1. ما عَناكَ الغَداةَ مِن أَطلالِ

    دارِساتِ المَقامِ مُذ أَحوالِ

    What troubled you this morning about the ruins,

    their dwelling-place effaced for years?

  2. بادي الرَبعِ وَالمَعارِفِ مِنها

    غَيرَ رَسمٍ كَعُصبَةِ الأَغيالِ

    Nothing is visible of the camp and its landmarks

    except a trace like a cluster of thickets.

  3. ما تَرى العَينُ حَولَها مِن أَنيسٍ

    قُربَها غَيرَ رابِداتِ الرِئالِ

    The eye sees no living soul around them,

    near them, except crouching ostrich chicks.

  4. يا خَليلي الغَداةَ إِنَّ دُموعي

    سَبَقَت لَمحَ طَرفِها بِاِنهِمالِ

    My friend, this morning my tears

    streamed down before the eye could flash a glance.

  5. قُم تَأَمَّل وَأَنتَ أَبصَرُ مِنّي

    هَل تَرى بِالغَميمِ مِن أَجمالِ

    Rise and look closely—you see more keenly than I.

    Do you see any camels at al-Ghamim,

  6. قاضِياتٍ لُبانَةً مِن مُناخٍ

    وَطَوافٍ وَمَوقِفٍ بِالجِبالِ

    fulfilling a desire through a halt,

    and circling and standing among the mountains?

  7. حُزِيَت لي بِحَزمِ فَيدَةَ تُحدى

    كَاليَهودِيِّ مِن نَطاةِ الرِقالِ

    They were made out for me on Faydah's stony ridge, urged onward,

    like a Jew from Natah of the tall palms.

  8. قِلنَ عُسفانَ ثُمَّ رُحنَ سِراعاً

    طالِعاتٍ عَشِيَّةً مِن غَزالِ

    They rested at noon in ʿUsfan, then sped away in the afternoon,

    ascending at evening from Ghazal.

  9. قارِضاتِ الكَديدِ مُجتَزِعاتٍ

    كُلَّ وادي الجُحوفِ بِالأَثقالِ

    Skirting al-Kadid, they traversed

    the whole valley of al-Juhuf with their loads,

  10. قَصدَ لَفتٍ وَهُنَّ مُتَّسِقاتٌ

    كَالعَدَولِيِّ لا حِقاتِ التَوالي

    toward Laft, moving in ordered ranks,

    like Adulian ships, their rear ranks following close.

  11. حينَ وَرّكنَ دَوَّةً بِيَمينٍ

    وَسُرَيرَ البُضَيعِ ذاتَ الشمالِ

    When they kept Dawwah on their right,

    and Surayr al-Budayʿ on their left,

  12. جُزنَ وادي المِياهِ مُحتَضِراتٍ

    مَدرَجَ العَرجِ سالِكاتِ الخلالِ

    they crossed Wadi al-Miyah, racing along

    al-ʿArj's track, threading the gaps.

  13. وَالعُبَيلاءُ مِنهُمُ بِيَسارٍ

    وَتَرَكنَ العَقيقَ ذاتَ النِصالِ

    Al-ʿUbaylaʾ lay to their left,

    and they left al-ʿAqiq on the side of al-Nisal,

  14. طالِعاتِ الغَميسِ مِن عَبّودٍ

    سالِكاتِ الخَوِيِّ مِن أَملالِ

    ascending al-Ghamis from ʿAbbud,

    taking al-Khawiyy from Amlal.

  15. وَطَوَت جانِبَي كُتانَةَ طَيّاً

    فَجَنوبَ الحِمى فَذاتَ النِضالِ

    And they folded up both flanks of Kutanah completely,

    then al-Hima's south, then Dhat al-Nidal.

  16. فَسَقى اللَهُ مُنتَوى أُمِّ عَمرٍو

    حَيثُ أَمَّت بِهِ صُدورُ الرِحالِ

    May God water Umm ʿAmr's chosen dwelling,

    where the fronts of the saddles headed.

  17. تَسمَعُ الرَعدَ في المَخيلَةِ مِنها

    مِثلَ هَزمِ القُرومِ في الأَشوالِ

    You hear thunder in its rain-promising cloud,

    like the bellowing of camel bulls among dry she-camels.

  18. وَتَرى البَرقَ عارِضاً مُستَطيراً

    مَرَحَ البُلقِ جُلنَ في الأَجلالِ

    And you see lightning stretching across and spreading far,

    like piebald horses prancing and wheeling in their trappings,

  19. أَو مَصابيحَ راهِبٍ في يَفاعٍ

    سَغَّمَ الزَيتَ ساطِعاتِ الذُبالِ

    or a monk's lamps upon a height,

    which he feeds richly with oil, their wicks blazing.

  20. حَبَّذا هُنَّ مِن لُبانَةِ قَلبي

    وَجَديدُ الشَبابِ مِن سِربالي

    How dear they are among my heart's desires,

    and youth's freshness, the garment I wore!

  21. رُبَّ يَومٍ أَتَيتُهُنَّ جَميعاً

    عِندَ بَيضاءَ رَخصَةٍ مِكسالِ

    Many a day I attained them all

    beside a fair, tender, languid woman.

  22. غَيرَ أَنّي اِمرِؤٌ تَعَمَّمتُ حِلماً

    يَكرَهُ الجَهلَ وَالصِبا أَمثالي

    Yet I am a man who wears forbearance as his turban;

    men like me abhor folly and youthful passion.

  23. وَيُلامُ الحَليمُ إِن هُوَ يَوماً

    راجِعَ الجَهلَ بَعدَ شَيبِ القَذالِ

    And a forbearing man is blamed if, one day, he

    returns to folly after the back of his head has grayed.