أَبَت ذِكرَةٌ مِن حُبِّ لَيلى تَعودُني

أَبَت ذِكرَةٌ مِن حُبِّ لَيلى تَعودُني

عِيادَ أَخي الحُمّى إِذا قُلتُ أَقصَرا

عِيادَ أَخي الحُمّى إِذا قُلتُ أَقصَرا

A memory of love for Layla will not cease revisiting me,

A memory of the love of Layla recurs to torment me,

Like fever returning to its sufferer whenever I said, “It has abated.”

Like the visit of my brother fever when I say “it was brief”.

كَأَنَّ بِغِبطانِ الشُرَيفِ وَعاقِلٍ

كَأَنَّ بِغِبطانِ الشُرَيفِ وَعاقِلٍ

ذُرا النَخلِ تَسمو وَالسَفينَ المُقَيَّرا

ذُرا النَخلِ تَسمو وَالسَفينَ المُقَيَّرا

As though at Ghibtan of al-Shurayf and at ‘Aqil

As if the palms of noble Ghifban were lofty,

Palm crowns and pitch-coated ships were rising high.

And the sailboats anchored were red.

أَلَم تَعلَمي أَنّي إِذا وَصلُ خُلَّةٍ

أَلَم تَعلَمي أَنّي إِذا وَصلُ خُلَّةٍ

كَذاكِ تَولّى كُنتُ بِالصَبرِ أَجدَرا

كَذاكِ تَولّى كُنتُ بِالصَبرِ أَجدَرا

Did you not know that, when union with a beloved

Do you not know that when I join a beauty,

Turns away like that, patience better befits me?

Thus have I turned away, more deserving of patience was I.

وَمُستأَسِدٍ يَندى كَأَنَّ ذُبابَهُ

وَمُستأَسِدٍ يَندى كَأَنَّ ذُبابَهُ

أَخو الجَمرِ هاجَت شَوقَهُ فَتَذَكَّرا

أَخو الجَمرِ هاجَت شَوقَهُ فَتَذَكَّرا

And into a lush, dewy thicket, whose flies seemed

Of a roaring lion, whose breath was as if

A companion of embers, his longing stirred, so he remembered,

The brother of ember stirred his longing and remembered.

هَبَطتُ بِمَلبونٍ كَأَنَّ جِلالَهُ

هَبَطتُ بِمَلبونٍ كَأَنَّ جِلالَهُ

نَضَت عَن أَديمٍ لَيلَةَ الطَلِّ أَحمَرا

نَضَت عَن أَديمٍ لَيلَةَ الطَلِّ أَحمَرا

I descended on a milk-fed mount, as though his coverings

I descended in Malboon as if its gloom

Had slipped from a red hide on a night of dew.

Was lifted from a dark night the color of twisted fiber.

أَمينِ الشَظى عَبلٍ إِذا القَومُ آنَسوا

أَمينِ الشَظى عَبلٍ إِذا القَومُ آنَسوا

مَدى العَينِ شَخصاً كانَ بِالشَخصِ أَبصَرا

مَدى العَينِ شَخصاً كانَ بِالشَخصِ أَبصَرا

Sound in his splint bones, stout-limbed—when the men discerned

The trustee of the frowning night, when the people detected

A figure at the limit of sight, he saw it more keenly.

As far as the eye could see a figure, more keen of sight was he.

كَتَيسِ الإِرانِ الأَغفَرِ إِنضَرَجَت لَهُ

كَتَيسِ الإِرانِ الأَغفَرِ إِنضَرَجَت لَهُ

كِلابٌ رَآها مِن بَعيدٍ فَأَحضَرا

كِلابٌ رَآها مِن بَعيدٍ فَأَحضَرا

Like the gray-coated buck of the lair, when there sprang upon him

Like a he-goat of Al-Iran the mouse-colored, hounds

Dogs—he saw them from afar, then raced away.

Saw him from afar and went to him.

وَخالي الجَبا أَورَدتَهُ القَومَ فَاِستَقَوا

وَخالي الجَبا أَورَدتَهُ القَومَ فَاِستَقَوا

بِسُفرَتِهم مِن آجِنِ الماءِ أَصفَرا

بِسُفرَتِهم مِن آجِنِ الماءِ أَصفَرا

And a well with an empty basin—you led the men to it, and they drew

And my uncle Al-Jaba has brought the people to his bare

With their provision-bag, from water stagnant and yellow.

Hill for them to dwell in from the yellow water skins.

وَخَرقٍ يَعِجُّ العَودُ أَنَّ يَستَبينَهُ

وَخَرقٍ يَعِجُّ العَودُ أَنَّ يَستَبينَهُ

إِذا أَورَدَ المَجهولَةَ القَومُ أَصدَرا

إِذا أَورَدَ المَجهولَةَ القَومُ أَصدَرا

And a vast waste at whose sight the old camel bellows;

And a tear which the willow branch yearns to show

When the men lead him into the unknown, he turns back out.

When the people brought the stranger closer.

تَرى بِحِفافَيهِ الرَذايا وَمَتنِهِ

تَرى بِحِفافَيهِ الرَذايا وَمَتنِهِ

قِياماً يُفَتِّرنَ الصَريفَ المُفَتَّرا

قِياماً يُفَتِّرنَ الصَريفَ المُفَتَّرا

You see, along its two sides and upon its back, exhausted camels

You see in its edges folly, and its body

Standing, letting their faltering tooth-grinding subside.

Standing, it wears out the cloak, threadbare.

تَرَكتُ بِهِ مِن آخِرِ اللَيلِ مَوضِعي

تَرَكتُ بِهِ مِن آخِرِ اللَيلِ مَوضِعي

لَدَيهِ وَمُلقايَ النَقيشَ المُسَمَّرا

لَدَيهِ وَمُلقايَ النَقيشَ المُسَمَّرا

Toward night’s end I left there my resting-place,

I left at the end of the night my place

Beside it, and where I laid the small, nail-fastened saddle,

Next to it, and my thick-threaded cloak pinned down.

وَمَثنى نَواجٍ ضُمَّرٍ جَدَلِيَّةٍ

وَمَثنى نَواجٍ ضُمَّرٍ جَدَلِيَّةٍ

كَجَفنِ اليَماني نَيُّها قَد تَحَسَّرا

كَجَفنِ اليَماني نَيُّها قَد تَحَسَّرا

And the kneeling-place of swift, lean, firmly built she-camels,

And the pair of sand grouse gathered up, their young

Like a Yemeni blade’s sheath, their fat already wasted away.

Like the eyelid of the Yemeni, Nayyuh, which was creased.

وَمَرقَبَةٍ عَيطاءَ بادَرتُ مُقصِراً

وَمَرقَبَةٍ عَيطاءَ بادَرتُ مُقصِراً

لِأَستَأَنِسَ الأَشباحَ أَو أَتَنَوَّرا

لِأَستَأَنِسَ الأَشباحَ أَو أَتَنَوَّرا

And a lofty lookout I hurried to as evening drew near,

And a barren watchtower which I reached while delaying

To discern shapes or look for a fire,

To socialize with ghosts or to wander.

عَلى عَجَلٍ مِني غِشاشاً وَقَد بَدا

عَلى عَجَلٍ مِني غِشاشاً وَقَد بَدا

ذُرا النَخلِ وَاِحمَرَّ النَهارُ فَأَدبَرا

ذُرا النَخلِ وَاِحمَرَّ النَهارُ فَأَدبَرا

In my haste, stopping only briefly, as there already appeared

In haste I left it deceitfully, and the palms

The palm crowns, and the day reddened, then departed.

Had shed their load, and the dawn turned red then vanished.