هيَ الجَرعاءُ صاديَةٌ رُباها

هيَ الجَرعاءُ صاديَةٌ رُباها

فَزُرها يا هُذَيمُ أَما تَراها

فَزُرها يا هُذَيمُ أَما تَراها

It is al-Jarʿāʾ; its hills are thirsty.

She is the shapely doe her upbringing refined

So visit it, O Hudhaym—do you not see it?

So visit her, O Huthaym, do you not see her there?

وَخَلِّ بِها دموعَكَ واكِفاتٍ

وَخَلِّ بِها دموعَكَ واكِفاتٍ

وَكِيفَ السُّحْبِ واهيَةً كُلاها

وَكِيفَ السُّحْبِ واهيَةً كُلاها

And let your tears stream down there,

And with her shed your tears though they suffice her not

like the downpour of clouds whose flanks give way.

Like scattered clouds made faint, all lacking rain

وَلا تَذعَر بِها أَدماءَ تُزجِي

وَلا تَذعَر بِها أَدماءَ تُزجِي

بِرَوْقَيها عَلى لَغَبٍ طَلاها

بِرَوْقَيها عَلى لَغَبٍ طَلاها

And do not startle there a white gazelle urging

Let not her feet alarm you, treading blood they spurn

her fawn along with her two horns, despite weariness.

With their brightness on a meadow where the dew's outpoured

أَتَنسى قَولَ صَحبِكَ إِذ تَراءَتْ

أَتَنسى قَولَ صَحبِكَ إِذ تَراءَتْ

هيَ ابنَةُ وائِلٍ لَولا شَواها

هيَ ابنَةُ وائِلٍ لَولا شَواها

Do you forget your companions' words when she appeared:

Can you forget your companion's words when she appeared?

"She would be Wāʾil's daughter, but for her limbs"?

She is Wa'il's daughter, were it not for modesty

فَأَنتَ تَخالُها ظَمياءَ تَمشي

فَأَنتَ تَخالُها ظَمياءَ تَمشي

عَلى خَفَرٍ وَقَد فَقَدَت حُلاها

عَلى خَفَرٍ وَقَد فَقَدَت حُلاها

So you imagine her to be Ẓamyāʾ, walking

Yet you imagine her a towering woman walking

with modest reserve, having lost her ornaments.

On thin slippers, she who's lost her shoes somewhere

وَما فَتخاءُ تَنفُضُ كُلَّ أَرضٍ

وَما فَتخاءُ تَنفُضُ كُلَّ أَرضٍ

بِعَينٍ إِن رَنَتْ بَلَغَتْ مَداها

بِعَينٍ إِن رَنَتْ بَلَغَتْ مَداها

And no broad-winged eagle, scouring every tract

Not boastful, though she shakes the ground, every bit of it

with an eye that, when it gazes, reaches its farthest bounds,

With a glance, did she want she'd reach the farthest span

جَريمَةُ ناهِضٍ يَشكو طَواهُ

جَريمَةُ ناهِضٍ يَشكو طَواهُ

إِلَيها وَهْيَ شاكيَةٌ طَواها

إِلَيها وَهْيَ شاكيَةٌ طَواها

a provider for a fledgling complaining of his hunger

A lover's crime whose love he tells her of

to her, while she complains of her own hunger—

While she complains of love's caprice and pain

فَطارَت وَالفؤادُ لَهُ التِفاتٌ

فَطارَت وَالفؤادُ لَهُ التِفاتٌ

إِلَيهِ وَقَد عَناهُ ما عَناها

إِلَيهِ وَقَد عَناهُ ما عَناها

so she flew, her heart still turning

So she flew away, though her heart glanced his way

toward him, already stricken by what had stricken her,

And forgot him though he never forgot her

تَصيدُ وَلا تَحيدُ وَلَو تَمَطَّى

تَصيدُ وَلا تَحيدُ وَلَو تَمَطَّى

بِها ما حاوَلَتهُ إِلى رَداها

بِها ما حاوَلَتهُ إِلى رَداها

hunting without swerving, even should she be drawn

She hunts though strays not, even if she pretended

by what she pursued toward her death;

She'd not desire him, or wish to be rid of him

فَيُسِّرَ نُجحُها وَلِكُلِّ نَفسٍ

فَيُسِّرَ نُجحُها وَلِكُلِّ نَفسٍ

مِنَ الطَلَبِ المَنيَّةُ أَو مُناها

مِنَ الطَلَبِ المَنيَّةُ أَو مُناها

so success was made easy for her; and for every soul,

So may her hunting prosper! For each soul

striving brings either death or what it desires;

Death or rest from seeking is the hoped for end

وَعادَتْ تَبتَغيهِ وَلَم تَجِدهُ

وَعادَتْ تَبتَغيهِ وَلَم تَجِدهُ

وَكادَ يُذيبُ مُهجَتَها جَواها

وَكادَ يُذيبُ مُهجَتَها جَواها

and she returned to seek him but did not find him,

She looked for him again but did not find him

and her burning grief nearly melted her heart;

And her passion almost melted her insides

وَباتَت وَهي تَنشُدُهُ بِعَينٍ

وَباتَت وَهي تَنشُدُهُ بِعَينٍ

مُؤرَّقَةٍ يُصارِمُها كَراها

مُؤرَّقَةٍ يُصارِمُها كَراها

and she spent the night seeking him with an eye

She spent the night speaking of him with sleepless

sleepless, deserted by its slumber—

Eyes that mixed her tears with her abhorrence

بِأَبرَحِ مِن أَخيكَ أَسىً وَوَجداً

بِأَبرَحِ مِن أَخيكَ أَسىً وَوَجداً

إِذا الحَسناء شَطَّ بِها نَواها

إِذا الحَسناء شَطَّ بِها نَواها

is more deeply stricken with sorrow and longing than your brother

With more profound sadness and passion than you

when the beauty's departure bears her far away.

