحَمَّلْنَ مِنْ جَنَّانَ بَعْدَ إِقَامَةٍ

وبَعْدَ عَنَاءٍ مِنْ فُؤَادِكَ عَانِي

We journeyed from those gardens after staying

And suffering anguish in your heart from my distress.

عَلَى كُلِّ وَخَّادِ اليَدَيْنِ مُشَمِّرٍ

كَأَنَّ مِلاَطَيْهِ ثَقِيفُ إِرَانِ

With each forearm bared and rolled up

As if his sleeves were tailored by Thaqif of Ira.

كَسَوْنَ السَّدِيلَ كُلَّ أَدْمَاءَ حُرَّةٍ

وحَمْرَاءَ لا يَحْذِي بِهَا جَلَمَانِ

Like the shedding of the skin by every free and noble

Bay or chestnut horse, unmatched by any other.

وكُلَّ رَبَاعٍ أَوْ سَدِيسٍ مُسَدَّمٍ

يَمُدُّ بِذِفْرَى حُرَّةٍ وجِرَانِ

And every courser, either asfour or musaddam,

Extending with the gait of a free and noble steed.

سَلَكْنَ لُكَيْزاً بِاليَمِين ولَوْزَةً

شِمَالاً ومُفْضَى السَّيْلِ ذِي الغَذَيانِ

We took a path to the right through the twisted Lukayz

And to the left through the almond trees, following the torrent valley.

وأَوْقَدْنَ نَاراً لِلرِّعَاءِ بِأَذْرُعٍ

سَيَالاً وشِيحاً غَيْرَ ذَاتِ دُخَانِ

We kindled a fire for the herdsmen with sticks

Flaring and smoking without emitting smoke.

فَصَبَّحْنَ مِنْ مَاءِ الوَحِيدَيْنِ نُقْرَةً

بِمِيزَانِ رَعْمٍ إِذْ بَدَا ضَدَوانِ

We breakfasted on the water of the two valleys, pure

By the measure of a water skin when the ibexes appeared.

وأَصْبَحْنَ لمْ يَتْرُكْنَ مِنْ لَيْلَةِ السُّرَى

لِذِي الشَّوْقِ إِلاَّ عُقْبَةَ الدَّبَرَانِ

We arose and from that night of intimacy

Left for the lover nothing but the rear guard.

وعَرَّسْنَ والشِّعْرَى تَغُورُ كَأَنَّهَا

شِهَابُ غَضا يُرْمَى بِهِ الرَّجَوَانِ

And we married at nightfall when the Pleiades withdrew

Like a shooting star flung at the neighing camels.

أَتَاهُنَّ لبَّانُ بِبَيْضِ نَعَامَةٍ

حَوَاهَا بِذِي اللِّصْبَيْنِ فَوْقَ جَنَانِ

There came to them the milk of the ostrich

Contained in the vessel with two handles above the gardens.