مَتَى زُرْتُمُ نَجْداً فَإِنِّي أَرَاكُمُ
تَضُوعُ عَلَيْكُمْ نَفْحَةٌ مِنْ شَذى نَجْدِ
When did you visit Najd? For I see you—
When did you visit Najd? For I see you
a fragrant breath of Najd is wafting over you.
With a breath of Najd’s fragrance wafting about you.
أَظُنُّ حِمَى لَيْلَى حَلَلْتُمْ بِرَبْعِهِ
فَضَاعَ لَكُمْ مِنْهُ شَذَى مَسْحَبِ البُرْدِ
I think you alighted in Layla’s preserve, at its encampment,
I think you lodged in the grounds of Layla’s sanctuary,
and the perfume of a mantle’s trailing hem wafted from it to you.
So from it the scent of her trailing mantle wafted to you.
أَلاَ يَا بِرُوحِي أَنْتَ هَلْ لَكَ عَوْدَةٌ
فَتُقْرِي سَلاَمِي جِيرَةَ العَلَمِ الفَرْدِ
Ah, you for whom I would give my soul—will you return
Ah, you whom I would ransom with my soul—will you return
and carry my greetings to the dwellers by the solitary landmark?
And convey my greeting to the neighbors of the solitary mountain?
عُرَيْبٌ لَهُمْ عِنْدِي رِعَايَةُ عَهْدِهِمْ
وَمَا عِنْدَهُمْ لِي نَقْضُ عَهْدٍ وَلاَ عَقْدِ
A dear little Arab band—I remain the keeper of their pledge,
A little band of Arabs, whose pledge I faithfully keep,
and on their part no pledge or bond with me is broken.
And they break neither pledge nor bond with me.
إِذَا زَمْزَمَ الحَادِي بِأَلْحَانِ حُبِّهِمْ
يُسَابِقُهُ رَكْبٌ مِنَ الدَّمْعِ في خَدِّي
Whenever the camel-driver hums melodies of love for them,
When the camel-driver hums melodies of love for them,
my caravan of tears races him down my cheek.
A caravan of tears races him along my cheek.
صًَبَغْتُ بِمُحْمَرٍ مِنَ الدَّمْعِ بَعْدَهُمْ
مِنَ الرَّمْلِ مُبْيَضاً لأَرْعَى لَهْمْ عَهْدِي
After they left, with tears turned crimson I dyed
After their departure, I stained with crimson tears
a white expanse of sand, to keep my covenant with them.
The white sand, to keep my pledge to them.
Sol 6.1