1. لِمَن طَلَلٌ بَينَ الجُدَيَّةِ والجبَل

    مَحَلٌ قَدِيمُ العَهدِ طَالَت بِهِ الطِّيَل

    Whose ruined camp lies between al-Judayya and al-Jabal?

    An ancient dwelling over which long ages have passed.

  2. عَفَا غَيرَ مُرتَادٍ ومَرَّ كَسَرحَب

    ومُنخَفَضٍ طام تَنَكَّرَ واضمَحَل

    It faded, unfrequented, and passed like a long-bodied steed;

    And a brimming hollow grew unrecognizable and vanished.

  3. وزَالَت صُرُوفُ الدَهرِ عَنهُ فَأَصبَحَت

    عَلى غَيرِ سُكَّانٍ ومَن سَكَنَ ارتَحَل

    Time's vicissitudes withdrew from it, and it lay

    Without inhabitants; whoever dwelt there departed.

  4. تَنَطَّحَ بِالأَطلالِ مِنه مُجَلجِلٌ

    أَحَمُّ إِذَا احمَومَت سحَائِبُهُ انسَجَل

    From it, a rumbling cloud struck against the ruins,

    Black—when its clouds blackened, it poured down.

  5. بِرِيحٍ وبَرقٍ لَاحَ بَينَ سَحَائِبٍ

    ورَعدٍ إِذَا ما هَبَّ هَاتِفهُ هَطَل

    With wind and lightning flashing among clouds,

    And thunder: when its roaring call arose, it rained in torrents.

  6. فَأَنبَتَ فِيهِ مِن غَشَنِض وغَشنَضٍ

    ورَونَقِ رَندٍ والصَّلَندَدِ والأَسل

    It made ghashaniḍ and ghashnaḍ grow there,

    And gleaming laurel, ṣalandad, and rushes.

  7. وفِيهِ القَطَا والبُومُ وابنُ حبَوكَلِ

    وطَيرُ القَطاطِ والبَلندَدُ والحَجَل

    There are sandgrouse and owls, and the son of Ḥabawkal,

    And qaṭāṭ birds, balandad, and partridges,

  8. وعُنثُلَةٌ والخَيثَوَانُ وبُرسُلٌ

    وفَرخُ فَرِيق والرِّفَلّةَ والرفَل

    And a she-hyena, khaythawān, and bursul,

    And a flock's fledgling, and rifalla and rafal,

  9. وفِيلٌ وأَذيابٌ وابنُ خُوَيدرٍ

    وغَنسَلَةٌ فِيهَا الخُفَيعَانُ قَد نَزَل

    And an elephant, wolves, and the son of Khuwaydir,

    And ghansala; khufayʿān has settled there.

  10. وهَامٌ وهَمهَامٌ وطَالِعُ أَنجُدٍ

    ومُنحَبِكُ الرَّوقَينِ في سَيرِهِ مَيَل

    And owls and a lion, and a climber of uplands,

    And one with tightly twisted horns, swaying in its gait.

  11. فَلَمَّا عَرَفت الدَّارَ بَعدَ تَوَهُّمي

    تَكَفكَفَ دَمعِي فَوقَ خَدَّي وانهمَل

    When I recognized the dwelling after my uncertainty,

    My tears were checked upon my cheeks, then streamed down.

  12. فَقُلتُ لَها يا دَارُ سَلمَى ومَا الَّذِي

    تَمَتَّعتِ لَا بُدِّلتِ يا دَارُ بِالبدَل

    I said to it, 'O Salmā's dwelling, what was it

    You enjoyed? May you never be replaced, O dwelling, by another.

  13. لَقَد طَالَ مَا أَضحَيتِ فَقراً ومَألَف

    ومُنتظَراً لِلحَىِّ مَن حَلَّ أَو رحَل

    Long have you been desolate, and a familiar haunt,

    And a waiting place for the clan, whoever settled or departed,

  14. ومَأوىً لِأَبكَارٍ حِسَانٍ أَوَانسٍ

    ورُبَّ فَتىً كالليثِ مُشتَهَرِ بَطَل

    And a refuge for beautiful, companionable maidens,

    And many a young man like a lion, a renowned hero.'

