خَوى دَنُّ شَربٍ فَاِستَحابوا إِلى التُقى

خَوى دَنُّ شَربٍ فَاِستَحابوا إِلى التُقى

فَعيسُهُمُ نَحوَ الطَوافِ خَوادي

فَعيسُهُمُ نَحوَ الطَوافِ خَوادي

The drinkers' wine-jar emptied, so they turned to piety.

The zealots craved a drink, so they turned to piety

So their pale camels stride swiftly toward circumambulation.

Yet they trot towards circumambulation through the valleys

تَوي دَيِّنٌ في ظَنِّهِ ما حَرائِرٌ

تَوي دَيِّنٌ في ظَنِّهِ ما حَرائِرٌ

نَظائِرَ آمٍ وُكِّلَت بِتَوادي

نَظائِرَ آمٍ وُكِّلَت بِتَوادي

A devout man is undone by thinking free women are not

Religion has become corrupt in their minds, not composed of free women

the equals of bondwomen entrusted with wooden teat-clamps.

Who are peers of trusting and faithful women

رُوَيدَكَ لَو لَم يُلحِدِ السَيفُ لَم تَكُن

رُوَيدَكَ لَو لَم يُلحِدِ السَيفُ لَم تَكُن

لِتَحمِلَ هامَ المُلحِدينَ هَوادِ

لِتَحمِلَ هامَ المُلحِدينَ هَوادِ

Take your time: had the sword not strayed, there would be no

If not for the dissenters' swords, you would not

necks to bear the heads of heretics.

Have to bear the zeal of the dissenters

تَغَيَّرَتِ الأَشياءُ في كُلِّ مَوطِنٍ

تَغَيَّرَتِ الأَشياءُ في كُلِّ مَوطِنٍ

وَمَن لِجَوادٍ نائِلاً بِجَوادِ

وَمَن لِجَوادٍ نائِلاً بِجَوادِ

Things have changed in every place.

Things have changed everywhere

And who is generous with gifts to a generous man?

And who attains his goals through generosity?

فَما لِلسَوادي بِالمَعاشِرِ في الدُجى

فَما لِلسَوادي بِالمَعاشِرِ في الدُجى

لَقَد غَفَلَت عَن رِحلَةٍ بِسَوادِ

لَقَد غَفَلَت عَن رِحلَةٍ بِسَوادِ

So what have night-wanderers to do with company in the dark?

The dark-skinned has no association in darkness

They have indeed forgotten a journey through darkness.

She was heedless of a journey in the dark

وَلَيسَ رِكابي عَن رِضايَ عَوادِناً

وَلَيسَ رِكابي عَن رِضايَ عَوادِناً

وَلَكِن عَداها أَن تَسيرَ عَوادي

وَلَكِن عَداها أَن تَسيرَ عَوادي

And my riding camels do not linger by my consent,

My mounts are not, by my consent, accustomed

but hindrances have kept them from traveling.

To go on a journey except when they desire

أَتُجمَعُ في رَبعٍ قِيانٌ كَأَنَّها

أَتُجمَعُ في رَبعٍ قِيانٌ كَأَنَّها

شَوادِنُ بِاللَحنِ الخَفيفِ شَوادي

شَوادِنُ بِاللَحنِ الخَفيفِ شَوادي

Are singing slave girls gathered in a dwelling, as though they were

In an abode, there gathered women whose anklets

young gazelles singing to a light melody,

Were like the delicate anklets of maidens

بِوادٍ نَأَت عَنهُ العُيونُ وَعِندَهُ

بِوادٍ نَأَت عَنهُ العُيونُ وَعِندَهُ

بَوادِنُ لِلأَمرِ القَبيحِ بَوادي

بَوادِنُ لِلأَمرِ القَبيحِ بَوادي

in a valley far from watching eyes, where

In a land we came from which eyes are averse, wherein are

plump women appear openly for shameful deeds?

Lands for the ugly matter are wide

وَما تُشبِه الشَمسُ الرَوادِنُ مُرَّداً

وَما تُشبِه الشَمسُ الرَوادِنُ مُرَّداً

كَخَيلٍ بِميدانِ الفُسوقِ رَوادِ

كَخَيلٍ بِميدانِ الفُسوقِ رَوادِ

And aloof women who spin are unlike beardless youths,

The rising sun does not resemble horses

like horses galloping in the field of debauchery.

Galloping through the field of wickedness

وَكُلُّ رَوادٍ لا تُصابُ أَبيَّةٌ

وَكُلُّ رَوادٍ لا تُصابُ أَبيَّةٌ

مَتّى نوزِعَت في مَنطِقٍ لِرِوادِ

مَتّى نوزِعَت في مَنطِقٍ لِرِوادِ

And no roving woman is found unwilling

And every rising horse is not immune when

whenever she is drawn into conversation for wooing.

