لَنا خَمرٌ وَلَيسَ بِخَمرِ نَخلٍ

لَنا خَمرٌ وَلَيسَ بِخَمرِ نَخلٍ

وَلَكِن مِن نِتاجِ الباسِقاتِ

وَلَكِن مِن نِتاجِ الباسِقاتِ

We have wine, yet it is not wine of date palms,

We have wine, not from date palms

We possess a vintage, though not of common palms,

but from the yield of the towering palms.

But from lofty date trees

But born of the soaring, lofty trees.

كَرائِمُ في السَماءِ زَهَينَ طولاً

كَرائِمُ في السَماءِ زَهَينَ طولاً

فَفاتَ ثِمارُها أَيدي الجُناةِ

فَفاتَ ثِمارُها أَيدي الجُناةِ

Noble ones, proud of their height in the sky,

Noble ones in the sky, tall of stature

Noble daughters of the sky, proud in their height,

so their fruit eluded the gatherers’ hands.

Their fruits evaded the hands of harvesters

Whose fruits escape the grasp of plucking hands.

قَلائِصُ في الرُؤوسِ لَها ضُروعٌ

قَلائِصُ في الرُؤوسِ لَها ضُروعٌ

تَدِرُّ عَلى أَكُفِّ الحالِباتِ

تَدِرُّ عَلى أَكُفِّ الحالِباتِ

Young she-camels whose heads bear udders,

Young females with udders in their necks

Like young camels they stand, bearing udders in their crowns

pouring milk into the milkmaids’ palms.

That drip into the palms of milkmaids

That flow abundantly into the milking hands.

صَحائِحُ لا تُعَدُّ وَلا نَراها

صَحائِحُ لا تُعَدُّ وَلا نَراها

عِجافاً في السِنينَ المالِحاتِ

عِجافاً في السِنينَ المالِحاتِ

Healthy and beyond counting; nor do we see them

Fecund ones, beyond count, unseen

Robust and sound, beyond all counting,

lean in the years of drought.

Barren in the salty years

Never seen emaciated, even in years of drought.

مَسارِحُها المَدارُ فَبَطنُ جَوخى

مَسارِحُها المَدارُ فَبَطنُ جَوخى

إِلى شَطِّ الأُبُلَّةِ فَالفُراتِ

إِلى شَطِّ الأُبُلَّةِ فَالفُراتِ

Their grazing grounds are al-Madar, then the valley of Jawkha,

Their pastures are the orbit, the belly of Gemini

Their pastures lie in Al-Madar and the vale of Jawkha,

to the shore of al-Ubulla, then the Euphrates.

To the bank of Andromeda then the Euphrates

Stretching to Al-Ubullah's banks and the Euphrates stream.

تُراثاً عَن أَوائِلِ أَوَّلينا

تُراثاً عَن أَوائِلِ أَوَّلينا

بَني الأَحرارِ أَهلِ المَكرُماتِ

بَني الأَحرارِ أَهلِ المَكرُماتِ

A legacy from the earliest of our forebears,

An inheritance from the ancients of our ancestors

A heritage handed down from our earliest forebears,

sons of the freeborn, people of noble deeds.

The free people, the generous folk

The sons of the free, the lords of noble deeds.

تَذُبُّ بِها يَدُ المَعروفِ عَنّا

تَذُبُّ بِها يَدُ المَعروفِ عَنّا

وَتَصبِرُ لِلحُقوقِ اللازِماتِ

وَتَصبِرُ لِلحُقوقِ اللازِماتِ

Through them the hand of generosity protects us,

With it we satisfy the hand of favor from us

Through them, the hand of kindness wards off want,

and patiently bears the dues that must be paid.

And have patience for necessary rights

And sustains the burden of all bounden duties.

فَحينَ بَدا لَكَ السَرَطانُ يَتلو

فَحينَ بَدا لَكَ السَرَطانُ يَتلو

كَواكِبَ كَالنِعاجِ الراتِعاتِ

كَواكِبَ كَالنِعاجِ الراتِعاتِ

Then, when Cancer appeared to you, following

So when cancer appeared to you reciting

So when the sign of Cancer rises to your view,

stars like grazing ewes,

Like sheep stars in single file

Trailing stars that resemble grazing ewes,

بَدا بَينَ الذَوائِبِ في ذُراها

بَدا بَينَ الذَوائِبِ في ذُراها

نَباتٌ كَالأَكُفِّ الطالِعاتِ

نَباتٌ كَالأَكُفِّ الطالِعاتِ

among the tresses at their summits appeared

There emerged amidst the locks in their arms

There appears amidst the fronds upon their summits

a growth like hands rising up.

