تبَدَّت لَنا حُزوى فَهاجَ جَواها

نَسيمُ شَمالٍ ضَوَّعَتهُ رُباها

Her abode appeared to us, so its passionate one blew up,

The north wind clothed it, its expanse overflowed,

وَلاحَت لَها كُثبانُ رامَةَ فَاِنبَنَت

تَبَلَّ بِطوفانِ الدُموعِ خُطاها

The sand dunes of Rāmah appeared to it, so it towered,

Its steps were wet with the flood of tears.

حِجازِيَّةٌ أَضحى بِنَجدٍ جِوارُها

تَحِنُّ إِلَيها صُبحُها وَمَساها

A Hijazi, its neighbor in Najd has become,

Its morning and evening yearn for it.

يُكَلِّفُها الحادونَ شَوقاً إِلى الحِمى

وَأَينَ النَقا مِن حاجِرٍ وَحِماها

The lovers burden it with yearning for the sanctuary,

And where is salvation from a rock and its protection?

بِحَقِّكَ ذَكِّرها العَقيقَ لَعَلَّها

تَجِد راحَةً في سَيرِها وَعَساها

For your right, remind it of ‘Aqīq, perhaps

It will find comfort in its travel and settlement.

وَلا تَحرِموها بِالأُجَيرِعِ وَقفَةً

فَفي ذَلِكَ الوادي بُلوغِ مُناها

And do not deprive it of stopping at Al-Ujayr,

For in that valley lies the attainment of its purpose.

هُوَ السَفجُ وَضّاحُ الثَنِيّاتِ زَهرُهُ

وَرامَة فَيّاحُ النَسيمِ شَذاها

It is As-Sufaj, the bright one of the hills, its blossom,

And Rāmah, the fragrance of the blowing breeze, its aroma.

أَرِحها تُمَتِّع مِن تِهامَةَ طَرفِها

فَقَد حَلَفَت أَلا تَعودَ تَراها

Comfort it, let it enjoy from Tihāmah a glance,

For it has sworn not to return to see it.

لَها اللَهُ مِن مَوجوعَةِ القَلبِ فارَقَت

مَرابِعَها الأولى وَقاعُ قِلاها

May Allah release it from the sorrow of a heart that left

Its first halting-places and the land of its fort.

إِذا ما حَدى الحادي بِنَجدٍ تَمايَلَت

كَأَنَّ سُلافَ السَلسَبيل سَقاها

When the lover travels to Najd, it sways

As if the irrigation from As-Salasil has quenched it.

يَرومُ بِها مَرمىً بَعيداً عَنِ الحِمى

وَأَينَ النَقا مِن حاجِرٍ وَحِماها

He aims at it from afar, away from the sanctuary,

And where is salvation from a rock and its protection?

وَكَيفَ تُسارى في الزمامِ أَمامَها

وَقَد عَلِمَت أَنَّ العُذَيبَ وَراها

And how can it race ahead with the halter before it

When it knows that ad-‘Udhayb lies behind it?

يُشَوِّقُها وَقعُ الهَوادِجِ في الضُحى

إِلى لَمَحاتٍ مِن قِبابِ قِباها

The sound of camels at dawn arouses its longing

For glimpses of the domes of its domes.

غَدَت تَقطَعُ البيدَ القِفارَ لَعَلَّها

تبرّد مِن ماءِ العُذَيبِ حَشاها

It has come to cut across the desolate desert, perhaps

It will cool its burning thirst from the water of al-'Udhayb.

فَلَو شَرِبَت ماءَ البِحار لَما رَوى

لَها ذَلِكَ الماءُ القُراحُ ظَماها

If it were to drink the water of seas, that brackish water

Would not quench the thirst it suffers.

جُعِلتُ فِداها وَالنِياقُ بِأَسرِها

وَلَو أَنصَفَ الحادي لكان فداها

I am sacrificed for it and for its she-camels,

And if the lover were fair, he would ransom it.

أَحِنُّ إِذا حَنَّت وَاِصبو إِذا صَبَت

وَكَيفَ عَنائي أَن يَكونَ عَناها

I yearn when it yearns, and pour when it pours out,

And how can my concern not be its concern?

كَأَنَّ جَفارَ السَفحِ رَوضُ شَقائِقٍ

مُرَوَّضَّةٍ مِن دَمعِها وَبُكاها

As if the lower slopes of the hillside were a meadow of anemones

Well-watered by its tears and weeping.

خَلا الرَكب مِن صَبٍّ سِويَ كما خَلا

مِنَ العَيسِ صَبّاً بِالحِجازِ سِواها

The riders traveled without stopping just as they traveled

Without a morning drink in the Hijaz other than it.

