فَيا ليتَ عَمِّي يومَ فرَّقَ بيننا

فَيا ليتَ عَمِّي يومَ فرَّقَ بيننا

سُقيْ السُّمَّ ممزوجاً بِشَبِّ يَمانِ

سُقيْ السُّمَّ ممزوجاً بِشَبِّ يَمانِ

Oh, would that my uncle, the day he parted us,

Oh, how I wish my uncle on the day he parted us

Had been given poison to drink, mixed with Yemeni alum.

Was made to drink poison mixed with the wine of Yemen.

بُنَيَّةُ عَمِّي حيلَ بيني وبينَها

بُنَيَّةُ عَمِّي حيلَ بيني وبينَها

وضَجَّ لِوَشْكِ الفُرْقَةِ الصُّرَدانِ

وضَجَّ لِوَشْكِ الفُرْقَةِ الصُّرَدانِ

My uncle's dear daughter—I was kept apart from her,

My uncle's plotting came between me and her

And the two shrikes cried out at the approach of parting.

And he fretted at the pain of our separation.

فَيا ليتَ مَحْيانا جميعاً ولَيْتَنا

فَيا ليتَ مَحْيانا جميعاً ولَيْتَنا

إِذا نحنُ مُتْنا ضَمَّنا كَفَنانِ

إِذا نحنُ مُتْنا ضَمَّنا كَفَنانِ

Oh, would that we lived together, and would that,

Oh, how I wish we both had died together and that

When we died, two shrouds enfolded us.

When we died, we were in one gravecloth enshrouded.

ويا ليتَ أَنّا الدَّهْرَ في غيرِ ريبَةٍ

ويا ليتَ أَنّا الدَّهْرَ في غيرِ ريبَةٍ

بَعيرانِ نَرْعى القفْرَ مُؤْتَلِفانِ

بَعيرانِ نَرْعى القفْرَ مُؤْتَلِفانِ

And would that, forever free of suspicion, we were

Oh, how I wish through time without misfortune

Two camels grazing the wilderness in harmony.

We two were camels grazing the barren land in friendship,

يُطَرِّدُنا الرُّعيانُ عنْ كُلِّ مَنْهَلٍ

يُطَرِّدُنا الرُّعيانُ عنْ كُلِّ مَنْهَلٍ

يقولونَ بَكْرا عُرَّةٍ جَرِبانِ

يقولونَ بَكْرا عُرَّةٍ جَرِبانِ

The herdsmen would drive us from every watering place,

While the herdsmen drive us from each water-spring,

Saying, 'Two scab-ridden young camels, both mangy!'

Crying, "Be off, O mangy and scabby pair!"

إِذا نحنُ خِفْنا أَنْ يُفَرِّقَ بَيْنَنا

إِذا نحنُ خِفْنا أَنْ يُفَرِّقَ بَيْنَنا

رَدى الدَّهْرِ دانى بَيْنَنا قَرْنانِ

رَدى الدَّهْرِ دانى بَيْنَنا قَرْنانِ

If we feared that we might be parted

When we are fearful they will part us,

By the death that time brings, two tethers would draw us close.

The turns of time bring us again together.

فَوَاللهِ ما حَدَّثْتُ سِرَّكِ صاحباً

فَوَاللهِ ما حَدَّثْتُ سِرَّكِ صاحباً

أَخاً لي ولا فاهَتْ به الشَّفَتانِ

أَخاً لي ولا فاهَتْ به الشَّفَتانِ

So, by God, I told no companion your secret,

By God, I spoke your secret to no friend,

A brother to me—nor did my two lips speak of it,

No brother to me, nor has my mouth betrayed it,

سِوى أَنَّني قد قُلْتُ يوماً لِصاحِبي

سِوى أَنَّني قد قُلْتُ يوماً لِصاحِبي

ضُحىً وقَلوصانا بنا تَخِدانِ

ضُحىً وقَلوصانا بنا تَخِدانِ

Except that one day I did say to my companion,

Save only that I said one day to my companion

At midmorning, while our two young she-camels trotted along with us,

When dawn had come and our camel-litter rocked us,

ضُحَيّاً وَمَسَّتْنا جَنوبٌ ضَعيفةٌ

ضُحَيّاً وَمَسَّتْنا جَنوبٌ ضَعيفةٌ

نَسيمٌ لِرَيّاها بِنا خَفِقانِ

نَسيمٌ لِرَيّاها بِنا خَفِقانِ

A little into the morning, a faint south wind touched us,

"In the early morning, as the zephyrs touched us

A breeze whose fragrance set our hearts fluttering:

With breezes weak, how they made our curtains flutter!"

تَحَمَّلْتُ زَفْراتِ الضُّحى فَأَطْقْتُها

تَحَمَّلْتُ زَفْراتِ الضُّحى فَأَطْقْتُها

وما لي بِزَفْراتِ العَشِيِّ يَدانِ

وما لي بِزَفْراتِ العَشِيِّ يَدانِ

I bore the sighs of midmorning and could endure them,

I bore the gasps of early dawn and so could stand them,

But I have no strength for the sighs of evening.

But not the rattling wheezes of the night have I withstood.

فيا عَمِّ لا أُسْقِيتَ من ذي قَرابَةٍ

فيا عَمِّ لا أُسْقِيتَ من ذي قَرابَةٍ

بِلالاً فقد زَلَّتْ بكَ القَدَمانِ

بِلالاً فقد زَلَّتْ بكَ القَدَمانِ

So, uncle, may no kinsman ever give you

Oh uncle, since you were not made to drink by one

A cooling draught, for both your feet have slipped.

Related, for you the feet have slipped.

فأَنت ولم يَنْفَعْكَ فَرَّقْتَ بَيْنَنا

فأَنت ولم يَنْفَعْكَ فَرَّقْتَ بَيْنَنا

ونحنُ جَميعٌ شَعْبُنا مُتَدانِ

ونحنُ جَميعٌ شَعْبُنا مُتَدانِ

For you—though it did you no good—parted us,

Yet you - though it did not profit you - parted us,

While we were united, our bond still close.

While we together, our clan is all allied.

ومَنَّيْتَني عَفْراءَ حتى رَجَوْتُها

ومَنَّيْتَني عَفْراءَ حتى رَجَوْتُها

وشاعَ الذي مَنَّيْتَ كُلَّ مكانِ

وشاعَ الذي مَنَّيْتَ كُلَّ مكانِ

And you promised me Afra until I hoped for her,

You made me hope for Afara till I longed for her,

And word of what you promised spread everywhere.

And what you made me hope for was the talk of every camp.

مُنَعَّمَةٌ لم يأْتِ بين شَبابِها

مُنَعَّمَةٌ لم يأْتِ بين شَبابِها

ولا عَهْدِها بالثَّدْيِ غيرُ ثَمانِ

ولا عَهْدِها بالثَّدْيِ غيرُ ثَمانِ

Delicately reared: no more had passed between her youthful bloom

A pampered woman, untouched by youth,

And her days at the breast than eight years.

Whose breasts had never suckled babes before my own;

ترى بُرَتَيْ سِتَّ وستّين وافياً

ترى بُرَتَيْ سِتَّ وستّين وافياً

تَهابانِ ساقَيْها فَتَنْفَصِمانِ

تَهابانِ ساقَيْها فَتَنْفَصِمانِ

You see two anklets, a full sixty-six in weight,

You'd see two calves, sixty-six fully grown,

Dreading her calves and so snapping apart.

Terrified of her legs that they would break them.

فَوَاللهِ لولا حُبُّ عفراءَ ما التقى

فَوَاللهِ لولا حُبُّ عفراءَ ما التقى

عَلَيَّ رواقا بيتِكِ الخَلِقانِ

عَلَيَّ رواقا بيتِكِ الخَلِقانِ

So, by God, but for love of Afra, they would never have met

By God, were it not for love of Afara, never would

Above me—the two threadbare curtains of your tent.

I have met you under the arches of your noble house.