لِمَن طَلَلٌ بَينَ الجُدَيَّةِ والجبَل
مَحَلٌ قَدِيمُ العَهدِ طَالَت بِهِ الطِّيَل
For whom are the ruins between Juddah and the mountain,
An ancient abode where nights were spent?
عَفَا غَيرَ مُرتَادٍ ومَرَّ كَسَرحَب
ومُنخَفَضٍ طام تَنَكَّرَ واضمَحَل
It was abandoned, with no visitors passing by,
And became unrecognizable as it faded away.
وزَالَت صُرُوفُ الدَهرِ عَنهُ فَأَصبَحَت
عَلى غَيرِ سُكَّانٍ ومَن سَكَنَ ارتَحَل
The turns of fate deserted it,
Leaving it uninhabited after its dwellers left.
تَنَطَّحَ بِالأَطلالِ مِنه مُجَلجِلٌ
أَحَمُّ إِذَا احمَومَت سحَائِبُهُ انسَجَل
The thunderclouds burst over its ruins,
Rumbling when their darkness gathers.
بِرِيحٍ وبَرقٍ لَاحَ بَينَ سَحَائِبٍ
ورَعدٍ إِذَا ما هَبَّ هَاتِفهُ هَطَل
With wind and lightning that flashed among the clouds,
And thunder, when its roar sounded.
فَأَنبَتَ فِيهِ مِن غَشَنِض وغَشنَضٍ
ورَونَقِ رَندٍ والصَّلَندَدِ والأَسل
It grew plants of wild thyme and thyme,
Basil, rue, and wormwood.
وفِيهِ القَطَا والبُومُ وابنُ حبَوكَلِ
وطَيرُ القَطاطِ والبَلندَدُ والحَجَل
It became home to the sandgrouse and owl,
And birds of the desert and francolin.
وعُنثُلَةٌ والخَيثَوَانُ وبُرسُلٌ
وفَرخُ فَرِيق والرِّفَلّةَ والرفَل
Partridges are there, and black grouse,
Chicks of sandgrouse, and quail.
وفِيلٌ وأَذيابٌ وابنُ خُوَيدرٍ
وغَنسَلَةٌ فِيهَا الخُفَيعَانُ قَد نَزَل
An elephant, gazelles, and a hyena pup
A colony where jerboas have settled.
وهَامٌ وهَمهَامٌ وطَالِعُ أَنجُدٍ
ومُنحَبِكُ الرَّوقَينِ في سَيرِهِ مَيَل
There are wild cows, oryxes, ibexes of Anjad,
And a ostrich wandering with a slanted gait.
فَلَمَّا عَرَفت الدَّارَ بَعدَ تَوَهُّمي
تَكَفكَفَ دَمعِي فَوقَ خَدَّي وانهمَل
When after my imagining I recognized the house,
My tears flowed down my cheeks.
فَقُلتُ لَها يا دَارُ سَلمَى ومَا الَّذِي
تَمَتَّعتِ لَا بُدِّلتِ يا دَارُ بِالبدَل
I said: “O house of Salma, through what
Have you attained, that you would not be substituted?”
لَقَد طَالَ مَا أَضحَيتِ فَقراً ومَألَف
ومُنتظَراً لِلحَىِّ مَن حَلَّ أَو رحَل
“Long has it been since you became desolate and accustomed
To being awaited by whoever comes and goes.
ومَأوىً لِأَبكَارٍ حِسَانٍ أَوَانسٍ
ورُبَّ فَتىً كالليثِ مُشتَهَرِ بَطَل
A refuge for virtuous, beautiful maidens,
And many a youth, lion-like and valiant hero.
لَقَد كُنتُ أَسبى الغِيدَ أَمرَدَ نَاشِئ
ويَسبِينَني مِنهُنَّ بِالدَّلِّ والمُقَل
I would captivate singing slave-girls,
And they would captivate me with coquetry and ogling.
لَيَالِيَ أَسبِى الغَانِيَاتِ بِحُمَّةٍ
مُعَثكَلَةٍ سَودَاءَ زَيَّنَهَا رجَل
Nights I would captivate singing girls
Wearing black wool, adorned with anklets.
كأَنَّ قَطِيرَ البَانِ في عُكنَاتِهَ
عَلَى مُنثَنىً والمَنكِبينِ عَطَى رَطِل
As if drops of musk on their breasts
Were poured onto a curve and the shoulders.
تَعَلَّقَ قَلبي طَفلَةً عَرَبِيَّةً
تَنَعمُ في الدِّيبَاجِ والحَلى والحُلَل
My heart became enamored with an Arab girl
Luxuriating in brocade, jewelry, and anklets.
