وَصَبيِّ جَمّالٍ كَلِفتُ بِحُبِّهِ

وَصَبيِّ جَمّالٍ كَلِفتُ بِحُبِّهِ

مَنَح الجمالَ مَلاحَةً وَجَمالا

مَنَح الجمالَ مَلاحَةً وَجَمالا

And a camel-driver's lad, with whom I am besotted,

With love for a beautiful boy I was tasked,

has endowed the camels with charm and beauty.

Beauty he was granted, and grace.

يَقتادُ أَبعُرَهُ لَهُ بأزِمَّةٍ

يَقتادُ أَبعُرَهُ لَهُ بأزِمَّةٍ

غُصُنٌ يجرر بِالجِبال جِبالا

غُصُنٌ يجرر بِالجِبال جِبالا

He leads his camels for him with halters—

His camel he leads with the reins,

a bough dragging mountains through the mountains.

A branch pulling mountains as if they were hills.

وَيطيعُهُ مَع غِلظةٍ في طَبعِها

وَيطيعُهُ مَع غِلظةٍ في طَبعِها

أَترى الجَمالَ يُلَطِّف الأَجمالا

أَترى الجَمالَ يُلَطِّف الأَجمالا

And they obey him, despite the roughness in their nature.

And it obeys him, despite its stubborn nature-

Do you suppose beauty makes camels gentle?

Does beauty soften even the stubborn?

فَإِذا اِمتَطى جَملا تَسنَّم رَبوةً

فَإِذا اِمتَطى جَملا تَسنَّم رَبوةً

قَد حُمِّلَت مِن رِدفِهِ أَثقالا

قَد حُمِّلَت مِن رِدفِهِ أَثقالا

Then, when he mounts a camel, he ascends a hillock

When he mounted a camel fully packed,

now laden with the weight of his rump.

Loaded with burdens upon its saddle.

في خَدِّهِ جَمرٌ وَفي لَفظاتِهِ

في خَدِّهِ جَمرٌ وَفي لَفظاتِهِ

جَمرٌ يُلَدّ فُكاهَةً وَمَقالا

جَمرٌ يُلَدّ فُكاهَةً وَمَقالا

In his cheek are embers, and in his utterances

In his cheek burning embers, and in his words,

embers fed into the mouth as banter and speech.

Burning embers concealed with jokes and talk.

وَإِذا يُناغِي تربَهُ فَكَأَنَّما

وَإِذا يُناغِي تربَهُ فَكَأَنَّما

نَغَمُ البَلابل هَيَّجَت بلبالا

نَغَمُ البَلابل هَيَّجَت بلبالا

And when he coos to his age-mate, it is as though

And when he shakes off his dust it's as though

the nightingales' melodies have stirred up unrest.

The songs of nightingales stirred and trilled.

يا حُسنَهُ شَعثاً كَأَن حلقاتُهُ

يا حُسنَهُ شَعثاً كَأَن حلقاتُهُ

قِطَعُ الغَمامِ تكنَّفَتهُ هِلالا

قِطَعُ الغَمامِ تكنَّفَتهُ هِلالا

How lovely he is, tousled—as though his ringlets

Oh, his beauty disheveled, its curls as though

were wisps of cloud encircling him, a crescent moon!

The crescent moon framed his handsome face.