هَل لا يُهَيِّجُ شَوقُكَ الطَلَلُ

هَل لا يُهَيِّجُ شَوقُكَ الطَلَلُ

أَم لا يُفَرِّطُ شَيخَكَ الغَزَلُ

أَم لا يُفَرِّطُ شَيخَكَ الغَزَلُ

Do the deserted ruins not stir your longing?

Does not your longing stir the deserted abodes?

Or does love not drive your aged self to excess?

Or does not your elder pine away through separation?

أَم ذا القَطينَ أَصابَ مَقتَلَهُ

أَم ذا القَطينَ أَصابَ مَقتَلَهُ

مِنهُ وَخانوهُ إِذا اِحتَمَلوا

مِنهُ وَخانوهُ إِذا اِحتَمَلوا

Or did this encamped folk strike his mortal spot,

Or has the wild cat met its death,

Within him, and betray him when they departed?

And it betrayed you when they bore it?

وَرَأَيتَ ظُعنَهُمُ مُقَفِّيَةً

وَرَأَيتَ ظُعنَهُمُ مُقَفِّيَةً

تَعلو المَخارِمَ سَيرُها رَمَلُ

تَعلو المَخارِمَ سَيرُها رَمَلُ

And you saw their women's litters receding,

And you saw their teats drawn up

Climbing the mountain passes, their pace a trot.

Ascending the sand-hills, the track of which is sand.

قَنَأَ العُهونَ عَلى حَوامِلِها

قَنَأَ العُهونَ عَلى حَوامِلِها

وَعَلى الرُهاوِيّاتِ وَالكِلَلُ

وَعَلى الرُهاوِيّاتِ وَالكِلَلُ

The wool glowed crimson on their bearers,

It milks the pregnant camels in due season,

And on the Rahawi cloths and the canopies.

And those in milk, though barren and dry.

وَكَأَنَّ غِزلانَ الصَريمِ بِها

وَكَأَنَّ غِزلانَ الصَريمِ بِها

تَحتَ الخُدورِ يُظِلُّها الظُلَلُ

تَحتَ الخُدورِ يُظِلُّها الظُلَلُ

As though gazelles of al-Sarim were within them,

And as though the gazelles of Sarim were with it

Beneath the curtains, shaded by awnings.

Under the thorn bushes shaded from the sun.

تامَت فُؤادَكَ يَومَ بَينِهِمُ

تامَت فُؤادَكَ يَومَ بَينِهِمُ

عِندَ التَفَرُّقِ ظَبيَةٌ عُطُلُ

عِندَ التَفَرُّقِ ظَبيَةٌ عُطُلُ

Your heart was enslaved on the day of their departure,

Your heart was melted the day they departed

At the parting, by an unadorned doe.

At the moment of separation, O impetuous doe!

شَنِفَت إِلى رَشَأٍ تُرَبِّبُه

شَنِفَت إِلى رَشَأٍ تُرَبِّبُه

وَلَها بِذاتِ الحاذِ مُعتَزَلُ

وَلَها بِذاتِ الحاذِ مُعتَزَلُ

She turned her gaze toward a fawn she nurtured,

It turned aside to a copse, which contained it,

And she has a secluded retreat at Dhat al-Hadh:

And for it the thickets of Al-Had are a dwelling secluded.

ظِلٌ إِذا ضَحِيَت وَمُرَتَقَبُ

ظِلٌ إِذا ضَحِيَت وَمُرَتَقَبُ

وَلا يَكونُ لِلَيلِها دَغَلُ

وَلا يَكونُ لِلَيلِها دَغَلُ

Shade when she is exposed to the sun, and a lookout,

A shade which appears when the sun shines,

And no lurking danger troubles her night.

And no darkness is there for its night.

فَسَقى مَنازِلَها وَحِلَّتَها

فَسَقى مَنازِلَها وَحِلَّتَها

قِردُ الرَبابِ لِصَوتِهِ زَجَلُ

قِردُ الرَبابِ لِصَوتِهِ زَجَلُ

So may her dwellings and encampment be watered

So the music of its cord made its dwellings joyful,

By a cloud with matted underclouds, its voice a roar.

And resounded for it with the moaning of the lute.

أَبدى مَحاسِنَهُ لِناظِرِهِ

أَبدى مَحاسِنَهُ لِناظِرِهِ

ذاتَ العِشاءِ مُهَلَّبٌ خَضِلُ

ذاتَ العِشاءِ مُهَلَّبٌ خَضِلُ

It revealed its beauties to its beholder,

It showed its beauties to its visitor

At nightfall, shaggy and dripping wet,

In the evening, stripped bare, not clothed.

