لِمَن طَلَلٌ بِذاتِ الخَمسِ أَمسى

لِمَن طَلَلٌ بِذاتِ الخَمسِ أَمسى

عَفا بَينَ العَقيقِ فَبَطنِ ضَرسِ

عَفا بَينَ العَقيقِ فَبَطنِ ضَرسِ

Whose ruined campsite at Dhāt al-Khams has come to lie

For whom is a house ruins beside Dhat al-Khamis?

Effaced between al-ʿAqīq and the valley of Ḍars?

It stood out white between al-‘Aqiq and the belly of Dhars.

أُشَبِّهُها غَمامَةَ يَومِ دَجنٍ

أُشَبِّهُها غَمامَةَ يَومِ دَجنٍ

تَلَألَأَ بَرقُها أَو ضَوءَ شَمسِ

تَلَألَأَ بَرقُها أَو ضَوءَ شَمسِ

I liken her to a cloud on an overcast day,

I liken it to a cloudy day of planting,

Its lightning sparkling—or to the light of the sun.

Its lightning flashed or the light of a sun.

فَأُقسِم ما سَمِعتُ كَوَجدِ عَمروٍ

فَأُقسِم ما سَمِعتُ كَوَجدِ عَمروٍ

بِذاتِ الخالِ مِن جِنٍّ وَإِنسِ

بِذاتِ الخالِ مِن جِنٍّ وَإِنسِ

So I swear: I have heard of no passion like ʿAmr's

So I swear not to hear passionate love like ‘Amr’s

For the woman with the beauty mark, among jinn or humankind.

For she of the moles, from jinn and mankind.

وَقاكِ اللَهُ يا اِبنَةَ آلِ عَمروٍ

وَقاكِ اللَهُ يا اِبنَةَ آلِ عَمروٍ

مِنَ الفِتيانِ أَمثالي وَنَفسي

مِنَ الفِتيانِ أَمثالي وَنَفسي

May God shield you, daughter of the house of ʿAmr,

May God protect you, O daughter of the family of ‘Amr,

From young men like me, and from my own self.

From the youths, the likes of me and my soul.

فَلا تَلِدي وَلا يَنكَحكِ مِثلي

فَلا تَلِدي وَلا يَنكَحكِ مِثلي

إِذا ما لَيلَةٌ طَرَقَت بِنَحسِ

إِذا ما لَيلَةٌ طَرَقَت بِنَحسِ

So do not bear my like, nor let my like marry you,

So bear no children, nor marry the like of me,

When a night comes bearing misfortune.

Whenever a night comes with misfortune.

إِذا عُقبُ القُدورِ تَكَنَّ مالاً

إِذا عُقبُ القُدورِ تَكَنَّ مالاً

تُحِبُّ حَلائِلُ الأَبرامِ عِرسي

تُحِبُّ حَلائِلُ الأَبرامِ عِرسي

When the pots' leavings serve to conserve wealth,

When the pots are overturned, wealth becomes

The wives of miserly men love my wife.

The in-laws of the righteous love my wedding.

لَقَد عَلِمَ المَراضِعُ في جُمادى

لَقَد عَلِمَ المَراضِعُ في جُمادى

إِذا اِستَعجَلنَ عَن حَزٍّ بِنَهسِ

إِذا اِستَعجَلنَ عَن حَزٍّ بِنَهسِ

Nursing mothers know full well in Jumādā,

The wet nurses knew in Jumada,

When they hurry to bite instead of cutting,

When they were quickened from grief and restlessness,

بِأَنّي لا أَبيتُ بِغَيرِ لَحمٍ

بِأَنّي لا أَبيتُ بِغَيرِ لَحمٍ

وَأَبدَءُ بِالأَرامِلِ حينَ أُمسي

وَأَبدَءُ بِالأَرامِلِ حينَ أُمسي

That I never pass the night without meat,

That I spend no night without meat

And give first to widows when evening finds me.

And begin with the widows when I alight.

وَأَنّي لا يَهِرُّ الضَيفَ كَلبي

وَأَنّي لا يَهِرُّ الضَيفَ كَلبي

وَلا جاري يَبيتُ خَبيثَ نَفسي

وَلا جاري يَبيتُ خَبيثَ نَفسي

And that my dog never growls at a guest,

That my dog bays not the guest

Nor does my neighbor spend the night with me ill-disposed toward him.

Nor does a wicked slave stay in my presence.

وَتَزعُمُ أَنَّني شَيخٌ كَبيرٌ

وَتَزعُمُ أَنَّني شَيخٌ كَبيرٌ

وَهَل أَخبَرتُها أَنّي اِبنُ أَمسِ

وَهَل أَخبَرتُها أَنّي اِبنُ أَمسِ

Yet she claims that I am an aged old man;

And you claim that I am an old man,

But did I tell her I was born yesterday?

