مَن أنتَ مِن مُضرِ الحَمراءِ واليَمنِ

مَن أنتَ مِن مُضرِ الحَمراءِ واليَمنِ

وما جُفُونكَ في الخَطِّية اللُّدُنِ

وما جُفُونكَ في الخَطِّية اللُّدُنِ

Who are you among Mudar the Red and Yemen,

Who are you from the red Mudar and Yemen

and what are your eyelids beside the supple spears of Khatt?

And why do your eyelids not tire of sin

فلَم أكُن أرهبُ الحيَّينِ قاطِبةً

فلَم أكُن أرهبُ الحيَّينِ قاطِبةً

وقَد رأيتُكَ تَلقاني وترهَبُني

وقَد رأيتُكَ تَلقاني وترهَبُني

For I did not fear the two tribes, even together,

I never feared the living altogether

yet I have seen you meet me and frighten me.

Yet I see you meet me and I fear you

وَلَيسَ عَينُك عن قَتلي بنائِمةٍ

وَلَيسَ عَينُك عن قَتلي بنائِمةٍ

فأينَ ما سَلَبتنيهِ من الوسَنِ

فأينَ ما سَلَبتنيهِ من الوسَنِ

Your eye never sleeps when intent on killing me;

Your eyes do not sleep from killing me

so where is the slumber you stole from me?

So where did you rob me of my youth

مَلكت فاستَوصِ خَيراً إنَّها كبدٌ

مَلكت فاستَوصِ خَيراً إنَّها كبدٌ

وربَّما غَلُظَت إن أنتَ لم تَلنِ

وربَّما غَلُظَت إن أنتَ لم تَلنِ

You have won it; treat it kindly—it is a liver,

You have possessed so advise good for it is a liver

and it may harden if you will not soften.

And perhaps it hardened if you do not soften

وطالَما سِرتُ والغَيداءُ في شَرفٍ

وطالَما سِرتُ والغَيداءُ في شَرفٍ

تَقولُ ما قلتُ والوَرقاءُ في الفَنَنِ

تَقولُ ما قلتُ والوَرقاءُ في الفَنَنِ

How often I traveled, while the graceful maiden on a height

And often I walked while the young woman was virtuous

echoed my words, and the gray dove upon the bough

She says what I said and the paper is in the arts

خَلَت بكلِّ فؤادٍ حَولَها وبكَت

خَلَت بكلِّ فؤادٍ حَولَها وبكَت

فأودَعَته الجَوى فيما يودِّعُني

فأودَعَته الجَوى فيما يودِّعُني

communed with every heart around her and wept,

She confided in every heart around her and cried

lodging love's anguish in it as it bade me farewell.

So she entrusted it to passion in what bids me farewell

وإنَّني لَقريبُ الدارِ أسمَعُها

وإنَّني لَقريبُ الدارِ أسمَعُها

ومَا يُجاوزُ ما تأتي به أُذُني

ومَا يُجاوزُ ما تأتي به أُذُني

I live close by, indeed, and hear her,

And I am close to the house I hear it

yet what she utters goes no farther than my ear—

And nothing exceeds what my ear comes to me

قَساوَة لَيتها لي أن تعارضني

قَساوَة لَيتها لي أن تعارضني

أحمِي بها مِنك مَرعَى القلب والبَدنِ

أحمِي بها مِنك مَرعَى القلب والبَدنِ

a hardness I wish were mine, should you confront me,

Hardness I wish it to me to confront me

to guard with it my heart and body's pasture from you.

I protect with it the pasture of the heart and the body

وربَّ كأسٍ من الخُرطُومِ قمتُ بِها

وربَّ كأسٍ من الخُرطُومِ قمتُ بِها

على الهمُومِ مَقاماً غيرَ مُؤتَمَنِ

على الهمُومِ مَقاماً غيرَ مُؤتَمَنِ

Many a cup of choice wine have I taken up

And the lord of a cup from the elephant I stood with it

against my cares, in a stand not to be trusted:

Over anxieties in a place that is not entrusted

صَفراءَ لكنَّها بِيضٌ شَمائِلُها

صَفراءَ لكنَّها بِيضٌ شَمائِلُها

كأنَّما سَرَقَتها مِن بَني حَسَنِ

كأنَّما سَرَقَتها مِن بَني حَسَنِ

golden, yet white are its virtues,

Yellow but its features

as though it had stolen them from Banu Hasan,

As if she stole it from the children of Hassan

النَّازِلينَ على حُكمِ العُفاةِ وإن

النَّازِلينَ على حُكمِ العُفاةِ وإن

عَزَّوا ولم يَقبَلوا حُكماً من الزَّمَنِ

عَزَّوا ولم يَقبَلوا حُكماً من الزَّمَنِ

those who submit to petitioners' judgment, though

The descending on the rule of the chaste and if

mighty, and accepting no judgment from Time;

They refused and did not accept a rule from time

والقائِمينَ بِما كانَت تقومُ به

والقائِمينَ بِما كانَت تقومُ به

آباؤُهم من حقُوقِ المَجدِ والمِنَنِ

آباؤُهم من حقُوقِ المَجدِ والمِنَنِ

and who uphold what was once upheld

And those who stand by what

by their fathers: the duties of glory and generosity.

Their fathers stood by the rights of glory and grace

أمسَت تهونُ عليهم مَن تعزُّ على

أمسَت تهونُ عليهم مَن تعزُّ على

سِواهُمُ أنفسٌ عزَّت فلم تَهُنِ

سِواهُمُ أنفسٌ عزَّت فلم تَهُنِ

They now hold cheap those who are precious to

In the evening they despised those who were dear to

others—souls exalted, never abased.

Others selves that were valued and did not despise

فأصبحَ القَومُ لا عِرضٌ بمُبتَذَلٍ

فأصبحَ القَومُ لا عِرضٌ بمُبتَذَلٍ

يُخشَى عليه ولا مالٌ بمُختَزَنِ

يُخشَى عليه ولا مالٌ بمُختَزَنِ

Thus the people's honor is never left exposed

So the people became without a reputation with the worthless

to danger, nor is their wealth hoarded.

Feared upon and no money with hoarded