أَشاقَتكَ الهَوادِجُ والخُدُورُ

أَشاقَتكَ الهَوادِجُ والخُدُورُ

وَبَينُ الحَىِّ والظُّعُنُ البُكُورُ

وَبَينُ الحَىِّ والظُّعُنُ البُكُورُ

Have the howdahs and curtained chambers stirred your longing,

The mountain-passes and the sandy wastes confine you,

and the tribe's departure, and the women journeying at dawn?

And between the sands and rocky tracts are the morning stars,

وَبِيضٌ يَرتَمِينَ إِذا التَقَينا

وَبِيضٌ يَرتَمِينَ إِذا التَقَينا

قُلُوبَ القَومِ أَعيُنُهُنَّ حُورُ

قُلُوبَ القَومِ أَعيُنُهُنَّ حُورُ

And fair-skinned women shoot, whenever we meet,

White like the flash of our meeting glances,

at men's hearts; their eyes are dark against clear whites.

The hearts of the folk are eyes and they are pure.

هِجانُ اللَّونِ أَبكارٌ وَعُونٌ

هِجانُ اللَّونِ أَبكارٌ وَعُونٌ

عَلَيهِنَّ المَجاسِدُ وَالحَرِيرُ

عَلَيهِنَّ المَجاسِدُ وَالحَرِيرُ

Fair of complexion, maidens and mature women,

Soft-skinned maidens, shy and languorous,

with saffron-dyed garments and silk upon them.

Clad in their mantles and silken robes.

إِذا طَرَدَت فُنُونُ الرِّيحِ فِيهِ

إِذا طَرَدَت فُنُونُ الرِّيحِ فِيهِ

تَوَشَّى المِسكُ يأرَجُ وَالعَبِيرُ

تَوَشَّى المِسكُ يأرَجُ وَالعَبِيرُ

When the wind's varied gusts sweep through it,

When the wind tosses the fragrance of musk,

it becomes richly patterned, as musk and blended perfume waft.

Ambergris and perfume into the air,

بَدَونَ كأَنَّهُنَّ غَمامُ صَيفٍ

بَدَونَ كأَنَّهُنَّ غَمامُ صَيفٍ

تَهَلَّلَ وَاكفَهَرَّ لَهُ صَبِيرُ

تَهَلَّلَ وَاكفَهَرَّ لَهُ صَبِيرُ

They appeared as though they were a summer cloud

They appear like a summer's cloud,

that beamed, while a dense cloudbank frowned at it.

That passes suddenly, charged with abundant rain.

فَلَمّا أن رَكِبنَ تَنَكَّبَتنَا

فَلَمّا أن رَكِبنَ تَنَكَّبَتنَا

جَوافلُ مِن ذَوِى الحاجاتِ زُورُ

جَوافلُ مِن ذَوِى الحاجاتِ زُورُ

And when they mounted, they turned away from us,

But when they rode away, shoals of false men

fleeing, aloof from men with desires.

Thronged about them, all with some want.

نَعَم فَبَدا المُجَمجَمُ مِن فُؤَادِى

نَعَم فَبَدا المُجَمجَمُ مِن فُؤَادِى

وَكادَ القَلبُ مِن وَجدٍ يَطِيرُ

وَكادَ القَلبُ مِن وَجدٍ يَطِيرُ

Yes: what lay hidden in my heart came to light,

Then, truly, my skull was split from my bosom,

and my heart nearly flew away with passion.

My heart almost flew away for sadness.

يُكَلِّفُنِى عَلَى الحَدَثانِ قَلبِى

يُكَلِّفُنِى عَلَى الحَدَثانِ قَلبِى

نَوًى لِلحَىِّ مَطلَبُهَا عَسِيرُ

نَوًى لِلحَىِّ مَطلَبُهَا عَسِيرُ

My heart burdens me, despite time's vicissitudes,

My heart distraught by the maidens imposes on me

with the tribe's far-off destination, so hard to reach.

A wish hard to fulfil for their love.

