عرفت اليوم بالأسناد دارا

عرفت اليوم بالأسناد دارا

فدمع العين ينهمر انهمارا

فدمع العين ينهمر انهمارا

Today at al-Asnād I recognized a dwelling,

Today I learned of a house through stories,

and tears pour from my eye in torrents.

So tears from my eyes poured down like rain,

منازل جيرةٍ شحطت نواهم

منازل جيرةٍ شحطت نواهم

وأعقبت السوافي والقطارا

وأعقبت السوافي والقطارا

The dwellings of neighbors whose destination lay far away,

Of neighboring homes that lost their dwellers,

leaving behind windblown sand and rain.

And followed them were caravans and trains,

رمتني بالسليل غداة بانوا

رمتني بالسليل غداة بانوا

على حذرٍ وما رمت اغترارا

على حذرٍ وما رمت اغترارا

She struck me at al-Salīl the morning they departed,

They threw pebbles at me when dawn rose,

though I was on my guard; she did not strike me unawares,

Cautiously, not out of deceit,

بأدهم فاحمٍ وبذي غروبٍ

بأدهم فاحمٍ وبذي غروبٍ

كأن على أشانبه عُقارا

كأن على أشانبه عُقارا

with coal-black hair and a mouth of sharp-edged teeth,

With pillars of smoke and dusk’s fading,

as though wine lay upon its gleaming teeth:

As if embers burned in its midst,

صهيباء الشراب خَبيَّ حَولٍ

صهيباء الشراب خَبيَّ حَولٍ

حَوَلاً أوقرت مداراً وقارا

حَوَلاً أوقرت مداراً وقارا

tawny wine, a year's hidden store.

Clear wine of the purest extract,

For a year it burdened a madār [unclear term] with a heavy load.

Extract that settled and clarified,

فلما طاب مشربها تداعى

فلما طاب مشربها تداعى

لها الغادون وابتدروا التجارا

لها الغادون وابتدروا التجارا

And when its taste grew pleasing, they summoned one another—

So when its drink was refined and ready,

the early risers—to it, and raced to the merchants,

Seekers came flocking to barter and trade,

برجم الظن غير يقين علمٍ

برجم الظن غير يقين علمٍ

كما شيم الحيا حين استطارا

كما شيم الحيا حين استطارا

on conjecture, not certain knowledge,

They cast doubts without certainty of knowledge,

as rainclouds are watched when they spread afar,

As snakes scatter when provoked and afraid,

بأعين محدبين لقوا إليه

بأعين محدبين لقوا إليه

كما ألقى إلى طيا نوارا

كما ألقى إلى طيا نوارا

with the eyes of men leaning forward, cast toward it,

With bulging eyes they looked upon it,

as it scattered blossoms toward Ṭayy.

As gazelles look towards meadows arrayed.