أَلا يا صَبا نَجدٍ لَقَد هِجتُ مِن نَجدِ
فَهَيَّجَ لي مَسراكَ وَجداً عَلى وَجدِ
Alas, O gentle breeze of Najd, I am inflamed with love from Najd,
So you have stirred in me an anguished love-longing.
أَإِن هَتَفَت وَرقاءُ في رَونَقِ الضُحى
عَلى فَنَنٍ غَضِّ النَباتِ مِنَ الرَندِ
Will the delicate leaves in the freshness of morning
Sigh over tender shoots in the dewy glade?
بَكَيتُ كَما يَبكي الحَزينُ صَبابَةً
وَذُبتُ مِنَ الحُزنِ المُبَرِّحِ وَالجَهدِ
I wept as the lovelorn weep in their solitude,
Wasting away in distracting grief and toil.
أَلا هَل مِنَ البَينِ المُفَرِّقِ مِن بُدٍّ
وَهَل لِلَيالٍ قَد تَسَلَّفنَ مِن رَدِّ
Alas, is there any remedy for the severing absence,
Or any requital for nights that have slipped away?
وَهَل مِثلُ أَيّامي بِنَعفِ سُوَيقَةٍ
رَواجِعُ أَيّامٍ كَما كُنَّ بِالسَعدِ
Are my days like the frail stem of lote-tree,
Fleeting days, though once full of joy?
وَهَل أَخَوايَ اليَومَ إِن قُلتَ عَرِّجا
عَلى الأَثلِ مِن وِدّانَ وَالمَشرَبِ البَردِ
If I say today, "Stop by the encampment and the cool drink,"
Will my brothers stay there to fulfill my wish,
مُقيمانِ حَتّى يَقضِيا لي لُبانَةً
فَيَستَوجِبا أَجري وَيَستَكمِلا حَمدي
And thus earn my reward and complete my praise?
If not, then go in peace. You are not my guides.
وَإِلّا فَروحا وَالسَلامُ عَلَيكُما
فَما لَكُما غِيِّي وَما لَكُما رُشدي
I have no rope today that I can tug
To loosen it or pull it taut.
وَما بِيَدي اليَومَ حَبلي الَّذي
أُنازِعُ مِن إِرخائِهِ لا وَلا شَدِّ
Rather, I have only the hand of Umm 'Amr. Would that
When she takes a pledge, she repays it with good faith!
وَلَكِن بِكَفّي أُمَّ عَمروٍ فَلَيتَها
إِذا وَلِيَت رَهناً تِلي الرَهنَ بِالقَصدِ
Would that I knew what fate of long exile
Brings me distress after hardship and distance -
وَيا لَيتَ شِعري ما الَّذي تَحدِثنَ لي
نَوى غُربَةٍ بَعدَ المَشَقَّةِ وَالبُعدِ
The fate that approaches Umm 'Amr, while afterwards
My censurers enjoy her company when I am gone.
نَوى أُمِّ عَمروٍ حَيثُ تَقتَرِبُ النَوى
بِها ثُمَّ يَخلو الكاشِحونَ بِها بَعدي
Will you make me suffer at the hands of the foe
To spite me, or will you keep our love alive?
أَتَصرُمُني عِندَ الَّذينَ هُمُ العِدا
لِتُشمِتَهُم بي أَم تَدومُ عَلى الوِدِ
I swear by God, she will never harm me;
The shy maid fears none in my presence.
وَظَنّي بِها وَاللَهِ أَن لَن يَضيرَني
وُشاةٌ لَدَيها لا يَضيرونَها عِندي
They claimed that a lover, when near his beloved,
Becomes weary, and distance cures longing.
وَقَد زَعَموا أَنَّ المُحِبَّ إِذا دَنا
يُمِلُّ وَأَنَّ النَأيَ يُشفي مِنَ الوَجدِ
With all cures we tried, they did not heal our state,
For nearness of the abode is better than distance.
بِكُلٍّ تَداوَينا فَلَم يُشفَ ما بِنا
عَلى أَنَّ قُربَ الدارِ خَيرٌ مِنَ البُعدِ
My passion in this valley, the valley of Tihāmah,
Is not the same as when we dwelled on the plateau of Najd.