عَلَى حِينَ اندَمَلَتُ وَثابَ حِلمِى

عَلَى حِينَ اندَمَلَتُ وَثابَ حِلمِى

وَلاحَ عَلَى مَفارِقِىَ القَتِيرُ

وَلاحَ عَلَى مَفارِقِىَ القَتِيرُ

Just when I had healed and my good sense returned,

Till my reason returned and my patience was restored,

and gray hairs showed along my hair's partings.

And the compact of my kinsmen was revealed to me.

كأَنَّ القَلبَ عِندَ دِيارِ سَلمَى

كأَنَّ القَلبَ عِندَ دِيارِ سَلمَى

سَلِيمٌ أو رَهِينُ دَمٍ أسِيرُ

سَلِيمٌ أو رَهِينُ دَمٍ أسِيرُ

As though my heart, at Salma's dwellings,

My heart seemed as though it were in Salma's dwellings,

were snakebitten, or a captive held for a blood-debt.

Safe, or a captive of blood held in durance.

كذَلكَ مِن أُمامةَ قَبلَ هذا

كذَلكَ مِن أُمامةَ قَبلَ هذا

لَيالَى أَنتَ مُقتَبَلٌ غَرِيرُ

لَيالَى أَنتَ مُقتَبَلٌ غَرِيرُ

It was the same with Umamah before this,

Even so, before this, you were my beloved,

in the days when you were youthful and guileless,

My nights were passed embraced by you, murmuring softly.

إِذِ المُتَهانِفُ الغُرنُوقُ يَهوى

إِذِ المُتَهانِفُ الغُرنُوقُ يَهوى

زِيارَتنا وَيَكرَهُنا الغَيورُ

زِيارَتنا وَيَكرَهُنا الغَيورُ

when the laughing, graceful young beauty loved

While the boon-companion, the sociable rogue, craved

to visit us, while the jealous man detested us.

Our visits, and the jealous one estranged us.

وَعِندَ الغانِياتِ لَنا دُيونٌ

وَعِندَ الغانِياتِ لَنا دُيونٌ

وَفِى مَأوَى القُلُوبِ هَوىً ضَمِيرُ

وَفِى مَأوَى القُلُوبِ هَوىً ضَمِيرُ

The beautiful women owe us debts,

With the singing-girls we had obligations

and hidden love lies in the hearts' abode.

And in the heart's retreat a love held in conscience.

تُرِيكَ مُفَلَّجاً عَذبَ الثَّنايا

تُرِيكَ مُفَلَّجاً عَذبَ الثَّنايا

كَلَونِ الأُقحُوَانِ لَهُ أُشُورُ

كَلَونِ الأُقحُوَانِ لَهُ أُشُورُ

She shows you a mouth with sweet, spaced front teeth,

You would show me gentle of conversation,

the color of chrysanthemums, with serrated edges,

Pliant like the Oka-branches, soft-lined,

وَعَينَى ظَبيَةٍ بِجِواءِ رَملٍ

وَعَينَى ظَبيَةٍ بِجِواءِ رَملٍ

يَصُوعُ فُؤَادَها رَشَأٌ صَغِيرُ

يَصُوعُ فُؤَادَها رَشَأٌ صَغِيرُ

and the eyes of a doe in a sandy hollow,

And the eye of a wild cow of Al-Jiwa', whose heart

whose heart a little fawn stirs.

A small calf wounds among the sand-dunes.

فَلَو تُولِينَنِى لَعَلِمتِ أَبِّى

فَلَو تُولِينَنِى لَعَلِمتِ أَبِّى

بِمَعرُوفٍ لِفاعِلِهِ شَكُورُ

بِمَعرُوفٍ لِفاعِلِهِ شَكُورُ

If you would favor me, you would know that I

Had you wished me well, you would have known my father

am grateful to anyone who does a kindness.

To be kindly to the doer of good, grateful.

أُدِيمُ لَكِ المَوَدَّةَ إِنَّ وَصلِى

أُدِيمُ لَكِ المَوَدَّةَ إِنَّ وَصلِى

بِأَحسَنِ ما ظَنَنتِ بِهِ جَدِيرُ

بِأَحسَنِ ما ظَنَنتِ بِهِ جَدِيرُ

I keep my affection constant for you; my bond with you

I would have kept faith with you; for my troth,

is worthy of the best opinion you have held of it.

