لِمَن طَلَلٌ وَخَيمٌ قَد عَرينا

لِمَن طَلَلٌ وَخَيمٌ قَد عَرينا

وَسُفعٌ حَولَ أَورَقَ قَد صَلِينا

وَسُفعٌ حَولَ أَورَقَ قَد صَلِينا

Whose are these ruins and tents, now laid bare,

For whom are ruins and tents that we have stripped bare,

And soot-dark hearthstones around gray ash, which have endured

And branches surrounding which we have prayed?

أُوارَ النارِ حَتّى هُنَّ جُونٌ

أُوارَ النارِ حَتّى هُنَّ جُونٌ

وَلَم يُخلَقنَ يَومَ خُلِقنَ جُونا

وَلَم يُخلَقنَ يَومَ خُلِقنَ جُونا

the fire's fierce heat until they are black,

Fires were lit until the cooking-pots boiled,

though they were not created black on the day they were made?

And they were not created as empty pots on the day they were made.

عَفاها القَطرُ أَزماناً وَرِيحٌ

عَفاها القَطرُ أَزماناً وَرِيحٌ

كَساها بَعدَ ساكِنِها دَرينا

كَساها بَعدَ ساكِنِها دَرينا

Rain effaced them through the ages, and a wind

The rain left them for years, and a wind

clothed them in withered grass after their dweller left.

Covered them after their dwellers had forsaken them.

تَعاقَبَها فَقَد بَلِيَت كُرُورٌ

تَعاقَبَها فَقَد بَلِيَت كُرُورٌ

مِنَ العَصرَينِ مُوحِشَةً سِنِينا

مِنَ العَصرَينِ مُوحِشَةً سِنِينا

Cycles passed over them, and they have worn away,

Ages have succeeded each other; they have experienced many moons

with night and day returning, desolate for years,

Desolate for years from both eras.

بِشَرجِ الهَضبَتَينِ وَحَيثُ لاقى

بِشَرجِ الهَضبَتَينِ وَحَيثُ لاقى

رُقاقُ السَهلِ مِن خُوعى الحُزُونا

رُقاقُ السَهلِ مِن خُوعى الحُزُونا

in the ravine of the two hills, and where there meet

By the slopes of the two plateaus, and where

the smooth flats of Khūʿā's plain and the rugged ground.

The softness of the valley meets the sadness of the bending sand dunes,

عَرَفتُ بِها مَنازِلَ ذَكَّرَتني

عَرَفتُ بِها مَنازِلَ ذَكَّرَتني

مَعالِمُ آيها شَجَناً دَفِينا

مَعالِمُ آيها شَجَناً دَفِينا

There I recognized dwellings; I was reminded

I recognized the dwellings that reminded me

of a buried grief by the landmarks of their traces.

Of their features - deep yearning.

وَآياتُ الرُسُومِ مُذَكَّرَاتٌ

وَآياتُ الرُسُومِ مُذَكَّرَاتٌ

أُمُوراً قَد مَضَينَ وَقَد نُسِينا

أُمُوراً قَد مَضَينَ وَقَد نُسِينا

And the signs of the ruins call to mind

And the markings of the diagrams are memories

things that have passed and been forgotten.

Of events now passed and forgotten.

وَمَجلِسِ أَربَعٍ يَشكِينَ لَيلاً

وَمَجلِسِ أَربَعٍ يَشكِينَ لَيلاً

إِلَيَّ مِنَ الصَبابَةِ ما لَقِينا

إِلَيَّ مِنَ الصَبابَةِ ما لَقِينا

And a gathering of four women, complaining by night

And a gathering of four complaining at night

to me of what they had suffered from passionate longing.

To me of adventures we encountered in our youth.

فَأَبدَيتُ الحَديثَ حَديثَ نَفسي

فَأَبدَيتُ الحَديثَ حَديثَ نَفسي

وَما قَد كُنتُ قَد أَضمَرتُ حيناً

وَما قَد كُنتُ قَد أَضمَرتُ حيناً

So I revealed my tale, the tale of my own soul,

So I spoke the speech of my own soul

and what I had kept hidden for a time

And what I had harbored silently long ago

مِنَ الشَوقِ المُبَرِّحِ إِن شَوقي

مِنَ الشَوقِ المُبَرِّحِ إِن شَوقي

لَهُنَّ يَكُونُ أُهوَنُهُ رَصِينا

لَهُنَّ يَكُونُ أُهوَنُهُ رَصِينا

of tormenting longing; indeed, my longing

Of joyful longing - though my longing for them

for them is, even at its mildest, deeply rooted.

Would be slighted as feeble.

خَرائِدُ ما خَرَجنَ إِلَيَّ حَتّى

خَرائِدُ ما خَرَجنَ إِلَيَّ حَتّى

جَعَلنَ لِمَن يَخَفنَ بِنا عُيُونا

جَعَلنَ لِمَن يَخَفنَ بِنا عُيُونا

Bashful maidens—they did not come out to me until

Whisperings of those who went out to me until

they had posted watchers over those they feared on our account.

They made eyes for whoever feared us.

فَأَخفَينَ الَّذي أَجمَعنَ لَمّا

فَأَخفَينَ الَّذي أَجمَعنَ لَمّا

أَرَدنَ لُقَيَّنا حَتّى خَفِينا

أَرَدنَ لُقَيَّنا حَتّى خَفِينا

So they concealed what they had resolved upon when

So they hid what they had gathered when

they wished to meet us, until they were out of sight.

They wanted to meet me until we were hidden.

كَأَنَّ دَلِيلَهُنَّ بِهنَّ يَهدى

كَأَنَّ دَلِيلَهُنَّ بِهنَّ يَهدى

جَوازئَ مِن نِعاجِ الرَملِ عِينا

جَوازئَ مِن نِعاجِ الرَملِ عِينا

As though their guide, leading them, were guiding

As if their guide led them

wide-eyed female antelopes of the sands, grazing without need of water.

Through the thickets of gazelles in the sand.

فِجِئنَ وَما يَكَدنَ إِذا اِرجَحَنَّت

فِجِئنَ وَما يَكَدنَ إِذا اِرجَحَنَّت

بِها الأَعجازُ مِن ثِقَلٍ يَنُونا

بِها الأَعجازُ مِن ثِقَلٍ يَنُونا

They came, scarcely able, when weighed down

They came suddenly when their rear parts bent

by the heaviness of their haunches, to rise.

With the heavy weight they carried.