هَوايَ بِهَذا الغَورِ غَورِ تَهامَةٍ
وَلَيسَ بِهَذا الجَلسِ مِن مُستَوى نَجدِ
By God, Lord of the House, you will never find me
Intending to cut your bond deliberately.
فَوَاللَهِ رَبِّ البَيتِ لا تَجِدِينَني
تَطَلَّبتُ قَطعَ الحَبلِ مِنكِ عَلى عَمدِ
Nor will I seek anything that would break
What lies between us until I am laid in my grave.
وَلا أَشتَري أَمراً يَكونُ قَطيعَةٌ
لِما بَينَنا حَتّى أُغَيَّبَ في لَحدي
For love of her I have loved those who cannot
Match her hand with hand or match her gift to me.
فَمِن حُبِّها أَحبَبتُ مَن لَيسَ عِندَهُ
يَدٌ بِيَدٍ تُجزي وَلا مِنَّةٌ عِندي
Oh, but sometimes longing and ardour grant me
A memento of her in absence I seldom find.
أَلا رُبَّما أَهدى لِيَ الشَوقَ وَالجَوى
عَلى النَأيِ مِنها ذِكرَةٌ قَلَّما تُجدي
I recall her beauty spot out of excessive love,
At dawn and when the Pleiades set to direct us.
تَذَكَّرتُ ذاتَ الخالِ مِن فَرطِ حُبِّها
ضُحى وَالقِلاصِ اليَعمُلاتِ بِنا تَخدي
When I recalled her, my eyes did not control
Their tears until they flowed down my cheek.
فَما مَلَكَت عَينايَ حينَ ذَكَرتُها
دُموعَهُما حَتّى اِنحَدَرنَ عَلى خَدّي
My friends blamed me, saying: "Do you cry from passion?
If only they felt your pangs!"
فَأَنَّبَني صَحبي وَقالوا أَمِن هَوى
بَكَيتَ وَلَو كانوا هُمُ وَجَدوا وَجدي
And they said: "We used to consider you once
A stoic! This is not the act of a resolute man!"
وَقالوا لَقَد كُنّا نَعُدُّكَ مَرَّةً
جَليداً وَما هَذا بِفِعلِ فَتىً جَلدِ
Do not blame me, for even if I have recoiled
From her love, she does not cease to be my love and friend.
أَلا لا تَلوماني فَلَستُ وَإِن نَأتِ
بِمُنصَرِمٍ عَنها هَوايَ وَلا وُدّي
Did you not know the young men have never ceased
To be tempted by elders and weaklings?
أَلَم تَعلَما أَنَّ الرَعابيبَ لَم تَزَل
مَفاتينَ قَبلي لِلكُهولِ وَلِلمُردِ
If I err, do not record my missteps against you.
Indeed, if I act rightly, you have no claim to my rectitude.
فَإِن أَغوَ لا تَكتُب عَلَيكُم غِوايَتي
أَجَل لا وَإِن أَرشُد فَلَيسَ لَكُم رُشدي
Indeed, my friend, she of the beauty mark has a charm
And status none have gained in my eyes.
وَإِنَّ لِذاتِ الخالِ يا صاحِ زَلفَةً
وَمَنزِلَةٌ ما نالَها أَحَدٌ عِندي
Ask the revelers when they say to me,
"Drink, brother of the cup, and give drink to the noble!"
سَلي عَنِيَ النُدمانَ حينَ يَقولُ لي
أَخو الكَأسِ مانِ القَومِ في الخَيرِ أَورِدِ
Veils of the tent parted for us, revealing her,
While inattentiveness overtook the watcher.
تَراءَت وَأَستارٌ مِنَ البَيتِ دونَها
إِلَينا وَحانَت غَفلَةُ المُتَفَقِّدِ
In my eyes a glance pouring tears from them
Indifferent streams of tears and swelling.
بِعَينَي مَهاةٌ تَحدُرُ الدَمعَ مِنهُما
بِريمَينِ شَتّى مِن دُموعٍ وَإِثمِدِ
