أَمسَت سُمَيَّةُ صَرَّمَت حَبلي

أَمسَت سُمَيَّةُ صَرَّمَت حَبلي

وَنَأَت وَخالَفَ شَكلُها شَكلي

وَنَأَت وَخالَفَ شَكلُها شَكلي

By evening, Sumayya had severed my cord,

My rope was cut off by Sumayya after she turned away,

And gone far away; her disposition differs from mine.

Her ways diverged and her manner differed from mine.

وَعَدا العَوادي عَن زِيارَتِها

وَعَدا العَوادي عَن زِيارَتِها

إِلّا تَلاقينا عَلى شُغلِ

إِلّا تَلاقينا عَلى شُغلِ

And hindrances kept me from visiting her,

Except when we met due to work,

Except when we meet while otherwise occupied.

The frequent visitors stopped coming to see her.

وَرَجاهُمُ يَومَ الدَوارِ كَما

وَرَجاهُمُ يَومَ الدَوارِ كَما

يَرجو المُقامِرُ نَيِّلَ الخَصلِ

يَرجو المُقامِرُ نَيِّلَ الخَصلِ

And he hoped for them on the day of Dawar, as

And they hoped on the day of parting as

The gambler hopes to win the stakes.

The gambler hopes to obtain the winning arrows.

وَلَقَد عَرَفتَ لَئِن نَأَت وَتَباعَدَت

وَلَقَد عَرَفتَ لَئِن نَأَت وَتَباعَدَت

أَلّا تُلاقِيَها سِنِيَّ الحِسلِ

أَلّا تُلاقِيَها سِنِيَّ الحِسلِ

And you surely know, if she goes far away and keeps her distance,

And you knew well that if she turned away and grew distant,

That you will not meet her for all the years of a young spiny-tailed lizard.

You would not meet her, advanced in years.

فيئي إِلَيكِ فَإِنَّني رَجُلٌ

فيئي إِلَيكِ فَإِنَّني رَجُلٌ

لَم يُخزِني حَسَبي وَلا أَصلي

لَم يُخزِني حَسَبي وَلا أَصلي

Come to your senses, for I am a man:

Return to me, for I am a man

Neither my honor nor my lineage has disgraced me.

Whom my lineage and origin did not dishonor.

أَدَعُ الفَواحِشَ أَن أُسَبَّ بِها

أَدَعُ الفَواحِشَ أَن أُسَبَّ بِها

وَشَريكَها فَكِلَيهِما أَقلي

وَشَريكَها فَكِلَيهِما أَقلي

I shun shameful deeds, lest I be reviled for them,

I avoid outrageous acts by which I would be censured

And their accomplice—for I loathe them both.

And I consider both her and her companion the lowest.

وَوَجَدتُ آبائي لَهُم خُلُقٌ

وَوَجَدتُ آبائي لَهُم خُلُقٌ

عَفُّ الشَمائِلِ غَيرُ ذي دَخلِ

عَفُّ الشَمائِلِ غَيرُ ذي دَخلِ

And I found my forefathers had a character

And I found my forefathers had a moral character

Upright in its ways, free of corruption.

Of virtuous traits, not of intrusiveness.

لَو تَصدُقينَ لَقُلتِ إِنَّهُمُ

لَو تَصدُقينَ لَقُلتِ إِنَّهُمُ

صُبُرٌ عَلى النَجَداتِ وَالأَزلِ

صُبُرٌ عَلى النَجَداتِ وَالأَزلِ

If you spoke truthfully, you would say that they

If you were to believe me, I would say they are

Are steadfast through ordeals and privation,

Patience against calamities and times.

وَعَلى الرَزِيَّةِ مِن نُفوسِهِمِ

وَعَلى الرَزِيَّةِ مِن نُفوسِهِمِ

وَتَلاتِلَ اللَزباتِ وَالقَتلِ

وَتَلاتِلَ اللَزباتِ وَالقَتلِ

And through losses among their own people,

And against affliction from their souls

And the shocks of dire hardships and killing.

And continuous sorrows and killings.

هَلّا سَأَلتِ إِذا هُمُ اِحتَمَلوا

هَلّا سَأَلتِ إِذا هُمُ اِحتَمَلوا

فَتَحَوَّلوا لِخَطيطَةٍ مَحلِ

فَتَحَوَّلوا لِخَطيطَةٍ مَحلِ

Why did you not inquire, when they struck camp

Why not ask - when they endured

And moved to a rainless, drought-stricken tract,

And turned to a plain that has no pasture,

يُعيِي الرِعاءَ بِها مَسارِحُهُم

يُعيِي الرِعاءَ بِها مَسارِحُهُم

وَجَفَت مَراتِعُها عَنِ البُزلِ

وَجَفَت مَراتِعُها عَنِ البُزلِ

Where their grazing grounds exhaust the herdsmen,

Which exhausted the shepherds’ camps

And its pastures were inhospitable to mature camels?

And whose pastures dried up lacking plants,

إِذ لا يُدَنِّسُنا الشِتاءُ وَلا

إِذ لا يُدَنِّسُنا الشِتاءُ وَلا

نَطَأُ الضَعيفَ إِرادَةَ الأَكلِ

نَطَأُ الضَعيفَ إِرادَةَ الأَكلِ

For winter does not sully us, nor

As neither winter nor summer defiles us

Do we trample the weak in pursuit of food.

Nor do we trample the weak out of gluttony.

وَيُنَفِّسونَ عَنِ المُضافِ إِذا

وَيُنَفِّسونَ عَنِ المُضافِ إِذا

نَظَرَ الفَوارِسُ عَورَةَ الرَجلِ

نَظَرَ الفَوارِسُ عَورَةَ الرَجلِ

And they bring relief to the hard-pressed man when

And they give respite from the guest if

The horsemen spy a man's vulnerable spot,

The horsemen look upon the weakness of the man,

المُقبِلينَ نُحورَ خَيلِهِمُ

المُقبِلينَ نُحورَ خَيلِهِمُ

حَدَّ الرِماحِ وَغَبيَةَ النَبلِ

حَدَّ الرِماحِ وَغَبيَةَ النَبلِ

Turning their horses' breasts toward

With their spear-points facing the necks of their steeds

The spearpoints and the shower of arrows.

And the stupidity of arrows.