خَطَرَت لِذاتِ الخالِ ذِكرى بَعدَما

خَطَرَت لِذاتِ الخالِ ذِكرى بَعدَما

سَلَكَ المَطيُّ بِنا عَلى الأَنصابِ

سَلَكَ المَطيُّ بِنا عَلى الأَنصابِ

A memory of the woman with the mole arose, after

The ruins recalled to my mind a memory, after

The riding camels had carried us past the stone markers—

The camel took us over the milestones

أَنصابِ عَمرَةَ وَالمَطِيُّ كَأَنَّها

أَنصابِ عَمرَةَ وَالمَطِيُّ كَأَنَّها

قِطَعُ القَطا صَدَرَت عَنِ الأَجبابِ

قِطَعُ القَطا صَدَرَت عَنِ الأَجبابِ

The markers of Amrah, and the camels seemed like

The milestones of ‘Umrah, and the camel was as though

Flocks of sandgrouse leaving the wells.

They were wild goats leaping down from the mountain-tops

فَاِنهَلَّ دَمعي في الرِداءِ صَبابَةً

فَاِنهَلَّ دَمعي في الرِداءِ صَبابَةً

فَسَتَرتُهُ بِالبُردِ دونَ صِحابي

فَسَتَرتُهُ بِالبُردِ دونَ صِحابي

Then my tears poured into my cloak with longing,

So my tears flowed abundantly into my cloak

So I hid them with my striped mantle from my companions.

And I hid them beneath my cloak from my companions

فَرَأى سَوابِقَ عَبرَةٍ مُهراقَةٍ

فَرَأى سَوابِقَ عَبرَةٍ مُهراقَةٍ

بَكرٌ فَقالَ بَكى أَبو الخَطّابِ

بَكرٌ فَقالَ بَكى أَبو الخَطّابِ

Then, seeing the first drops of tears being shed,

And Bakr saw the traces of flowing tears

Bakr said, 'Abu al-Khattab has wept.'

And he said, al-Khattab's father weeps

فَمَريتُ نَظرَتَهُ وَقُلتُ أَصابَني

فَمَريتُ نَظرَتَهُ وَقُلتُ أَصابَني

رَمَدٌ فَهاجَ العَينَ بِالتَسكابِ

رَمَدٌ فَهاجَ العَينَ بِالتَسكابِ

So I denied what he had seen and said, 'I have been afflicted

So I turned my gaze from him and said, some eye disease has afflicted me

With eye inflammation, which set my eye streaming.'

And made my eyes overflow with tears

لَم تَجزِ أُمُّ الصَلتِ يَومَ فِراقِنا

لَم تَجزِ أُمُّ الصَلتِ يَومَ فِراقِنا

بِالخَيفِ مَوقِفَ صُحبَتي وَرِكابي

بِالخَيفِ مَوقِفَ صُحبَتي وَرِكابي

Umm al-Salt did not repay, on the day we parted,

On the day we parted, my mother did not allow me, at Khayf,

At al-Khayf, the waiting of my companions and my riding camels.

To halt my company and mount.

وَعَرَفتُ أَن سَتَكونُ داراً غَربَةً

وَعَرَفتُ أَن سَتَكونُ داراً غَربَةً

مِنها إِذا جاوَزتُ أَهلَ حِصابي

مِنها إِذا جاوَزتُ أَهلَ حِصابي

And I knew my dwelling would be far away

And I knew it would become a land of exile for me

From her, once I passed the people of my Hisab.

When I went beyond the people of my encampment.

وَتَبَوَّأَت مِن بَطنِ مَكَّةَ مَسكِناً

وَتَبَوَّأَت مِن بَطنِ مَكَّةَ مَسكِناً

غَرِدَ الحَمامِ مُشَرَّفَ الأَبوابِ

غَرِدَ الحَمامِ مُشَرَّفَ الأَبوابِ

And she settled in a dwelling in the heart of Mecca,

And she took up her abode in the belly of Mecca,

Full of cooing doves, with lofty doors.

Where doves were cooing from lofty nests.