خَليلَيَّ قَد زارَ الأُجَيرِع نِسمَةً

مِنَ الخَيفِ يحيى الناشِقينَ هَواها

My friend has visited Al-Ujayr, a breeze

From Al-Khayf that revives the sleepless with its air.

دَعابي وَلُقياها فَقَد ضَمِنَت لَنا

سُكون خَفوقِ القَلبِ عِندَ لِقاها

Its coquetry and the places where I met it have guaranteed

The stillness of my pounding heart whenever I meet it.

سَلامُ مُشَوِّقٍ كُلَّما هَبَّتِ الصِبا

جَنوباً تَلَقّى نَشرَها وَشَذاها

Greetings of an arouser whenever the north wind blows south,

It meets its diffusion and its fragrance.

عَلى الحَيِّ بِالجَرعاءِ حينَ تَيَمَّمَت

بِهِنَّ المَطايا وَاِستَقَلَّ حِداها

It lived well in Jar‘ā’ when it performed tayammum

With them the camels knelt and its provisions were few.

وَما أُمُّ فَرخ بانَ عَنها قَرينها

تَقَلقَلَ مِن وَجدٍ عَلَيهِ حَشاها

And a mother grouse did not abandon her companion

Disturbed by passion for it.

وَوَرقاءَ بانٍ فارَقَتها فِراخها

فَعَزَّ عَلَيها بَعدَهُنَّ بَقاها

And the female oryx of Ban separated from their young,

So after them its remaining was difficult for it.

بِأَوجَعَ مِن قَلبي غَداةَ تَرَحَّلَت

رَكائِبُ مِن سَلمى وَشَطَّ نَواها

My heart ached more intensely the morning they departed -

The traveling party from Salmā that stirred its determination.

أَأَحبابَنا بِنتُم عَنِ الخيفِ فَاِشتَكَت

لِبُعدِكُم آصالَها وَضُحاها

Our loved ones, did you avoid Al-Khayf? So its evenings and its forenoons complained

Because of your absence of losing sight of you.

وَفارَقتُمُ الدارَ الأَنيسَةَ فَاِستَوت

رُبوعُ مَغانيها وَقاعُ قِلاها

And you left the friendly house, so its open spaces

And the land of its fort became desolate.

كَأَنَّكُمُ يَومَ الرَحيل رَحَلتُمُ

بِنَومي فَعَيني لا تُصيبُ كَراها

It is as if on the day of departure you departed

With my sleep, so my eye fails to see what it dislikes.

وَكُنتُ شَحيحاً مِن دُموعي بِقَطرَةٍ

فَقَد صِرتُ سَمحاً بَعدَكُم بِدِماها

And I was stingy with my tears, with a single drop,

So after you I have become generous with its blood.

رَعى اللَهُ لَيلاتٍ بِطيبِ حَديثِكُم

تَقَضَّت وَحَيّاها الحيا وَسَقاها

May Allah preserve nights with your sweet talk

That have passed, enlivened by the living, and may He water it.

فَما قُلتُ إيهٍ بَعدَها لِمُسامِرٍ

مِنَ الناسِ إِلّا قَالَ قَلبِيَ آها

So I have not said “Alas!” after it to a conversation partner

Among the people except my heart said “Oh!”

يَراني خَليلي باسِماً فَيَظُنُّ بي

سُروراً وَأَحشايَ الهُمومُ مَلاها

My friend sees me smiling, so he thinks

Happiness of me while my innermost being is filled with worries.

فَكَم ضِحكَةٍ في القَلبِ مِنها حَرارَةٌ

يَسُبُّ لَظاها لَو كَشَفتَ غِطاها

So how much laughter in the heart has heat from it

That vilifies its intensity if you unveiled its covering.

مَتى تَنقَضي أَيّامُ ذُلّي وَاِجتَنى

ثِمارَ وِصالٍ قَد حُرِمتُ جَناها

When will the days of my humiliation pass and the fruits

Of union that I am deprived of their harvest be picked?

وَأَستَصحِب القَومَ الَّذينَ بِمُهجَتي

لِفَقدِهِمُ نارٌ يَشُبُّ لَظاها

And I consider the people the loss of whom

Is a fire in my entrails that makes its flames rise high.

رَمى اللَهُ أَحداثَ الزَمانِ بِصَرفَةٍ

وَقَيَّضَ لِلأَيّامِ مِثلَ قَضاها

Allah has cast the events of time with twists and turns

And has ordained for the days the like of His decree.

فَكَم لِليالي مِن صُروفٍ تَرَكنَني

أَروحُ وَلي حَظُّ شَبيهُ دُجاها

So how often have nights turned away leaving me

To wander while my fortune resembles its darkness.