متى أرى هذه الأيامَ مُسْعِفَةً

متى أرى هذه الأيامَ مُسْعِفَةً

والدَّهْرُ يُنجزُ وَعداً غَيرَ مَوعُودِ

والدَّهْرُ يُنجزُ وَعداً غَيرَ مَوعُودِ

When shall I see these days come to my aid,

When shall I see these days bring aid,

and time fulfill a promise never made?

And time fulfill a promise never made,

والنفس تقضي بمطلوبٍ له وطراً

والنفس تقضي بمطلوبٍ له وطراً

يَنوبُ عن كلِّ مفقودٍ بموجود

يَنوبُ عن كلِّ مفقودٍ بموجود

When shall the soul attain its desired end,

And the soul satisfy its longing through what it seeks,

replacing every loss with something found?

Replacing every lost thing with something found?

ألقى خطوب اللَّيالي وهي عابسةٌ

ألقى خطوب اللَّيالي وهي عابسةٌ

كما تَصادَمَ جلمودٌ بجلمودِ

كما تَصادَمَ جلمودٌ بجلمودِ

I meet the calamities of scowling nights

I face the calamities of the nights as they scowl,

as one great boulder crashes against another.

As one boulder crashes against another.

فما أطعتُ الهوى فيما يرادُ به

فما أطعتُ الهوى فيما يرادُ به

ولا تطرَّيت بين الناي والعود

ولا تطرَّيت بين الناي والعود

I have not yielded to passion in what it seeks of me,

So I have not obeyed passion in what is sought through it,

nor made merry amid flute and lute;

Nor indulged myself amid reed flute and lute.

ولا ركنتُ إلى صهباءَ صافيةً

ولا ركنتُ إلى صهباءَ صافيةً

قديمة العصرِ من عصرِ العناقيدِ

قديمة العصرِ من عصرِ العناقيدِ

nor have I turned for solace to limpid red wine,

Nor have I turned to clear, tawny wine,

aged since the vintage of the clustered grapes.

Long aged since the pressing of grape clusters.

إنِّي لأنْزَعُ مشتاقاً إلى وطني

إنِّي لأنْزَعُ مشتاقاً إلى وطني

والنوق تنزع بي شوقاً إلى البيد

والنوق تنزع بي شوقاً إلى البيد

Indeed, I strain with longing toward my homeland,

Indeed, I yearn longingly for my homeland,

while the she-camels bear me, yearning for the deserts.

And the she-camels pull me along, longing for the deserts.

وطالما قَذَفَتْ بي في مفاوزها

وطالما قَذَفَتْ بي في مفاوزها

أخْفافُ تلك المطايا الضمَّر القود

أخْفافُ تلك المطايا الضمَّر القود

How often, across those trackless wastes, I have been hurled

And often I have been flung through their trackless wastes

by the hooves of those lean, long-necked mounts!

By the padded feet of those lean, long-necked mounts.

لئِنْ ظفرتُ بمحمودٍ وإخوته

لئِنْ ظفرتُ بمحمودٍ وإخوته

ظَفِرْت من هذه الدُّنيا بمقصودي

ظَفِرْت من هذه الدُّنيا بمقصودي

If I should reach Mahmud and his brothers,

If I reach Mahmud and his brothers,

I shall have won from this world all I desire:

I shall have gained from this world what I seek.

بيضُ الوُجوه كأمثال البدور سَناً

بيضُ الوُجوه كأمثال البدور سَناً

يطلُعْنَ في أُفْقِ تَعظيمٍ وتمجيد

يطلُعْنَ في أُفْقِ تَعظيمٍ وتمجيد

men of radiant countenance, bright as full moons,

White of face, like full moons in radiance,

rising in a firmament of reverence and praise.

They rise on a horizon of reverence and glorification.

تروي شمائلُهم ما كانَ والدُهم

تروي شمائلُهم ما كانَ والدُهم

يرويه من كرم الأَخلاق والجود

يرويه من كرم الأَخلاق والجود

Their noble qualities recount what their father once

Their virtues recount what their father

displayed of generous character and munificence.

Recounted of noble character and generosity.

فيا له والدٌ عزَّ النَّظير له

فيا له والدٌ عزَّ النَّظير له

وجاءَ منه لعمري خير مولود

وجاءَ منه لعمري خير مولود

What a father he was—one whose peer is hard to find!

Oh, what a father, whose equal was rare!

And from him, by my life, came the finest offspring:

And from him came, by my life, the finest offspring.

من طيِّبٍ طابَ في الأَنجاب محتده

من طيِّبٍ طابَ في الأَنجاب محتده

كما يطيبُ عبيرُ الند والعود

كما يطيبُ عبيرُ الند والعود

sons of a noble man whose stock flourished among the nobly born,

From a noble man whose lineage was pure among the nobly born,

as the perfume of aloe and fragrant wood grows sweet.

As the fragrance of nadd perfume and aloeswood is sweet.

إذا ذكرتُ أياديه الَّتي سَلَفَتْ

إذا ذكرتُ أياديه الَّتي سَلَفَتْ

جاذبتُ بالمدح أطراف الأَناشيد

جاذبتُ بالمدح أطراف الأَناشيد

Whenever I remember his favors of days gone by,

When I recall his favors of old,

I draw the farthest reaches of song into his praise.

