صَدَعَ الظَعائِنُ قَلبَهُ المُشتاقا
بِحَزيزِ رامَةَ إِذ أَرَدنَ فِراقا
The longing has split his lovelorn heart
With anguish from Ramah, as she wanted to part
مَنَّينَهُ فَكَذَبنَ إِذ مَنَّينَهُ
تِلكَ العُهودَ وَخُنَّهُ الميثاقا
She gave him false hopes when giving them
Those were the pacts, which were then broken
وَلَقَد جَعَلنَ لَهُ المُحَصَّبَ مَوعِداً
فَلَقَد وَفَينَ وَعاقَهُ ما عاقا
He had set the trysting-place as the appointment
He was true, though she did not keep the engagement
يا أَسمُ قَد خَبَلَ الفُؤادَ مُرَوِّحٌ
مِن سِرِّ حُبِّكِ مُعلِقٌ إِعلاقا
O name! A delirious passion has addled my mind
With the secret of your love, hanging, suspended
فَسَلَبتِهِ مَعقولَهُ أَم لَم تَرَي
قَلباً سَلا بَعدَ الهَوى فَأَفاقا
Did you rob him of his senses, or have you not seen
A heart led astray by love, and then become sane?
عَزَمَ التَجَلُّدَ عَن حَبيبٍ إِذ سَلا
عَنهُ فَأَصبَحَ ما يَتوقُ مَتاقا
He resolved to have self-control from a lover when
She turned from him; he now desires a union
وَتَعَرَّضَت فَأَرَتكَ يَومَ رَحيلِها
عَذبَ المَذاقَةِ بارِداً بَرّاقا
You came to him the day you departed
Sweet tasting, cooling, shining bright
في واضِحٍ كَالبَدرِ يَومَ كَمالِهِ
فَلَمِثلُها راعَ الفُؤادَ وَراقا
In the full moon at its perfection
For the like of her the heart was thrilled and elated
وَعَرَفتُ رَسماً دارِساً مُخلَولِقاً
فَوَقَفتُ وَاِستَنطَقتُهُ اِستِنطاقا
I recognized a ruin, uninhabited
I stopped and interrogated it insistently
حَتّى إِذا طالَ الوُقوفُ بِدِمنَةٍ
خَرساءَ حَلَّ بِها الرَبيعُ نِطاقا
Until when standing there long in Dimnah
Silent, which the spring had given fine dress
قَفرٌ مَغانيها تَلوحُ رُسومُها
بَعدَ الأَحِبَّةِ مُخلِقٌ إِخلاقا
A desert whose traces appear in its ruins
After friends, Creating, then ceasing to create
عُجتُ القَلوصَ بِها أُسائِلُ آيَها
وَالعَينُ تُذرى عَبرَةً تَغساقا
I urged on the ruins, questioning them
While the eye flows with copious tears
فَبَعَثتُ هِلواعَ الرَواحِ كَأَنَّها
خَنساءُ تَتبَعُ نائِياً مِخراقا
So I sent the whispering winds like
Silent pursuers, hastening, speeding
سَفعاءُ وَقَّفَها السَوادُ تَرى لَها
زَمَعاً وَصَلنَ شَوىً لَهُنَّ دِقاقا
Blackness stopped them; they see for them
A purpose and flames that lick them
باتا إِلى حِقفٍ تَهُبُّ عَلَيهِما
نَكباءُ تَبجِسُ وابِلاً غَيداقا
They passed the night to a rocky alcove
Lightning flashes pour upon them
مِن صَوبِ سارِيَةٍ أَطاعَ جَهامُها
نَكباءَ تَمري مُزنَها أَوداقا
From the direction of a lofty pillar obeying its command
Lightning flashes hasten its pillars
فَثَنى يَدَيهِ لِرَوقِهِ مُتَكَنِّساً
أَفنانَ أَرطاةٍ يُثِرنَ دُقاقا
He folded his hands to his cheeks distressed
Scattering the plaits of the tresses
وَكَأَنَّهُ عانٍ يُشاوِرُ نَفسَهُ
غابَت أَقارِبُهُ وَشُدَّ وَثاقا
As if he were a blind man, taking counsel with himself
His kin have gone and ties are severed
في عازِبٍ أُنُفٍ تَباهى نَبتَهُ
زَهراً وَأَسنَقَ وَحشُهُ إِسناقا
On a hill, whose plants it was proud of
Blooming, with wild beasts nesting in it
فَتَوَجَّسا في الصُبحِ رِكزَ مُكَلِّبٍ
أَو جاوَزاهُ فَأَشفَقا إِشفاقا
The two felt dread in the dawn, from fear
Of a growling hyena, so they recoiled in fear
سَمِلِ الثِيابِ لَهُ ضَوارٍ ضُمَّرٌ
مَحبُوَّةٌ مِن قِدِّهِ أَطواقا
He has ragged garments, short and worn
Wrapped round his waist, encircling
فَغَدا بِها قُبّاً وَفي أَشداقِها
سَعَةٌ يُجَلجِلُ حُضرُها الأَشداقا
With it he came in the morning, while in its folds
Spaciousness, his weeping and wailing echoing loud
يَرجو وَيَأمُلُ أَن تَصيدَ ضِراؤُهُ
يوفي النِجاءَ يُبادِرُ الإِشراقا
Hoping and anticipating his companion
Would heal his grief when the dawn breaks
وَغَدا يُنَفِّضُ مَتنَهُ مِن ساعَةٍ
كَالسَحلِ أَغرَبَ لَونُهُ إِلهاقا
He went tossing his belly hair from time to time
Like a lizard, its color changed bizarre
أَفَتِلكَ أَم هَذا أَمَ اَحقَبَ قارِبٌ
أَبقى الطِرادُ لَهُ حَشاً خَفّاقا
Was that or this? Or did a ship sail by
Leaving the decoy a swift bird fluttering?
مَحصُ الشَوى شَنِجُ النَسى خاظي المَطى
صَحِلٌ يُرَجِّعُ خَلفَها التَنهاقا
Effacer of tracks, forgetter of dwellings, roamer of plains
Doddering, turning its back, dragging its train
في عانَةٍ حُقبٍ عَلَت أَصلابَها
جُدَدٌ وَحانَ سَوادُها الأَعناقا
In hardship of epochs, their loins exalted
New generations, while their blackness paled
سالَت عَلى أَذنابِها وَتَخالُها
بُرداً عَلى أَكتافِها أَخلاقا
Their saliva flowed on their chins, which deceived them
With coolness on their shoulders, customs
يَنفي الجِحاشَ كَما يُشِذُّ بِكارَهُ
قِرمٌ يُنَهِّزُها يَعُضُّ حِقاقا
He denies bucks as the old man startles them
A decrepit that butts them, biting the flanks
جَأبٌ خَلا بِحَلائِلٍ وَسَقَت لَهُ
فَحَمَلنَ لَم يُغرَم لَهُنَّ صَداقا
A troop that passed by ruins and gave it
Those it did not desire, without a marriage payment
فَصَدَدنَ عَنهُ إِذ وَحِمنَ عَواذِلاً
حَتّى اِستَمَرَّ وَأَنكَرَ الأَخلاقا
They turned away when it fancied wickedly
Until it went on and rejected morals
يَرمَحنَهُ بَعدَ اللِمامِ أَوابِياً
شُمساً فَقَد أَحنَقنَهُ إِحناقا
After vileness they shoot him with glances
A sun that has enraged them with burning
