إِلَيكَ عَنّي فَلَيسَ الخَوفُ مِن شيَمي

إِلَيكَ عَنّي فَلَيسَ الخَوفُ مِن شيَمي

سَيَطرُدُ الهَمَّ ما يَسمو مِنَ الهِمَمِ

سَيَطرُدُ الهَمَّ ما يَسمو مِنَ الهِمَمِ

Away from me, for fear is not among my traits.

Towards you from me, so fear not my morals

Lofty aspirations will drive worry away.

Worry will banish whatever ascends from worries

إِذا سُرِرتُ فَما ثَغري بِمُبتَسِم

إِذا سُرِرتُ فَما ثَغري بِمُبتَسِم

وَإِن جَزِعتُ فَما دَمعي بِمُنسَجِمِ

وَإِن جَزِعتُ فَما دَمعي بِمُنسَجِمِ

If I am gladdened, my mouth does not smile;

If I become happy, my smile does not diminish

And if I am distressed, my tears do not flow.

And if I worry, my tears do not flow

يا ناشِدَ العِزِّ مَطوِيّاً عَلى ضَمَدٍ

يا ناشِدَ العِزِّ مَطوِيّاً عَلى ضَمَدٍ

ما يُدرِكُ المَجدُ بَينَ الشّاءِ وَالنِعَمِ

ما يُدرِكُ المَجدُ بَينَ الشّاءِ وَالنِعَمِ

O seeker of honor, inwardly wrapped around rancor,

O you who seek glory folded on bandage

Glory is not attained among sheep and livestock.

Glory is not attained between living and bliss

أَمامَكَ القاعُ فاقذِفها مُضَمَّرَة

أَمامَكَ القاعُ فاقذِفها مُضَمَّرَة

كَأَنَّما وَضَحَت أَخفافُها بِدَمِ

كَأَنَّما وَضَحَت أَخفافُها بِدَمِ

Before you lies the plain; drive her onward, lean,

Before you is the plain, so hurl them {the horses}, prepared

As though her footpads gleamed with blood,

As if their hooves glistened with blood

حَتّى تَراها وَقَد أَودى الكَلالُ بِها

حَتّى تَراها وَقَد أَودى الكَلالُ بِها

وَفي مَناسِمِها عَقلٌ مِنَ الخَدَمِ

وَفي مَناسِمِها عَقلٌ مِنَ الخَدَمِ

Until you see her laid low by exhaustion,

Until you see them after weariness has overcome them

And on her feet are fetters of leather ankle-straps.

And in their bridles is a mind full of submission

وَصاحِبٍ كَغِرارِ العَضبِ مُفتَرِش

وَصاحِبٍ كَغِرارِ العَضبِ مُفتَرِش

نَمارِقَ الرَّملِ طَلّاع عَلى الظُّلَمِ

نَمارِقَ الرَّملِ طَلّاع عَلى الظُّلَمِ

And a companion, like a keen sword's edge, lies upon

And a companion like the boulders of ‘Adba laying down

Cushions of sand, ever venturing into darkness.

The expanses of sand, emerging in the darkness

يُخالِسُ الصُّبحَ وَالظَّلماء تَحجبُهُ

يُخالِسُ الصُّبحَ وَالظَّلماء تَحجبُهُ

تَسَتُّرَ البَرقِ بَينَ الوابِلِ الرَّدمِ

تَسَتُّرَ البَرقِ بَينَ الوابِلِ الرَّدمِ

He steals ahead of dawn while darkness conceals him,

He meets the dawn, and the darkness hides him

As lightning hides amid a dense downpour.

Lightning shrouded amidst the pouring rain

يَهُبُّ يَعثُرُ في أَذيالِهِ وَسناً

يَهُبُّ يَعثُرُ في أَذيالِهِ وَسناً

كَأَنَّما النَّومُ بَينَ السّاقِ وَالقَدَمِ

كَأَنَّما النَّومُ بَينَ السّاقِ وَالقَدَمِ

He rises drowsily, stumbling over his hems,

He gets up, stumbles on his robes and years

As though sleep lay between his shin and his foot.

As if sleep is between the leg and the foot

هَلُمَّ نُرسِلُها هَوجاء سامِيَةً

هَلُمَّ نُرسِلُها هَوجاء سامِيَةً

لا يَمنَعُ السَّيفُ فيها خُدعَةَ القَلَمِ

لا يَمنَعُ السَّيفُ فيها خُدعَةَ القَلَمِ

Come, let us send it forth, headlong and lofty;

Come, let us send them galloping sublimely

In it, the sword cannot thwart the pen's stratagem.

