يا بانَ ضاقَ المَذهَبُ
وَطَريدُ أَهلِكِ أَجنَبُ
O Bana, the path has become straitened,
And your tribesmen have become strangers.
وَذَهَبتُ في غَيرِ السَبي
لِ لِكُلِّ غاوٍ مَذهَبُ
I went astray from the right path,
For every misguided one has a path.
لا تَخشَ قَتلي حينَ شِب
تُ وَهَل يُخافُ الأَشيَبُ
Do not fear my death when I grow old,
Do the aged fear growing white of hair?
هَيهاتَ أَفرَخَ رَوعُ با
نَةَ لا يَحولُ المُغرِبُ
Alas! The fledglings of alarm took fright.
The west wind does not change its course.
ما زُلتُ عَنكِ وَقَد أَرى
أَنَّ القُلوبَ تَقَلَّبُ
I have not turned away from you though I see
That hearts are apt to waver.
أَيّامَ أَطعَمُ كُلَّ ما
ئِلَةِ الحَمانِ وَأَشرَبُ
Days when I eat whatever is served by
The protectors of the sanctuary and drink.
ثُمَّ اِنقَضى ذاكَ الزَما
نُ وَغابَ دَهرٌ أَنكَبُ
Then that time passed away and an era went by,
More bowed than the curve of a bow.
يا بانَ طَبُّكِ لا يَنا
مُ وَقَد يَنامُ القُطرُبُ
O Bana, your presence cannot be faulted,
Though the lutanist may fall asleep.
عودي عَلَيَّ فَإِنَّها
نَفسٌ تُسيءُ وَتُعتِبُ
Return to me, for she is a soul
That does evil and then blames.
ما كُلُّ زَلَّةِ صاحِبٍ
أَغدو لَها أَتَوَثَّبُ
Not every slip of a companion
Makes me get up and stamp my feet.
حِلمي أَصَمُّ وَراحَتي
لِلطّالِبينَ تَحَلَّبُ
My patience is deaf and my calmness
To petitioners is sticky like glue.
ضَعضَعتُ جَنَّةَ خالِدٍ
بِعَزيمَةٍ لا تُقرَبُ
I shook the garden of Khalid
With determination that cannot be approached.
وَأَطَرتُ جَنَّةَ عَجرَدٍ
وَأَنا المُغَنُّ المِشغَبُ
And I encompassed the garden of 'Ajrad,
While I am the singing rascal.
يَخشى الأُسودُ عَرامَتي
وَيَبولُ مِنّي التَولَبُ
The lions fear my courage,
And the fox urinates because of me.
وَلَقَد وَضَعتُ عَلى سُهَي
لٍ ميسَماً لا يَذهَبُ
And indeed I placed on the neck of Suhayl
A brand that does not disappear.
وَإِذا هَرَبتُ مِنَ الصَبا
بَةِ لَم يَكُن لي مَهرَبُ
And if I fled from the youths,
I would have no escape.
يا بانَ كَدَّرتِ النَعي
مَ فَلا أَلَذُّ وَأَلعَبُ
O Bana, you troubled pleasure,
So there is no joy and no play.
يا بانَ لي نَفسٌ عَلَي
كِ إِذا ذُكِرتِ تَصَبَّبُ
O Bana, I have a soul that
Melts for you when you are remembered.
وَاللَهِ رَبِّ مُحَمَّدٍ
إِنّي بِبانَةَ مُعجَبُ
By Allah, the Lord of Muhammad,
I am enamored with Bana.
وَلَقَد أَتاني أَنَّها
باتَت عَلَيَّ تَلَهَّبُ
And it came to me that she
Spent the night burning with passion for me.
قالَت أَتَركَبُ تارِكاً
أَمري وَما لَكَ تَركَبُ
She said, "Do you ride off leaving
My affairs when you have no reason to ride?"
قَولُ النِساءِ عَلا بِها
وَلِكُلِّ فَجٍّ عَقرَبُ
The words of women rose within her,
And every crevice has a pass.
يا بانَ بَعضُ اللاطِفا
تِ مِنَ الحَواسِدِ أَكذَبُ
O Bana, some of the gentle ones
Of the envious women are the most lying.
