لِمَنِ الدِيارُ كَأَنَّهُنَّ سُطورُ
بِلِوى زَرودَ سَفى عَلَيها المورُ
For whom are the abodes that look like written lines
On which the ink has flowed from a polished inkwell?
نُؤيٌ وَأَطلَسُ كَالحَمامَةِ ماثِلٌ
وَمُرَفَّعٌ شُرُفاتُهُ مَحجورُ
A lofty palace like a hovering dove
With elevated chambers all locked up.
وَالحَوضُ أَلحَقَ بِالخَوالِفِ نَبتُهُ
سَبِطٌ عَلاهُ مِنَ السِماكِ مَطيرُ
And the basin adjoining the courtyard, its vegetation -
Abundant, watered by rains from the clouds above.
لِأَسيلَةِ الخَدَّينِ جازِئَةٍ لَها
مِسكٌ يُعَلُّ بِجَيبِها وَعَبيرُ
For the smooth-cheeked maiden, enough as her provision -
Some musk that bulges out of her pocket, and some scent.
وَإِذا تَقومُ إِلى الطِرافِ تَنَفَّسَت
صُعُداً كَما يَتَنَفَّسُ المَبهورُ
And when she gets up to go to the edge, she breathes
Air like one bewildered taking deep breaths.
فَتَبادَرَت عَيناكَ إِذ فارَقتَها
دِرَراً وَأَنتَ عَلى الفِراقِ صَبورُ
Then your eyes brimmed over as you bid her farewell,
Shedding tears while you showed patience over the separation.
يا طولَ لَيلِكَ لا يَكادُ يُنيرُ
جَزَعاً وَلَيلُكَ بِالجَريبِ قَصيرُ
Oh how long your night is, it almost fails to get illuminated,
Grieving, while your night at the encampment is short.
وَصَريمَةٍ بَعدَ الخِلاجِ قَطَعتُها
بِالحَزمِ إِذ جَعَلَت رَحاهُ تَدورُ
And after hardship, I ended a long relationship with determination,
When she let her departure wander aimlessly.
بِجُلالَةٍ سُرُحِ النَجاءِ كَأَنَّها
بَعدَ الكَلالَةِ بِالرِدافِ عَسيرُ
With glorious riding camels, wide-backed, tall,
Moving with difficulty after exhaustion.
وَرَعَت جُنوبَ السِدرِ حَولاً كامِلاً
وَالحَزنُ فَهيَ يَزِلُّ عَنها الكورُ
They pastured around the jujubes in a full circle,
While sorrow - does it ever stop tormenting them?
فَبَنى عَلَيها النِيُّ فَهيَ جُلالَةٌ
ما إِن يُحيطُ بِجَوزِها التَصديرُ
So the Prophet built next to it, thus it is glorious,
What surrounds its beauty cannot be fully encompassed.
وَكَأَنَّ رَحلي فَوقَ أَحقَبَ قارِحٍ
بِالشَيِّطَينِ نُهاقُهُ التَعشيرُ
As if my riding camel atop a lofty dune
With howdahs on both sides fully covered.
جَونٍ يُطارِدُ سَمحَجاً حَمَلَت لَهُ
بِعَوازِبِ القَفَراتِ فَهيَ نَزورُ
A passionate young camel chasing a roe deer that carried for it
Among the spiny shrubs - so it is rare game.
وَكَأَنَّ نَقعَهُما بِبُرقَةِ ثادِقٍ
وَلِوى الكَثيبِ سُرادِقٌ مَنشورُ
As if their descending at a flash of lightning
And the folding of a dune, a widespread pavilion.
يَنحو بِها مِن بُرقِ عَيهَمَ طامِياً
زُرقَ الجِمامِ رِشاؤُهُنَّ قَصيرُ
Heading with it from the lightning of confused darkness,
Their blue garments - their trailing edges are short.
وَرَداً وَقَد نَفَضا المَراقِبَ عَنهُما
وَالماءُ لا سُدُمٌ وَلا مَحضورُ
Like a flower shedding its petals upon them,
While the water is neither still nor turbulent.
أَو فَوقَ أَخنَسَ ناشِطٍ بِشَقيقَةٍ
لَهَقٌ بِغائِطِ قَفرَةٍ مَحبورُ
Or atop a prancing red camel with a swift she-camel,
Panting on the edge of an arid wilderness.
باتَت لَهُ بِكَثيبِ حَربَةَ لَيلَةٌ
وَطفاءُ بَينَ جُمادَيَينِ دَرورُ
There passed for it in the dune of Harbah a night,
While extinction between two inert objects endures.
حَرِجٌ يُلاوِذُ بِالكِناسِ كَأَنَّهُ
مُتَطَوِّفٌ حَتّى الصَباحِ يَدورُ
A startled creature taking refuge behind the boulders,
As if circling until the morning revolves.
وَالماءُ يَركَبُ جانِبَيهِ كَأَنَّهُ
قُشُبُ الجُمانِ وَطَرفُهُ مَقصورُ
And the water rides its sides as if it is
The curved side of a bow, with an end tied.
حَتّى إِذا ما الصُبحُ شَقَّ عَمودَهُ
وَعَلاهُ أَسطَعُ لا يُرَدُّ مُنيرُ
Until when the morning sliced its pillar through,
And the most brilliant illumination prevailed that cannot be repelled.
أَوفى عَلى عَقدِ الكَثيبِ كَأَنَّهُ
وَسطَ القِداحِ مُعَقَّبٌ مَشهورُ
It fulfilled upon the knot of the dune as if
It is the middle of the flints that are well known.
وَحَصى الكَثيبِ بِصَفحَتَيهِ كَأَنَّهُ
خَبَثُ الحَديدِ أَطارَهُنَّ الكيرُ
And the pebbles of the dune on its surface are like
The slag of iron that the bellows blew.