I thought you worthy of the best I could give.

وَأَمنَحُكِ التِى لا عارَ فِيها

وَأَمنَحُكِ التِى لا عارَ فِيها

كَأَنَّ نَسِيبَها بُردٌ حَبِيرُ

كَأَنَّ نَسِيبَها بُردٌ حَبِيرُ

And I bestow on you a poem that holds no shame,

And granted you favours that bear no shame,

as though its love-prelude were a richly patterned mantle.

As though your kinsman were a hail-stone's core.

أتانا بِالمَلاَ كَلِمٌ حَدَاهُ

أتانا بِالمَلاَ كَلِمٌ حَدَاهُ

حِجازِىٌّ بِطِينَتِهِ فَخُورُ

حِجازِىٌّ بِطِينَتِهِ فَخُورُ

Words reached us on the open plain, chanted by

There came to us, wearing his clay like armour,

a Hijazi proud of his own clay.

A Hejazi, stiff-necked with pride.

عَدُوٌّ لا يَنامُ ولا تَرَاهُ

عَدُوٌّ لا يَنامُ ولا تَرَاهُ

وَلَو أَبدَى عَدَاوَتَهُ بَصيرُ

وَلَو أَبدَى عَدَاوَتَهُ بَصيرُ

An enemy who never sleeps, whom you cannot see,

A sleepless foe, unseen,

even if he reveals his enmity, keen-sighted though you are.

Though the keen-sighted were aware of his enmity,

وَلَو جاوَبتَنِى لَقَصَرتَ عَنِّى

وَلَو جاوَبتَنِى لَقَصَرتَ عَنِّى

وَأَنتَ عَنِ المَدَى نَاءٍ حَسِيرُ

وَأَنتَ عَنِ المَدَى نَاءٍ حَسِيرُ

If you answered me, you would fall short of me,

Had you answered me, you would have wearied of me,

far from the finish and exhausted.

While you fail far short of the distance I can go.

وَلَو عاوَدتَنِى لَرَأَيتَ قَومِى

وَلَو عاوَدتَنِى لَرَأَيتَ قَومِى

هُمُ الأَشرافُ وَالعَدَدُ الكَثِيرُ

هُمُ الأَشرافُ وَالعَدَدُ الكَثِيرُ

If you tried me again, you would see my people:

Had you returned to me, you would have seen my folk

they are the nobles, and a great multitude.

As the noblest tribe, in numbers many.

إِذا الجَوزاءُ أَردَفَتِ الثُّرَيا

إِذا الجَوزاءُ أَردَفَتِ الثُّرَيا

وَعَزَّ القَطرُ وافتُقِدَ الصَّبِيرُ

وَعَزَّ القَطرُ وافتُقِدَ الصَّبِيرُ

When Orion follows the Pleiades,

When Canopus follows the Pleiades,

and rain is scarce and the dense cloudbank is missing,

And rain becomes scarce and the patient man is sought,

وَبَاتَت فِى مكامِنِهَا الأَفاعِى

وَبَاتَت فِى مكامِنِهَا الأَفاعِى

وَلَم يَتَكَلَّمِ الكَلبُ العَقُورُ

وَلَم يَتَكَلَّمِ الكَلبُ العَقُورُ

and vipers spend the night in their hiding places,

When the snakes lie in their hiding-places,

and the vicious dog utters no sound,

And the rabid dog is dumb, lacking even the power to bark,

وَجَدتَ بَقِيَّةَ المَعرُوفِ فِينَا

وَجَدتَ بَقِيَّةَ المَعرُوفِ فِينَا

مُقِيماً ما ثَوَى بِمِنىً ثَبِيرُ

مُقِيماً ما ثَوَى بِمِنىً ثَبِيرُ

you will find what remains of generosity among us,

Then you would have found the remnant of good faith in us,

abiding as long as Thabir remains at Mina.

Standing firm, who have made our dwelling in Ma'inn.