يَغرُرنَ مَن أَصغى لَهُن
ن كَما يَغُرُّ المَذهَبُ
They delude whoever listens to them
As doctrine deludes the follower.
في الناسِ عائِلَةٌ عَلَي
كِ وَبَعضُ أَهلِكِ يُثرِبُ
Among the people is a family against you,
And some of your tribe backbite.
إِن كانَ حَقّاً ما زَعَم
نَ فَلا صَفا لي مَشرَبُ
If what they claimed is true,
Then I have no pure drink.
أَبرَأتِ صَدرَكِ إِنَّني
قَلِقٌ بِسُخطِكِ مُتعَبُ
I pardoned your breast. Truly I
Am troubled by your anger, exhausted.
يا بانَ إِنّي بِالرِضى
أَبلى إِلَيكِ وَأَنصَبُ
O Bana I wear out to you in consent
And exert myself.
وَأَتوبُ مِمّا تَعلَمي
نَ كَما يَتوبُ المُذنِبُ
And I repent of what you know
As the sinner repents.
أَنتِ الأَميرَةُ في الهَوى
وَأَنا المُسيءُ المُذنِبُ
You are the princess in passion,
While I am the transgressor, the sinner.
وَلَقَد وَضَعتُ عَلى سُهَي
لٍ ميسَماً لا يَذهَبُ
And indeed I placed on the neck of Suhayl
A brand that does not disappear.
وَإِذا هَرَبتُ مِنَ الصَبا
بَةِ لَم يَكُن لي مَهرَبُ
And if I fled from the youths,
I would have no escape.
يا بانَ كَدَّرتِ النَعي
مَ فَلا أَلَذُّ وَأَلعَبُ
O Bana, you troubled pleasure,
So there is no joy and no play.
يا بانَ لي نَفسٌ عَلَي
كِ إِذا ذُكِرتِ تَصَبَّبُ
O Bana, I have a soul that
Melts for you when you are remembered.
وَاللَهِ رَبِّ مُحَمَّدٍ
إِنّي بِبانَةَ مُعجَبُ
By Allah, the Lord of Muhammad,
I am enamored with Bana.
وَلَقَد أَتاني أَنَّها
باتَت عَلَيَّ تَلَهَّبُ
And it came to me that she
Spent the night burning with passion for me.
قالَت أَتَركَبُ تارِكاً
أَمري وَما لَكَ تَركَبُ
She said, "Do you ride off leaving
My affairs when you have no reason to ride?"
قَولُ النِساءِ عَلا بِها
وَلِكُلِّ فَجٍّ عَقرَبُ
The words of women rose within her,
And every crevice has a pass.
يا بانَ بَعضُ اللاطِفا
تِ مِنَ الحَواسِدِ أَكذَبُ
O Bana, some of the gentle ones
Of the envious women are the most lying.
يَغرُرنَ مَن أَصغى لَهُن
ن كَما يَغُرُّ المَذهَبُ
They delude whoever listens to them
As doctrine deludes the follower.
في الناسِ عائِلَةٌ عَلَي
كِ وَبَعضُ أَهلِكِ يُثرِبُ
Among the people is a family against you,
And some of your tribe backbite.
إِن كانَ حَقّاً ما زَعَم
نَ فَلا صَفا لي مَشرَبُ
If what they claimed is true,
Then I have no pure drink.
أَبرَأتِ صَدرَكِ إِنَّني
قَلِقٌ بِسُخطِكِ مُتعَبُ
I pardoned your breast. Truly I
Am troubled by your anger, exhausted.
يا بانَ إِنّي بِالرِضى
أَبلى إِلَيكِ وَأَنصَبُ
O Bana I wear out to you in consent
And exert myself.
وَأَتوبُ مِمّا تَعلَمي
نَ كَما يَتوبُ المُذنِبُ
And I repent of what you know
As the sinner repents.
أَنتِ الأَميرَةُ في الهَوى
وَأَنا المُسيءُ المُذنِبُ
You are the princess in passion,
While I am the transgressor, the sinner.
يَكفيكِ أَنّي لا أَعو
دُ وَهَل وَراءَكِ مَطلَبُ
It is enough for you that I do not
Return, and is there anything beyond you I desire?