  15. لَقَد كُنتُ أَسبى الغِيدَ أَمرَدَ نَاشِئ

    ويَسبِينَني مِنهُنَّ بِالدَّلِّ والمُقَل

    I once captivated graceful women, a beardless youth,

    And some of them captivated me with coquetry and eyes.

  16. لَيَالِيَ أَسبِى الغَانِيَاتِ بِحُمَّةٍ

    مُعَثكَلَةٍ سَودَاءَ زَيَّنَهَا رجَل

    On nights when I captivated fair women with a head of hair,

    Clustered and black, adorned with waviness.

  17. كأَنَّ قَطِيرَ البَانِ في عُكنَاتِهَ

    عَلَى مُنثَنىً والمَنكِبينِ عَطَى رَطِل

    As though drops of ben-oil lay in her belly-folds,

    Upon a curve and both shoulders—a pound's worth bestowed.

  18. تَعَلَّقَ قَلبي طَفلَةً عَرَبِيَّةً

    تَنَعمُ في الدِّيبَاجِ والحَلى والحُلَل

    My heart became attached to a delicate Arab woman,

    Living luxuriously amid brocade, jewelry, and robes.

  19. لَهَا مُقلَةٌ لَو أَنَّهَا نَظَرَت بِهَ

    إِلى رَاهِبٍ قَد صَامَ لِلّهِ وابتَهَل

    She has an eye that, were she to turn it

    Toward a monk who had fasted for God and prayed fervently,

  20. لَأَصبَحَ مَفتُوناً مُعَنَّى بِحُبِّهَ

    كأَن لَم يَصُم لِلّهِ يَوماً ولَم يُصَل

    He would become bewitched, tormented by love for her,

    As though he had never fasted a day for God or prayed.

  21. أَلا رُبَّ يَومٍ قَد لَهَوتُ بِذلِّهَ

    إِذَا مَا أَبُوهَا لَيلَةً غَابَ أَو غَفَل

    Ah, many a day I took pleasure in her submission,

    When her father was absent for a night, or heedless.

  22. فَقَالَتِ لِأَترَابٍ لَهَا قَد رَمَيتُهُ

    فَكَيفَ بِهِ إن مَاتَ أَو كَيفَ يُحتَبَل

    She said to companions her own age, 'I have shot him;

    What shall we do with him if he dies, or how can he be ensnared?

  23. أَيخفَى لَنَا إِن كانَ في اللَّيلِ دفنُهُ

    فَقُلنَ وهَل يَخفَى الهِلَالُ إِذَا أَفَل

    Could his burial be kept secret for us, if it were at night?'

    They said, 'Can the crescent moon be hidden when it sets?

  24. قَتَلتِ الفَتَى الكِندِيَّ والشَّاعِرَ الذي

    تَدَانَت لهُ الأَشعَارُ طُراً فَيَا لَعَل

    You have slain the Kindite youth, the poet to whom

    All poems drew near—so, O, perhaps!

  25. لِمَه تَقتُلى المَشهُورَ والفَارِسَ الذي

    يُفَلِّقُ هَامَاتِ الرِّجَالِ بِلَا وَجَل

    Why do you slay the renowned man, the horseman who

    Splits men's skulls without fear?

  26. أَلَا يا بَنِي كِندَةَ اقتُلوا بِابنِ عَمِّكم

    وإِلّا فَمَا أَنتُم قَبيلٌ ولَا خَوَل

    O sons of Kinda, kill to avenge your cousin;

    Otherwise, you are neither a tribe nor retainers.

  27. قَتِيلٌ بِوَادِي الحُبِّ مِن غيرِ قَاتِلٍ

    ولَا مَيِّتٍ يُعزَى هُنَاكَ ولَا زُمَل

    Slain in the valley of love, without a slayer,

    Nor a dead man mourned there, nor one wrapped for burial.'