لَهَا مُقلَةٌ لَو أَنَّهَا نَظَرَت بِهَ
إِلى رَاهِبٍ قَد صَامَ لِلّهِ وابتَهَل
She has a glance - if she looked with it
At a monk who had fasted devoutly for God,
لَأَصبَحَ مَفتُوناً مُعَنَّى بِحُبِّهَ
كأَن لَم يَصُم لِلّهِ يَوماً ولَم يُصَل
He would become infatuated, obsessed with loving her,
As if he had never fasted or prayed to God.
أَلا رُبَّ يَومٍ قَد لَهَوتُ بِذلِّهَ
إِذَا مَا أَبُوهَا لَيلَةً غَابَ أَو غَفَل
Oh, how many a day I have flirted with her
When her father was absent at night or inattentive!
فَقَالَتِ لِأَترَابٍ لَهَا قَد رَمَيتُهُ
فَكَيفَ بِهِ إن مَاتَ أَو كَيفَ يُحتَبَل
She said to some ashes of mine I had made into kohl,
‘How will he be if he dies? Or how will he be revived?’
أَيخفَى لَنَا إِن كانَ في اللَّيلِ دفنُهُ
فَقُلنَ وهَل يَخفَى الهِلَالُ إِذَا أَفَل
Can his burial escape us if it is at night?
For can the crescent moon escape notice when it sets?”
قَتَلتِ الفَتَى الكِندِيَّ والشَّاعِرَ الذي
تَدَانَت لهُ الأَشعَارُ طُراً فَيَا لَعَل
You killed the Kindite poet, the one
Whose poetry all people talked about - what an awful thing!
لِمَه تَقتُلى المَشهُورَ والفَارِسَ الذي
يُفَلِّقُ هَامَاتِ الرِّجَالِ بِلَا وَجَل
Why did you kill the famous one, the horseman who
Splits the skulls of men without hesitation?
أَلَا يا بَنِي كِندَةَ اقتُلوا بِابنِ عَمِّكم
وإِلّا فَمَا أَنتُم قَبيلٌ ولَا خَوَل
Oh Banu Kindah, kill the son of your uncle,
Else you are neither tribe nor protectors.”
قَتِيلٌ بِوَادِي الحُبِّ مِن غيرِ قَاتِلٍ
ولَا مَيِّتٍ يُعزَى هُنَاكَ ولَا زُمَل
A slain man in the valley of love, with no killer,
No corpse to be mourned, no grave there.
فَتِلكَ الَّتي هَامَ الفُؤَادُ بحُبِّهَ
مُهفهَفَةٌ بَيضَاءُ دُرِّيَّة القُبَل
She is the one whom my heart loved,
Dazzling and white, a gazelle of kisses.
ولى وَلَها في النَّاسِ قَولٌ وسُمعَةٌ
ولى وَلَهَا في كلِّ نَاحِيَةٍ مَثَل
She is gone, and people speak of and know her,
She is gone, and in every place she is exemplary.
كأَنَّ عَلى أَسنَانِها بَعدَ هَجعَةٍ
سَفَرجلَ أَو تُفَّاحَ في القَندِ والعَسَل
It is as if after sleeping, her teeth have
Yellow each or apples in candy and honey.
رَدَاحٌ صَمُوتُ الحِجلِ تَمشى تَبختر
وصَرَّاخَةُ الحِجلينِ يَصرُخنَ في زَجَل
She walks proudly, silent steps,
Her anklets jingling as she strides.
غمُوضٌ عَضُوضُ الحِجلِ لَو أَنهَا مَشَت
بِهِ عِندَ بابَ السَّبسَبِيِّينَ لا نفَصَل
If she walked with them at the door of the Sabspis,
They would not stop jingling.
فَهِي هِي وهِي ثمَّ هِي هِي وهي وَهِي
مُنىً لِي مِنَ الدُّنيا مِنَ النَّاسِ بالجُمَل
She is she and she and she and she and she,
She who I wished for from life and people together.
أَلا لا أَلَا إِلَّا لآلاءِ لابِثٍ
ولا لَا أَلَا إِلا لِآلاءِ مَن رَحَل
No, no indeed! None but the beautiful,
No, no indeed! None but the departed.
فكَم كَم وكَم كَم ثمَّ كَم كَم وكَم وَكَم
قَطَعتُ الفَيافِي والمَهَامِهَ لَم أَمَل
So much, so much and so much, so much, so much, so much,
I crossed the deserts and wilderness, did not slacken.
وكافٌ وكَفكافٌ وكَفِّي بِكَفِّهَ
وكافٌ كَفُوفُ الوَدقِ مِن كَفِّها انهَمل
And stop, stop stop with her stopping,
My tears flowed down from her stopping.