Yet did I tell her that I am the son of yesterday?

تُريدُ أُفَيحِجَ القَدَمَينِ شَثناً

تُريدُ أُفَيحِجَ القَدَمَينِ شَثناً

يُقَلِّعُ بِالجَديرَةِ كُلِّ كِرسِ

يُقَلِّعُ بِالجَديرَةِ كُلِّ كِرسِ

She wants a little bowlegged fellow, coarse-limbed,

You want legs that stumble bow-legged

Who uproots every hardened dung-heap in the fold.

To jerk the stirrup of every saddle.

وَأَصفَرَ مِن قِداحِ النَبعِ صُلبٍ

وَأَصفَرَ مِن قِداحِ النَبعِ صُلبٍ

بِهِ عَلَمانِ مِن عَقَبٍ وَضَرسِ

بِهِ عَلَمانِ مِن عَقَبٍ وَضَرسِ

And a yellow lot-arrow of hard nabʿ wood,

Yellow from drinking at springs morning draughts

With two marks upon it—a sinew binding and a notch—

With tusks and molars as identifiers.

دَفَعتُ إِلى المُفيضِ إِذا اِستَقَلّوا

دَفَعتُ إِلى المُفيضِ إِذا اِستَقَلّوا

عَلى الرَكَباتِ مَطلَعَ كُلِّ شَمسِ

عَلى الرَكَباتِ مَطلَعَ كُلِّ شَمسِ

I handed to the lot-drawer as they rose

I paid to the overflowing when they grew weary,

Upon their knees at every sunrise.

At the ascent of every sun on the knees.

وَإِن أَكدى فَتامِكَةٌ تُؤَدّي

وَإِن أَكدى فَتامِكَةٌ تُؤَدّي

وَإِن أَربى فَإِنّي غَيرُ نِكسِ

وَإِن أَربى فَإِنّي غَيرُ نِكسِ

And if it fails, a fat she-camel pays the forfeit;

And if barren, Tamika will repay

And if it brings a gain, I am no base fellow.

And if sterile, I am no lesser man.

وَمُرقِصَةٍ رَدَدتُ الخَيلَ عَنها

وَمُرقِصَةٍ رَدَدتُ الخَيلَ عَنها

بِموزِعَةِ التَوالي ذاتِ قِلسِ

بِموزِعَةِ التَوالي ذاتِ قِلسِ

And from many a bounding she-camel I drove the horsemen back,

And from a dancing girl I drove back horses,

With a blood-spurting thrust that checked the pursuers.

With rhythmic swaying heavy-hipped.

وَما قَصُرَت يَدي عَن عُظمِ أَمرٍ

وَما قَصُرَت يَدي عَن عُظمِ أَمرٍ

أَهُمُّ بِهِ وَما سَهمي بِنَكسِ

أَهُمُّ بِهِ وَما سَهمي بِنَكسِ

And my hand has never fallen short of a mighty undertaking

And my hand falls short of no great task

I set my mind on; my arrow is no shaft turned end for end.

That concerns me, my arrow is no lesser.

وَما أَنا بِالمُزَجّى حينَ يَسمو

وَما أَنا بِالمُزَجّى حينَ يَسمو

عَظيمٌ في الأُمورِ وَلا بِوَهسِ

عَظيمٌ في الأُمورِ وَلا بِوَهسِ

Nor am I one to be pushed about when there arises

And I am no waverer when matters rise high,

A weighty matter in affairs; nor am I a weakling.

Great in affairs, no coward, no weakling.

وَقَد أَجتازُ عَرضَ الخَرقِ لَيلاً

وَقَد أَجتازُ عَرضَ الخَرقِ لَيلاً

بِأَعيَسَ مِن جِمالِ العيدِ جَلسِ

بِأَعيَسَ مِن جِمالِ العيدِ جَلسِ

And at times I cross the wilderness's breadth by night,

And I crossed the breadth of the wounded at night,

On a stout, tawny-white camel of al-ʿĪd's stock.

Swifter than a stud on the feast day when it reclines.

كَأَنَّ عَلى تَنائِفِهِ إِذا ما

كَأَنَّ عَلى تَنائِفِهِ إِذا ما

أَضاءَت شَمسُهُ أَثوابَ وَرسِ

أَضاءَت شَمسُهُ أَثوابَ وَرسِ

As though upon its desert expanses, whenever

As if its shifts, when its sun shone,

Its sun shines, there were robes dyed yellow with wars.

Were clothes and bedsheets.