بُلِّغْتُ مِنْ عَيْشِي أَعَزَّ مَرَامِ
وَحَلَتْ لِيَ اليَقَظَاتُ كَالأَحْلامِ
I was told that from my life the dearest wish would depart,
And waking became to me like dreams.
يَا غِبْطَتي دُومِي فَمَا تَعْدُوكَ لِي
أُمْنِيَّةٌ أَنْ تَسْمَحِي بِدَوَامِ
Oh my eternal happiness, do not leave me
With a wish that you grant me your permanence.
فِي كُلِّ مَطْلَعِ كَوْكَبٍ وَمَغِيبِهِ
ذِكْرَى تُجَدِّدُ لِي عُهُودَ غَرَامِي
With the rising of each star and its setting,
A memory renews for me bonds of my passion.
مَا عِشتُ لا أَسْلُو صِبَايَ وَمَرْبَعاً
مِنْهُ دَرَجْتُ وَفِيهِ طَابَ مُقَامِي
As long as I live, I will not forget my youth and its meadows,
From which I embarked and in which my stay was pleasant.
وَمُحَبَّبَاتٍ مِنْ بَنَاتِ قَبِيلَتِي
خَفِرَاتِ إِيماءٍ فِصَاحَ كَلامِ
And charming girls from the daughters of my tribe
Who guard glances and whose speech is eloquent,
مِنْ كُلِّ غَانِيَةٍ بَغَالِيَةِ الحِلَى
فِي النَّفْسِ عَمَّا يُقْتَنَى بِحُطَامِ
Each singing girl, charming in her adornments,
Has in my soul, beyond what can be bought with riches.
بَدَوِيَّةٍ خَلاَّبَةٍ بِجَمَالِهَا
قُرِنَتْ حَصَانَتُهَا إِلَى الإِقْدَامِ
A nomad, alluring in her beauty,
Her modesty was coupled with her daring.
تَغْدُو عَلَى الرِّزْقِ العَسِيرِ فَمَا تَنِي
مَجْهُودَةً وَتَعُودُ فِي الإِظْلامِ
She goes seeking difficult sustenance, not weakened,
And returns in the darkness.
وَعَلَى القَذَى فِي عَيْشِهَا تَزْكُو بِهَا
شِيَمٌ كَوَرْدِ الدِّمْنَةِ البَسَّامِ
And she is distinguished, despite the hardship in her living,
By a nature like the balsam-scented flower.
إِذْ كُنتُ أَشْهَدُ وِرْدَهُنَّ وَرُبَّمَا
جَارَيْتُهُنَّ وَلَمْ أعُجْ بِمَلامِ
When I witnessed their company, and perhaps
I talked with them and was not blamed.
أَوْ كُنتُ أَشْهَدُ لَهْوَهُنَّ وَهَلْ يُرَى
غَيْرُ العَفَافِ مَلاهِيَ الآرَامِ
Or I witnessed their amusement - and can the virtuous
See other than the innocent as entertaining?
وَإِذَا الرِّجَالُ القَافِلُونَ قَدِ التَقَوْا
نَادِينَ بَيْنَ مَضارِبٍ وَخِيَامِ
And when the traveling men gathered,
Calling between tents and dwellings,
يَتَحَدَّثُونَ بِمَا أَتَوْا أَوْ مَا وَعَوْا
مِنْ كُلِّ أَمْرٍ فِي الامور جُسَامِ
They talked about what they came upon or what they feared
Of every significant matter of matters grave,
ويَقِلُّ أَنْ يَتَنَدَّرُوا بَعَظِيمِ مَا
يَلْقَوْنَ مِنْ كُرَبٍ وَمِنْ ألامِ
And it was rare they gossiped about the enormity of
The sorrows and pains they encountered,
هَذِي الفَيَافِي كُنَّ مُلكاً هَامِداً
أَحْيَوْهُ بِالأَوْسَاقِ وَالأَنْعَامِ
These empty expanses were a settled kingdom
Revived by markets and livestock.
قَوْمِي السَّرَاةُ البَاسِلُونَ وَوَالِدِي
فِيهِمْ وَلِيُّ الرَّأْيِ وَالأَحْكَامِ
My clan, the valiant horsemen, and my father -
In them was the wise and judicious guardian.
سَبَّاقُ غَايَاتٍ إِلَى العُمْرَانِ قَدْ
شَمِلَ المَزَارِعَ مُلْكُهُ المُتَرَامِي
A pioneer of lofty goals of prosperity, his kingdom
Encompassed the farms, increasing and spreading,
شَادَ البِنَاءَ الفَخْمَ بَيَنَ حَدَائِقٍ
غَنَّاءَ يُرْوِيها العَقِيقُ الطَّامِي
He built magnificent structures amidst gardens
Watered by the pure, flowing springs.
يَا حَبَّذَا غِيطَانُهَا وَمَشَارِفٌ
مِنْهَا عَلَى القُطْنِ الجَنِيِّ النَّامِي
How excellent were its walls and its suburbs
Overlooking the planted, slumbering cotton,
تَزْهُو دَرَارِئُهُ عَلَى عَذَبَاتِهِ
حِيناً وَتَنْطِفُ بِالنُّضَارِ الهَامِي
Its yards blossomed over its ponds
At times, and were moist with thriving saplings.
مَا كُنتُ أَسْلُو العَيْشَ بَيْنَ كَرَائِمٍ
فِي الحَيِّ مِنْ أَهْلِي وَبَيْنَ كِرَامِ
I did not live comfortably among the generous
Of my people and the honorable,
لَوْ لَمْ يَزِدْنِي اللهُ مِنْ إِنْعَامِهِ
فَوْقَ الَّذِي أمَّلْتُ مِنْ إِنْعَامِ
Had God not increased me from His bounty
Beyond what I hoped for from His blessing.
