دنَت فَرأَتني عاتِباً مُتَطرِّفا

دنَت فَرأَتني عاتِباً مُتَطرِّفا

فكفَّت حَواشي سِربِها أن تُخطفا

فكفَّت حَواشي سِربِها أن تُخطفا

She drew near and saw me reproachful and aloof.

She came close and saw me complaining bitterly

So she held back the fringes of her flock, lest they be snatched away.

So she folded the edges of her cloak lest they be snatched away

وأَرسلَتِ اللَّحظَ الضَّعيفَ مع الهَوى

وأَرسلَتِ اللَّحظَ الضَّعيفَ مع الهَوى

لِيَقوى فَأرسَلتُ القَويَّ لأضعُفا

لِيَقوى فَأرسَلتُ القَويَّ لأضعُفا

And she sent her weak glance with love,

And she sent a timid glance along with desire

that it might grow strong; I sent my strong one, that I might grow weak.

That it may grow stronger, so I sent a stronger one to weaken it

وعَينٍ أَقامَ الدَّمعُ فيها فَكُلَّما

وعَينٍ أَقامَ الدَّمعُ فيها فَكُلَّما

ألمَّ بِها طَيفٌ عَلى غِرَّةٍ طَفا

ألمَّ بِها طَيفٌ عَلى غِرَّةٍ طَفا

And an eye where tears had settled—whenever

And eyes where tears had settled in them, so whenever

a phantom visited it unawares, they welled up.

A specter grazed them suddenly, they brimmed over

جَفا صاحِبي ثمَّ استَقلَّ انفِرادَه

جَفا صاحِبي ثمَّ استَقلَّ انفِرادَه

بِفِعلٍ فألقَى بينَ أَجفانِه الجَفا

بِفِعلٍ فألقَى بينَ أَجفانِه الجَفا

My companion shunned me, then deemed his aloofness insufficient

My companion was cold then became content with his loneliness

in deed, and set coldness between his eyelids.

With an act, so he cast coldness between his eyelids

إِليكَ فَإني إِنَّما كُنتُ مَرَّةً

إِليكَ فَإني إِنَّما كُنتُ مَرَّةً

أحسُّ لَهيباً في الحَشا وقَد انطَفا

أحسُّ لَهيباً في الحَشا وقَد انطَفا

Away with you! Only in former days did I

To you, for I was once

feel a blaze in my breast; now it has gone out.

Feeling a flame in the bushes that now died down

وصارَ الهَوى في الحُسنِ كالحُسنِ رِقَّةً

وصارَ الهَوى في الحُسنِ كالحُسنِ رِقَّةً

وأَصبَحَ حتَّى كلُّ أَهيَف أهيَفا

وأَصبَحَ حتَّى كلُّ أَهيَف أهيَفا

And love amid beauty became as delicate as beauty,

And desire became as delicate in beauty

and even every slender youth became slender.

As beauty itself, and every creek became a creek

وحرَّمتُ ما كانَ الشَّبابُ استَحلَّهُ

وحرَّمتُ ما كانَ الشَّبابُ استَحلَّهُ

وأَنشَأتُ أَقضي عَنه ما كانَ أَسلَفا

وأَنشَأتُ أَقضي عَنه ما كانَ أَسلَفا

I forbade what youth had deemed lawful,

And I forbade what youth had deemed lawful

and began to repay on its behalf what it had advanced.

And I spend what I owed from it what had been granted respite before

وكُنتُ وإِلا فَاسأَلِ الراحَ جالِباً

وكُنتُ وإِلا فَاسأَلِ الراحَ جالِباً

لَها وعَلَيها مُستَحثاً مُؤلِّفا

لَها وعَلَيها مُستَحثاً مُؤلِّفا

I used to—if you doubt it, ask the wine—draw others

And I would have been, unless you ask the gentle breeze

to it, urging them toward it and bringing them together.

Bearing to and from her, urging and composing

يرقُّ لَها قَولي وفِعلي كَأَنَّني

يرقُّ لَها قَولي وفِعلي كَأَنَّني

إِذا ما سَقَوني قَرقَفاً خِلتُ قَرقَفا

إِذا ما سَقَوني قَرقَفاً خِلتُ قَرقَفا

My speech and deeds grew tender for it, as though

My words and deeds become as tender to her

when they gave me wine to drink, I too was taken for wine.

