آثَرتُ إِدلاجي عَلى لَيلِ حُرَّةٍ
هَضيمِ الحَشا حُسّانَةِ المُتَجَرَّدِ
I preferred to spend my night with a free woman,
Of slender waist and prominent breasts,
إِذا النَومُ أَلهاها عَنِ الزادِ خِلتَها
بُعَيدَ الكَرى باتَت عَلى طَيِّ مُجسَدِ
When sleep distracts her from her provisions,
She spends the night far from the abode on bare ground.
إِذا اِرتَفَقَت فَوقَ الفِراشِ تَخالَها
تَخافُ اِنبِتاتَ الخَصرِ ما لَم تَشَدَّدِ
When she lies softly on the bed, she fears
The waist beads will break if she moves.
وَتُضحي غَضيضَ الطَرفِ دوني كَأَنَّما
تَضَمَّنَ عَينَيها قَذىً غَيرُ مُفسِدِ
She feigns to be sleepy, her eyelids almost closed,
As if they contained dust that does not irritate.
إِذا شِئتُ بَعدَ النَومِ أَلقَيتُ ساعِداً
عَلى كَفَلٍ رَيّانَ لَم يَتَخَدَّدِ
When after sleep I place my arm
On a moist shoulder that has not hardened.
لَها طيبُ رَيّا إِن نَأَتني وَإِن دَنَت
دَنَت وَعثَةً فَوقَ الفِراشِ المُمَهَّدِ
She has a sweet scent, whether she approaches or draws near,
She approaches like a moth above the prepared bed.
خَميصَةُ ما تَحتَ الثِيابِ كَأَنَّها
عَسيبٌ نَما في ناضِرٍ لَم يُخَضَّدِ
The chemise beneath her clothes is like
A fawn slept on fresh plants uncrumpled.
تُفَرِّقُ بِالمِدرى أَثيثاً نَباتُهُ
عَلى واضِحِ الذِفرى أَسيلِ المُقَلَّدِ
With her wrists she scatters the furnishings
On the bright carpet, slender hands laden with bracelets.
تَضَوَّعُ رَيّاها إِذا جِئتَ طارِقاً
كَريحِ الخُزامى في نَباتِ الخَلى النَدي
Her scent wafts when you come at night
Like the wind in the fragrant blossoms of the lush palms.
فَلَمّا رَأَت مَن في الرِحالِ تَعَرَّضَت
حَياءً وَصَدَّت تَتَّقي القَومَ بِاليَدِ
When she saw who was in the saddle, she was shy
And blocked with her hand, fearing the people.
فَبِتنا وَلَم نَكذِبكَ لَو أَنَّ لَيلَنا
إِلى الحَولِ لَم نَملَل وَقُلنا لَهُ اِزدَدِ
We spent the night together and we would not lie if we said
Our night had no end and we told it to last.
وَفي كُلِّ مُمسى لَيلَةٍ وَمُعَرَّسٍ
خَيالٌ يُوافي الرَكبَ مِن أُمِّ مَعبَدِ
And every evening and wedding night
A specter comes to the travelers from Umm Ma'bad.
فَحَيّاكِ وَدٌّ مِن هَواكِ لَقيتُهُ
وَخوصٌ بِأَعلى ذي طُوالَةَ هُجَّدِ
So greetings and love for you from her love I found
And yearning in the highest mountain valley.
وَأَنّى اِهتَدَت وَالدَوُّ بَيني وَبَينَها
وَما كانَ ساري الدَوِّ بِاللَيلِ يَهتَدي
How did she find the way when dark was between us?
The guide of darkness does not show the way at night.
تَسَدَّيتِنا مِن بَعدِ ما نامَ ظالِعُ ال
كِلابِ وَأَخبى نارَهُ كُلُّ مَوقِدِ
After the dogs' protector slept, hiding his fire,
We brought our mounts together in every depression.
بِأَرضٍ تَرى شَخصَ الحُبارى كَأَنَّهُ
بِها راكِبٌ موفٍ عَلى ظَهرِ قَردَدِ
In a land where you see the forms of gazelles as if
A rider is carried on the back of a fleet ostrich.
إِذا ما رَأَيتَ القَومَ طاشَت نِبالُهُم
وَخَلّى لَكَ القَومُ القِناصَةَ فَاِصطَدِ
When you see the people their arrows go astray
And the people leave the hunting grounds, so hunt!
وَإِنّي لَرامٍ بِالقَلوصِ أَمامَها
جَواشِنَ هَذا اللَيلِ في كُلِّ فَدفَدِ
And I long to meet her before dawn
The bounties of this night in every stopover.
إِذا باتَ لِلعُوّارِ بِاللَيلِ نوكُهُ
ضَجيعاً وَأَضحى نائِماً لَم يُوَسَّدِ
When he spends the night complaining, and wakes up miserable,
Lamenting without consolation or pillow.
وَأَدماءَ حُرجوجٍ تَعالَلتُ موهِناً
بِسَوطِيَ فَاِرمَدَّت نَجاءَ الخَفَيدَدِ
And the necks of lively camels I discipline, humbling them
With my whip, so they shriek, dispelling drowsiness.
تُلاعِبُ أَثناءَ الزِمامِ وَتَتَّقي
عُلالَةَ مَلوِيٍّ مِنَ القَدِّ مُحصَدِ
They toy with the reins and avoid
The touch of a flexible whip of harvested cane.
فَإِن آنَسَت حِسّاً مِنَ السَوطِ عارَضَت
بِيَ القَصدَ حَتّى تَستَقيمَ ضُحى الغَدِ
If they sense the whip, they shy from me
Until they walk straight at dawn tomorrow.