The sword among them does not prevent the cunning of the pen

إِنّا إِذا الخَيُّ لا تَرعى سَوائِمُهُ

إِنّا إِذا الخَيُّ لا تَرعى سَوائِمُهُ

إِلّا تَذكُّرَ ريحِ الضّالِ وَالسَّلَمِ

إِلّا تَذكُّرَ ريحِ الضّالِ وَالسَّلَمِ

We—when the tribe's grazing herds feed on nothing

We, when the horses do not mind their leader

But memories of the scent of wild lote and acacia trees,

Except the scent of separation and peace

وَأَخمَدَ البَرقَ حَتّى في بُيوتِهِمُ

وَأَخمَدَ البَرقَ حَتّى في بُيوتِهِمُ

ما يُظهِرُ الزَّندُ ما فيهِ مِنَ الضَّرَّمِ

ما يُظهِرُ الزَّندُ ما فيهِ مِنَ الضَّرَّمِ

And lightning is quenched, so that even in their tents

And it extinguished lightning, even in their homes

The fire-stick brings forth none of the flame within it,

The flint does not show what it contains of sparks

وَراحَتِ النّيبُ في الأَنساع ساغِبَةً

وَراحَتِ النّيبُ في الأَنساع ساغِبَةً

تُنافِسُ الخَيلَ إِن عُلِّلنَ بِاللُّجُمِ

تُنافِسُ الخَيلَ إِن عُلِّلنَ بِاللُّجُمِ

And the aged she-camels return hungry in their girth-straps,

And the horse of the Prophet races freely in the meadows

Vying with horses when appeased with bridles—

Competing with horses, even if hobbled

نُبنا عَنِ الغَيثِ أَحياناً فَحَلَّتُنا

نُبنا عَنِ الغَيثِ أَحياناً فَحَلَّتُنا

لا يَعدَمُ الغَيثُ فيها هاطِلَ الدِّيَمِ

لا يَعدَمُ الغَيثُ فيها هاطِلَ الدِّيَمِ

We sometimes stood in for rain; so in our encampment,

We built protection from rain, so it endowed us,

Rain finds no lack of pouring, steady showers.

The rain in it does not lack a pouring cloud

هَلُمَّ طَيفَ سُلَيمى قَد جَلَوتَ لَنا

هَلُمَّ طَيفَ سُلَيمى قَد جَلَوتَ لَنا

غَياهِبَ الصَّدِّ لَولا خُدعَةُ الحُلُمِ

غَياهِبَ الصَّدِّ لَولا خُدعَةُ الحُلُمِ

Come, Sulayma's phantom; you would have dispelled for us

Come, the specter of Suleima has appeared to us

Estrangement's deep darkness, but for the dream's deceit.

After overcoming the obstacles of wisdom and forbearance

نَشَدتُكَ اللَّه هَل أنسيتَ لَيلَتنا

نَشَدتُكَ اللَّه هَل أنسيتَ لَيلَتنا

عَلى الثَّنِيَّةِ دونَ السَّفحِ مِن إِضَمِ

عَلى الثَّنِيَّةِ دونَ السَّفحِ مِن إِضَمِ

I adjure you by God: have you forgotten our night

I implore you by God, have you forgotten our night

On the mountain pass, this side of the slope at Idam?

At the slope, beneath the hillside

وَلَيلَة الحي إِذ أَغرى الرَّقيبُ بِنا

وَلَيلَة الحي إِذ أَغرى الرَّقيبُ بِنا

فَما اتَّقَينا بِغَيرِ الخُمرِ وَاللثمِ

فَما اتَّقَينا بِغَيرِ الخُمرِ وَاللثمِ

And the night in camp, when the watcher set others upon us,

And the night of the neighborhood when the guard was deceived by us

And we sheltered ourselves with nothing but veils and face-coverings?

And we did not fear anything but wine and veils

فَكَيفَ تَقذِفُ وُدّاً كُنتَ تَحفَظُهُ

فَكَيفَ تَقذِفُ وُدّاً كُنتَ تَحفَظُهُ

لَقَد خَصَمتُكَ لَو صِرنا إِلى حَكَمِ

لَقَد خَصَمتُكَ لَو صِرنا إِلى حَكَمِ

How, then, can you cast away a love you used to cherish?