فَلَو لَو ولَو لَو ثمَّ لَو لَو ولَو ولَو
دَنَا دارُ سَلمى كُنتُ أَوَّلَ مَن وَصَل
If only, if only, if only, if only,
The house of Salma was near, I'd be the first to arrive.
وعَن عَن وعَن عَن ثمَّ عَن عَن وعَن وَعَن
أُسَائِلُ عَنها كلَّ مَن سَارَ وارتَحَل
And about, about, about, about,
I ask about her from all who traveled and left.
وفِي وفِي فِي ثمَّ فِي فِي وفِي وفِي
وفِي وجنَتَي سَلمَى أُقَبِّلُ لَم أَمَل
And in, in, in, in,
And in Salma’s gardens I kissed, did not tire.
وسَل سَل وسَل سَل ثمَّ سَل سَل وسَل وسَل
وسَل دَارَ سَلمى والرَّبُوعَ فكَم أَسَل
I asked, asked, asked, asked,
I asked about the house of Salma and spring - how I asked!
وشَنصِل وشَنصِل ثمَّ شَنصِل عَشَنصَلٍ
عَلى حاجِبي سَلمى يَزِينُ مَعَ المُقَل
I squeezed, squeezed, squeezed,
I squeezed her cheek, adorned with a mole.
حِجَازيَّة العَينَين مَكيَّةُ الحَشَ
عِرَاقِيَّةُ الأَطرَافِ رُومِيَّةُ الكَفَل
Hejazi in the eyes, Meccan in features,
Iraqi in figure, Roman in ankle.
تِهامِيَّةَ الأَبدانِ عَبسِيَّةُ اللَمَى
خُزَاعِيَّة الأَسنَانِ دُرِّيِّة القبَل
Tihami in body, Absi in glance,
Khuza'i in teeth, juicy in kiss.
وقُلتُ لَها أَيُّ القَبائِل تُنسَبى
لَعَلِّي بَينَ النَّاسِ في الشِّعرِ كَي أُسَل
I said to her: “To which tribe are you attributed,
So that I may ask about you in verse among people?”
فَقالت أَنَا كِندِيَّةٌ عَرَبيَّةٌ
فَقُلتُ لَها حاشَا وكَلا وهَل وبَل
She said: “I am Kindite, Arab.”
I said: “Certainly not! Never! Absurd!”
فقَالت أَنَا رُومِيَّةٌ عَجَمِيَّة
فقُلتُ لها ورخِيز بِباخُوشَ مِن قُزَل
She said: “I am Roman, non-Arab.”
I said: “Get out, scram, you mangy dog!”
فَلَمَّا تَلاقَينا وجَدتُ بَنانَه
مُخَضّبَةً تَحكى الشَوَاعِلَ بِالشُّعَل
When we met, I found her lips
Dyed, telling of passion with flames.
ولاعَبتُها الشِّطرَنج خَيلى تَرَادَفَت
ورُخّى عَليها دارَ بِالشاهِ بالعَجَل
I played her chess, my horses in a row,
And castled against her hastily.
فَقَالَت ومَا هَذا شَطَارَة لَاعِبٍ
ولكِن قَتلَ الشَّاهِ بالفِيلِ هُو الأَجَل
She said: “This is no skill of a player!
But killing the king with a pawn is fate.”
فَنَاصَبتُها مَنصُوبَ بِالفِيلِ عَاجِل
مِنَ اثنَينِ في تِسعٍ بِسُرعٍ فَلَم أَمَل
So I mated her in two moves with the pawn, hastily,
And did not slacken.
وقَد كانَ لَعبي كُلَّ دَستٍ بِقُبلَةٍ
أُقَبِّلُ ثَغراً كَالهِلَالِ إِذَا أَفَل
My every move was with a kiss
On lips like a crescent moon when it sets.
فَقَبَّلتُهَا تِسعاً وتِسعِينَ قُبلَةً
ووَاحِدَةً أَيضاً وكُنتُ عَلَى عَجَل
I kissed her ninety-nine kisses,
And one more - and I was in a hurry.
وعَانَقتُهَا حَتَّى تَقَطَّعَ عِقدُهَ
وحَتَّى فَصُوصُ الطَّوقِ مِن جِيدِهَا انفَصَل
I embraced her until her necklace broke
And the clusters of her choker scattered.
كأَنَّ فُصُوصَ الطَوقِ لَمَّا تَنَاثَرَت
ضِيَاءُ مَصابِيحٍ تَطَايَرنَ عَن شَعَل
It was as if when the clusters of her choker scattered,
The light of lamps flew from a flame.
وآخِرُ قَولِي مِثلُ مَا قَلتُ أَوَّل
لِمَن طَلَلٌ بَينَ الجُدَيَّةِ والجبَل
My final words are like my first:
For whom are the ruins between Juddah and the mountain?