Growth like rising palms

A growth reaching out like rising hands.

فَشُقَّقَتِ الأَكُفُّ فَخِلتُ فيها

فَشُقَّقَتِ الأَكُفُّ فَخِلتُ فيها

لَآلِئَ في السُلوكِ مُنَظَّماتِ

لَآلِئَ في السُلوكِ مُنَظَّماتِ

Then the hands were split open, and I fancied within them

Then the palms split and in them

And when these hands split open, you would fancy

pearls strung upon threads.

I found pearls, well-arranged

Pearls arranged in order upon a string.

وَما زالَ الزَمانُ بِحافَتَيها

وَما زالَ الزَمانُ بِحافَتَيها

وَتَقليبُ الرِياحِ اللاقِحاتِ

وَتَقليبُ الرِياحِ اللاقِحاتِ

And time kept working at their two sides,

And time still flows in their valleys

Then time passes over their borders,

together with the shifting of the fertilizing winds,

With the pollinating winds blowing

With the shifting of the fertilizing winds,

فَعادَ زُمُرُّداً وَاِخضَرَّ حَتّى

فَعادَ زُمُرُّداً وَاِخضَرَّ حَتّى

تَخالُ بِهِ الكِباشَ الناطِحاتِ

تَخالُ بِهِ الكِباشَ الناطِحاتِ

so it became emerald and grew green, until

The emerald returned green until

Turning them to emerald, green and lush,

you imagined in it rams butting one another.

It made the butting rams believe it

Until they resemble the heads of butting rams.

فَلَمّا لاحَ لِلساري سَهيلٌ

فَلَمّا لاحَ لِلساري سَهيلٌ

قُبَيلَ الصُبحِ مِن وَقتِ الغَداةِ

قُبَيلَ الصُبحِ مِن وَقتِ الغَداةِ

Then, when Suhayl shone for the night traveler,

So when Sirius rose for the Crab

And when the Star of Canopus gleamed to the night-traveler,

just before dawn, at the hour of early morning,

At dawn from the time of early morning

Just before the break of dawn and morning light,

بَدا الياقوتُ وَاِنتَسَبَت إِلَيهِ

بَدا الياقوتُ وَاِنتَسَبَت إِلَيهِ

بِحُمرٍ أَو بِصُفرٍ فاقِعاتِ

بِحُمرٍ أَو بِصُفرٍ فاقِعاتِ

ruby appeared, and they claimed kinship with it,

The ruby appeared and owed allegiance

The rubies emerged, claiming kinship with the gems,

in reds or brilliant yellows.

To it in deep red or yellow

In deep crimson hues or brilliant yellow bright.

فَلَمّا عادَ آشِرُها خَبيصاً

فَلَمّا عادَ آشِرُها خَبيصاً

بَعَثتُ جُناتِها بِمُعَقَّفاتِ

بَعَثتُ جُناتِها بِمُعَقَّفاتِ

Then, when their sweet dates had turned to sweet pudding,

So when the misfortune of their mother returned malignant

And when their crispness turned to sweet confection,

I sent their fruit-pickers out with hooked tools.

I sent their gardens pollinators

I dispatched the harvesters with hooked blades.

فَضُمِّنَ صَفوُ ما يَجنونَ مِنها

فَضُمِّنَ صَفوُ ما يَجنونَ مِنها

خَوابِيَ كَالرِجالِ مُقَيَّراتِ

خَوابِيَ كَالرِجالِ مُقَيَّراتِ

Then the choicest of what they picked from them was placed in

And the choicest of what they harvest from it

And the pure essence of their harvest was secured

pitch-coated jars as tall as men.

Was stored in jars like honored men

In pitched jars that stand like tar-coated men.

وَقُلتُ اِستَعجِلوا فَاِستَعجَلوها

وَقُلتُ اِستَعجِلوا فَاِستَعجَلوها

بِضَربٍ بِالسِياطِ مُحَدرَجاتِ

بِضَربٍ بِالسِياطِ مُحَدرَجاتِ

And I said, “Hurry!”—and they hastened it along

And I said hurry, so they hurried it

I cried, 'Make haste!' and so they hastened the work,

by beating it with rounded whips.

