رُدّواreturn التَحِيَّةَthe greeting أَيُّهاO السَفرُthe travelers
رُدّوا التَحِيَّةَ أَيُّها السَفرُ
وَقِفواand stop فَإِنَّfor indeed وُقوفَكُمyour stopping أَجرُa reward
وَقِفوا فَإِنَّ وُقوفَكُم أَجرُ
Return the greeting, O travelers.
Greetings, O traveler! Stop for stopping has reward
And pause, for your pause earns a reward.
What loss in stopping when rain slakes your thirst?
ماذاwhat عَلَيكُمupon you فيin وُقوفِكُمُyour stopping
ماذا عَلَيكُم في وُقوفِكُمُ
رَيثَfor the duration of السُؤالِthe question سَقاكُمُmay it give you drink القَطرُthe rain
رَيثَ السُؤالِ سَقاكُمُ القَطرُ
What would it cost you to pause
By God, your Lord, have you no news
Long enough for a question? May the rain give you drink.
Of Mecca and its people that you've heard?
بِاللَهِby God رَبِّكُمُyour Lord أَماis there no لَكُمُfor you
بِاللَهِ رَبِّكُمُ أَما لَكُمُ
بِالمَشعَرَينِof the two sacred sites وَأَهلِهِand its people خُبرُknowledge
بِالمَشعَرَينِ وَأَهلِهِ خُبرُ
By God, your Lord, have you no
Came you not Minā with pilgrims thronged
Knowledge of the two sacred sites and the people there?
From 'Amr's mother, of him they speak the word?
أَوَماor has not أَتاكُمُreached you بِالمُحَصَّبِat al-Muhassab مِنof مِنىًMina
أَوَما أَتاكُمُ بِالمُحَصَّبِ مِن مِنىً
مِنfrom أُمِّUmm (mother of) عَمروٍAmr تِربِهاher age-mate ذِكرُmention
مِن أُمِّ عَمروٍ تِربِها ذِكرُ
Or has no word reached you at al-Muhassab in Mina
A Meccan girl, for whom his heart is seized,
From Umm Amr, her age-mate?
Grief forgot, he finds no patience stirred,
مَكِيَّةٌa Meccan woman هامَbecame love-struck الفُؤادُthe heart بِهاwith her
مَكِيَّةٌ هامَ الفُؤادُ بِها
نَسيَit forgot العَزاءَconsolation فَماso no لَهُfor it صَبرُpatience
نَسيَ العَزاءَ فَما لَهُ صَبرُ
A Meccan woman with whom the heart is madly in love;
Swaying in her saddle, like a palace fair,
It has forgotten solace, so it has no patience.
In youth's fresh bloom, a goddess he's adored.
مُرتَجَّةُquivering الرَدفَينِthe two buttocks بَهكَنَةٌsoft and full-bodied
مُرتَجَّةُ الرَدفَينِ بَهكَنَةٌ
رُؤدُtender الشَبابِyouth كَأَنَّهاas though she were قَصرُa palace
رُؤدُ الشَبابِ كَأَنَّها قَصرُ
Her buttocks quiver; she is soft and full-bodied,
To him her fate's ordained a time to kill,
Tender in youth, as though she were a palace.
For all things come to pass as fate's preferred.
قَدَرَتshe decreed لَهُfor him حَيناًdoom لِتَقتُلَهُso she may kill him
قَدَرَت لَهُ حَيناً لِتَقتُلَهُ
وَلِكُلِّand for every ماthing that هُوَit كائِنٌcoming to be قَدرُa fate
وَلِكُلِّ ما هُوَ كائِنٌ قَدرُ
She decreed his doom, that she might kill him;
The month being as a day, if you're content,
And all that comes to be has its fate.
The day a month, if wrath in you's incurred.
الشَهرُthe month مِثلُlike اليَومِthe day إِنif رَضيَتshe is pleased
الشَهرُ مِثلُ اليَومِ إِن رَضيَت
وَاليَومُand the day إِنif غَضِبَتshe is angry بِهِwith him شَهرُa month
وَاليَومُ إِن غَضِبَت بِهِ شَهرُ
A month is like a day if she is pleased;
A lovely houri, her kiss is sweet,
And a day, if she is angry with him, is a month.
