أَرِقتُ لِبَرقٍ دونَهُ شَدَوانِ

أَرِقتُ لِبَرقٍ دونَهُ شَدَوانِ

يَمانٍ وَأَهوى البَرقَ كُلَّ يَمانِ

يَمانٍ وَأَهوى البَرقَ كُلَّ يَمانِ

I lay sleepless for lightning, with Shadwan between me and it,

I've become sleepless for a lightning below which lies Shadwan

Yemeni lightning—and I love every Yemeni flash.

And Yaman, and I adore all of Yaman's lightning

فَبِتُّ لَدى البَيتِ الحَرامِ أَشيمُهُ

فَبِتُّ لَدى البَيتِ الحَرامِ أَشيمُهُ

وَمَطوايَ مِن شَوقٍ لَهُ أَرِقانِ

وَمَطوايَ مِن شَوقٍ لَهُ أَرِقانِ

So beside the Sacred House I spent the night watching it,

So I spend my night near the Sacred House, its aroma I inhale

and my two fellow travelers were sleepless with longing for it.

While my dreams, out of yearning for it, are all sleepless

إِذا قُلتُ شيماهُ يَقولانِ وَالهَوى

إِذا قُلتُ شيماهُ يَقولانِ وَالهَوى

يُصادِفُ مِنّا بَعضَ ما يَرَيانِ

يُصادِفُ مِنّا بَعضَ ما يَرَيانِ

When I say, 'Watch it, both of you,' they say—while longing

When I speak of its aroma, passion says while coinciding

finds within us some of what they see—

With some of what we see, "It has passed from it the edges of drink"

جَرى مِنهُ أَطرافَ الشَرى فَمُشَيِّعٍ

جَرى مِنهُ أَطرافَ الشَرى فَمُشَيِّعٍ

فَأَبيانَ فَالحَيّانِ مِن دِمِرانِ

فَأَبيانَ فَالحَيّانِ مِن دِمِرانِ

'Its rain swept the fringes of al-Shara, then Mushayyiʿ,

So a companion, then the two Joyous Neighborhoods of Dimran

then Abyan, then al-Hayyan in Dimran,

Then Marrān, then Al-'Aqabāt, the crooked Al-'Aqlaj

فَمَرّانَ فَالأَقباصِ أَقباصِ أَملَجٍ

فَمَرّانَ فَالأَقباصِ أَقباصِ أَملَجٍ

فَماوانَ مِن واديهِما شَطَنانِ

فَماوانَ مِن واديهِما شَطَنانِ

then Marran, then al-Aqbas, the Aqbas of Amlaj,

Then Ma'ān from their two valleys, Shat'anān

then Mawan, far distant from their valley.'

There, if you both perform tawaf, you’d find

هُنالِكَ لَو طَوَّفتُما لَوَجَدتُما

هُنالِكَ لَو طَوَّفتُما لَوَجَدتُما

صَديقاً مِنِ اِخوانٍ بِها وَغَوانِ

صَديقاً مِنِ اِخوانٍ بِها وَغَوانِ

There, if you two roamed about, you would find

A friend among brothers in it, and temptation

a friend among brothers there, and beautiful women,

And the doves cooed in the shade of an ‘aykah tree

وَعَزفَ الحَمامِ الوُرقِ في ظِلِّ أَيكَةٍ

وَعَزفَ الحَمامِ الوُرقِ في ظِلِّ أَيكَةٍ

وَبِالحَيِّ ذو الرودَينِ عَزفَ قِيانِ

وَبِالحَيِّ ذو الرودَينِ عَزفَ قِيانِ

and the music of gray doves in a grove's shade,

And at Hayy Dhi Rudayn, the magpies chirped

and, in the camp, a two-stringed lute and the music of singing girls.

Or does it concern you, O carriers, mother of Ma‘mar

أَوَيحَكُما يا واشِيَي أُمِّ مَعمَرٍ

أَوَيحَكُما يا واشِيَي أُمِّ مَعمَرٍ

بِمَن وَإِلى مَن جِئتُما تَشِيانِ

بِمَن وَإِلى مَن جِئتُما تَشِيانِ

Oh, woe to you both, O tale-bearers concerning Umm Maʿmar!

Who I’ve come to, and for whom I roam

About whom, and to whom, have you two come bearing tales?

