أرأيتِ دارَهُم أولئكَ مَعشري

أرأيتِ دارَهُم أولئكَ مَعشري

إن كنتِ ناظِرةً لنفسكِ فانظُري

إن كنتِ ناظِرةً لنفسكِ فانظُري

Have you seen their home? Those are my people.

Have you seen their homes, my companions?

If you are looking out for yourself, then look.

If you were looking out for yourself, then look

ويكونُ طرفُك في كفالةِ ما رمى

ويكونُ طرفُك في كفالةِ ما رمى

فأصابَني فإذا بَرِئتُ فقَد بَري

فأصابَني فإذا بَرِئتُ فقَد بَري

And your gaze shall stand surety for what it shot,

And let your gaze guarantee what was aimed

which struck me; when I recover, it is absolved.

And struck me, so when I recover, he has recovered

ومُدامةٍ صفراءَ مَدَّ شُعاعُها

ومُدامةٍ صفراءَ مَدَّ شُعاعُها

فرأيتُ كُلاً في قميصٍ أصفَرِ

فرأيتُ كُلاً في قميصٍ أصفَرِ

And a yellow wine whose radiance spread—

And a yellow wine whose radiance

so I saw everyone in a yellow shirt.

Spread so I saw each in a yellow shirt

شَقراءُ تجمع في أواخِرِ جَريها

شَقراءُ تجمع في أواخِرِ جَريها

مرَحاً فَكم مِن راكبٍ مُتَقَطِّرِ

مرَحاً فَكم مِن راكبٍ مُتَقَطِّرِ

A chestnut mare, gathering toward the end of her run

A blonde who gathers at the ends of her running

high spirits—how many a rider has been thrown headlong!

Playfully, so many a dripping rider

الراحُ رائحةٌ بليلٍ مُشمِسٍ

الراحُ رائحةٌ بليلٍ مُشمِسٍ

ومديرُها غادٍ بِصُبحٍ مُقمِرِ

ومديرُها غادٍ بِصُبحٍ مُقمِرِ

The wine goes at evening in a sunlit night,

The scent is the scent of a sunny night

and its cupbearer goes at dawn in a moonlit morning.

And its guide returns at a moonlit dawn

وكأن عَيني إذ بكَت لوَداعِه

وكأن عَيني إذ بكَت لوَداعِه

زُفَّت إليهِ بثوب لاذٍ أحمَرِ

زُفَّت إليهِ بثوب لاذٍ أحمَرِ

And it was as though my eye, when it wept at his farewell,

As if my eyes wept for his farewell

was led to him as a bride in a robe of red silk.

Sent to him in a red refuge dress

فكأنَّها وكأنَّ كفَّ سَلامةٍ

فكأنَّها وكأنَّ كفَّ سَلامةٍ

يَتَساجَلانِ بواكفٍ مُسحَنفِرِ

يَتَساجَلانِ بواكفٍ مُسحَنفِرِ

And so it was as though my eye and Salāma’s hand

As if she and as if the palm of security

were vying in a rushing downpour.

Wrestle with flapping palms

لكنَّ في جُود ابنِ يَحيَى نهلة الص

لكنَّ في جُود ابنِ يَحيَى نهلة الص

صَادي وفيه ثَروةٌ للمُقتِرِ

صَادي وفيه ثَروةٌ للمُقتِرِ

Yet in Ibn Yaḥyā’s generosity lies a draught for the

But in the generosity of the son of Yahya is the sweetness of the caller

thirsty, and in it wealth for the needy.

And in it is wealth for the needy

ومَتى ذممتُ الدهرَ بعد لِقائِه

ومَتى ذممتُ الدهرَ بعد لِقائِه

وعطائِه فعليَّ حدُّ المُفتَري

وعطائِه فعليَّ حدُّ المُفتَري

And if ever I blame fate after meeting him

And when I blamed fate after meeting him

and receiving his bounty, let me bear the slanderer’s penalty.

And his gifts, the liar's limit is upon me

من مَعشرٍ يتخيَّرون كلامَهم

من مَعشرٍ يتخيَّرون كلامَهم

حتَّى كأنهم تجارُ الجَوهَرِ

حتَّى كأنهم تجارُ الجَوهَرِ

He is of a people who choose their words with care,

From a group who select their words

so that they seem like merchants of jewels.

As if they were jewel merchants

وكأنَّما أقلامُهم من حِذقِها

وكأنَّما أقلامُهم من حِذقِها

بالفَتكِ فَضلاتُ القَنا المُتكسِّرِ

بالفَتكِ فَضلاتُ القَنا المُتكسِّرِ

And it is as though their pens, so adept

As if their pens from their skill

at killing, were fragments of shattered spears.

Were the remnants of the broken reed

مازلتُ منتظراً قدومَك أشهُرا

مازلتُ منتظراً قدومَك أشهُرا

فوصلتَ ثم وصلتُهنَّ بِأَشهرِ

فوصلتَ ثم وصلتُهنَّ بِأَشهرِ

I kept waiting for your arrival for months;

I remained waiting for your arrival for months

then you arrived; then I added more months to them.

Then you arrived, and I joined them with months

ونَسيتَني فَنَسيتُ نَفسي تابِعاً

ونَسيتَني فَنَسيتُ نَفسي تابِعاً

عَجباً لِذا من ذاكرٍ مذكِّرِ

عَجباً لِذا من ذاكرٍ مذكِّرِ

And you forgot me, so I forgot myself, following suit.

And you forgot me, so I forgot myself following

How strange this is, from one who remembers and reminds!

Strange is he who reminds the reminder

والشكرُ بائِعُه بحيثُ رأيتَني

والشكرُ بائِعُه بحيثُ رأيتَني

والمُشتري أبداً بحيثُ المشتَري

والمُشتري أبداً بحيثُ المشتَري

And gratitude—its seller is where you saw me,

And gratitude, its seller where I saw myself

and its buyer is forever where Jupiter is.

And the buyer always where the buyer is