يَمَّمْتُ فِيهَا البِئْرَ وَالأَتْرَابُ قَدْ
نُثِرَتْ حَوَالَيْهَا بِغَيْرِ نِظَامِ
I traversed it, and around the wells were vessels
Scattered without order,
وَرَدَتْ وَآبَتْ بِالجِرَارِ مَلِيئَةً
ثيوشِكْنَ أَنْ يَقْطُرْنَ فَوْقَ الهَامِ
They returned filled with jars brimming over,
About to drip atop the reservoir.
فَإِذَا كَمِيٌّ لاحَ لِي مُتَرَجِّلاً
وَأُوَامُهُ بَادٍ فَهَاجَ أُوَامِي
When a guest appeared suddenly dismounted,
And his camels' trappings stirred my sentiments,
لاحَظْتُهُ لِلمَرةِ الأُولَى فَمَا
لاحَظْتُ مِنْهُ غَيْرَ بَدْرِ تَمَامِ
I noticed him for the first time and saw in him
Nothing but the full moon in its glory.
وَسَقَيْتُهُ وَسَقَيْتُ مِنْهُ نَاظِرِي
حَتَّى تَمَلَّيْنَا وَكُلُّ ظَامِي
I gave him drink and drank in the sight of him,
Until we were satisfied, and every thirst was quenched.
مَا خِلْتُ رُؤْيَتَهُ بِبَهْجَتِهَا سِوَى
رُؤْيَا بَدَتْ لِي فِي لَذِيذِ مَنَامِ
I did not miss seeing him in its splendor, except
A vision that appeared to me in sweet slumber.
أأَلْوَى يُسَائِلُ مَنْ أَبِي وَيُطِيلُ فِي
مَا شَاءَ عَنْ أَهْلِي مِنَ اسْتِفْهَامِ
Conversing, he asked who was my father and lingered in
Asking, as he wished, about my family and lineage,
يَبْغِي التَّبَسُّطَ فِي الحَدِيثِ وَمَا بِهِ
أَنْسَابُ أَخْوَالِي وَلا أَعْمَامِي
Seeking amiability in speech - and what did
My uncles' lineage and lineage matter to me?
ثُمَّ انْثَنَى وَبِمُهْجَتِي فِي لَيْلَتِي
مَا لَمْ أَذُقْ مِنْ لاعِجٍ وَضِرَامِ
Then he inclined, and in my night he gave me
Pleasure such as I never tasted, ever.
وَلَّى وَفِي الغَدِ عَادَ يَعْتَامُ الحِمَى
أَكْرِمْ بِهِ مِنْ عَائِدٍ مُعْتَامِ
He turned away, and in the morning returned, binding his camel,
Receiving him generously as a loyal guest.
يَسْعَى عَلَى هَدْيِ الهَوَى مُتَسَلِّلاً
وَاللهُ يَعْلَمُ مَا سَعى لِحَرَامِ
He walked the path of passion stealthily,
And God knows what forbidden path he walked.
مَا زَالَ يَرْقُبُنِي وَيَمْلأُ سَمْعَهُ
مِمَّا أَثَارَ الوَجْدَ مِنْ أَنْغَامِي
He kept watching me and filling his hearing
With what my passion had aroused of melodies,
حَتَّى الْتَفَتُّ وَلَمْ يَرِبْنِي أَمْرُهُ
فَإِذَا فَتَى الأمسِ النَّبِيلِ أَمَامِي
Until I turned and his matter did not discourage me -
And there before me was the noble youth of yesterday.
أنَسْتُ فِي حَسَنِ المَحَاسِنَ كُلَّهَا
وَعَدَدْتُ فِي أَعْوَامِهِ أَعْوَامِي
Among all the beautiful, I found him most beautiful,
And matched his years with my own years.
وَمُذِ التَقَيْنَا بَاحَ لِي بِهُيَامِهِ
وَكَتَمْتُ سِرِّي فَاسْتَشَفَّ هُيامِي
Since we met, his love shone upon me,
And I hid my secret, though his love discerned my secret.
هِيَ سَاعَةٌ كَشَفَ الرَّجَاءُ ظَلامَهَا
عَنْ مُقْلَتِي بِالطَّالِعِ المُسْتَامِ
It was an hour when hope uncovered its darkness
From my eyes with the rising of the trusted one.
يَا طِيبَهَا لَوْ لَمْ يُفاجِئُنِي بِهَا
عُمَرٌ بِلَحْظٍ مُرْسَلٍ كَسِهَامِ
Oh, its blessing! Would that he had not surprised me with it -
A lifetime with a glance swift as arrows.
عُمَرٌ مَعَاذَ اللهِ أَنْ أَرْضَى بِهِ
بَعْلاً وَمَا أَرْضَاهُ فِي خُدَّامِي
God forbid that I be pleased with it
As a husband when he was not pleased with me as his maid.
أَأَبيعُ خَيْرَ فَتىً بِشَرِّ فَتىً وَفِي
خَلِقِي وَفِي خُلُقِي إِبَاءُ الذَّامِ
Shall I sell the best of men for the worst of men? In
My nature and character lies refusal of the vile.
حَمْداً لِمَنْ بِهَوَى حَبِيبِي قَدْ قَضَى
وَطَرِي وَأَعْلَى فِي النِّسَاءِ مَقَامِي
Praise to Him by whose love for my beloved He decreed
And raised me to the highest station among women!
عُمْرٌ جَدِيدٌ بِالقِرَانِ صَفَا لَنَا
لا كَدَّرَتْهُ طَوَارِئُ الأيَّامِ
A new lifetime, purified for us by the Quran -
No disturbances of days made it murky.