With lashes, hastening

Striking the mix with rounded, whipping rods.

ذَوائِبُ أُمُّها جُعِلَت سِياطاً

ذَوائِبُ أُمُّها جُعِلَت سِياطاً

تَحُثُّ فَما تَناهى ضارِباتِ

تَحُثُّ فَما تَناهى ضارِباتِ

Its mother’s tresses were made into whips,

The locks of their mother became whips

From the very fronds of its mother, whips were fashioned

urging it on, never ceasing to strike.

That drive without tiring of striking

To urge the brew, striking without pause,

فَوَلَّدَتِ السِياطُ لَها هَديراً

فَوَلَّدَتِ السِياطُ لَها هَديراً

كَتَرجيعِ الفُحولِ الهائِجاتِ

كَتَرجيعِ الفُحولِ الهائِجاتِ

Then the whips gave birth to a roar in it,

So the lashes birthed for them a roar

Until the whipping birthed a rumbling sound,

like the repeated bellows of rutting bull camels.

Like the snorting of frenzied stallions

Like the bellowing of stallions in their rage.

فَلَمّا قيلَ قَد بَلَغَت وَلَمّا

فَلَمّا قيلَ قَد بَلَغَت وَلَمّا

وَتوشِكُ أَن تُقَرُّ وَأَن تُواني

وَتوشِكُ أَن تُقَرُّ وَأَن تُواني

Then, when they said, “It has matured”—though not yet—

So when it was said she has ripened and when

And when they said, 'It is mature,' and the time was ripe,

and it was about to settle and subside,

She was about to settle and weaken

And the ferment was ready to settle and to rest,

نَسَجتُ لَها عَمائِمَ مِن تُرابٍ

نَسَجتُ لَها عَمائِمَ مِن تُرابٍ

وَماءٍ مُحكَماتٍ موثَقاتِ

وَماءٍ مُحكَماتٍ موثَقاتِ

I wove turbans for them out of earth

I wove for her turbans of clay

I wove for the jars tight turbans made of clay

and water, firm and tightly secured.

And firm, tightly-bound waters

Mixed with water, sealed and firmly bound.

سَتَرتُ الجَوَّ خَوفاً مِن أَذاهُ

سَتَرتُ الجَوَّ خَوفاً مِن أَذاهُ

فَباتَت مِن أَذاهُ آمِناتِ

فَباتَت مِن أَذاهُ آمِناتِ

I shut out the air, for fear of its harm,

I veiled the air fearing its harm

I shut out the air for fear of its harm,

so they spent the night safe from its harm.

So she spent the night safe from its harm

So the wine remained secure from any blight.

فَلَمّا قيلَ قَد بَلَغَت كَشَفنا ال

فَلَمّا قيلَ قَد بَلَغَت كَشَفنا ال

عَمائِمَ عَن وُجوهٍ مُشرِقاتِ

عَمائِمَ عَن وُجوهٍ مُشرِقاتِ

Then, when they said, “It has matured,” we removed the

So when it was said she has ripened we unveiled

And when told, 'It has aged,' we stripped away

turbans from radiant faces.

Faces shining like the bright sun

The clay turbans to reveal radiant faces.

حَساها كُلُّ أَروَعَ شَيظَمِيٍّ

حَساها كُلُّ أَروَعَ شَيظَمِيٍّ

كَريمِ الجَدِّ مَحمودٍ مُؤاتِ

كَريمِ الجَدِّ مَحمودٍ مُؤاتِ

Every gallant, tall and sturdy man sipped it,

All deemed her more beautiful than any Shimaysi

Sipped by every noble and towering soul,

of noble lineage, esteemed and obliging.

Noble, praised, generous

Of high lineage, praised and obliging.

تَحِيَّةَ بَينَهُم تَفديكَ روحي

تَحِيَّةَ بَينَهُم تَفديكَ روحي

وَآخِرُ قَولِهِم أَفديكَ هاتِ

وَآخِرُ قَولِهِم أَفديكَ هاتِ

Their greeting to one another: “May my soul ransom you!”

A greeting between them redeems your soul

Their greeting is, 'May my soul be your ransom!'

And their last words: “I would ransom you—bring it!”

And their final word is "I sacrifice you, bring it!"

And their parting words, 'I ransom you—pour more!'