أَلَمْ تَرَ أَنَّ القَلْبَ ثَابَ وأَبْصَرَا

أَلَمْ تَرَ أَنَّ القَلْبَ ثَابَ وأَبْصَرَا

وجَلَّى عَمَايَاتِ الشَّبَابِ وأَقْصَرَا

وجَلَّى عَمَايَاتِ الشَّبَابِ وأَقْصَرَا

Have you not seen that the heart returned to its senses and saw clearly,

dispelled youth’s blindness and desisted,

وبُدِّلَ حِلَماً بَعْدَ جَهْلٍ ومَنْ يَعِشْ

وبُدِّلَ حِلَماً بَعْدَ جَهْلٍ ومَنْ يَعِشْ

يُجَرِّبْ ويُبْصِرْ شَأْنَهُ إِنْ تَفَكَّرَا

يُجَرِّبْ ويُبْصِرْ شَأْنَهُ إِنْ تَفَكَّرَا

and was given sound judgment after folly? Whoever lives

gains experience and understands his condition, if he reflects.

أَبَى القَلْبُ إِلاَّ ذِكْرَ دَهْمَاءَ بَعْدَمَا

أَبَى القَلْبُ إِلاَّ ذِكْرَ دَهْمَاءَ بَعْدَمَا

غَنِينَا وأَضْحَى حَبْلُها قَدْ تَبَتَّرَا

غَنِينَا وأَضْحَى حَبْلُها قَدْ تَبَتَّرَا

The heart refused anything but remembrance of Dahma, after

we had lived together and her cord of attachment had been severed.

وكُنَّا اجْتَنَيْنَا مَرَّةً ثَمَرَ الصِّبَا

وكُنَّا اجْتَنَيْنَا مَرَّةً ثَمَرَ الصِّبَا

فَلَمْ يُبْقِ مِنْهُ الدَّهْرُ إلاَّ تَذَكُّرا

فَلَمْ يُبْقِ مِنْهُ الدَّهْرُ إلاَّ تَذَكُّرا

We had once plucked the fruit of youth,

but time left nothing of it except remembrance.

وعمْداً تَصَدَّتْ يَوْمَ شَاكِلَةِ الحِمَى

وعمْداً تَصَدَّتْ يَوْمَ شَاكِلَةِ الحِمَى

لِتَنْكَأَ قَلْباً قَدْ صَحَا وتَوَقَّرَا

لِتَنْكَأَ قَلْباً قَدْ صَحَا وتَوَقَّرَا

And deliberately she appeared that day on the flank of al-Hima,

to reopen the wound of a heart grown sober and composed.

عَشِيَّةَ أَبْدَتْ جِيدَ أَدْمَاءَ مُغْزِلٍ

عَشِيَّةَ أَبْدَتْ جِيدَ أَدْمَاءَ مُغْزِلٍ

وطَرْفاً يُرِيكَ الحُسْنَ أَحْوَرَا

وطَرْفاً يُرِيكَ الحُسْنَ أَحْوَرَا

That evening she revealed the neck of a white doe with a fawn,

and an eye of deep black and bright white that showed you beauty,

وأَسْحَمَ مَجَّاجَ الدِّهَانِ كَأَنَّهُ

وأَسْحَمَ مَجَّاجَ الدِّهَانِ كَأَنَّهُ

عَنَاقِيدُ مِنْ كَرْمٍ دَنَا فَتَهَصَّرَا

عَنَاقِيدُ مِنْ كَرْمٍ دَنَا فَتَهَصَّرَا

and jet-black hair, oozing oils, as though it were

grape clusters from a vine that drew near and bent low,

وأَشْنَبَ تَجْلُوهُ بِعُودِ أَرَاكَةٍ

وأَشْنَبَ تَجْلُوهُ بِعُودِ أَرَاكَةٍ

ورَخْصاً عَلَتْهُ بِالخِضَابِ مُسَيَّرَا

ورَخْصاً عَلَتْهُ بِالخِضَابِ مُسَيَّرَا

and a cool, white-toothed mouth she polished with an arak twig,

and a soft hand she had covered with stripes of dye.

فَيَا لَكَ مِنْ شَوْقٍ بِقَلْبٍ مُتَيَّمٍ

فَيَا لَكَ مِنْ شَوْقٍ بِقَلْبٍ مُتَيَّمٍ

يُجِنُّ الهَوَى مِنْهَا ويَا لَكَ مَنْظَرَا

يُجِنُّ الهَوَى مِنْهَا ويَا لَكَ مَنْظَرَا

Oh, what longing in a heart enslaved by love,

concealing its passion for her—and what a sight!

