أمُرْتَبعٌ أم أنت ليس بمنزلِ

أمُرْتَبعٌ أم أنت ليس بمنزلِ

أوَشْمٌ بزندٍ أم وَحيٌّ بجندلِ

أوَشْمٌ بزندٍ أم وَحيٌّ بجندلِ

Are you a spring encampment, or no dwelling at all?

Are you a bit confused or are you not at home?

A tattoo on a forearm, or an inscription on stone?

Or a tattoo with indigo or an inspiration with musk?

أمِ الخللُ الَّلاتي أبان جديدَها

أمِ الخللُ الَّلاتي أبان جديدَها

جديد البلى أمْ سحقُ ثوب مسلسلِ

جديد البلى أمْ سحقُ ثوب مسلسلِ

Or scabbard-coverings whose freshness has been stripped away

Or are the flaws that revealed its renewal

by fresh decay—or the threadbare remains of a chain-patterned garment?

A new renewal or a ripped dress of a series?

ألا أنَّهُ رسمٌ لأسماءَ طاسِمٌ

ألا أنَّهُ رسمٌ لأسماءَ طاسِمٌ

تعاوره ريحا جَنوبٍ وشمألِ

تعاوره ريحا جَنوبٍ وشمألِ

Indeed, it is a fading trace of Asma's dwelling,

Indeed, it is a drawing of mighty names

assailed in turn by the south wind and the north.

Shaken by the winds of south and north

أتتْ حِقَبٌ تعدي عليه فأسارت

أتتْ حِقَبٌ تعدي عليه فأسارت

رُسوماً كتسهام اليماني المهلهلِ

رُسوماً كتسهام اليماني المهلهلِ

Ages came sweeping over it, and left behind

Periods have come that transgressed it so they detained

traces like the arrow-patterns of a threadbare Yemeni mantle.

Drawings as the confusion of the wavering Yemeni

وقفنا به صُهبَ العثانينِ نمتَسح

وقفنا به صُهبَ العثانينِ نمتَسح

شُؤوناً متى ما نذكر الحيَّ تهملِ

شُؤوناً متى ما نذكر الحيَّ تهملِ

We halted our tawny-bearded camels there, wiping away

We stood at its northern borders and wiped

tear-streams that flow whenever we remember the tribe.

Affairs whenever we recall the living forgets

وقد كان مأهولاً ببيضٍ أوانِسٍ

وقد كان مأهولاً ببيضٍ أوانِسٍ

فأصبح مأهولاً بذئبٍ وفُرعلِ

فأصبح مأهولاً بذئبٍ وفُرعلِ

Once it was inhabited by fair, companionable women,

It used to be populated with white, familiar ones

but now it is inhabited by a wolf and a hyena cub,

So it became populated with wolves and leopards

وعُفرٍ وآرامٍ وعينٍ وعانةٍ

وعُفرٍ وآرامٍ وعينٍ وعانةٍ

يَرود بها من ذات قرو ومسحلِ

يَرود بها من ذات قرو ومسحلِ

and tawny gazelles, white gazelles, wide-eyed wild cattle, and a herd

And baldness, Arameans, springs, and groves

of long-backed she-asses and braying wild jacks, foraging there.

Which wander in it from near and far places

خليلي عوجا نمنحِ الربعَ ساعةً

خليلي عوجا نمنحِ الربعَ ساعةً

تحيَّةَ جازٍ بالوفا غيرِ مُؤتلِ

تحيَّةَ جازٍ بالوفا غيرِ مُؤتلِ

My two friends, turn aside; let us grant the dwelling a moment:

My friend, we give the open country a quarter hour

a greeting from one who repays with fidelity, sparing no effort.

As a greeting that passes with loyalty without being severed

ولسنا نحيَّي الدار حُبّاً لِربَعها

ولسنا نحيَّي الدار حُبّاً لِربَعها

ولكنه حُبٌّ لكالأدم خُذَّلِ

ولكنه حُبٌّ لكالأدم خُذَّلِ

We do not greet the dwelling out of love for its site,

And we don’t greet the house out of love for its open country

but out of love for women like tawny gazelles lingering with their young:

But it is a love for people who are humiliated

شَناغيف هيفٍ ناِعماتٍ نواهدٍ

شَناغيف هيفٍ ناِعماتٍ نواهدٍ

أماليدَ غيدٍ من عرانين نهشَلِ

أماليدَ غيدٍ من عرانين نهشَلِ

tall, slender-waisted, tender, budding-breasted beauties,

Flat loaves, delicate, soft, loving

supple as young shoots, gracefully swaying, of Nahshal's noble stock.

