وَلَمّا لَحِقنا بِالحَمولِ وَدونُها

وَلَمّا لَحِقنا بِالحَمولِ وَدونُها

خَميصُ الحَشا توهي القَميصَ عَواتِقُه

خَميصُ الحَشا توهي القَميصَ عَواتِقُه

And when we caught up with the laden camels, in front of them was

When we reached the fields, their skirts trailing,

A lean-waisted man whose shoulders strained his shirt,

The shirt of mourning seemed to don its shoulders.

قَليلُ قَذى العَينَينِ يَعلَمُ أَنَّهُ

قَليلُ قَذى العَينَينِ يَعلَمُ أَنَّهُ

هُوَ المَوتُ إِن لَم تُلقَ عَنّا بَوائِقُه

هُوَ المَوتُ إِن لَم تُلقَ عَنّا بَوائِقُه

With scarcely a mote in his eyes, he knows that he

A little dust in the eyes reveals

Is death itself, unless his evils are warded off from us.

That it is death, if its folds do not slip from us.

عَرَضنا فَسَلَّمنا فَسَلَّمَ كارِهاً

عَرَضنا فَسَلَّمنا فَسَلَّمَ كارِهاً

عَلَينا وَتَبريحٌ مِنَ القَيظِ خانِقُه

عَلَينا وَتَبريحٌ مِنَ القَيظِ خانِقُه

We approached and greeted him; then he reluctantly greeted

We put ourselves forward, so he greeted us reluctantly,

Us, while the torment of summer heat was choking him.

His greeting choking us with the noonday heat.

فَسايَرتُهُ مِقدارَ ميلٍ وَلَيتَني

فَسايَرتُهُ مِقدارَ ميلٍ وَلَيتَني

بِكُرهي لَهُ ما دامَ حَيّاً أُرافِقُه

بِكُرهي لَهُ ما دامَ حَيّاً أُرافِقُه

So I traveled beside him for a mile, and would that I

I walked with him a mile, and would that I

Despite my hatred of him, might accompany him as long as he lived.

Had never accompanied him throughout his life.

فَلَمّا رَأَت أَلّا وِصالَ وَأَنَّهُ

فَلَمّا رَأَت أَلّا وِصالَ وَأَنَّهُ

مَدى الصَرمِ مَضروبٌ عَلَينا سُرادِقُه

مَدى الصَرمِ مَضروبٌ عَلَينا سُرادِقُه

Then when she saw there could be no union, and that

When she saw there was no consummation, and that

For the whole span of estrangement, its canopy was pitched over us,

Over us the canopy of fate was pitched,

رَمَتني بِطَرفٍ لَو كَمِيّاً رَمَت بِهِ

رَمَتني بِطَرفٍ لَو كَمِيّاً رَمَت بِهِ

لَبُلَّ نَجيعاً نَحرُهُ وَنَبائِقُه

لَبُلَّ نَجيعاً نَحرُهُ وَنَبائِقُه

She shot me a glance—had she aimed it at an armored warrior,

She glanced at me with an eye whose dart,

His throat and his shirt's gussets would have been drenched in blood—

Had it been an arrow, would have pierced his throat and jugular;

وَلَمعٍ بِعَينَيها كَأَنَّ وَميضَهُ

وَلَمعٍ بِعَينَيها كَأَنَّ وَميضَهُ

وَميضُ الحَيا تُهدى لِنَجدٍ شَقائِقُه

وَميضُ الحَيا تُهدى لِنَجدٍ شَقائِقُه

And a flash in her eyes, as though its gleam were

With a lightning flash in her eyes, whose gleam

The lightning of rain-clouds whose banks are borne toward Najd.

Was like the lightning-flash over Nedjd's meadows.