لَوَ أَنَّكَ شاهَدتَ الصَبا يا اِبنَ بَوزَلٍ

لَوَ أَنَّكَ شاهَدتَ الصَبا يا اِبنَ بَوزَلٍ

بِفَرعِ الغَضا إِذ راجَعَتني غَياطِلُه

بِفَرعِ الغَضا إِذ راجَعَتني غَياطِلُه

If you had witnessed youthful passion, O son of Bawzal,

If only you had seen the youth, O son of Buzal,

at Farʿ al-Ghaḍā, when its lush thickets returned to me,

With the branch of the willow when its showers returned me,

بِأَسفَلَ خَلِّ المِلحِ إِذ دينُ ذي الهَوى

بِأَسفَلَ خَلِّ المِلحِ إِذ دينُ ذي الهَوى

مُؤَدّى وَإِذ خَيرُ الوِصالِ أَوائِلُه

مُؤَدّى وَإِذ خَيرُ الوِصالِ أَوائِلُه

at the lower end of Khall al-Milḥ, when the lover's due

At the foot of the salty creek when the religion of the lover

was paid, and union was best at its beginning,

Is fulfilled, and the best of union is in its beginnings,

لَشاهَدتَ يَوماً بَعدَ شُحطٍ مِنَ النَوى

لَشاهَدتَ يَوماً بَعدَ شُحطٍ مِنَ النَوى

وَبَعدَ ثَنائي الدارَ حُلواً شَمائِلُه

وَبَعدَ ثَنائي الدارَ حُلواً شَمائِلُه

you would have witnessed a day after separation's great distance,

You would have seen a day after much emaciation from pining,

and after I had praised the dwelling—a day of sweet ways;

And after my praise of the house, sweet are its features,

وَيَوماً كَإِبهامِ القَطاةِ مُزَيَّناً

وَيَوماً كَإِبهامِ القَطاةِ مُزَيَّناً

لَعَيني ضَحاهُ غالِباً لِيَ باطِلُه

لَعَيني ضَحاهُ غالِباً لِيَ باطِلُه

and a day like a sandgrouse's thumb, adorned

And a day adorned like the thumb of a bracelet,

in its forenoon for my eyes, its idle pleasures mastering me.

Dazzling my eyes overcoming its invalidity,

بِنَفسِيَ مَن لَو مَرَّ بَردُ بَنانِهِ

بِنَفسِيَ مَن لَو مَرَّ بَردُ بَنانِهِ

عَلى كَبِدي كانَت شِفاءً أَنامِلُه

عَلى كَبِدي كانَت شِفاءً أَنامِلُه

My life for the one—if his fingers' coolness passed

By my soul, he who, if the coolness of his fingertips

over my liver, his fingertips would be a cure.

Passed over my liver, their touch would heal it,

وَمَن هابَني في كُلِّ شَيءٍ وَهِبتُهُ

وَمَن هابَني في كُلِّ شَيءٍ وَهِبتُهُ

فَلا هُوَ يُعطيني وَلا أَنا سائِلُه

فَلا هُوَ يُعطيني وَلا أَنا سائِلُه

And the one who feared me in everything, and whom I feared—

And he who denied me in everything and I gave freely to him

neither does he give to me, nor do I ask him.

So he will not give to me and I will not ask of him,

إِذا ما رَآني مُقبِلاً غَضَّ طَرفَهُ

إِذا ما رَآني مُقبِلاً غَضَّ طَرفَهُ

كَأَنَّ شُعاعَ الشَمسِ دوني تُقابِلُه

كَأَنَّ شُعاعَ الشَمسِ دوني تُقابِلُه

Whenever he saw me approaching, he lowered his gaze,

When he sees me approaching he casts down his eyes

as though the sun's rays, rather than I, confronted him.

As though the sun's rays compared to me are facing him,

أَلا حَبَّذا عَيناكِ يا أُمَّ شَنبَلٍ

أَلا حَبَّذا عَيناكِ يا أُمَّ شَنبَلٍ

إِذا الكُحلُ في جَفنَيهِما جالَ جائِلُه

إِذا الكُحلُ في جَفنَيهِما جالَ جائِلُه

Ah, how lovely your eyes, O Umm Shanbal,

Oh, how wonderful your eyes are, O mother of Shanbal,

when kohl's wandering trace moves along their lids!

When the kohl in her eyelids flows, pouring,

فَداكِ مِنَ الخِلّانِ كُلُّ مُمَزَّجٍ

فَداكِ مِنَ الخِلّانِ كُلُّ مُمَزَّجٍ

تَكونُ لِأَدنى مَن يُلاقي وَسائِلُه

تَكونُ لِأَدنى مَن يُلاقي وَسائِلُه

May every fickle one among friends be your ransom,

May all the mixed perfumes ransom you

whose bonds of affection go to the least of those he meets.

From the preparers, whoever meets and questions them,

فَرُحنا تَلَقّانا بِهِ أُمُّ شَنبَلٍ

فَرُحنا تَلَقّانا بِهِ أُمُّ شَنبَلٍ

ضُحَيّا وَأَبكَتنا عَشِيّاً أَصائِلُه

ضُحَيّا وَأَبكَتنا عَشِيّاً أَصائِلُه

Then we departed; Umm Shanbal had greeted us that day

So we met her, Um Shanbal, one morning,

in early forenoon, and its late hours made us weep at evening.

And she made us cry in the evening, her fires kindling,

وَكُنتُ كَأَنّي حينَ كانَ كَلامُها

وَكُنتُ كَأَنّي حينَ كانَ كَلامُها

وَداعاً وَخِلّى موثِقُ العَهدِ حامِلُه

وَداعاً وَخِلّى موثِقُ العَهدِ حامِلُه

And I felt as though I were, when her words were

And I was as if, when her words were farewell

farewell—and my beloved was the pledge's guarantor and bearer—

And goodbye, the covenant’s fulfiller was carrying it,

رَهينٌ بِنَفسي لَم تُفَكُّ كُبولُهُ

رَهينٌ بِنَفسي لَم تُفَكُّ كُبولُهُ

عَنِ الساقِ حَتّى جَرَّدَ السَيفَ قاتِلُه

عَنِ الساقِ حَتّى جَرَّدَ السَيفَ قاتِلُه

a captive with my life at stake, whose shackles were not loosened

A hostage with myself, its shackles were not loosed

from his leg until his slayer unsheathed the sword.

From the leg until the sword of its killer stripped bare,

فَقالَ دَعوني سَجدَتَينِ وَأَرعَدَت

فَقالَ دَعوني سَجدَتَينِ وَأَرعَدَت

حَذارَ الرَدى أَحشاؤُهُ وَمَفاصِلُه

حَذارَ الرَدى أَحشاؤُهُ وَمَفاصِلُه

Then he said, 'Allow me two prostrations,' and trembling seized

So he said “Let me prostrate twice”, and his innards quaked,

his entrails and joints for fear of death.

Fearing harm, and his joints.