فَسَلِّ هَوى مَن لا يُؤاتيكَ وُدُّهُ

فَسَلِّ هَوى مَن لا يُؤاتيكَ وُدُّهُ

بِآدَمَ شَهمٍ لا حُلُوٌّ وَلا صَعبُ

بِآدَمَ شَهمٍ لا حُلُوٌّ وَلا صَعبُ

So ease your longing for one whose affection does not answer yours

Ask the love of those whose affection does not come to you

with a pale, spirited camel, neither docile nor unruly.

With a proud, yet neither sweet nor difficult, humanity

كَأَنّي وَمَنقوشاً مِنَ المَيسِ قاتِراً

كَأَنّي وَمَنقوشاً مِنَ المَيسِ قاتِراً

وَأَبدانِ مَكبونٍ تَحَلَّبَهُ عَضبُ

وَأَبدانِ مَكبونٍ تَحَلَّبَهُ عَضبُ

As though I, with a close-fitting saddle carved from hackberry wood

As if I and engraved from flint, wearing a coat of mail

and sections of folded hide milked out by a keen blade,

And bodies heaped up, clad by anger

عَلى أَخدَرِيٍّ لَحمُهُ بِسَراتِهِ

عَلى أَخدَرِيٍّ لَحمُهُ بِسَراتِهِ

مُذَكّى فَتاءٍ مِن ثَلاثٍ لَهُ شُربُ

مُذَكّى فَتاءٍ مِن ثَلاثٍ لَهُ شُربُ

were riding an Akhdari wild ass, his flesh massed along his back,

On a greenish-brown, his flesh in its saddlebags

full-grown, youthful in vigor, with three drinking companions.

A steaming youth, having drunk thrice, his drink

فَلا هُنَّ بِالبُهمى وَإِيّاهُ إِذ شَتا

فَلا هُنَّ بِالبُهمى وَإِيّاهُ إِذ شَتا

جَنوبَ أَراشٍ فَاللَهالَهُ فَالعَجبُ

جَنوبَ أَراشٍ فَاللَهالَهُ فَالعَجبُ

They and he were nourished on buhma-grass while he wintered

So no congratulations to him in distress, when he wandered

south of Arash, then al-Lahalah, then al-ʿAjb,

The sides of a bed, by Allah, how strange!

شَباطاً وَكانونَينِ حَتّى تَعَذَّرَت

شَباطاً وَكانونَينِ حَتّى تَعَذَّرَت

عَلَيهِنَّ في نيسانَ باقِيَةٌ شُربُ

عَلَيهِنَّ في نيسانَ باقِيَةٌ شُربُ

through February and both Kanun months, until

Winter and two Januaries until

in April the last drinking water became scarce for them.

In April, some drink remained for them