As if when they give me a drink of araq, I become araq

وأُعدو عَلَى العادي بِغَيرِ جَريرةٍ

وأُعدو عَلَى العادي بِغَيرِ جَريرةٍ

وأُغضي عَلَى ذُلٍّ إِذا أَهيَفٌ هَفا

وأُغضي عَلَى ذُلٍّ إِذا أَهيَفٌ هَفا

And I would attack an adversary without cause,

And I race the racer without over-exertion

and overlook humiliation when a slender youth erred.

And I overlook lowliness when an ignoramus babbles

وأَمشي إِلى الحَسناءِ أسبقُ وَعدها

وأَمشي إِلى الحَسناءِ أسبقُ وَعدها

فَأعجلُها عَن أَن تَقولَ فتُخلِفا

فَأعجلُها عَن أَن تَقولَ فتُخلِفا

And I would go to the fair woman, ahead of her promise,

And I walk to the beautiful lady, preceding her promised time

thus giving her no time to speak and then break her word.

So I spare her from saying "too late"

فَما أبقَت الأَيامُ منِّي وقَد جَرى

فَما أبقَت الأَيامُ منِّي وقَد جَرى

حَديثُ الصِّبا إِلا الأَسى والتَّلهُّفا

حَديثُ الصِّبا إِلا الأَسى والتَّلهُّفا

So the days have left nothing of me, now that

Yet the days left in me nothing of the talk of youth

youth's tale has run its course, except sorrow and longing.

Except sorrow and anguished sighing

وأنظرُ مِن سَجفِ المَشيبِ إِلى الهَوى

وأنظرُ مِن سَجفِ المَشيبِ إِلى الهَوى

فَأخشَى مِن المَصروفِ أَن يَتَصَرَّفا

فَأخشَى مِن المَصروفِ أَن يَتَصَرَّفا

I look from behind the curtain of gray hair toward love,

And I look from the temples of old age to desire

and fear that banished love may yet assert itself.

Fearing that the turns of fate make them turn away

وأركبُ بعدَ العُدم والشَّيب تالِياً

وأركبُ بعدَ العُدم والشَّيب تالِياً

يَقودُهما خَلفي ويَمشي تَعسُّفا

يَقودُهما خَلفي ويَمشي تَعسُّفا

And after poverty and gray hair, I mount another in their train,

And I mount after death and gray hair

which leads them both behind me and walks aimlessly,

With them behind me and walk arrogantly

إِلى أَن قَسمتُ الحربَ والشيبَ للهَوى

إِلى أَن قَسمتُ الحربَ والشيبَ للهَوى

وللعُدم من جودِ ابنِ باروخَ ما كَفى

وللعُدم من جودِ ابنِ باروخَ ما كَفى

until I allotted war and gray hair to love,

Until I divided war and gray hair between desire

and for poverty, enough from Ibn Barukh's bounty.

And to nonexistence from the generosity of Ibn Baroukh what sufficed

هُو المَجدُ يَحمي مَن ألمَّ بِبَيتِه

هُو المَجدُ يَحمي مَن ألمَّ بِبَيتِه

ويَمنعُ ممَّن جاءهُ متَخوفا

ويَمنعُ ممَّن جاءهُ متَخوفا

He is glory itself, protecting whoever visits his house,

He is glory protecting whoever touched his house

and keeping harm from whoever comes to him afraid.

And preventing whoever came to him fearful

فَلا تُنكِروا أَنَّ الشَّواهِدَ أشكلَت

فَلا تُنكِروا أَنَّ الشَّواهِدَ أشكلَت

بِأَمثالِها حتَّى تَبينَ وتُعرَفا

بِأَمثالِها حتَّى تَبينَ وتُعرَفا

So do not find it strange that signs were confused

So do not deny that the examples have become complex

with their counterparts, until they became clear and recognized.

With the likes of them until they become clear and recognized

أَتى باتِّفاقِ المُلكِ والحُسنِ واسمِه

أَتى باتِّفاقِ المُلكِ والحُسنِ واسمِه

بِمصرَ فَظنَّ الناسُ يوسُفَ يوسُفا

بِمصرَ فَظنَّ الناسُ يوسُفَ يوسُفا

He came, with kingship, beauty, and his name in accord,

He came, by the coincidence of possession and beauty and his name,

to Egypt, and the people took Yusuf for Joseph.

To Egypt, so people thought Joseph was Joseph

فتىً فَتنَ الأيامَ حتَّى رأيتها

فتىً فَتنَ الأيامَ حتَّى رأيتها

تقلبُ مِن تَحتِ اللَّيالي تَشَوُّفا

تقلبُ مِن تَحتِ اللَّيالي تَشَوُّفا

A young man who enchanted the days, until I saw them

A youth who seduced the days until I saw them

turning beneath the nights, eager for a glimpse.

