لِمَن حِلَلٌ تَهاداها البِقاعُ

لِمَن حِلَلٌ تَهاداها البِقاعُ

كأنَّ بيوتَها إبلٌ رِتاعُ

كأنَّ بيوتَها إبلٌ رِتاعُ

Whose are the encampments the lands have exchanged as gifts?

For whom are the abodes that the lands offer as gifts

As though their tents were grazing camels.

As if their homes were camels grazing

أَراهُم حَيثُما حلُّوا استَقَلُّوا

أَراهُم حَيثُما حلُّوا استَقَلُّوا

فَفيما تَطمَئِنُّ بِهم تُراعُ

فَفيما تَطمَئِنُّ بِهم تُراعُ

I see them, wherever they settle, depart;

Wherever they settled, they were at home

so just as the land grows at ease with them, it is startled.

And wherever they feel reassured, they pasture

أتَدري ما دَهاكَ فَكيفَ تَدري

أتَدري ما دَهاكَ فَكيفَ تَدري

إذا كانَ اللِّقاءُ هو الوَداعُ

إذا كانَ اللِّقاءُ هو الوَداعُ

Do you know what has befallen you? How could you know,

Do you know what has brought you here, so how do you know

when the meeting itself is the farewell?

If the meeting is the farewell

وبينَ بيوتِ هَذا الحَيِّ بَيتٌ

وبينَ بيوتِ هَذا الحَيِّ بَيتٌ

لَه عِندي حَديثٌ لا يُذاعُ

لَه عِندي حَديثٌ لا يُذاعُ

And among the tents of this tribe is a tent

And between the homes of this neighborhood is a home

of which I have a tale never divulged.

That has a story I do not divulge

فحسبُكَ لا تُنازِعُني عَلَيه

فحسبُكَ لا تُنازِعُني عَلَيه

وإِلا طالَ بي وبكَ النِّزاعُ

وإِلا طالَ بي وبكَ النِّزاعُ

Let that suffice for you; do not dispute with me over it,

So suffice it, do not dispute me over it

or else the dispute between you and me will drag on.

Otherwise, the dispute between you and I would be prolonged

وقَد يُخشَى مِن القَول اتِّصالٌ

وقَد يُخشَى مِن القَول اتِّصالٌ

يَطولُ بِه من الوَصل انقِطاعُ

يَطولُ بِه من الوَصل انقِطاعُ

And one may fear an exchange of words

And it is feared that words would lead to connection

that prolongs a break in union.

That would lead to the cutting off of connection

وفي الخَيماتِ ألحاظٌ بِطاءٌ

وفي الخَيماتِ ألحاظٌ بِطاءٌ

لفَترتِها وفَتكاتٌ سِراعُ

لفَترتِها وفَتكاتٌ سِراعُ

And in the tents are glances moving slowly

And in the tents are slow glances

because of their languor, and swift, deadly blows.

For their leisure and swift killings

وغصنٌ خِفتُ خِفَّتَه بقَلبي

وغصنٌ خِفتُ خِفَّتَه بقَلبي

فثقلَه الذي لا يُستَطاعُ

فثقلَه الذي لا يُستَطاعُ

And a bough whose lightness I feared in my heart—

And a branch whose whisper I felt in my heart

how much more its weight, which cannot be borne!

So I found its heaviness unbearable

كثيبُ نَقاً يزلُّ الثوبُ عَنه

كثيبُ نَقاً يزلُّ الثوبُ عَنه

لَه مِن حيثُ طُفت بهِ ارتِفاعُ

لَه مِن حيثُ طُفت بهِ ارتِفاعُ

A dune of sand from which the robe slips,

Like a sandy dune from which clothes slip

rising high on every side as I circle it.

It has a height from wherever I circled around it

ولم أرَ قطُّ مَحجوباً كقَلبي

ولم أرَ قطُّ مَحجوباً كقَلبي

وراءَ الصَّدرِ ليسَ له امتِناعُ

وراءَ الصَّدرِ ليسَ له امتِناعُ

And never have I seen anything as hidden as my heart,

And I have never seen a heart as hidden as mine

behind the breast, yet with no defense.

