لِمَنَ الهوادجُ والقلاصُ الوُجّدُ

لِمَنَ الهوادجُ والقلاصُ الوُجّدُ

ولمن يرى تلك الخواتم واليدُ

ولمن يرى تلك الخواتم واليدُ

Whose are the howdahs and the love-stricken young she-camels?

Whose are the howdahs and the swift young she-camels?

And whose the hand one sees, adorned with all those rings?

And whose are those rings and the hand one sees?

بكروَا بليلَى والركائب ترتمي

بكروَا بليلَى والركائب ترتمي

تحت الهوادج والحُداةُ تغَرّد

تحت الهوادج والحُداةُ تغَرّد

They set out at dawn with Layla, the mounts surging onward

They set out early with Layla, the riding-camels surging onward

beneath the howdahs, while the camel-drivers sang.

beneath the howdahs, while the camel-drivers sing.

أوْمتْ منِ الِسُجف المنيع بإنملٍ

أوْمتْ منِ الِسُجف المنيع بإنملٍ

من لين ملمسِها تُحلّ وتعقدُ

من لين ملمسِها تُحلّ وتعقدُ

From behind the forbidding curtain she beckoned with fingertips

She gestured from behind the guarded curtain with fingertips

so soft to the touch, they loosen knots and bind them.

so soft to the touch they could be untied and knotted.

وتنسّمتْ فإذا المعنبر فائح

وتنسّمتْ فإذا المعنبر فائح

وتبسمت فإذا الأقاح مبدد

وتبسمت فإذا الأقاح مبدد

She breathed—and suddenly ambergris spread its perfume;

She breathed, and lo, ambergris fragrance wafted;

she smiled—and suddenly daisies lay scattered.

she smiled, and lo, daisies lay scattered.

غورية لاح الوميض لأهلها

غورية لاح الوميض لأهلها

فتذكروا نجدض الحجاز وانْجَدوا

فتذكروا نجدض الحجاز وانْجَدوا

A woman of the Ghawr: lightning flashed before her people,

A woman of Ghawr—a lightning-flash shone for her people,

and they remembered Najd of the Hijaz and climbed toward its heights.

so they remembered the uplands of the Hijaz and headed upward.

أتبعتُهم نظرَ المِرُيب ومقلَةٌ

أتبعتُهم نظرَ المِرُيب ومقلَةٌ

تهمي النجيع وزفرة تتصَعّدُ

تهمي النجيع وزفرة تتصَعّدُ

I followed them with the mistrustful man’s gaze, with an eye

I followed them with an anxious gaze, while my eye

streaming blood, while a sigh kept rising.

rained fresh blood and a sigh rose upward.

ودعوت يا ربّ القباب بحق من

ودعوت يا ربّ القباب بحق من

يُدني إليّ مزاركم لا تبعدوا

يُدني إليّ مزاركم لا تبعدوا

I called: O Lord of the domed pavilions, by the right of Him

And I called: O lord of the tent-canopies, by Him who

who brings the place of your visit close to me—do not go far.

brings your dwelling near to me, do not go far away!

فلرب ليلٍ قد سهرت على اللوى

فلرب ليلٍ قد سهرت على اللوى

ومُسامِري لَدْنُ المعَاطف اغيدُ

ومُسامِري لَدْنُ المعَاطف اغيدُ

Many a night I have lain awake at al-Liwā,

For many a night I kept vigil at al-Liwa,

my evening companion supple-bodied and graceful.

my night-companion supple of limb and graceful.

بتنا ندير على تَورّدِ خده

بتنا ندير على تَورّدِ خده

كاس اللجين أذيبَ فيه العسجَدُ

كاس اللجين أذيبَ فيه العسجَدُ

We spent the night passing, over the rose-bloom of his cheek,

We spent the night passing round, over his cheek's rosy glow,

a silver cup with molten gold dissolved within.

a silver cup in which gold had been melted.

دبتْ دبيبَ النمل في اجدادنا

دبتْ دبيبَ النمل في اجدادنا

فرِقابُنا من شُرِبها تتأودُ

فرِقابُنا من شُرِبها تتأودُ

It crept through our bodies with the creeping of ants,

It crept like ants through our forebears,

and from drinking it our necks began to sway.

so our necks swayed from drinking it.

صِحْنَا إلى الأيام مَا شئت أصنعي

صِحْنَا إلى الأيام مَا شئت أصنعي

ذا بيتُ مسعودِ وذاك محمّد

ذا بيتُ مسعودِ وذاك محمّد

We cried out to the days: Do whatever you will!

We cried to the days: Do whatever you will!

Here is Masʿūd’s house, and there stands Muḥammad.

This is Mas'ud's house, and that is Muhammad.

