قُل لِلمَنازِلِ بِالظَهرانِ قَد حانا

قُل لِلمَنازِلِ بِالظَهرانِ قَد حانا

أَن تَنطِقي فَتُبيني القَولَ تِبيانا

أَن تَنطِقي فَتُبيني القَولَ تِبيانا

Say to the dwellings at Dhahran: The time has come

Say to the abodes in Az-Zhahran, it is time

for you to speak and make your words clear.

That you speak out and make clear what you say

رُدّي عَلَينا بِما قُلنا تَحيَّتَنا

رُدّي عَلَينا بِما قُلنا تَحيَّتَنا

وَحَدِّثينا مَتى بانَ الَّذي بانا

وَحَدِّثينا مَتى بانَ الَّذي بانا

Return our greeting to us in the words we spoke,

Answer our greeting, tell us when will appear

and tell us when the one who departed went away.

The one for whom we came and did stay

قالَت وَمَن أَنتَ أُذكُر قالَ ذو شَجَنٍ

قالَت وَمَن أَنتَ أُذكُر قالَ ذو شَجَنٍ

قَد هاجَ مِنهُ نَحيبُ الحُبِّ أَحزانا

قَد هاجَ مِنهُ نَحيبُ الحُبِّ أَحزانا

She said: And who are you? Identify yourself. He said: A man of sorrow,

It said: And who are you? Say: one with pangs

whose sobbing for love has stirred up sorrows.

From which the wailing of love flows night and day

قالَت فَأَنتَ الَّذي أَرسَلتَ جارِيَةً

قالَت فَأَنتَ الَّذي أَرسَلتَ جارِيَةً

وَهناً إِلى الرَكبِ تُدعى أُمَّ سُفيانا

وَهناً إِلى الرَكبِ تُدعى أُمَّ سُفيانا

She said: So you are the one who sent a maid

I said: Yes, so speak to me in discussion

late at night to the caravan, called Umm Sufyan.

And tell me the tale of that band, who were they?

ثُمَّ أَنَختَ وَراءَ العِرقِ أَبعِرَةً

ثُمَّ أَنَختَ وَراءَ العِرقِ أَبعِرَةً

أَتَينَ مِن رَكبِهِ الأَعلى وَرُكبانا

أَتَينَ مِن رَكبِهِ الأَعلى وَرُكبانا

Then you made camels kneel behind the sand ridge,

That was the time when your love did still bloom

which had come from his caravan higher up, along with riders.

Though after that era it vanished away

ثُمَّ أَتَيتَ تَخَطّى الرَكبَ مُستَتِراً

ثُمَّ أَتَيتَ تَخَطّى الرَكبَ مُستَتِراً

حَتّى لَقيتَ لَدى البَطحاءِ إِنسانا

حَتّى لَقيتَ لَدى البَطحاءِ إِنسانا

Then you came, slipping past the caravan unseen,

Four Pilgrimages have since gone, and months

until you met someone at al-Batha.

And the year diminishes, Sha'ban is halfway

قُلتُ نَعَم فَأَبيني في مُحاوَرَةٍ

قُلتُ نَعَم فَأَبيني في مُحاوَرَةٍ

وَحَدِّثيني حَديثَ الرَكبِ مَن كانا

وَحَدِّثيني حَديثَ الرَكبِ مَن كانا

I said: Yes; so speak clearly as we converse,

I spend my nights sleepless, nothing I see

and tell me about the caravan—who was in it.

Can delight me, except talk and hints in play

ذاكَ الزَمانُ الَّذي فيهِ مَوَدَّتُكُم

ذاكَ الزَمانُ الَّذي فيهِ مَوَدَّتُكُم

فَقَد تَبَدَّلَ بَعدَ العَهدِ أَزمانا

فَقَد تَبَدَّلَ بَعدَ العَهدِ أَزمانا

That time when you felt affection

Till the band journeyed on, and I turned to go

has given way to other times since our last meeting.

Bleeding, while tears down my cheeks find their way

وَقَد مَضَت حِجَجٌ مِن بَعدُ أَربَعَةٌ

وَقَد مَضَت حِجَجٌ مِن بَعدُ أَربَعَةٌ

وَأَشهُرٌ وَاِنتَقَصنا العامَ شَعبانا

وَأَشهُرٌ وَاِنتَقَصنا العامَ شَعبانا

And four years have passed since then,

and months; and we subtracted Sha'ban from the year.

فَبُتُّ ما إِن أَرى شَيئاً أُسَرُّ بِهِ

فَبُتُّ ما إِن أَرى شَيئاً أُسَرُّ بِهِ

إِلّا الحَديثَ وَغَمزَ الكَفِّ أَحيانا

إِلّا الحَديثَ وَغَمزَ الكَفِّ أَحيانا

So I spent the night seeing nothing that delighted me,

except conversation and an occasional squeeze of the hand.

حَتّى إِذا الرَكبُ ريعوا قُمتُ مُنصَرِفاً

حَتّى إِذا الرَكبُ ريعوا قُمتُ مُنصَرِفاً

مَشيَ النَزيفِ يَكُفُّ الدَمعُ تَهتانا

مَشيَ النَزيفِ يَكُفُّ الدَمعُ تَهتانا

Until, when the caravan was startled, I rose to leave,

with a drunkard's gait, tears falling in a steady stream.