Pure wine it seems, the taste of wine conferred.
حَوراءُdark-eyed آنِسَةٌcompanionable مُقَبَّلُهاher kissable mouth
حَوراءُ آنِسَةٌ مُقَبَّلُها
عَذبٌsweet كَأَنَّas though مَذاقَهُits taste خَمرُwine
عَذبٌ كَأَنَّ مَذاقَهُ خَمرُ
Dark-eyed and companionable; her mouth
Ambergris in musk her breath perfumed,
Is sweet, as though its taste were wine.
And cloves that waft when morning's winds have spurred.
وَالعَنبَرُand ambergris المَسحوقُpowdered خالَطَهُmingled with it
وَالعَنبَرُ المَسحوقُ خالَطَهُ
وَقَرَنفُلٌand cloves يَأتيcomes بِهِwith it النَشرُwafting fragrance
وَقَرَنفُلٌ يَأتي بِهِ النَشرُ
And powdered ambergris has mingled with it,
Gleaming she moves amid the dark, the gloom
And cloves, borne upon wafting fragrance.
Like moon dispelling night, her rays unblurred.
وَإِذاand when تَراءَتshe appears فيin الظَلامِthe darkness جَلَتshe dispels
وَإِذا تَراءَت في الظَلامِ جَلَت
دُجنَgloom الظَلامِof darkness كَأَنَّهاas though she were بَدرُa full moon
دُجنَ الظَلامِ كَأَنَّها بَدرُ
And when she appears in the darkness, she dispels
Languid her motions, by shyness rendered weak,
The gloom of darkness, as though she were a full moon.
A timid doe, by awe of man deterred.
وَتَنوand she rises laboriously فَتَصرَعُهاthen it topples her عَجيزَتُهاher rump
وَتَنو فَتَصرَعُها عَجيزَتُها
مَمشىthe gait الضَعيفِof a weak person يَؤودُهُweighs him down البُهرُbreathlessness
مَمشى الضَعيفِ يَؤودُهُ البُهرُ
And she struggles to rise, then her rump topples her,
The sun beneath her veil seems to shine through,
With the gait of a weak person weighed down by breathlessness.
Or jar poured fresh that rain's abundance spurred.
وَكَأَنَّand as though ضَوءَthe light الشَمسِof the sun تَحتَbeneath قِناعِهاher veil
وَكَأَنَّ ضَوءَ الشَمسِ تَحتَ قِناعِها
أَوor مُزنَةًa raincloud أَدنىbrought near بِهاwith it القَطرُthe rain
أَو مُزنَةً أَدنى بِها القَطرُ
And beneath her veil seems to lie the sun's light,
At you she glanced with eyes like spindles twirled,
Or a raincloud brought near by the rain.
A houri whose gaze the faint of heart have stirred,
نَظَرَتshe looked إِلَيكَat you بِعَينِwith the eye مُغزِلَةٍof a doe with a fawn
نَظَرَت إِلَيكَ بِعَينِ مُغزِلَةٍ
حَوراءَdark-eyed خالَطَmingled with طَرفَهاher gaze فَترُlanguor
حَوراءَ خالَطَ طَرفَها فَترُ
She looked at you with the eye of a doe with a fawn,
Her silver legs as if of wine they reek
Dark-eyed, with languor mingled in her gaze.
Frequented by the rain and wine conferred.
وَكَأَنَّand as though سِمطَيهاher two necklaces عَلىon رَشَإٍa gazelle fawn
وَكَأَنَّ سِمطَيها عَلى رَشَإٍ
مُرتادُهُits haunts الغيطانُthe lowlands وَالخَمرُand thickets
مُرتادُهُ الغيطانُ وَالخَمرُ
And her two necklaces seem to rest on a gazelle fawn,
Whose haunts are the lowlands and the thickets.
Partial English translation: 28 of 30 Arabic lines translated.