خَليلي بِالحِمى عَرِّج وَسَل ما

خَليلي بِالحِمى عَرِّج وَسَل ما

تُرى فَعلَ الزَمانُ بِرَبعِ سَلمى

تُرى فَعلَ الزَمانُ بِرَبعِ سَلمى

My friend, turn aside at the protected pasture and ask what

My friend, pass by the abodes of Salma

time, I wonder, has done to Salma’s dwelling.

And see what time has done to the dwellings of Salma

وَأَهدِ إِلى رُبى نَجدٍ سَلامي

وَأَهدِ إِلى رُبى نَجدٍ سَلامي

فَتِلكَ مَعاهِدُ الأَحبابِ قِدما

فَتِلكَ مَعاهِدُ الأَحبابِ قِدما

And convey my greetings to the hills of Najd,

Convey my greetings to the beloved land of Najd

for those were the loved ones’ haunts of old.

For those are the dwelling places of loved ones of old

سَقَتها ديمَةٌ هَطلاءُ تَهمي

سَقَتها ديمَةٌ هَطلاءُ تَهمي

وَلا تَمحو لَها طَلَلاً وَرَسما

وَلا تَمحو لَها طَلَلاً وَرَسما

May steady, copious rain pour down to water them,

Kept alive by lasting rain and cloud bursts

and erase neither their ruins nor their traces.

That have not erased their traces and features

أَلا يا حَبَّذا نَفَحاتُ نَجدٍ

أَلا يا حَبَّذا نَفَحاتُ نَجدٍ

وَزَهرُ الرَوضِ مِثلُ الوَشيِ رَقما

وَزَهرُ الرَوضِ مِثلُ الوَشيِ رَقما

Ah, how lovely are the breezes of Najd,

Oh how delightful are the breezes of Najd

and the garden’s flowers, patterned like brocade.

And the flowers of the meadows like embroidered brocade

وَدِدتُ بِأَنَّني أَستافُ تُربَ ال

وَدِدتُ بِأَنَّني أَستافُ تُربَ ال

غُوَيرِ وَأوسِعُ الحَصباءَ لَثما

غُوَيرِ وَأوسِعُ الحَصباءَ لَثما

I longed to breathe the scent of the soil of al-

I wish I were the dust of Mount Turbah’s peak

Ghuwayr, and lavish kisses upon its pebbles.

That kisses the wide desert plain

بِهِ كانَ الشَبابُ لَنا شَفيعاً

بِهِ كانَ الشَبابُ لَنا شَفيعاً

وَلَونُ الشَعرِ أَسوَدَ مُدلَهِمّا

وَلَونُ الشَعرِ أَسوَدَ مُدلَهِمّا

There, youth was our intercessor,

When youth was our intercessor

and our hair was black, pitch-dark,

And my hair was deep black like pitch

إِذِ البيضُ الحِسانُ رَوافِل في ال

إِذِ البيضُ الحِسانُ رَوافِل في ال

حَريرِ وَهُنَّ أَنعَمُ مِنهُ جِسما

حَريرِ وَهُنَّ أَنعَمُ مِنهُ جِسما

when fair-skinned beauties swept along in

While the fair ones’ beauty shone like necklaces

silk, their bodies softer than it.

Of pearls and their bodies smoother than silk

هَزَزنَ لَنا غُصونَ البانِ ماسَت

هَزَزنَ لَنا غُصونَ البانِ ماسَت

عَلى كُثبِ النقا تَرتَجُّ ضِخما

عَلى كُثبِ النقا تَرتَجُّ ضِخما

They shook for us ban-tree boughs that swayed

For us they shook the myrtle’s branches

atop massive, quivering mounds of sand.

Swaying heavily over the sand dunes’ peaks

حَواجِبُهُنَّ بارِيَةٌ قِسِيّاً

حَواجِبُهُنَّ بارِيَةٌ قِسِيّاً

عَنِ اللَحَظاتِ كَم أَنبَضنَ سَهما

عَنِ اللَحَظاتِ كَم أَنبَضنَ سَهما

Their eyebrows fashion bows;

With frowning eyebrows, severely guarding

how many arrows they have loosed with their glances!

Their glances - how many arrows they unleashed!

مَتى تُرسِل لِآلي الدَمعِ نَثراً

مَتى تُرسِل لِآلي الدَمعِ نَثراً

أَغاروا بِالثُغورِ الدُّرّ نَظما

أَغاروا بِالثُغورِ الدُّرّ نَظما

Whenever you scatter pearls of tears,

When will tears rain from the doe’s eyes

they make strung pearls jealous with their mouths.

As they resent the pearls threaded in a necklace?

فَفي نَكَهاتِهِنَّ المِسكُ نَشراً

فَفي نَكَهاتِهِنَّ المِسكُ نَشراً

وَفي ريقاتِهِنَّ الخَمرُ طَعما

وَفي ريقاتِهِنَّ الخَمرُ طَعما

For in their breath is the fragrance of musk,

In their softness is musk’s diffusion

and in their saliva the taste of wine.

And in their saliva, wine’s exquisite taste

إِذا أَنا سُمتُ حُسنَ الصَبرِ قَلبي

إِذا أَنا سُمتُ حُسنَ الصَبرِ قَلبي

أَباهُ وَقالَ لي كَلّا وَلَمّا

أَباهُ وَقالَ لي كَلّا وَلَمّا

When I demand goodly patience of my heart,

If I attempt patience, my heart protests

it refuses and says to me, ‘No—and not yet!’

And says “No, never, not at all!”