وَما وَجدُ أَعرابِيّةٍ قَذَفَت بِها

وَما وَجدُ أَعرابِيّةٍ قَذَفَت بِها

صُرُوفُ النَّوى مِن حَيثُ لَم تَكُ ظَنَّت

صُرُوفُ النَّوى مِن حَيثُ لَم تَكُ ظَنَّت

Nor is the longing of a Bedouin woman, flung away

No Bedouin woman thrown by the turns of fate

by separation’s vicissitudes from a quarter she never expected—

Far from the place she never thought she'd be

تَمَنّت أَحالِيبَ الرِّعاءِ وخَيمةً

تَمَنّت أَحالِيبَ الرِّعاءِ وخَيمةً

بِنَجدٍ فَلَم يُقدَر لَها ما تَمَنَّتِ

بِنَجدٍ فَلَم يُقدَر لَها ما تَمَنَّتِ

she wished for the shepherds’ milk and a tent

Longed for the tents of her people, or a tent

in Najd, but was not granted what she wished;

In Nejd, but was denied what she longed for.

إِذا ذَكَرَت ماءَ العِضاهِ وطِيبَهُ

إِذا ذَكَرَت ماءَ العِضاهِ وطِيبَهُ

وَبَردَ الحَصَى مِن بَطنِ خَبتٍ أَرَنَّتِ

وَبَردَ الحَصَى مِن بَطنِ خَبتٍ أَرَنَّتِ

whenever she recalled the water among the thorn trees and its sweetness,

When she recalls pure water, its taste,

and the coolness of pebbles in a lowland hollow, she wailed—

And the chilled pebbles from deep cisterns, she moans

بِأَعظَمَ منِّى لَوعَةً غَيرَ أَنَّنِى

بِأَعظَمَ منِّى لَوعَةً غَيرَ أَنَّنِى

أجَمجِمُ أَحشائِى على ما أَجّنَّتِ

أجَمجِمُ أَحشائِى على ما أَجّنَّتِ

any greater in anguish than mine, except that I

With greater torment than mine, though my soul

keep my inward depths closed over what they conceal.

Roasts within me for what it has moaned for.

وَكانَت رِياحٌ تَحملُ الحاجَ بَينَنَا

وَكانَت رِياحٌ تَحملُ الحاجَ بَينَنَا

فَقَد بَخشلَت تِلكَ الرِّياحُ وَضَنَّتِ

فَقَد بَخشلَت تِلكَ الرِّياحُ وَضَنَّتِ

And winds once carried our requests between us;

The winds that once carried a traveler between us

but those winds have grown sparing and stingy.

Have slackened and slept.