I draw out the strands of songs in praise.

قَلَّدْتُ جيدَ القوافي في مدايحه

قَلَّدْتُ جيدَ القوافي في مدايحه

ما لا يُقَلَّدُ جيد الخرَّدِ الغيد

ما لا يُقَلَّدُ جيد الخرَّدِ الغيد

In lauding him, I hung upon the neck of verse

In praising him, I adorn the neck of rhyme

what is never hung upon the necks of graceful, secluded maidens.

With what never adorns the necks of shy, graceful maidens.

يغرِّد الطرب النشوان حينئذٍ

يغرِّد الطرب النشوان حينئذٍ

فيها بأحسن تغريدٍ وترديد

فيها بأحسن تغريدٍ وترديد

Then rapture, drunk with ecstasy, sings

Then drunken rapture warbles

through those verses in the loveliest trills and refrains.

Within them, with the loveliest song and refrain.

أبو الخصيب خصيب في مكارمه

أبو الخصيب خصيب في مكارمه

ومنزل السعد لا يشقى بمسعود

ومنزل السعد لا يشقى بمسعود

Abu al-Khasib is abundant in noble deeds,

Abu al-Khasib is fertile with his generous deeds,

an abode of happiness where Mas‘ud knows no misery.

And fortune's dwelling knows no misery with Mas'ud.

لا تصدر الناس إلاَّ عنه في جدة

لا تصدر الناس إلاَّ عنه في جدة

ونائل من ندى كفَّيه مورود

ونائل من ندى كفَّيه مورود

People leave his presence only in renewed prosperity,

People leave him only in affluence,

and the bounty of his hands’ generosity is a wellspring sought by all.

And with bounty drawn from the dew of his palms.

تدعو له بمسرَّات يفوزُ بها

تدعو له بمسرَّات يفوزُ بها

ليس الدُّعاءُ له يوماً بمردود

ليس الدُّعاءُ له يوماً بمردود

You pray for him to win delights,

They pray for him to win delights;

and no prayer for him is ever turned away.

Prayer for him is never turned away.

يزيدني شكره فضلاً ومكرمة

يزيدني شكره فضلاً ومكرمة

كأَنَّني قلتُ يا نعماءهُ زيدي

كأَنَّني قلتُ يا نعماءهُ زيدي

My gratitude to him increases my favor and honor,

Thanking him brings me more bounty and honor,

as though I had cried, “O his blessings, multiply!”

As though I said, 'O his bounty, increase!'

يرجو المُؤَمِّل فيه ما يُؤمّله

يرجو المُؤَمِّل فيه ما يُؤمّله

بابُ الرَّجاء لديه غير مسدود

بابُ الرَّجاء لديه غير مسدود

Whoever hopes in him may hope for all he desires;

The hopeful man looks to him for what he hopes for;

at his door, the gate of hope is never shut.

With him, the gate of hope is never barred.

تجري محنَّته في قلبِ عارفه

تجري محنَّته في قلبِ عارفه

لفضله مثل مجرى الماء في العود

لفضله مثل مجرى الماء في العود

Devotion to him flows through the heart of one who knows

Love for him flows in the heart of one who knows him

his excellence, as water courses through a branch.

For his excellence, like water flowing through wood.

فكلَّما سرتُ مشتاقاً لزورته

فكلَّما سرتُ مشتاقاً لزورته

وجدتُ مسرايَ محموداً لمحمودِ

وجدتُ مسرايَ محموداً لمحمودِ

Whenever I journey, longing to visit him,

So whenever I journey, longing to visit him,

I find my night journey praiseworthy—for Mahmud.

I find my night journey to Mahmud praiseworthy.

وإنْ أتَتْهُ القوافي الغرّ أتْحَفَها

وإنْ أتَتْهُ القوافي الغرّ أتْحَفَها

بشاهدٍ من معاليه ومشهود

بشاهدٍ من معاليه ومشهود

And when radiant poems come to him, he graces them

And if radiant rhymes come to him, he honors them

with a witness to his lofty virtues and their manifest proof.

With testimony to his lofty deeds and visible proof.

تلك المكارم تروى عن أبٍ فأبٍ

تلك المكارم تروى عن أبٍ فأبٍ

من الأَكارم عن آبائه الصِّيد

من الأَكارم عن آبائه الصِّيد

Those noble deeds are handed down from father to father,

Those noble deeds are passed down from father to father,

from one noble forebear to another among his lionlike ancestors.

From the noblest men, from his lordly forefathers.

لله درّك ما أنداك من رجلٍ

لله درّك ما أنداك من رجلٍ

بيضٌ أياديك في أيَّامنا السُّود

بيضٌ أياديك في أيَّامنا السُّود

Bravo! How openhanded a man you are!

God bless you—what a generous man you are!

Your favors shine white amid our black days.

White are your favors amid our black days.

ليهنك العيد إذا وافاك مبتهجاً

ليهنك العيد إذا وافاك مبتهجاً

بطلعةٍ منك زانَتْ بهجة العيد

بطلعةٍ منك زانَتْ بهجة العيد

May the feast bring you joy when it comes rejoicing,

May the feast delight you when it comes to you rejoicing

adorned by the radiance of your presence.

At your countenance, which adorns the joy of the feast.