خليليَّ مِن فَرْعَيْ مَعَدٍّ تأمّلا

خليليَّ مِن فَرْعَيْ مَعَدٍّ تأمّلا

بعينيكُما بَرْقاً أضاء يَمانِيا

بعينيكُما بَرْقاً أضاء يَمانِيا

My two friends, scions of Maʿadd’s twin branches, look closely—

My two friends from Maʿadd’s two branches, behold

with your own eyes—at a lightning flash that shone from Yemen,

With your eyes a flash of lightning that shone toward Yemen,

كما قلّبَتْ خَرْقاءُ في غَبَشِ الدُّجى

كما قلّبَتْ خَرْقاءُ في غَبَشِ الدُّجى

ذراعاً شعاعِيَّ المعاصِمِ حاليا

ذراعاً شعاعِيَّ المعاصِمِ حاليا

as an artless maiden turns, in the twilight murk of night,

As a clumsy woman, in night's dimness, turns

her radiant forearms—twin beams, their wrists adorned with jewels.

A slender-wristed arm adorned with jewels.

هفا ثُمّتَ اِستخفى فَقُلت لصاحبي

هفا ثُمّتَ اِستخفى فَقُلت لصاحبي

ألا هلْ أراك البرقُ ما قد أرانِيا

ألا هلْ أراك البرقُ ما قد أرانِيا

It flickered, then vanished; and I said to my companion,

It flickered, then hid itself; so I said to my companion:

“Tell me: has the lightning shown you what it has shown me?”

Ah, has the lightning shown you what it has shown me?

تبسَّمَ عن وادي الخُزامى وميضُهُ

تبسَّمَ عن وادي الخُزامى وميضُهُ

وخالَسَ عَيْنَيَّ الحِمى والمَطالِيا

وخالَسَ عَيْنَيَّ الحِمى والمَطالِيا

Its flash smiled over the Valley of Lavender,

Its flash smiled, revealing the valley of al-Khuzāmā,

and stole sidelong glances toward al-Ḥimā and al-Maṭāli.

And stole al-Ḥimā and al-Maṭālī from my eyes.

وضرّم ما بيني وبين مَتالعٍ

وضرّم ما بيني وبين مَتالعٍ

فأبصرتُ أشخاصَ الخِيامِ كما هيا

فأبصرتُ أشخاصَ الخِيامِ كما هيا

It set ablaze all that lay between me and Mutāliʿ,

And set ablaze the space between me and Matāliʿ,

and I saw the outlines of the tents exactly as they stood.

So I saw the outlines of the tents just as they were.

أَضاءَ القصورَ البيضَ من جانبِ الحِمى

أَضاءَ القصورَ البيضَ من جانبِ الحِمى

فقلتُ أثَغْراً ما أرى أمْ أقاحيا

فقلتُ أثَغْراً ما أرى أمْ أقاحيا

It lit the white palaces beside al-Ḥimā,

It lit the white palaces beside al-Ḥimā,

and I said: “Is that a gleaming row of teeth I see, or daisies?”

So I said: is what I see a mouth, or daisies?

وأقبل يشتقّ الغمامَ كأنّما

وأقبل يشتقّ الغمامَ كأنّما

يُزاحمُ بالبيداءِ كُوماً مَتاليا

يُزاحمُ بالبيداءِ كُوماً مَتاليا

It came on, cleaving the clouds, as though

And it came on, cleaving the clouds, as though

jostling across the desert hump-backed camels following in file:

It were jostling high-humped she-camels in the desert, their calves following them.

تراغَيْن لمّا أنْ دعاهنّ حالبٌ

تراغَيْن لمّا أنْ دعاهنّ حالبٌ

وأرْسلْنَ بالإبساسِ أبيضَ صافيا

وأرْسلْنَ بالإبساسِ أبيضَ صافيا

they low to one another when a milker calls them,

They bellowed to one another when a milker called them,

and at his coaxing call let pure white milk flow.

And at the coaxing calls they let flow milk, white and pure.

أَقول وقَد والى عليَّ وميضهُ

أَقول وقَد والى عليَّ وميضهُ

أَلا ما لهذا البرقِ صَحْبي وما لِيا

أَلا ما لهذا البرقِ صَحْبي وما لِيا

I say, when its flash has passed over me,

I say, as its flashes come upon me one after another:

“Ah, my companions, what has this lightning to do with me—and I with it?

Ah, my friends, what ails this lightning, and what ails me?

يشوّقني مَنْ ليس يشتاق رؤيتي

يشوّقني مَنْ ليس يشتاق رؤيتي

ويُذكِرُني مَن لَيس عنِّيَ راضيا

ويُذكِرُني مَن لَيس عنِّيَ راضيا

It makes me long for one who does not long to see me,

It makes me long for one who does not long to see me,

and reminds me of one who is not pleased with me.

And reminds me of one who is not pleased with me.

وما ذاك عن جُرْمٍ ولكنْ بدأتُهُ

وما ذاك عن جُرْمٍ ولكنْ بدأتُهُ

بصَفْوِ ودادٍ لم يكنْ عنه جازيا

بصَفْوِ ودادٍ لم يكنْ عنه جازيا

That is not because of any fault of mine; rather, I was first to offer him

And that is for no offense; rather, I first offered him

the purity of a love he never requited.

Pure affection, which he never repaid.

دِيارٌ وأَحبابٌ إِذا ما ذَكرتُهمْ

دِيارٌ وأَحبابٌ إِذا ما ذَكرتُهمْ

شَجيتُ ولم أملِكْ دموعي هوامِيا

شَجيتُ ولم أملِكْ دموعي هوامِيا

Dwelling places and loved ones—whenever I remember them,

Homes and loved ones—whenever I remember them,

I choke with grief, unable to restrain my streaming tears.

I grieve, and cannot hold back my streaming tears.

أوانسُ إنْ نازعننا القولَ ساعةً

أوانسُ إنْ نازعننا القولَ ساعةً

نَثَرْن على الأسماعِ منه لآلِيا

نَثَرْن على الأسماعِ منه لآلِيا

Charming women—if they engage us in conversation for an hour,

Amiable maidens—if they exchange words with us for a while,

they scatter upon our ears pearls from their speech.

They scatter pearls of speech upon the ears.

ويُحْسَبْنَ من حُسنٍ بهنّ وزينةٍ

ويُحْسَبْنَ من حُسنٍ بهنّ وزينةٍ

على أنّهنّ عاطِلاتٌ حَواليا

على أنّهنّ عاطِلاتٌ حَواليا

For their inborn beauty and grace, they are thought,

And, for their beauty and grace, they are thought—

though bare of jewels, to be richly adorned.

Though unadorned—to be decked with jewels.