مُتَحَلِّبٌ تَهوي الجَنوبُ بِهِ

مُتَحَلِّبٌ تَهوي الجَنوبُ بِهِ

فَتَكادُ تَعدِلُهُ وَيَنجَفِلُ

فَتَكادُ تَعدِلُهُ وَيَنجَفِلُ

Pouring rain, borne along by the south wind,

Swaying, the zephyr blowing on it,

Which nearly turns it aside as it scuds away.

It almost spoke plainly, and would scarcely stammer.

وَضَعَت لَدى الأَصناعِ ضاحِيَةً

وَضَعَت لَدى الأَصناعِ ضاحِيَةً

فَوَهى السُيوبُ وَحُطَّتِ العِجَلُ

فَوَهى السُيوبُ وَحُطَّتِ العِجَلُ

The wind set it down by al-Asna', in the open;

It laid down, to try them, the ornaments,

Then the rain-streams burst and the water-buckets were lowered.

And took off its long robes and wrapped them up.

فَسَقى اِمرِأَ القَيسِ بنِ عَمَرَةَ إِنَّ

فَسَقى اِمرِأَ القَيسِ بنِ عَمَرَةَ إِنَّ

الأَكرَمينَ لِذِكرِهِم نَبَلُ

الأَكرَمينَ لِذِكرِهِم نَبَلُ

So may it water Imru' al-Qays ibn 'Amarah; indeed,

So Imru al-Qais, son of Amr, gave water to drink when

The most generous have honor in their remembrance.

Those most generous shared the remembrance of them.

كَم طَعنَةٍ لَكَ غَيرِ طائِشَةٍ

كَم طَعنَةٍ لَكَ غَيرِ طائِشَةٍ

ما إِن يَكونُ لِجُرحِها خَلَلُ

ما إِن يَكونُ لِجُرحِها خَلَلُ

How many an unerring spear-thrust you have dealt,

How many a piercing thrust is there for you not random,

Whose wound is without flaw!

Which, though it would not cause death, has no cure!

فَطَعَنتَها وَضَرَبتَ ثانِيَةً

فَطَعَنتَها وَضَرَبتَ ثانِيَةً

أُخرى وَتَنزِلُ إِن هُمُ نَزَلوا

أُخرى وَتَنزِلُ إِن هُمُ نَزَلوا

So you dealt that thrust and struck a second,

You pierced with it, then you struck again,

Another blow; and you dismount if they dismount.

Another, while they descend, if they should descend.

يَهَبُ المَخاضَ عَلى غَوارِبِها

يَهَبُ المَخاضَ عَلى غَوارِبِها

زَبَدُ الفُحولِ مَعانُها بَقِلُ

زَبَدُ الفُحولِ مَعانُها بَقِلُ

He gives pregnant she-camels, upon whose withers

The parturient camel hastens with its burden,

Lies the bull camels' foam, their pastures lush.

The juice of valiant men mixed with it decreases.

وَعِشارُها بَعدَ المَخاضِ وَقَد

وَعِشارُها بَعدَ المَخاضِ وَقَد

صافَت وَعَمَّ رِباعَها النَفَلُ

صافَت وَعَمَّ رِباعَها النَفَلُ

And their ten-month-pregnant cows after the other pregnant ones, once

And after parturition, when it was purified,

They have summered and clover covers their quarters.

And its sides flowed with milk, it was covered with butter.

وَإِذا المُجَزِّىءُ حانَ مَشرَبُهُ

وَإِذا المُجَزِّىءُ حانَ مَشرَبُهُ

عِندَ المَصيفِ وَسَرَّهُ النَهَلُ

عِندَ المَصيفِ وَسَرَّهُ النَهَلُ

And when the forage-sustained camel's drinking time comes

And when the weaned foal attains his time of drinking

In summer, and the first draught delights it,

In the hot weather, and his delight is the water-skin.

رَشفُ الذِنابِ عَلى جَماجِمِها

رَشفُ الذِنابِ عَلى جَماجِمِها

ما إِن يَكونُ لِحَوضِها سَمَلُ

ما إِن يَكونُ لِحَوضِها سَمَلُ

Those at the rear sip over their heads;

It drinks the contents of the water-skins in its joy,

No water is left at the bottom of their trough.

Not ceasing till its sides and its hinder-parts are wet.