إِذا الريحُ هَبَّت مِن رُبى العَلَمَ السَعدي
طَفا بَردُها حَرَّ الصَبابَةِ وَالوَجدِ
When the wind blows from the flag of glory,
Its coolness relieves the heat of passion and fervor.
وَذَكَّرَني قَوماً حَفِظتُ عُهودَهُم
فَما عَرِفوا قَدري وَلا حَفِظوا عَهدي
It reminds me of people whose pacts I kept,
Yet they did not know my worth, nor kept their word to me.
وَلَولا فَتاةٌ في الخِيامِ مُقيمَةٌ
لَما اِختَرتُ قُربَ الدارِ يَوماً عَلى البُعدِ
Were it not for a maiden dwelling in tents,
I would not have chosen to live near, not far.
مُهَفهَفَةٌ وَالسِحرُ مِن لَحَظاتِها
إِذا كَلَّمَت مَيتاً يَقومُ مِنَ اللَحدِ
Dazzlingly beautiful, she weaves magic with her glances,
Bringing the dead to life with but a word.
أَشارَت إِلَيها الشَمسُ عِندَ غُروبِها
تَقولُ إِذا اِسوَدَّ الدُجى فَاِطلِعي بَعدي
The sun at its setting bids her, “Rise thou up
When darkness falls to shine in my stead.”
وَقالَ لَها البَدرُ المُنيرُ أَلا اِسفِري
فَإِنَّكِ مِثلي في الكَمالِ وَفي السَعدِ
The radiant moon says, “Unveil thyself,
For thou’rt my peer in perfection and fortune.”
فَوَلَّت حَياءً ثُمَّ أَرخَت لِثامَها
وَقَد نَثَرَت مِن خَدِّها رَطِبَ الوَردِ
Coyly she lets fall her veil,
Strewing dewy rose petals from her cheek.
وَسَلَّت حُساماً مِن سَواجي جُفونِها
كَسَيفِ أَبيها القاطِعِ المُرهَفِ الحَدِّ
She unsheathes a sword from her languid eyelids
Like her father’s relentless, sharpened blade.
تُقاتِلُ عَيناها بِهِ وَهوَ مُغمَدٌ
وَمِن عَجَبٍ أَن يَقطَعَ السيفُ في الغِمدِ
With it she battles her eyes, though it remains sheathed,
A wonder that a sword should cut while still in its scabbard!
مُرَنَّحَةُ الأَعطافِ مَهضومَةُ الحَشا
مُنَعَّمَةُ الأَطرافِ مائِسَةُ القَدِّ
Supple of form, delicate of limb,
Stately of stature, flowing of hair.
يَبيتُ فُتاتُ المِسكِ تَحتَ لِثامِها
فَيَزدادُ مِن أَنفاسِها أَرَجُ النَدِّ
Musk exhales from beneath her veil,
Intensifying the fragrance of her breath.
وَيَطلَعُ ضَوءُ الصُبحِ تَحتَ جَبينِها
فَيَغشاهُ لَيلٌ مِن دُجى شَعرِها الجَعدِ
The light of dawn rises beneath her brow,
Draped in the night of her wavy hair.
وَبَينَ ثَناياها إِذا ما تَبَسَّمَت
مُديرُ مُدامٍ يَمزُجُ الراحَ بِالشَهدِ
When she smiles, wine flows between her lips,
Mingling joy with sweetness.
شَكا نَحرُها مِن عَقدِها مُتَظَلِّماً
فَواحَرَبا مِن ذَلِكَ النَحرِ وَالعِقدِ
Her throat complains of her necklace’s burden,
So both throat and necklace struggle.
فَهَل تَسمَحُ الأَيّامُ يا اِبنَةَ مالِكٍ
بِوَصلٍ يُداوي القَلبَ مِن أَلَمِ الصَدِّ
O daughter of Malik, will Time allow
A union to heal my heart of the pain of separation?
سَأَحلُمُ عَن قَومي وَلَو سَفَكوا دَمي
وَأَجرَعُ فيكِ الصَبرَ دونَ المَلا وَحدي
Though my people shed my blood, I will dream of pardon,
And, without tribe or gold, show patience for your sake.
وَحَقِّكِ أَشجاني التَباعُدُ بَعدَكُم
فَهَل أَنتُمُ أَشجاكُمُ البُعدُ مِن بَعدي
By your estrangement, my love, you have pained me,
Does separation after me give you the same pain?
حَذِرتُ مِنَ البَينِ المُفَرِّقِ بَينَنا
وَقَد كانَ ظَنّي لا أُفارِقُكُم جَهدي
I feared the separative calamity between us,
Though I never thought I would part from you.
فَإِن عايَنَت عَيني المَطايا وَرَكبُها
فَرَشتُ لَدى أَخفافِها صَفحَةَ الخَدِّ
If my eyes behold the camels, and on them
I lay my cheek, though they go far away.