Distributing them in a pasture for horses

فَهَل قاتِلٌ مِنهُنَّ غَيداءُ مَرَّةً

فَهَل قاتِلٌ مِنهُنَّ غَيداءُ مَرَّةً

فَوادٍ وَهَل لِلمومِساتِ فَوادي

فَوادٍ وَهَل لِلمومِساتِ فَوادي

So does one who once kills a graceful woman among them

Did one of them, ever in life, kill Ghayda?

then pay blood money? And have prostitutes any ransomers?

And do prostitutes have a refuge?

تَفَرَّعَتِ الجُردَ العِرابَ لِعِزَّةٍ

تَفَرَّعَتِ الجُردَ العِرابَ لِعِزَّةٍ

كَوادِنُ بَينَ المُقَرِّفاتِ كَوادي

كَوادِنُ بَينَ المُقَرِّفاتِ كَوادي

Through power, sleek Arabian thoroughbreds have been overtopped

They separated the bare hills out of arrogance

by sluggish pack-horses among crossbred mares.

Like valleys between sneering women

تَروحُ إِلَيهِنَّ الغُواةُ عَشيَّةً

تَروحُ إِلَيهِنَّ الغُواةُ عَشيَّةً

وَهُنَّ عَلى ضِدِّ الجَميلِ غَوادي

وَهُنَّ عَلى ضِدِّ الجَميلِ غَوادي

The misguided visit them in the evening,

The reckless go to them in the evening

while they go out at dawn toward the opposite of good.

Yet they are the opposite of beauty, wastelands

حَوى دينَ قَومٍ مالُهُم فَنُفوسُهُم

حَوى دينَ قَومٍ مالُهُم فَنُفوسُهُم

إِلى الفَتَكاتِ المُخزِياتِ حَوادي

إِلى الفَتَكاتِ المُخزِياتِ حَوادي

A people's wealth has taken possession of their faith; so their souls

The religion of a people whose wealth has no limit, yet their souls

drive them toward shameful, treacherous killings.

Are towards decadent and disgraceful wastelands

وَقامَت عَلى أَهلِ الرَشادِ نَوادِبٌ

وَقامَت عَلى أَهلِ الرَشادِ نَوادِبٌ

وَغَصَّت بِأَهلِ المُندِياتِ نَوادي

وَغَصَّت بِأَهلِ المُندِياتِ نَوادي

And mourners rise to lament the rightly guided,

And there arose against the people of integrity supervisors

and meeting halls are choked with perpetrators of shameful deeds.

And the lands of the accusator were crowded with people of accusation

أَرى دَيرَ نَصرانِيَّةٍ مُتَظاهِرٌ

أَرى دَيرَ نَصرانِيَّةٍ مُتَظاهِرٌ

بِنُسكٍ أَلا إِنَّ الذِئابَ أَوادي

بِنُسكٍ أَلا إِنَّ الذِئابَ أَوادي

I see a Christian woman's convent making a show

I see a Christian monastery pretending

of devotion. Take heed: the wolves are treacherous.

Devotion, but wolves are wastelands

سِوى دَيدَنِ الجُهّالِ يَذهَبُ عَنهُمُ

سِوى دَيدَنِ الجُهّالِ يَذهَبُ عَنهُمُ

وَقَد طالَ جَهري فيهُمُ وَسَوادي

وَقَد طالَ جَهري فيهُمُ وَسَوادي

Anything beyond the habits of fools eludes them,

Apart from the custom of ignoramuses which goes from them

though my public speech and private counsel among them have gone on long.

While my public censure among them lasted for a long time

وَتَدري المَواضي ما دَواءَ دَوائِبٍ

وَتَدري المَواضي ما دَواءَ دَوائِبٍ

يَبِتنَ لِرَهطِ المَرءِ شَرَّ دَوادي

يَبِتنَ لِرَهطِ المَرءِ شَرَّ دَوادي

And keen blades know the cure for tireless creatures

And the lands know what remedy for creatures

that spend the night as the worst worms for a man's clan.

Who pass the night scheming the worst for people

وَإِنَّ دُواداً حينَ أَنكَرَ عَقلَهُ

وَإِنَّ دُواداً حينَ أَنكَرَ عَقلَهُ

لَغَيرُ مَقيتٍ عِندَ أُمِّ دُوادِ

لَغَيرُ مَقيتٍ عِندَ أُمِّ دُوادِ

And Duwad, when he no longer recognized his own mind,

Truly, when Duwad denied his sanity

was surely not detested by Umm Duwad.

He was not hated among the people of Duwad’s mother

أَتَأمَلُ رَيّاً بِالوُرودِ رَكائِبٌ

أَتَأمَلُ رَيّاً بِالوُرودِ رَكائِبٌ

صَوادِرُ عَن صَدّاءَ وَهِيَ صَوادِ

صَوادِرُ عَن صَدّاءَ وَهِيَ صَوادِ

Do riding camels hope to quench their thirst by coming to water,

I contemplate a vision in rose gardens - riders

when they leave Sadda still thirsty?

Departing while they are still departing