Behind the chest, having no acquiescence

وآلى لا تُمدُّ يَدٌ فتُثنى

وآلى لا تُمدُّ يَدٌ فتُثنى

لخَيبَتها كما آلى سِباعُ

لخَيبَتها كما آلى سِباعُ

And it swore no hand would be stretched out, then withdrawn

And hopes that no hand extends and then folds

in disappointment, just as Sibāʿ swore.

For its disappointment, as predators do

رأى الدُّنيا وللتَبذيرِ فيها

رأى الدُّنيا وللتَبذيرِ فيها

عَلَى التدبيرِ أمرٌ لا يُطاعُ

عَلَى التدبيرِ أمرٌ لا يُطاعُ

He saw the world, where prodigality

He saw the world and for extravagance in it

has an unheeded command over prudence.

There is a matter of administration that cannot be obeyed

فأرسَلَها ولو شَدَّت يَداها

فأرسَلَها ولو شَدَّت يَداها

شَكائِمَها لحلَّتها الطِّباعُ

شَكائِمَها لحلَّتها الطِّباعُ

So he let it go; even had its hands tightened

So he let it go, and if it had grasped his hands

its bridles, his nature would have loosened them.

With its disheveled hair, instincts would have released it

إذا لَم يَبقَ إلا الذكرُ مِنها

إذا لَم يَبقَ إلا الذكرُ مِنها

فذاكَ الذِّكرُ أرخَص ما يُباعُ

فذاكَ الذِّكرُ أرخَص ما يُباعُ

When nothing of it remains but remembrance,

When nothing remains of it but the memories

then that remembrance is the cheapest thing for sale.

Those memories are the cheapest merchandise sold

لَه في كلِّ مَكرُمةٍ سُلوكٌ

لَه في كلِّ مَكرُمةٍ سُلوكٌ

ولِلباقي مِن الدُّنيا اتِّباعُ

ولِلباقي مِن الدُّنيا اتِّباعُ

He takes a path through every noble deed,

For every honor there is access

and pursues what endures of the world.

And for the rest of the world there is pursuit

يعد الغبنَ أن تَمضي الليالي

يعد الغبنَ أن تَمضي الليالي

ولا يَمضي له فيها اصطِناعُ

ولا يَمضي له فيها اصطِناعُ

He counts it a loss if the nights pass

He considers it cheating when nights pass

and he bestows no favor in their course.

Without progressing in them his craft

ومَن يَزرَع لَه المَعروفُ مجداً

ومَن يَزرَع لَه المَعروفُ مجداً

ويثبتُه يريعُهُ اليَراعُ

ويثبتُه يريعُهُ اليَراعُ

And he whose glory kindness sows

And he who plants good deeds for himself will reap glory

and firmly roots is enriched by the reed pen.

And he will establish it to harvest benefits

وقد سَلفَ الكرامُ بمِثلِ ماذا

وقد سَلفَ الكرامُ بمِثلِ ماذا

خَلَفتَ بِه فَهَل ظَمِئوا وجاعوا

خَلَفتَ بِه فَهَل ظَمِئوا وجاعوا

And the generous have gone before with deeds like those

The generous passed on the likes of what

with which you followed them—did they go thirsty and hungry?

You left behind, so were they thirsty and pained?

أَرى المِلَلَ التي افتَرقَت قَديماً

أَرى المِلَلَ التي افتَرقَت قَديماً

لَها فيما تُسَرُّ بِه اجتِماعُ

لَها فيما تُسَرُّ بِه اجتِماعُ

I see the faiths that parted long ago

I see the milestones that scattered long ago

united in what gives them joy.

Have in what they feel happy about a reunion

وذلكَ بعضُ مُكتَسَبِ الليالي

وذلكَ بعضُ مُكتَسَبِ الليالي

وما يَبني لكَ الخلقُ الوساعُ

وما يَبني لكَ الخلقُ الوساعُ

And that is part of what the nights have earned

And that is some of the nights' acquisitions

and of what your large-hearted nature builds for you.

And what people build up for you an amplitude

يَخصُّ العيدُ قَوماً دونَ قَومٍ

يَخصُّ العيدُ قَوماً دونَ قَومٍ

ولَكِنَّ السرورَ بِه مُشاعُ

ولَكِنَّ السرورَ بِه مُشاعُ

The festival belongs to one people, not another,

Eid distinguishes some people over others

but the joy it brings is shared by all.

But happiness in it is common