ومَا أَنْسِ مِلأَشْيَاءِ لاَ أَنْسَ قوْلَهَا

ومَا أَنْسِ مِلأَشْيَاءِ لاَ أَنْسَ قوْلَهَا

وقَدْ قُرِّبَتْ رِخْوَ المِلاَطَيْنِ دَوْسَرَا

وقَدْ قُرِّبَتْ رِخْوَ المِلاَطَيْنِ دَوْسَرَا

Whatever things I forget, I will not forget her words,

when a massive camel, soft in both flanks, had been brought near:

أَلاَ يَا اجْتَدِينَا بِالثَّوَابِ فَإِنَّنَا

أَلاَ يَا اجْتَدِينَا بِالثَّوَابِ فَإِنَّنَا

نُثِيبُ وَإِنْ سَاءَ الغَيُورَ المُحَذِّرَا

نُثِيبُ وَإِنْ سَاءَ الغَيُورَ المُحَذِّرَا

“Listen, ask us for a gift in recompense, for we

give rewards, even if it displeases the jealous admonisher.”

سَقَاهَا وإِنْ كَانَتْ عَلَيْنَا بِخَيلَةً

سَقَاهَا وإِنْ كَانَتْ عَلَيْنَا بِخَيلَةً

أَغَرُّ سِمَاكِيُّ أَقَادَ وأَمْطَرَا

أَغَرُّ سِمَاكِيُّ أَقَادَ وأَمْطَرَا

May she be watered, though she was grudging toward us,

by a radiant Simak cloud that led its train and poured rain.

تَهَلَّلَ بِالغَوْرَينِ غَوْرَيْ تِهَامَةٍ

تَهَلَّلَ بِالغَوْرَينِ غَوْرَيْ تِهَامَةٍ

وحُلَّتْ رَوَايَاهُ بِنَجْدٍ وعَسْكَرَا

وحُلَّتْ رَوَايَاهُ بِنَجْدٍ وعَسْكَرَا

It beamed over the two lowlands, the two lowlands of Tihama,

and its water-bearers were unloaded in Najd, and it encamped.

لَهُ قَائِدٌ دُهْمُ الرَّبَابِ وخَلْفَهُ

لَهُ قَائِدٌ دُهْمُ الرَّبَابِ وخَلْفَهُ

رَوَايَا يُبَجَّسْنَ الغَمَامَ الكَنَهْوَرَا

رَوَايَا يُبَجَّسْنَ الغَمَامَ الكَنَهْوَرَا

It had a vanguard—dark low clouds—and behind it

water-bearers making the thick, towering clouds gush.

وكَانَ حَيا بِالشَّامِ أَيْسَرُ صَوْبِهِ

وكَانَ حَيا بِالشَّامِ أَيْسَرُ صَوْبِهِ

وأَحْيَا حَيَا عَامَيْنِ فِي أَرضِ حمْيَرَا

وأَحْيَا حَيَا عَامَيْنِ فِي أَرضِ حمْيَرَا

The lightest of its downpour was life-giving rain in al-Sham,

and it gave life with two years’ rain in the land of Himyar.

وبَاتَ يَحُطُّ العُصْمَ مِنْ أَجْبُلِ الحِمَى

وبَاتَ يَحُطُّ العُصْمَ مِنْ أَجْبُلِ الحِمَى

وهَمَّتْ رَوَاسيَ صَخْرِهِ أَنْ تَحَدَّرَا

وهَمَّتْ رَوَاسيَ صَخْرِهِ أَنْ تَحَدَّرَا

All night it swept white-legged ibex down from the mountains of al-Hima,

and its firmly rooted rocks were on the point of tumbling down.

وغَادَرَ بِالتَّيْهَاءِ مِنْ جَانِبِ الحِمَى

وغَادَرَ بِالتَّيْهَاءِ مِنْ جَانِبِ الحِمَى

مِنَ المَاءِ مَغْمُورَ العَلاَجِيمِ أَكْدَرَا

مِنَ المَاءِ مَغْمُورَ العَلاَجِيمِ أَكْدَرَا

It left in the trackless wilderness beside al-Hima

a muddy mass of water with its frogs submerged.

ولاَ قَرْوَ إِلاَّ قَرْوَ رَيِّقِهِ ضُحىً

ولاَ قَرْوَ إِلاَّ قَرْوَ رَيِّقِهِ ضُحىً

بِعَبْسٍ ونَجَّتْ طَيْرُهُ حِينَ أَسْفَرَا

بِعَبْسٍ ونَجَّتْ طَيْرُهُ حِينَ أَسْفَرَا

And no pursuit but pursuing its first rain in the forenoon,

at Abs; its birds called when it grew light.