وَإِن نَظَرَت يَوماً بِمُؤخَرِ عَينِها
إِلى عَلَمٍ بِالغَورِ قالَت لَهُ اِبعَدِ
And if one day she looks back with the corner of her eye
At a flag in the distance, she says to it "go farther!"
كَأَنَّ هُوِيَّ الريحِ بَينَ فُروجِها
تَجاوُبُ أَظآرٍ عَلى رُبَعٍ رَدي
As if the passing wind between her thighs
Makes murmurs between the dunes on a hill.
تَرى بَينَ لَحيَيها إِذا ما تَزَغَّمَت
لُغاماً كَبَيتِ العَنكَبوتِ المُمَدَّدِ
You see hair on her cheeks when she frowns
Like the web of a spider spread out.
وَتَرمي يَداها بِالحَصى خَلفَ رِجلِها
وَتَرمي بِهِ الرِجلانِ دابِرَةَ اليَدِ
She throws pebbles behind her legs
And throws her legs backwards from her hands.
وَتَشرَبُ بِالقَعبِ الصَغيرِ وَإِن تُقَد
بِمِشفَرِها يَوماً إِلى الرَحلِ تَنقَدِ
She drinks from a small waterskin, and if one day
Her ladle is raised to the saddlebag she takes pains.
وَإِن حُلَّ عَنها الرَحلُ قارَبَ خَطوَها
أَمينُ القُوى كَالدُملُجِ المُتَعَضِّدِ
When the saddlebag is removed, her pace nears
The reliable, strong, firm-stepping camel.
وَإِن بَرَكَت أَوفَت عَلى ثَفِناتِها
عَلى قَصَبٍ مِثلِ اليَراعِ المُقَصَّدِ
If she kneels, she leans on her front knees
Like an erect tent pole well-straightened.
وَإِن ضُرِبَت بِالسَوطِ صَرَّت بِنابِها
صَريرَ الصَياصي في النَسيجِ المُمَدَّدِ
If she's hit with a whip, her grunt sounds
Like the creak of a loom with stretched threads.
وَكادَت عَلى الأَطواءِ أَطواءِ ضارِجٍ
تُساقِطُني وَالرَحلَ مِن صَوتِ هُدهُدِ
She almost made me and the saddle slide from her sharp voice
On the dunes, from the sound of a moaning dove.
إِذا ما اِبتَعَثنا مِن مَناخٍ كَأَنَّما
نَكُفُّ وَنَثني مِن نَواعِمَ أُبَّدِ
When we set out from an abode, it is as if
We bend and fold from soft pillows.
وَتُضحي الجِبالُ الغُبرُ دوني كَأَنَّها
مِنَ الآلِ حُفَّت بِالمُلاءِ المُعَضَّدِ
The mountains before me become dust, as if
Clothed in gifted robes, propped up.
وَتَرمي بِعَينَيها إِذا تَلَعَ الضُحى
ذُباباً كَصَوتِ الشارِبِ المُتَغَرِّدِ
She throws her eyes when dawn breaks
At flies like the voice of a warbling bird.
وَيُمسي الغُرابُ الأَعوَرُ العَينِ واقِعاً
مَعَ الذِئبِ يَعتَسّانِ ناري وَمِفأَدي
And the one-eyed raven lands at night
With the wolf, both stoking my fire and shelter.
فَما زالَتِ العَوجاءُ تَجري ضُفورُها
إِلَيكَ اِبنَ شَمّاسٍ تَروحُ وَتَغتَدي
So the limping she-camel continued to wander
To you Ibn Shammas, she grazes and fattens.
تَزورُ اِمرَأً يُؤتي عَلى الحَمدِ مالَهُ
وَمَن يُؤتِ أَثمانَ المَحامِدِ يُحمَدِ
Visiting a man who gives his wealth for praise
And who gives high prices for praise is praised.
يَرى البُخلَ لا يُبقي عَلى المَرءِ مالَهُ
وَيَعلَمُ أَنَّ البُخلَ غَيرُ مُخَلَّدِ
He sees stinginess does not keep a man's wealth
And knows that stinginess has no eternity.
كَسوبٌ وَمِتلافٌ إِذا ما سَأَلتَهُ
تَهَلَّلَ وَاِهتَزَّ اِهتِزازَ المُهَنَّدِ
When asked, he sparkles and trembles
With the trembling of a type of large lizard.
مَتى تَأتِهِ تَعشو إِلى ضَوءِ نارِهِ
تَجِد خَيرَ نارٍ عِندَها خَيرُ موقِدِ
Whenever you come to his firelight at night
You will find the best fire and hearth with him.
وَذاكَ اِمرُؤٌ إِن يُعطِكَ اليَومَ نائِلاً
بِكَفَّيهِ لا يَمنَعكَ مِن نائِلِ الغَدِ
That man, if he gives you something today willingly
With both hands, will not prevent you tomorrow.
وَأَنتَ اِمرُؤٌ مَن تَرمِ تَهدِم صَفاتُهُ
وَيَرمي فَلا يَهدِم صَفاتَكَ مُرتَدِ
You are a man who throws but his qualities are not demolished
While he throws but does not demolish your qualities.
سَواءٌ عَلَيهِ أَيَّ حينٍ أَتَيتَهُ
أَفي يَومِ نَحسٍ كانَ أَو يَومِ أَسعُدِ
It is equal to him whichever time you come to him
Whether an unlucky day or happiest day.
هُوَ الواهِبُ الكومَ الصَفايا لِجارِهِ
يَروحُ بِها العِبدانُ في عازِبٍ نَدي
He is the giver of piles of noble traits to his neighbor
The servants carry them to a remote, lofty abode.
