لَيتَ هِنداً أَنجَزَتنا ما تَعِد
وَشَفَت أَنفُسَنا مِمّا تَجِد
I wish India would fulfill what she promises
And sooth our souls from what they endure
وَاِستَبَدَّت مَرَّةً واحِدَةً
إِنَّما العاجِزُ مَن لا يَستَبِد
And conquer just once
Only the incapable does not conquer
زَعَموها سَأَلَت جاراتِها
وَتَعَرَّت ذاتَ يَومٍ تَبتَرِد
They claim she asked her neighbors
And once uncovered herself shivering
أَكَما يَنعَتُني تُبصِرنَني
عَمرَكُنَّ اللَهَ أَم لا يَقتَصِد
"Do you see me as he describes me?
May God give you long lives or be moderate?"
فَتَضاحَكنَ وَقَد قُلنَ لَها
حَسَنٌ في كُلِّ عَينٍ مَن تَوَد
So they laughed and said to her
"Beauty is in the eye of every beholder"
حَسَدٌ حُمِّلنَهُ مِن أَجلِها
وَقَديماً كانَ في الناسِ الحَسَد
Envy they blamed on her
And envy has long been among people
غادَةٌ تَفتَرُّ عَن أَشنَبِها
حينَ تَجلوهُ أَقاحٍ أَو بَرَد
A doe who reveals her buckteeth
When clear of braces or cold
وَلَها عَينانِ في طَرفَيهِما
حَوَرٌ مِنها وَفي الجيدِ غَيَد
With eyes on both her sides
Passion in them and in the neck a flexure
طَفلَةٌ بارِدَةُ القَيظِ إِذا
مَعمَعانُ الصَيفِ أَضحى يَتَّقِد
A girl chilled in hot weather
When the summer heat has become inflamed
سُخنَةُ المَشتى لِحافٌ لِلفَتى
تَحتَ لَيلٍ حينَ يَغشاهُ الصَرَد
The warmth of winter is a blanket for the young man
Under a night when numbness covers him
وَلَقَد أَذكُرُ إِذ قُلتَ لَها
وَدُموعي فَوقَ خَدّي تَطَّرِد
And I remember when you said to her
While my tears run down my cheek
قُلتُ مَن أَنتِ فَقالَت أَنا مَن
شَفَّهُ الوَجدُ وَأَبلاهُ الكَمَد
I said “Who are you?” She replied “I am who
Passion has inspired and ecstasy has wasted”
نَحنُ أَهلُ الخَيفِ مِن أَهلِ مِنىً
ما لِمَقتولٍ قَتَلناهُ قَوَد
“We are the stealthy people of Mina
To a victim we killed we owe no blood-money”
قُلتُ أَهلاً أَنتُمُ بُغيَتُنا
فَتَسَمَّينَ فَقالَت أَنا هِند
I said “Welcome, you are our sought ones”
She then named herself saying “I am Hind”
إِنَّما خُبِّلَ قَلبي فَاِجتَوى
صَعدَةً في سابِرِيٍّ تَطَّرِد
“Only my heart has become sick so it tossed
A sudden ascent in riders chasing”
إِنَّما أَهلُكِ جيرانٌ لَنا
إِنَّما نَحنُ وَهُم شَيءٌ أَحَد
“Only your people are neighbors of ours
We and them are but one thing”
حَدَّثوني أَنَّها لي نَفَثَت
عُقَداً يا حَبَّذا تِلكَ العُقَد
They told me she whispered to me
Knots, oh the best knots
كُلَّما قُلتُ مَتى ميعادُنا
ضَحِكَت هِندٌ وَقالَت بَعدَ غَد
Whenever I said “When is our appointment?”
Hind would laugh and say “The day after tomorrow”
