سَدَلُوا الشُّعُورَ عَلَى غُصُونِ البَانِ

سَدَلُوا الشُّعُورَ عَلَى غُصُونِ البَانِ

كَأرَاقِمٍ سَرَحَتْ عَلَى كُثْبَانِ

كَأرَاقِمٍ سَرَحَتْ عَلَى كُثْبَانِ

They let their hair fall over boughs of the bān tree,

They let down their hair over the twigs of acacia

like mottled serpents roaming over sand dunes.

Like rows that grazed upon the sand dunes

وَلَوَوْا سَوَالِفَهمْ عَلَى وَجَنَاتِهِمْ

وَلَوَوْا سَوَالِفَهمْ عَلَى وَجَنَاتِهِمْ

كَعَقَارِبٍ دَبَّتْ عَلَى نُعْمَانِ

كَعَقَارِبٍ دَبَّتْ عَلَى نُعْمَانِ

And they coiled their sidelocks across their cheeks,

And they bent their conversations on their cheeks

like scorpions crawling over Nuʿmān’s anemones.

Like scorpions that crept upon carpets

وَاسْتَوْقَفُوا الغِزْلاَنَ عِنْدّ نِفَارِهَا

وَاسْتَوْقَفُوا الغِزْلاَنَ عِنْدّ نِفَارِهَا

فَاسْتَقنَصُوا الآسَادَ بِالْغِزْلاَنِ

فَاسْتَقنَصُوا الآسَادَ بِالْغِزْلاَنِ

And they halted the gazelles as they fled,

And they detained the gazelles at their neighing

then hunted down lions with gazelles.

So they hunted the lions with the gazelles

حُورٌ تَخَالُهُمُ بُدُوراً طُلَّعًا

حُورٌ تَخَالُهُمُ بُدُوراً طُلَّعًا

فِي كُلّ آوِنَةٍ يُرَى قَمَرَانِ

فِي كُلّ آوِنَةٍ يُرَى قَمَرَانِ

Dark-eyed beauties you would take for rising full moons;

Houris who they imagine them to be full moons

at every moment, two moons are seen.

In every moment two moons appear

وَبَرَزْنَ فِي حُلَلٍ فَلُحْنَ كَوَاعِبًا

وَبَرَزْنَ فِي حُلَلٍ فَلُحْنَ كَوَاعِبًا

وَكَوَاكِبًا أشْرَقْنَ فِي الأكْوَانِ

وَكَوَاكِبًا أشْرَقْنَ فِي الأكْوَانِ

And they emerged in fine robes, appearing as full-breasted maidens,

And they went out in dresses and shone like flames

and as stars shining throughout creation.

And like stars they shone among the gatherings

وَبِهِنَّ مَائِسَةُ القَوَامِ قَوَائِمًا

وَبِهِنَّ مَائِسَةُ القَوَامِ قَوَائِمًا

أكْرِمْ بِهَا مِنْ مَائِسٍ رَيَّانِ

أكْرِمْ بِهَا مِنْ مَائِسٍ رَيَّانِ

And among them, as they stand, is one of swaying figure—

And with them the banquet of the slim ones stood tall

how splendid she is, swaying and lush!

Honor it with them more than any plentiful banquet

عَبَلَتْ رَوَادِفُهَا بِعَنْتَرِ طَرْفِهَا

عَبَلَتْ رَوَادِفُهَا بِعَنْتَرِ طَرْفِهَا

تَرْنُو بمقلة شَادِنٍ ظَمْآنِ

تَرْنُو بمقلة شَادِنٍ ظَمْآنِ

Her haunches grew plump, her gaze an ʿAntar;

Their followers were infatuated with the glance of their eye

she gazes with the eye of a thirsty young gazelle.

Yearning with the eyelid of a thirsty insomniac

فَإذَا رَنَتْ فَهْيَ الغَزَالُ بِعَيْنِهَا

فَإذَا رَنَتْ فَهْيَ الغَزَالُ بِعَيْنِهَا

وَإذَا انْثَنَتْ فَضَحَتْ قَضِيبَ البَانِ

وَإذَا انْثَنَتْ فَضَحَتْ قَضِيبَ البَانِ

So when she gazes, her eye makes her a gazelle,

So when she whinnies she is a gazelle in her eyes

and when she bends, she puts the bān-tree branch to shame.

And when she winks the sticks of acacia are exposed

بَعَثَتْ نَذِيرَ اللَّحْظِ يَدْعُونَا إلَى

بَعَثَتْ نَذِيرَ اللَّحْظِ يَدْعُونَا إلَى

قَتْلِ النُّفُوسِ بِفَتْرَةِ الأجْفَان

قَتْلِ النُّفُوسِ بِفَتْرَةِ الأجْفَان

She sent her glance’s warning herald, calling us to

She unleashed the warner of the glance calling us

the slaying of souls by the languor of eyelids.

To kill the souls with the batting of eyelids

كَحْلاَ تُحَارِبُنِي بِطَرْفٍ قَائِلٍ

كَحْلاَ تُحَارِبُنِي بِطَرْفٍ قَائِلٍ

فِي حَرْبِهِ لِلْقَوْمِ يَا لِسِنَانِي

فِي حَرْبِهِ لِلْقَوْمِ يَا لِسِنَانِي

Kohl-dark-eyed, she battles me with a glance that says

With kohl she wages war on me with a speaking glance

in its battle, to the people: ‘Oh, for my spear-point!’

In his war against people, Oh what my teeth can do

يَا لَحْظَهَا المُسْوَدَّ أحْمَرُ خَدّهَا

يَا لَحْظَهَا المُسْوَدَّ أحْمَرُ خَدّهَا

يُدْعَى بِقَيْسِيٍّ وَأنْتَ يَمَانِي

يُدْعَى بِقَيْسِيٍّ وَأنْتَ يَمَانِي

O her darkened glance, her cheek’s red hue

Oh her blackened glance, red are her cheeks

is called Qaysī, while you are Yamānī.

Called Qaisi while you are Yemani