تلكَ البدورُ العامِريَّاتُ

تلكَ البدورُ العامِريَّاتُ

لها من الأَنْصُلِ هَامَاتُ

لها من الأَنْصُلِ هَامَاتُ

Those ʿĀmirite full moons

Those blossoming abodes,

have heads of sword-blades.

With hamats of glory,

بدورُ أَسدافٍ تَثَنَّى بها

بدورُ أَسدافٍ تَثَنَّى بها

في السَّيْرِ قُضْبٌ بَشَرِيَّات

في السَّيْرِ قُضْبٌ بَشَرِيَّات

Moons amid darkness, with whom sway

Abodes of folded tents -

human boughs as they walk.

A wand of humanity sways within.

تشكو نواهنَّ قلوبٌ وما

تشكو نواهنَّ قلوبٌ وما

لها سواهُنَّ سماوات

لها سواهُنَّ سماوات

Hearts lament their absence, yet

Their hearts complain and nothing but

those moons have no skies but these hearts.

The heavens comfort them.

كِدْنَ يَكِدْنَ القُضْبَ لو بُدِّلَتْ

كِدْنَ يَكِدْنَ القُضْبَ لو بُدِّلَتْ

أَوْراقُهُنَّ الذهبيَّاتُ

أَوْراقُهُنَّ الذهبيَّاتُ

They would almost outwit the boughs, if

The wand nearly bends if

their golden leaves were replaced.

Their gilded leaves were changed.

كلُّ عقيقيَّةِ خَدٍ لها

كلُّ عقيقيَّةِ خَدٍ لها

فروعُ فَرْقٍ سَبَجِيَّات

فروعُ فَرْقٍ سَبَجِيَّات

Every carnelian-cheeked one has

Each rosy cheek's carnelian

jet-black tresses at her parting.

Has twigs of cloven willows.

ويُرْعَشُ الرِّدْفُ كأنَّ الذي

ويُرْعَشُ الرِّدْفُ كأنَّ الذي

لاعَبَهُ منهنَّ حَيّاتُ

لاعَبَهُ منهنَّ حَيّاتُ

And the rump quivers, as though what

And the rump trembles as if

toyed with it among them were serpents.

Snakes had toyed with them.

يا شَرَكاً صيدَ بها طائرُ القَلْبِ

يا شَرَكاً صيدَ بها طائرُ القَلْبِ

أَما منكنَّ إفلات

أَما منكنَّ إفلات

O snares in which the heart's bird was caught,

O comrades, the heart's bird hunts them -

is there no escaping you?

Can any escape you?

كمْ فتكتْ بي يومَ جِزْعِ اللِّوَى

كمْ فتكتْ بي يومَ جِزْعِ اللِّوَى

بيضٌ وأنتُنّ الحمالات

بيضٌ وأنتُنّ الحمالات

How often, that day at Jizʿ al-Liwā, I was slain

How you slew me the day calamities grieved,

by bright swords—and you were their sword-belts.

You whites, yet you are swarthy.

أَسْنى من الصبح على ناظري

أَسْنى من الصبح على ناظري

لو أَنَّكُنَّ الحَلَكِيَّاتُ

لو أَنَّكُنَّ الحَلَكِيَّاتُ

To my eyes, brighter than dawn,

Fairer to my eyes than dawn,

even were you pitch-black.

Had you been milk-white.

حَمَلْتِ جسماً خلتُهُ سائلاً

حَمَلْتِ جسماً خلتُهُ سائلاً

إذْ مَوَّجَتْ عِطْفَيْهِ لَبّاتُ

إذْ مَوَّجَتْ عِطْفَيْهِ لَبّاتُ

You bore a body I thought was liquid,

You carried a body I made liquid

when necklaces made both its sides ripple.

When your arms entwined and pressed.

رفَّ به العَصْبُ اليماني كما

رفَّ به العَصْبُ اليماني كما

رَفَّتْ على الماء خميلات

رَفَّتْ على الماء خميلات

Yemeni striped cloth fluttered upon it, as

The Yemeni braid swayed with it

leafy thickets fluttered upon water.

As the water hyacinth sways on water.

كأنما أنمله طُوِّقَتْ

كأنما أنمله طُوِّقَتْ

أَسِنَّةُ الطعن خَضيباتُ

أَسِنَّةُ الطعن خَضيباتُ

As though its fingertips, encircled with rings,

As if his teeth were ringed

were spearpoints for thrusting, dyed red.

With the bloodied blades of spears.

هل تخبرينا والهوى صارمٌ

هل تخبرينا والهوى صارمٌ

لنا به عندكِ ثارات

لنا به عندكِ ثارات

Will you tell us—love is a cutting sword,

Will you tell us, while passion is keen

for which you owe us blood-debts—

Against us, of your grudges?

بأيِّ ذنبٍ خُضِّبَتْ من دمي

بأيِّ ذنبٍ خُضِّبَتْ من دمي

تلك البَنَانُ العَنَمِيَّات

تلك البَنَانُ العَنَمِيَّات

for what offense were dyed with my blood

With what crime were dyed, from my blood,

those fingers, red as ʿanam?

Those straight and supple spears?

كيفَ ترومينَ دماً لم تَزَلْ

كيفَ ترومينَ دماً لم تَزَلْ

تَعْجزُ عنه اليزنيات

تَعْجزُ عنه اليزنيات

How can you seek blood that

How dare you seek blood which

Yazanite spears have always failed to draw?

Virgins cannot attain?

يرمي بها المَعْرَكَ مني فتى

يرمي بها المَعْرَكَ مني فتى

تَرْهَبُ ذكراه المَنِيّات

تَرْهَبُ ذكراه المَنِيّات

A young warrior within me hurls them into the fray,

A knight casts it in battle, and

whose very mention deaths dread.

Maids fear the mention of him.

يُقْدِمُ في الموتِ كما أَقْدَمَتْ

يُقْدِمُ في الموتِ كما أَقْدَمَتْ

على النَّدَى منه سَجِيَّاتُ

على النَّدَى منه سَجِيَّاتُ

He charges into death just as

He rushes unto death as

his innate virtues have advanced toward generosity.

The straight swift spears rushed upon dew.

إِنْ لم تكنْ ذي الأريحياتُ لي

إِنْ لم تكنْ ذي الأريحياتُ لي

لِمَنْ تكون الأريحياتُ

لِمَنْ تكون الأريحياتُ

If these generous impulses are not mine,

If the fragrant maidens are not for me,

whose are such generous impulses?

Then for whom are the fragrant maidens?

لو أنَّ لي في الدهر من قوةٍ

لو أنَّ لي في الدهر من قوةٍ

دَرَتْ عُفَاةٌ ما المُرُوَّاتُ

دَرَتْ عُفَاةٌ ما المُرُوَّاتُ

If I had any means in this age,

Had I in life some strength

seekers of bounty would know what noble deeds are.

To tame the untamable,

والدهرُ إِنْ أَذْهَبَ قُوتِي فَلِي

والدهرُ إِنْ أَذْهَبَ قُوتِي فَلِي

من جُود إسماعيلَ أَقْوَاتُ

من جُود إسماعيلَ أَقْوَاتُ

And if time has taken my sustenance, I have

And if life takes my strength,

provisions from Ismāʿīl's bounty.

I have, for food, the generosity of Ishmael.