  28. فَتِلكَ الَّتي هَامَ الفُؤَادُ بحُبِّهَ

    مُهفهَفَةٌ بَيضَاءُ دُرِّيَّة القُبَل

    That is the woman whose love made the heart distraught:

    Slender, fair, pearl-bright in her kisses.

  29. ولى وَلَها في النَّاسِ قَولٌ وسُمعَةٌ

    ولى وَلَهَا في كلِّ نَاحِيَةٍ مَثَل

    She and I have a tale and a reputation among the people;

    She and I are a byword in every quarter.

  30. كأَنَّ عَلى أَسنَانِها بَعدَ هَجعَةٍ

    سَفَرجلَ أَو تُفَّاحَ في القَندِ والعَسَل

    It is as though upon her teeth, after a sleep,

    Were quinces or apples in sugar and honey.

  31. رَدَاحٌ صَمُوتُ الحِجلِ تَمشى تَبختر

    وصَرَّاخَةُ الحِجلينِ يَصرُخنَ في زَجَل

    Ample-hipped, her anklet silent, she walks with a proud sway;

    And loud are her two anklets, crying out in clamour.

  32. غمُوضٌ عَضُوضُ الحِجلِ لَو أَنهَا مَشَت

    بِهِ عِندَ بابَ السَّبسَبِيِّينَ لا نفَصَل

    Her anklet hidden and gripped tight—if she walked

    With it by the Sabsabiyyīn's gate, we would not part.

  33. فَهِي هِي وهِي ثمَّ هِي هِي وهي وَهِي

    مُنىً لِي مِنَ الدُّنيا مِنَ النَّاسِ بالجُمَل

    So she, she, and she, then she, she, and she, and she—

    My wishes in this world, among people altogether.

  34. أَلا لا أَلَا إِلَّا لآلاءِ لابِثٍ

    ولا لَا أَلَا إِلا لِآلاءِ مَن رَحَل

    Ah, no! Ah, only for the blessings of one who remains;

    And no, no! Ah, only for the blessings of one who departed.

  35. فكَم كَم وكَم كَم ثمَّ كَم كَم وكَم وَكَم

    قَطَعتُ الفَيافِي والمَهَامِهَ لَم أَمَل

    So how many, how many, and how many, how many, then how many, how many, and how many, and how many—

    I crossed deserts and trackless wastes, without tiring.

  36. وكافٌ وكَفكافٌ وكَفِّي بِكَفِّهَ

    وكافٌ كَفُوفُ الوَدقِ مِن كَفِّها انهَمل

    And kāf, and kafkāf, and my palm in her palm,

    And kāf: handfuls of rain poured from her palm.

  37. فَلَو لَو ولَو لَو ثمَّ لَو لَو ولَو ولَو

    دَنَا دارُ سَلمى كُنتُ أَوَّلَ مَن وَصَل

    So if, if, and if, if, then if, if, and if, and if—

    Salmā's dwelling came near, I would be the first to arrive.

  38. وعَن عَن وعَن عَن ثمَّ عَن عَن وعَن وَعَن

    أُسَائِلُ عَنها كلَّ مَن سَارَ وارتَحَل

    And about, about, and about, about, then about, about, and about, and about—

    I question everyone who has journeyed and departed about her.

  39. وفِي وفِي فِي ثمَّ فِي فِي وفِي وفِي

    وفِي وجنَتَي سَلمَى أُقَبِّلُ لَم أَمَل

    And in, and in, in, then in, in, and in, and in—

    And I kiss Salmā on both cheeks, never tiring.

  40. وسَل سَل وسَل سَل ثمَّ سَل سَل وسَل وسَل

    وسَل دَارَ سَلمى والرَّبُوعَ فكَم أَسَل

    And ask, ask, and ask, ask, then ask, ask, and ask, and ask—

    And ask Salmā's dwelling and the camps: how often I ask!

  41. وشَنصِل وشَنصِل ثمَّ شَنصِل عَشَنصَلٍ

    عَلى حاجِبي سَلمى يَزِينُ مَعَ المُقَل

    And shanṣil, and shanṣil, then shanṣil, ʿashanṣal,

    Upon Salmā's two brows, adding beauty along with her eyes.

