Claude 2

  1. لَيْتَ شِعْري مَنْ قَدْ أَحَلَّ الخِياما

    حَفِظَ العَهْدَ أَمْ أَضَاعَ الذِّمامَا

    I wish I knew who pitched the tents

    And kept their word or broke their bond

  2. عَرَبٌ بِالحِمَى حَموْا أَنْ يُسامَ ال

    وَصْلُ مِنْهُمْ وَعِزُّهُم أَنْ يُسامَى

    Arabs proud of their zeal, zealous lest

    Their kinship frays, their pride is shamed

  3. رَحلوا بِالفُؤادِ وَالطَّرْفِ لكنْ

    رَجَعَ الطّرْفُ وَالفُؤَادُ أَقاما

    They left with heart and eyes – and yet

    The eyes returned, the heart remained

  4. حَملوا بِالبُعادِ إِثْماً وَزُوراً

    وَحَمَلْنا صَبَابَةً وهِيَامَا

    Bearing their wrongs and lies afar

    While we bear passion and romance

  5. وَرَأَيْنَا تِلْكَ الخُدُودَ رِياضاً

    فَجَعَلْنا لَها الجُفُونَ غَمامَا

    Seeing those cheeks as gardens, we

    Made our eyelids like clouds, askance

  6. وَأَطَعْنَا دَواعِي الوَجْدِ فِيهِم

    وَعَصَيْنا الوُشَاةَ واللُّوّاما

    Heeding love’s call, we disobeyed

    The sly rebukers and their slams

  7. أَيُّ صَبٍّ قَدْ غَادَرَ الوَجْدُ مِنْهُ

    مُسْتَقَرّاً بِقَلْبِهِ وَمُقَامَا

    What love-sick youth did love not mar

    Stamping his heart as its firm stand?

  8. رَشَقَتْهُ العُيونُ مِنْ أَسْهُم السِّحْ

    رِ فَأَصْمَت فُؤادَهُ المُسْتَهَامَا

    Eyes assailed him with arrows, till

    His rapt heart grew confused, nonplussed

  9. فَهُوَ مِنْهُنَّ بِابنِ مُصْعَبٍ أَضْحَى

    مُسْتَجِيراً بِعَدْلِهِ أَنْ يُضَامَا

    Thus was he with them like the son

    Of Mus’ab, seeking justice just

  10. وَافى وَوَاصَل عِنْدَمَا

    أَجْرَى المَدامِعَ عِنْدمَا

    He came and stayed when he let flow

    Tears, when he bent and hailed me, when

  11. وَرَنَا إِليّ فَسلَّما

    لِلْوَجْدِ قَلْبِي سَلَّما

    He glanced at me and bade me “Go!”

    To love my heart said, “There again”

  12. وَثنَى القَوامَ فَهَزَّما

    لجيُوشِ صَبْرِي هَزَّما

    Bowed his waist, so he gained the day

    Vanquishing my patience, he gainsayed

  13. وَحَمَى مَراشِفَ ثَغْرِهِ

    أَرأَيْتُمُ بَرْقَ الحِمَى

    Protecting his cheek’s horizon, see

    The flash of his zeal – have you surveyed?

  14. وُلي وَاحِدٌ ما زَالَ باثْنَيْنِ مُغْرَما

    على واحدٍ ما زالَ باثنَينِ مُغْرَما

    Mine, devoted to one who remains

    Devoted to two, lovesick, engrossed

  15. رَأَى جَسَدِي وَالدَّمْعَ وَالقَلْبَ والحَشَى

    فَأَضْنَى وَأَفْنَى واسْتَمَال وَتيَّما

    He saw my body, my tear, my heart, my mind

    So he sighed and was undone, sought and posed