حَدقيّةٌ أفعالُه سَعْديَةٌ

حَدقيّةٌ أفعالُه سَعْديَةٌ

عكيّةٌ تُنمى إليها السؤدَد

عكيّةٌ تُنمى إليها السؤدَد

Ḥadaqite are his deeds, Saʿdite—

His deeds are Hadaqi, Sa'di,

ʿAkkite; to those deeds high glory traces its line.

and 'Akki; to them nobility is traced.

الخيلُ شعثُ في المرابط حولهَ

الخيلُ شعثُ في المرابط حولهَ

والسمْر تعسلُ والرمَاح تجَرّد

والسمْر تعسلُ والرمَاح تجَرّد

The horses stand unkempt in the tethering grounds around him,

The horses are shaggy in the tethering-grounds around him,

while brown spear-shafts quiver and lances are bared.

the brown spear-shafts quiver, and the lances are bared.

هم يحسبون بأنّني أنْسَاه

هم يحسبون بأنّني أنْسَاه

لو أنني بُدلت منه سواه

لو أنني بُدلت منه سواه

They think that I shall forget him,

They think that I would forget him

even if another were given me in his place,

if I were given someone else in his place,

أو أن قلبي حال عن ميثاقه

أو أن قلبي حال عن ميثاقه

لا والذي هو في السماء إله

لا والذي هو في السماء إله

or that my heart could turn away from its covenant.

or that my heart has turned away from his covenant.

No—by Him who is God in heaven.

No, by Him who is God in heaven!

رشْاءٌ إذا غِمَدت سيوفُ رجاله

رشْاءٌ إذا غِمَدت سيوفُ رجاله

يوم المغار كفَتْهم عَيْنَاه

يوم المغار كفَتْهم عَيْنَاه

A gazelle-fawn—when his men’s swords are sheathed;

A gazelle-fawn: when his men's swords are sheathed

on a day of raids, his two eyes suffice them.

on the day of the raid, his eyes suffice them.

متقسمٌ نُصفان أسفُلُه نقاً

متقسمٌ نُصفان أسفُلُه نقاً

تحت القضيب وبانة اعلاه

تحت القضيب وبانة اعلاه

Fashioned in two halves: below, a mound of sand

Divided into two halves: his lower half is a sand dune

beneath the slender waist; above, a bān-tree’s bough.

beneath the slender branch, and his upper half a ban-tree.

لا أنسَ ليلةَ زارني في بُرده

لا أنسَ ليلةَ زارني في بُرده

نشوانَ نعساناً يَجرٌ رداه

نشوانَ نعساناً يَجرٌ رداه

I cannot forget the night he visited me in his cloak,

I shall not forget the night he visited me in his mantle,

wine-flushed and drowsy, trailing his mantle.

tipsy and drowsy, trailing his robe.

فقطفت من خدَّيه ورداً طالما

فقطفت من خدَّيه ورداً طالما

قطرتْ سيوفُ الهند دون جناه

قطرتْ سيوفُ الهند دون جناه

From his cheeks I plucked roses, though so often

So I plucked roses from his cheeks, though many a time

Indian blades had dripped blood before their gathering.

Indian swords had dripped blood to bar their plucking.

وَضَمَمْتُه فكانما هو يوسفٌ

وَضَمَمْتُه فكانما هو يوسفٌ

وافى على العهد القديم أباه

وافى على العهد القديم أباه

I embraced him, and it was as though he were Joseph

And I embraced him, as though he were Yusuf,

returning faithfully to his father under the ancient promise.

come to his father, true to their bond of old.

ما كان لي شجنٌ ببلدة عَامرٍ

ما كان لي شجنٌ ببلدة عَامرٍ

لولاه حلّ بأرضهم لولاه

لولاه حلّ بأرضهم لولاه

The town of ʿĀmir was not in itself the cause of my sorrow—

I would have had no yearning for the town of 'Amir,

were it not for him who dwelt in their land, were it not for him.

but for him, who settled in their land—but for him.

ومُبَاحثٍ لي ما العقيق وما اللوى

ومُبَاحثٍ لي ما العقيق وما اللوى

قلت العقيق كعهدنا وَلِواه

قلت العقيق كعهدنا وَلِواه

To one who questioned me, “What are al-ʿAqīq and al-Liwā?”

And someone asked me: What of al-'Aqiq, and what of al-Liwa?

I said, “Al-ʿAqīq is as we knew it, and al-Liwā too—

I said: Al-'Aqiq and its Liwa are as we remember them:

أغصانه مخضرّة ورياضُه

أغصانه مخضرّة ورياضُه

مُفتَرَّة ونسيمُه وصَبَاه

مُفتَرَّة ونسيمُه وصَبَاه

its branches green, its meadows

its branches are green, and its gardens

smiling open, its breeze and its east wind.”

are smiling, with its breeze and its east wind.