  42. حِجَازيَّة العَينَين مَكيَّةُ الحَشَ

    عِرَاقِيَّةُ الأَطرَافِ رُومِيَّةُ الكَفَل

    Hijazi in her eyes, Meccan in her bosom,

    Iraqi in her limbs, Roman in her buttocks,

  43. تِهامِيَّةَ الأَبدانِ عَبسِيَّةُ اللَمَى

    خُزَاعِيَّة الأَسنَانِ دُرِّيِّة القبَل

    Tihami in her body, ʿAbsi in her lips' dusky tint,

    Khuzaʿi in her teeth, pearl-bright in her kisses.

  44. وقُلتُ لَها أَيُّ القَبائِل تُنسَبى

    لَعَلِّي بَينَ النَّاسِ في الشِّعرِ كَي أُسَل

    I asked her, 'To which tribe do you belong,

    So that perhaps, among people, I may be asked in verse?'

  45. فَقالت أَنَا كِندِيَّةٌ عَرَبيَّةٌ

    فَقُلتُ لَها حاشَا وكَلا وهَل وبَل

    She said, 'I am a Kindite, an Arab.'

    I said to her, 'Far from it! And no! And whether? And rather!'

  46. فقَالت أَنَا رُومِيَّةٌ عَجَمِيَّة

    فقُلتُ لها ورخِيز بِباخُوشَ مِن قُزَل

    She said, 'I am a Roman, a non-Arab.'

    I said to her, 'Warkhīz bibākhūsh min quzal' [unclear foreign phrase].

  47. فَلَمَّا تَلاقَينا وجَدتُ بَنانَه

    مُخَضّبَةً تَحكى الشَوَاعِلَ بِالشُّعَل

    When we met, I found her fingertips

    Dyed, resembling torches ablaze.

  48. ولاعَبتُها الشِّطرَنج خَيلى تَرَادَفَت

    ورُخّى عَليها دارَ بِالشاهِ بالعَجَل

    I played chess with her; my knights followed one another,

    And my rook wheeled against her king in haste.

  49. فَقَالَت ومَا هَذا شَطَارَة لَاعِبٍ

    ولكِن قَتلَ الشَّاهِ بالفِيلِ هُو الأَجَل

    She said, 'And this is no player's cleverness;

    But slaying the king with the elephant-piece is the appointed end.'

  50. فَنَاصَبتُها مَنصُوبَ بِالفِيلِ عَاجِل

    مِنَ اثنَينِ في تِسعٍ بِسُرعٍ فَلَم أَمَل

    So I challenged her with a swift elephant-piece setup,

    From two in nine, quickly, and I did not tire.

  51. وقَد كانَ لَعبي كُلَّ دَستٍ بِقُبلَةٍ

    أُقَبِّلُ ثَغراً كَالهِلَالِ إِذَا أَفَل

    And my play in every game was for a kiss:

    I kiss a mouth like the crescent moon as it sets.

  52. فَقَبَّلتُهَا تِسعاً وتِسعِينَ قُبلَةً

    ووَاحِدَةً أَيضاً وكُنتُ عَلَى عَجَل

    So I gave her ninety-nine kisses,

    And one more besides, and I was in haste.

  53. وعَانَقتُهَا حَتَّى تَقَطَّعَ عِقدُهَ

    وحَتَّى فَصُوصُ الطَّوقِ مِن جِيدِهَا انفَصَل

    I embraced her until her necklace broke,

    And until the gems of her collar came loose from her neck.

  54. كأَنَّ فُصُوصَ الطَوقِ لَمَّا تَنَاثَرَت

    ضِيَاءُ مَصابِيحٍ تَطَايَرنَ عَن شَعَل

    As though the gems of the collar, when they scattered,

    Were the light of lamps flying out from a flame.

  55. وآخِرُ قَولِي مِثلُ مَا قَلتُ أَوَّل

    لِمَن طَلَلٌ بَينَ الجُدَيَّةِ والجبَل

    And the last of my words is like what I said at first:

    Whose ruined camp lies between al-Judayya and al-Jabal?