أَعِنِّي عَلى بَيضَاءَ تَنكَلُّ عَن بَرَد

أَعِنِّي عَلى بَيضَاءَ تَنكَلُّ عَن بَرَد

وتَمشِي عَلى هَونٍ كَمِشيَةِ ذِي الحَرَد

وتَمشِي عَلى هَونٍ كَمِشيَةِ ذِي الحَرَد

Help me against a fair beauty who shrinks from the cold,

Help me with a fair-skinned woman whose smile reveals hail-white teeth.

and walks with gentle ease, like one who walks in wrath.

And walks gently, like one with a halting gait.

وتَلبَسُ مِن بَزِّ العِرَاقِ مَناصِفاً

وتَلبَسُ مِن بَزِّ العِرَاقِ مَناصِفاً

وأَبرادَ عَصبٍ من مُهَلهَلَةِ الجَنَد

وأَبرادَ عَصبٍ من مُهَلهَلَةِ الجَنَد

She wears outer wraps of Iraqi cloth,

And wears short garments made from the fabrics of Iraq,

and striped cloaks of fine, loosely woven cloth from al-Janad.

And tie-dyed cloaks of loosely woven cloth from al-Janad.

إِذَا قُلتُ يَوماً نَوّلِيني تَبَسَّمَت

إِذَا قُلتُ يَوماً نَوّلِيني تَبَسَّمَت

وقَالَت لَعَمرُ اللهِ لَو أَنَّهُ اقتَصَد

وقَالَت لَعَمرُ اللهِ لَو أَنَّهُ اقتَصَد

Whenever I say, “One day, grant me your favor,” she smiles

When one day I said, 'Grant me your favor,' she smiled,

and says, “By God’s life—if only he would show restraint!”

And said, 'By God's life, if only he would show restraint!'

سَمَوتُ إِليهَا بَعدَ ما نَامُ بَعلُها

سَمَوتُ إِليهَا بَعدَ ما نَامُ بَعلُها

وقَد وسَّدَتهُ في لَيلَةِ الصَّرَد

وقَد وسَّدَتهُ في لَيلَةِ الصَّرَد

I made my way to her after her husband had fallen asleep,

I went up to her after her husband had fallen asleep,

and she had laid him on his pillow on a night of biting cold.

And she had already pillowed his head on a bitterly cold night.

أَشارت بطَرفِ العَينِ أَهلاً وَمَرحباً

أَشارت بطَرفِ العَينِ أَهلاً وَمَرحباً

ستُعطَى الَّذي تَهوَى عَلى رَغمِ مَن حَسَد

ستُعطَى الَّذي تَهوَى عَلى رَغمِ مَن حَسَد

With a corner of her eye she signaled, “Welcome—a warm welcome!

She signaled with a glance of her eye: 'Welcome, welcome!

You shall be granted what you desire, despite whoever may envy it.”

You shall be given what you desire, despite the envious.

أَلَستَ تَرى مَن حَولَنا مِن عَدوِّنا

أَلَستَ تَرى مَن حَولَنا مِن عَدوِّنا

وكُلَّ غُلاَمٍ شَامخِ الأَنفِ قَد مَرَد

وكُلَّ غُلاَمٍ شَامخِ الأَنفِ قَد مَرَد

Do you not see those around us, men of our enemy?

Do you not see those around us who are our enemies,

Every proud-nosed young man of mine has grown defiant.”

And every youth with his nose held high, grown defiant?'

فَقُلتُ لَها إنّي أمرُؤٌ فَاعلَمِنَّهُ

فَقُلتُ لَها إنّي أمرُؤٌ فَاعلَمِنَّهُ

إِذَا أخذتُ السَيفَ لَم أَحفِل العدَد

إِذَا أخذتُ السَيفَ لَم أَحفِل العدَد

So I told her, “I am a man—know me for one:

So I said to her, 'I am a man—know this well:

when I take up the sword, I heed no numbers.

When I take up the sword, I pay no heed to numbers.

بَنَى ليَ اسماعِيلُ مَجداً مُؤَثَّلاً

بَنَى ليَ اسماعِيلُ مَجداً مُؤَثَّلاً

وَعَبدُ كُلالٍ قَبلَهُ وَأَبُو جَمَد

وَعَبدُ كُلالٍ قَبلَهُ وَأَبُو جَمَد

Ismāʿīl built for me a glory rooted deep,

Isma'il built for me a firmly rooted glory,

and before him, ʿAbd Kulāl and Abū Jamad.

And 'Abd Kulal before him, and Abu Jamad.'

تُطِيفُ عَلَينا قَهوَةٌ في زُجَاجةٍ

تُطِيفُ عَلَينا قَهوَةٌ في زُجَاجةٍ

تُريكَ جَبَانَ القَومِ أَمضَى مِنَ الأَسَدُ

تُريكَ جَبَانَ القَومِ أَمضَى مِنَ الأَسَدُ

Wine circles among us in a glass flask,

Wine goes round among us in a glass vessel,

making the tribe’s coward seem more resolute than a lion.

It makes the company's coward seem to you bolder than a lion.