When the lovely one is carried away by her passion

نَبيلَةُ ما تواري الأُزرُ مِنها

نَبيلَةُ ما تواري الأُزرُ مِنها

صَموتٌ حَجلُها خَفِقٌ حَشاها

صَموتٌ حَجلُها خَفِقٌ حَشاها

Ample is what her waist-wraps conceal;

A noble lady whose hidden charms provoke

her anklet is silent, her midriff slender.

Rapture though veiled, so fiercely they entice

لَها بَيتٌ رَفيعُ السَّمكِ ضَخمٌ

لَها بَيتٌ رَفيعُ السَّمكِ ضَخمٌ

بِهِ تُزهى إِذا اِنتَسَبَتْ أَباها

بِهِ تُزهى إِذا اِنتَسَبَتْ أَباها

She has a mighty house, lofty in height,

She has a lofty, capacious house which she boasts of

in which she takes pride when she traces her descent to her father.

When she claims descent from her distinguished forebears

أَظُنُّ الخَمرَ ريقَتَها وَظَنِّي

أَظُنُّ الخَمرَ ريقَتَها وَظَنِّي

تُحَقِّقُهُ إِذا قَبَّلتُ فاها

تُحَقِّقُهُ إِذا قَبَّلتُ فاها

I think wine is her saliva; and my belief

I think she savored wine, and my notion

she confirms when I kiss her mouth.

Is confirmed when I kiss her mouth directly

مَتى اِبتَسَمَت تَكَشَّفَ عَن أَقاحٍ

مَتى اِبتَسَمَت تَكَشَّفَ عَن أَقاحٍ

تُقَرِّطُهُنَّ ساريَةٌ نَداها

تُقَرِّطُهُنَّ ساريَةٌ نَداها

Whenever she smiles, it opens to reveal daisies;

When she smiles her teeth gleam

a night-cloud hangs its dew upon them as earrings.

Like a pendant amidst her dark tresses

أُحِبُّ لِحُبِّها تَلَعاتِ نَجدٍ

أُحِبُّ لِحُبِّها تَلَعاتِ نَجدٍ

وَما شَغَفي بِها لَولا هَواها

وَما شَغَفي بِها لَولا هَواها

For love of her, I love the upland valleys of Najd;

For love of her I love the waists of Nejd

and but for love of her, I would have no passion for them.

And but for passion I'd never have loved her

أَما وَالرَّاقِصاتِ تُقِلُّ رَكْباً

أَما وَالرَّاقِصاتِ تُقِلُّ رَكْباً

كَأَنَّهُمُ الصُّقورُ عَلى مَطاها

كَأَنَّهُمُ الصُّقورُ عَلى مَطاها

Now, by the dancing she-camels bearing a band of riders,

By the dancers barely moving their hips

as though they were falcons upon their backs,

Like hawks standing atop their perches!

لَتَرتَميَنَّ بي وَاللَّيلُ داجٍ

لَتَرتَميَنَّ بي وَاللَّيلُ داجٍ

إِليها العيسُ مائِلَةً طُلاها

إِليها العيسُ مائِلَةً طُلاها

surely I shall be borne headlong, while the night is dark,

She will throw herself at me when night falls dark

to those valleys by pale camels, their necks inclined.

The Pleiades inclining, their faces veiled

فَإِنَّ بِها أَوانِسَ ناضَلَتْنِي

فَإِنَّ بِها أَوانِسَ ناضَلَتْنِي

بِأَلحاظٍ تَغيظُ بِها مَهاها

بِأَلحاظٍ تَغيظُ بِها مَهاها

For there are lovely maidens there who vied with me in archery,

For with her are intimates who challenged me

with glances that enrage the valleys' oryx,

With glances that provoked my jealousy

وَمُرتَبَعاً بِهِ الغُدرانُ تَخدي

وَمُرتَبَعاً بِهِ الغُدرانُ تَخدي

إِلَيها الناجياتُ عَلى وَجاها

إِلَيها الناجياتُ عَلى وَجاها

and a spring pasture with pools; striding swiftly

And with them the curls entice

toward them are fleet camels, despite their sore feet;

The whisperers to lean towards their cheeks

وَتَلصِقُ صِحَّةً بِالدَّاءِ مِنها

وَتَلصِقُ صِحَّةً بِالدَّاءِ مِنها

إِذا اِعتَنَقَتْ كَلاكِلُها ثَراها

إِذا اِعتَنَقَتْ كَلاكِلُها ثَراها

and they press health against the sickness within them

And health clings to disease from her

when their breasts embrace that land's soil.

When her trinkets embrace her neck's nape