So how can you discard a love you used to preserve

I would surely defeat you in argument, were we to seek an arbiter.

I would have contended with you, had we gone to a judge

لَولا عَقابيلُ وَجدي قُلتُ حُبُّهُمُ

لَولا عَقابيلُ وَجدي قُلتُ حُبُّهُمُ

كَخُلَّبِ البَرقِ لَم يُمطِر وَلَم يَدُمِ

كَخُلَّبِ البَرقِ لَم يُمطِر وَلَم يَدُمِ

But for my yearning's lingering pangs, I would say their love

Were it not for my family members, I would have said loving them

Was like false lightning: it brought no rain and did not last.

Is like the deceptive lightning, it did not rain, nor last

وَبانَةُ السَّفحِ تُغريني بِذِكرِهِمُ

وَبانَةُ السَّفحِ تُغريني بِذِكرِهِمُ

وَجداً فَيالَيتَها باتَت كَعَهدِهِمِ

وَجداً فَيالَيتَها باتَت كَعَهدِهِمِ

And the moringa on the slope tempts me to remember them,

The slopes of Bana tempt me with their memory

In longing—would that it had become like their pledge!

How I wish it would stay as it was in their days

هَل الأجَيرِعُ يُشفي مَن يَمُرُّ بِهِ

هَل الأجَيرِعُ يُشفي مَن يَمُرُّ بِهِ

بِالعُرفِ أَم ذاكَ مَع أَيّامِنا القُدُمِ

بِالعُرفِ أَم ذاكَ مَع أَيّامِنا القُدُمِ

Does al-Ujayriʿ heal whoever passes by it

Does Al-Ajya’r heal whoever passes by it

With its fragrance, or did that belong to our bygone days?

With chastity or is that with our ancient days

وَنَشقَة خَطَرَت وَالرَّكبُ مُشتَمِلٌ

وَنَشقَة خَطَرَت وَالرَّكبُ مُشتَمِلٌ

ذُؤابَةَ اللَّيلِ بَينَ الأَينُقِ الرُّسُمِ

ذُؤابَةَ اللَّيلِ بَينَ الأَينُقِ الرُّسُمِ

And a waft of fragrance drifted by, the caravan wrapped in

And Našqa set out while the convoy is laden

Night's forelock, among swiftly pacing she-camels.

The specter of night among the beautiful drawings

شاقَت طلي حانها وافى رحالهم

شاقَت طلي حانها وافى رحالهم

سُكراً مِنَ السَّيرِ أَو ضَعفاً مِنَ السَّقَمِ

سُكراً مِنَ السَّيرِ أَو ضَعفاً مِنَ السَّقَمِ

It stirred longing; its tavern's wine reached their saddles [uncertain reading],

My longing for them had come and their departure arrived

Drunk from the journey, or weakened by sickness.

Out of intoxication from travel or weakness from illness

آهاً لِقَلبِكَ مِن نَجدٍ وَساكِنِهِ

آهاً لِقَلبِكَ مِن نَجدٍ وَساكِنِهِ

لَقَد عَلِقتَ بِشِعبٍ غَيرِ مُلتَئِمِ

لَقَد عَلِقتَ بِشِعبٍ غَيرِ مُلتَئِمِ

Alas for your heart, because of Najd and its dweller!

Oh for your heart, from Najd and its inhabitants

You have indeed clung to a rift that does not close.

You have become attached to an incompatible tribe

ما هَبَّتِ الرّيحُ إِلّا مِن جَوانِبِهِ

ما هَبَّتِ الرّيحُ إِلّا مِن جَوانِبِهِ

وَلا عَلا الشّيحُ إِلّا ذروَةَ العَلَمِ

وَلا عَلا الشّيحُ إِلّا ذروَةَ العَلَمِ

No wind has blown but from its sides,

The wind did not blow except from its direction

Nor has wormwood risen but on the hill's crest.

Nor did the lightning rise except the peak of the flag

لِلَّهِ لَيلكَ كَم أَفنَيتَ مِن جَلَدٍ

لِلَّهِ لَيلكَ كَم أَفنَيتَ مِن جَلَدٍ

حَتّى الصَّباح وَكَم أَبقَيتَ مِن أَلَمِ

حَتّى الصَّباح وَكَم أَبقَيتَ مِن أَلَمِ

By God, what a night was yours! How much endurance you spent

By God, your night, how much composure it exhausted

Until morning—and how much pain you left remaining!

Until morning, and how much pain it let remain