ما أَنسَ لا أَنسى غَداةَ لَقيتُها

ما أَنسَ لا أَنسى غَداةَ لَقيتُها

بِمِنىً تُريدُ تَحيَّتي وَعِتابي

بِمِنىً تُريدُ تَحيَّتي وَعِتابي

Whatever I forget, I shall not forget the morning I met her

I shall never forget that morning I met her

At Mina, wanting to greet me and reproach me;

At Mina, when she wanted to reproach me and complain.

وَتَلَدُّدي شَهراً أُريدُ لِقائَها

وَتَلَدُّدي شَهراً أُريدُ لِقائَها

حَذِرَ العَدُوِّ بِساحَةِ الأَحبابِ

حَذِرَ العَدُوِّ بِساحَةِ الأَحبابِ

Nor my restless looking about for a month, wishing to meet her,

And how I kept away from her for a month because I feared

Wary of the foe in the loved ones' courtyard.

For the beloved ones in the battlefield of the foe.

تِلكَ الَّتي قالَت لِجاراتٍ لَها

تِلكَ الَّتي قالَت لِجاراتٍ لَها

حورِ العُيونِ كَواعِبٍ أَترابِ

حورِ العُيونِ كَواعِبٍ أَترابِ

She was the one who said to her neighboring women,

She was the one who said to her neighbors,

Dark-eyed, budding-breasted maidens, all of one age:

Maidens with gazelle-like eyes and soft voices,

هَذا المُغيريُّ الَّذي كُنّا بِهِ

هَذا المُغيريُّ الَّذي كُنّا بِهِ

نَهذي وَرَبِّ البَيتِ يا أَترابي

نَهذي وَرَبِّ البَيتِ يا أَترابي

'This is al-Mughiri, about whom we used

"This Mughira whom we teased, saying,

To rave—by the Lord of the House, my age-mates!'

'O Mughira, pass the time with us, girls'"

قالَت لِذاكَ لَها فَتاةٌ عِندَها

قالَت لِذاكَ لَها فَتاةٌ عِندَها

تَمشي بِلا إِتبٍ وَلا جِلبابِ

تَمشي بِلا إِتبٍ وَلا جِلبابِ

At that, a girl beside her said to her—

One of the girls with her said, "Walking without a shift or mantle -

One who walked without a sleeveless shift or a cloak—

I used to think she was unaware of what pleases people of discernment."

قَد كُنتُ أَحسَبُ أَنَّها في غَفلَةٍ

قَد كُنتُ أَحسَبُ أَنَّها في غَفلَةٍ

عَمّا يُسَرُّ بِهِ ذَوُو الأَلبابِ

عَمّا يُسَرُّ بِهِ ذَوُو الأَلبابِ

(I had thought she was oblivious

"This place has become notorious, my dears,

To what delights discerning minds):

So beware of the words of the slanderous skeptic."

هَذا المَقامُ فَدَيتُكُنَّ مُشَهِّرٌ

هَذا المَقامُ فَدَيتُكُنَّ مُشَهِّرٌ

فَاِحذَرنَ قَولَ الكاشِحِ المُرتابِ

فَاِحذَرنَ قَولَ الكاشِحِ المُرتابِ

'This spot, may I be your ransom, exposes you;

They were astonished at her and said, "Unveil yourself,

So beware the words of the spiteful, suspicious foe.'

Your youth is no key to any door."

فَعَجِبنَ مِن ذاكُم وَقُلنَ لَها اِفتَحي

فَعَجِبنَ مِن ذاكُم وَقُلنَ لَها اِفتَحي

لا شَبَّ قَرنُكِ مَفتَحاً مِن بابِ

لا شَبَّ قَرنُكِ مَفتَحاً مِن بابِ

They marveled at that and said to her, 'Open

She said to them, "The night hides what

—May your horn never grow!—a way through some door.'

She desires of the pleasures of the visiting loved one."

قالَت لَهُنَّ اللَيلُ أَخفى لِلَّذي

قالَت لَهُنَّ اللَيلُ أَخفى لِلَّذي

تَهوَينَ مِن دا الزائِرِ المُنتابِ

تَهوَينَ مِن دا الزائِرِ المُنتابِ

She told them, 'Night better conceals what

You desire from this visitor who keeps returning.'