سَلي بِمَواقع الأَسلِ

سَلي بِمَواقع الأَسلِ

غَداةَ تَزاحُفِ الحِلَلِ

غَداةَ تَزاحُفِ الحِلَلِ

Ask about the spear-thrusts

Ask the places of separation in the morning after the night camps crawl,

on the morning the clans advanced against each other,

And compare what you heard with what happens to me now,

وقِيسي ما سَمِعتِ بِه

وقِيسي ما سَمِعتِ بِه

إِلى ما باتَ يَعرضُ لي

إِلى ما باتَ يَعرضُ لي

and measure what you have heard of

When I became fit for complaining to you, you became fit for blaming me,

against what has assailed me all night.

To you, for you are safe,

أَحينَ صَلحتُ لِلشَّكوى

أَحينَ صَلحتُ لِلشَّكوى

إِلَيكِ صلحتِ للعَذَلِ

إِلَيكِ صلحتِ للعَذَلِ

Was it when I was fit to complain

Accepting advice from me,

to you that you were fit to rebuke?

Dark brown like a canal seen,

إِلَيكِ فَأَنتِ آمنةٌ

إِلَيكِ فَأَنتِ آمنةٌ

قبولَ النُّصحِ مِن قِبَلي

قبولَ النُّصحِ مِن قِبَلي

Away with you! You are safe

And not of faded canals,

from my accepting any counsel.

Does the dark-brown have for his spit a sip of honeydew?

وأسمرَ كالقَناةِ يُرى

وأسمرَ كالقَناةِ يُرى

وَلَيسَ مِن القَنا الذبُلِ

وَلَيسَ مِن القَنا الذبُلِ

And a brown-skinned one, spear-like to the eye,

And of balanced constitution, for an imbalanced matter,

yet not one of the slender lances—

It passed, so I carried it,

وهَل لِلأَسمَرِ العسَّا

وهَل لِلأَسمَرِ العسَّا

لِ ريقٌ مِن جَنى العَسَلِ

لِ ريقٌ مِن جَنى العَسَلِ

and does the swaying brown spear

To beat the camel litters,

have saliva from honey's harvest?

And I leave them of blessings,

وَصافِي المَتنِ مُعتَدلٍ

وَصافِي المَتنِ مُعتَدلٍ

لأَمرٍ غَير مُعتَدِلِ

لأَمرٍ غَير مُعتَدِلِ

And a sword, bright-bladed and straight,

He obliges me with them, Ali,

for an affair that is not straight:

So whatever he objects of it,

مَضَى فَمَضَيتُ أَحملُهُ

مَضَى فَمَضَيتُ أَحملُهُ

لضَربِ حَوائِلِ الإِبِلِ

لضَربِ حَوائِلِ الإِبِلِ

it was keen, and so I went bearing it

He finds a likeness and a parable.

to slaughter she-camels not with young,

I saw for every generosity,

وأخلِفُهُنَّ مِن مِنَنٍ

وأخلِفُهُنَّ مِن مِنَنٍ

يمنُّ بِها عَلَيَّ عَلِي

يمنُّ بِها عَلَيَّ عَلِي

and replace them from the gifts

An intolerable guide,

that Ali bestows upon me.

A disjointed connection,

فَمَهما يَعتَرِض مِنها

فَمَهما يَعتَرِض مِنها

يَجِد مَثلاً وكالمَثَلِ

يَجِد مَثلاً وكالمَثَلِ

So whatever among them presents itself

And an inseparable estrangement.

finds an equal, and something like an equal.

None but you spends the night with exertion about it,

رَأيتُ لِكلِّ مَكرُمةٍ

رَأيتُ لِكلِّ مَكرُمةٍ

دَلالاً غَير مُحتَمَلِ

دَلالاً غَير مُحتَمَلِ

I have seen in every noble deed

Except upon disquiet,

an unbearable coyness,

You alone below them,

وَوَصلاً غَير مُتَّصلٍ

وَوَصلاً غَير مُتَّصلٍ

وهَجراً غَير مُنفَصِلِ

وهَجراً غَير مُنفَصِلِ

and a union without continuity,

Drowning the East with wetness,

and an estrangement without end.

And between you is a connection,

فلَيسَ يَبيتُ ذو كَلَفٍ

فلَيسَ يَبيتُ ذو كَلَفٍ

بِها إِلا عَلى وَجَلِ

بِها إِلا عَلى وَجَلِ

No one enamored of it spends the night

Pure from the turbidity of boredom,

except in dread,

And how many times has it plugged, this

سِواكَ فَأَنتَ دُونَهمُ

سِواكَ فَأَنتَ دُونَهمُ

غَريقُ الشَّرقِ بالبَلَلِ

غَريقُ الشَّرقِ بالبَلَلِ

save you: you, unlike them, are

In the mouth, of gaps.

the East's man, drowned in dew.

وبَينَكُما مُواصَلةٌ

وبَينَكُما مُواصَلةٌ

صَفَت من كدرة المَلَلِ

صَفَت من كدرة المَلَلِ

Between you two is a lasting union,

clear of boredom's murk.

وَكَم سَدَّت خِلالكَ ه

وَكَم سَدَّت خِلالكَ ه

ذِهِ في الثَّغرِ مِن خَلَلِ

ذِهِ في الثَّغرِ مِن خَلَلِ

And how often these virtues of yours have sealed

a breach along the frontier!