Figures of dough made from sifted bran

وفرْعاءَ غرَّآءِ المجرَّد طَفَلةٍ

وفرْعاءَ غرَّآءِ المجرَّد طَفَلةٍ

من الخفرات الغُنِّ شما المقَّبلِ

من الخفرات الغُنِّ شما المقَّبلِ

And a long-haired woman, radiant of bare skin, delicate,

And the bare, aromatic, little girl

one of the shy, sweetly nasal-voiced women, high-nosed where kisses fall.

Of the melodious singers, smelling of musk

لها مقلتا مَذعورةٍ أم جوذرٍ

لها مقلتا مَذعورةٍ أم جوذرٍ

وسالفتا براقَةِ الجيد مُغزِلِ

وسالفتا براقَةِ الجيد مُغزِلِ

She has the two eyes of a startled wild cow, mother of a calf,

She has frightened eyelids or particles

and her neck's twin contours are those of a gleaming-necked doe with a fawn.

And smooth, shining cheeks like spindle

وتستر مَتْنَيها بأسحمَ فاحمٍ

وتستر مَتْنَيها بأسحمَ فاحمٍ

كثيفٍ أثيثِ النّبت جعد المرجّلِ

كثيفٍ أثيثِ النّبت جعد المرجّلِ

She covers both sides of her back with jet-black, coal-dark hair,

She covers her flexuous body with thick, steaming

thick, luxuriantly grown, its combed strands curling.

Dense hair, curly and disheveled

وتَبسمُ عن غُرٍ كأن وميضها

وتَبسمُ عن غُرٍ كأن وميضها

تلألؤُ برقٍ في حبيٍ مكلَّلِ

تلألؤُ برقٍ في حبيٍ مكلَّلِ

She smiles, revealing white teeth whose flashing seems

She smiles from a cheek as if its glow

the glitter of lightning in a piled-up, wreathed cloud.

Is the twinkling of lightning in a crowned beloved

كأن سُلافاً عاتقا بابليةً

كأن سُلافاً عاتقا بابليةً

تُشجُّ بماء ذي جلاميدَ سلسل

تُشجُّ بماء ذي جلاميدَ سلسل

As though aged, first-run Babylonian wine,

As if it were a shoulder, Babylonian and flowing

diluted with sweet, smooth water from among boulders,

Agitated with water of chained ripplets

مُجاجةُ فيها بعد أن غلب الكرى

مُجاجةُ فيها بعد أن غلب الكرى

عليها ولما تستطع مضغ مأكلِ

عليها ولما تستطع مضغ مأكلِ

were the moisture of her mouth after slumber had overcome

Babbling in it after hardship won over her

her, while she had not yet been able to chew any food.

And she couldn’t chew food

كأنَّ عقود الدُّرِّ والشذر علقت

كأنَّ عقود الدُّرِّ والشذر علقت

على فضة من صدرها أو سجنحلِ

على فضة من صدرها أو سجنحلِ

As though necklaces of pearls and gold beads were hung

As if necklaces of pearls and beads hung

upon the silver of her breast, or upon a polished mirror.

On her silver chest or bracelets

تمايَلُ في أثوابها بين خرَّد

تمايَلُ في أثوابها بين خرَّد

كواعب يُضنين الفتى بالتدليُّلِ

كواعب يُضنين الفتى بالتدليُّلِ

She sways in her robes among bashful maidens,

Swaying in her clothes between anklets

budding-breasted, who wear a young man down with their coquetry.

That arouse the young man with pampering

يَرُعْنَ إلي صوتي رجوع قلائص

يَرُعْنَ إلي صوتي رجوع قلائص

لأعيسَ هدَّار من الأبل أهدل

لأعيسَ هدَّار من الأبل أهدل

They turn toward my voice as young she-camels return

Responding to my voice, the return of barking bitches

to a tawny-white camel of the herd, bellowing, drooping-lipped.

Of a talkative pack from the camels left behind

ليَاليَ كانَ العهدُ غيرَ مبدَّل

ليَاليَ كانَ العهدُ غيرَ مبدَّل

وكان لذيذ العيش غير مزيَّلِ

وكان لذيذ العيش غير مزيَّلِ

In those nights when the bond remained unchanged,

Nights when the era was not changed

and the sweetness of life had not been taken away.

And the sweet life was not gone

سقى اللهُ ذياك الزمانَ الذي مضى

سقى اللهُ ذياك الزمانَ الذي مضى

بأسحم مِرنانٍ من الغيث مسبلِ

بأسحم مِرنانٍ من الغيث مسبلِ

May God water that time which has passed,

May God water that time which passed

with a dark, thunder-resounding raincloud pouring down.

With copious, pouring rain from bursting clouds