For the one whom if I saw suffering, I'd ransom

بِمَن لَو أَراهُ عانِياً لَفَدَيتُهُ

بِمَن لَو أَراهُ عانِياً لَفَدَيتُهُ

وَمَن لَو رَآني عانِياً لَفَداني

وَمَن لَو رَآني عانِياً لَفَداني

About one whom I would ransom if I saw them captive,

And he who saw me suffering would ransom me

and one who would ransom me if they saw me captive.

Oh, if only my needs that have imprisoned me

أَلا لَيتَ حاجاتي اللَواتي حَبَسنَني

أَلا لَيتَ حاجاتي اللَواتي حَبَسنَني

لَدى نافعٍ قُضّينَ مَنذُ زَمانِ

لَدى نافعٍ قُضّينَ مَنذُ زَمانِ

Ah, would that my needs, which detained me

At Nāfi‘s were fulfilled long ago

with Nafiʿ, had been fulfilled long ago.

I bear no hatred for the lands nor am I weary

وَما بي بُغضٌ لِلبِلادِ وَلا قِلىً

وَما بي بُغضٌ لِلبِلادِ وَلا قِلىً

وَلَكِنَّ بَرقاً في الحِجازِ دَعاني

وَلَكِنَّ بَرقاً في الحِجازِ دَعاني

And I have no hatred for the land, nor aversion,

But lightning in the Hejaz has summoned me

but lightning in the Hijaz called me.

If only the brown camel-litter took us

فَلَيتَ القِلاصَ الأُدمَ قَد وَخَدَت بِنا

فَلَيتَ القِلاصَ الأُدمَ قَد وَخَدَت بِنا

بِوادِ يَمانٍ ذي رُبىً وَمَحانِ

بِوادِ يَمانٍ ذي رُبىً وَمَحانِ

So would that the young white she-camels had trotted swiftly with us

To a valley in Yemen, with plants and ditches

through a Yemeni valley with hills and winding bends;

A valley in Yemen whose chest sprouts sidr trees

بِوادٍ يمان يُنبِتُ السِدرَ صَدرُهُ

بِوادٍ يمان يُنبِتُ السِدرَ صَدرُهُ

وأَسفَلُهُ بِالمَرخِ وَالشَبُهانِ

وأَسفَلُهُ بِالمَرخِ وَالشَبُهانِ

through a Yemeni valley whose upper reaches grow lote-trees,

And lower down there’s marakh and shubhān

and whose lower reaches bear markh and shabahan shrubs.

It defends us on both sides, its cliffs

يُدافِعُنا مِن جانِبَيهِ كِلَيهِما

يُدافِعُنا مِن جانِبَيهِ كِلَيهِما

غَريفانِ مِن طَرفائِهِ هَدِبانِ

غَريفانِ مِن طَرفائِهِ هَدِبانِ

Pressing against us from both its sides

Are like wings, with its edges, hudbān

are two thickets of its tamarisks, fringed with foliage.

If only we had, with walnuts and almonds, a stash

وَلَيتَ لَنا بِالجَوزِ وَاللَوزِ غيلَة

وَلَيتَ لَنا بِالجَوزِ وَاللَوزِ غيلَة

جَناها لَنا مِن بَطنِ حَليَةَ دانِ

جَناها لَنا مِن بَطنِ حَليَةَ دانِ

And would that, instead of walnuts and almonds, we had a grove

Whose harvest for us was from Halyah’s interior valley

whose fruit, from Halyah's valley floor, was close at hand for us.

If only we had, with roosters, a garden thicket

وَلَيتَ لَنا بِالديكِ مُكّاءَ رَوضَةٍ

وَلَيتَ لَنا بِالديكِ مُكّاءَ رَوضَةٍ

عَلى فَنَنٍ مِن بَطنِ حَليَةَ دانِ

عَلى فَنَنٍ مِن بَطنِ حَليَةَ دانِ

And would that, instead of the rooster, we had a meadow's whistling bird

On slopes from Halyah’s interior valley

on a nearby branch in Halyah's valley.

If only we had from Zamzam's water a drink

وَلَيتَ لَنا مِن ماءِ زَمزَمَ شَربَةً

وَلَيتَ لَنا مِن ماءِ زَمزَمَ شَربَةً

مُبَرَّدَةً باتَت عَلى طَهَيانِ

مُبَرَّدَةً باتَت عَلى طَهَيانِ

And would that, instead of Zamzam's water, we had a draught

Chilled, it spent the night boiling

cooled after spending the night upon a tahyan tree.