Turning over underneath the nights expectantly

ويَستَبشِر اليومُ الجَديدُ بقُربِه

ويَستَبشِر اليومُ الجَديدُ بقُربِه

فيُلقي عَليه نفسَه مُتَرشِّفا

فيُلقي عَليه نفسَه مُتَرشِّفا

The new day rejoices at his nearness,

And the new day rejoices at his nearness

then casts itself upon him, sipping from him.

Casting itself upon him eagerly

نشَا بَينَ أَقلامِ الوزارة ناشِئاً

نشَا بَينَ أَقلامِ الوزارة ناشِئاً

وما بَينَ أَسيافِ الإمارة مُرهَفا

وما بَينَ أَسيافِ الإمارة مُرهَفا

He grew up among the vizierate's pens, a rising youth,

He grew between the pens of ministry

and among the emirate's swords, keenly honed.

And between the swords of emirate sharpened

ومرَّ عَلى البانينَ في المَجدِ بِالنَّدى

ومرَّ عَلى البانينَ في المَجدِ بِالنَّدى

ولمَّا رآهُم حينَ أَشرَفَ أَشرَفا

ولمَّا رآهُم حينَ أَشرَفَ أَشرَفا

He passed the builders of glory with his bounty,

And he passed the builders in glory with dew

and when he saw them from on high, he rose higher.

And when he saw them as he looked down, he looked down

ولَم يَقتصِر مِنهم عَلى مثلِ فعلِهِم

ولَم يَقتصِر مِنهم عَلى مثلِ فعلِهِم

فتحسَبُه استَملى من القَوم واقتَفا

فتحسَبُه استَملى من القَوم واقتَفا

He did not limit himself to deeds like theirs,

And he did not limit himself to the likes of their deeds

for you to suppose he took dictation from those men and followed them.

So that you would think he had learned from the people and followed

ويَوم وغىً كالسَّمهَريِّ لطوله

ويَوم وغىً كالسَّمهَريِّ لطوله

وإن لَم يَكن كالسَّمهَريِّ مُثقَّفا

وإن لَم يَكن كالسَّمهَريِّ مُثقَّفا

And on a day of battle, long as a Samhari spear,

And a day of fighting like Samhari in its length

though not straightened like a Samhari spear,

Though not like Samhari in his education

تقدَّمت تُلقي خلفَ ظَهركَ أرضَه

تقدَّمت تُلقي خلفَ ظَهركَ أرضَه

كأنَّ عَليه العَهدَ بالزَّحفِ والوَفا

كأنَّ عَليه العَهدَ بالزَّحفِ والوَفا

you advanced, casting its ground behind your back,

They went forth to meet you, throwing behind your back their land

as though it were pledged to advance and keep faith.

As if they were accustomed to advance and loyalty to you

وتجرَعُ ماءَ الصَّبرِ فيه مُكدَّراً

وتجرَعُ ماءَ الصَّبرِ فيه مُكدَّراً

ومن ذلكَ التَّكدير يُلتَمسُ الصَّفا

ومن ذلكَ التَّكدير يُلتَمسُ الصَّفا

And you gulp patience's water there, muddied,

And they drank the water of patience therein muddled

and from that muddiness clarity is sought.

And from that muddying, purity is sought

إِذا أَنا قلتُ الشِّعرَ خفَّفتُ سَعيَه

إِذا أَنا قلتُ الشِّعرَ خفَّفتُ سَعيَه

فسارَ وسمَّتهُ الرواةُ المخفَّفا

فسارَ وسمَّتهُ الرواةُ المخفَّفا

When I utter verse, I lighten its pace,

When I recited poetry, I lightened its effort

so it travels, and the reciters call it 'the Lightened.'

So it flowed and the transmitters marked it as light

وإِن حَمَّلته المكرماتُ فأَثقَلَت

وإِن حَمَّلته المكرماتُ فأَثقَلَت

فأجدرُ أن لا يَستَطيعَ التوقُّفا

فأجدرُ أن لا يَستَطيعَ التوقُّفا

And if noble deeds burden it and make it heavy,

And if glories loaded it and weighed it down

it is all the likelier to be unable to stop.

It is more fitting that it cannot stand still

يَسيرُ مَسيرَ النَّجمِ إِذ كانَ مثلَهُ

يَسيرُ مَسيرَ النَّجمِ إِذ كانَ مثلَهُ

علوّاً وتَأثيراً وليسَ بِه خَفا

علوّاً وتَأثيراً وليسَ بِه خَفا

It travels as the star travels, since it is like it

It moves like the star when it was like it

in loftiness and influence, with no obscurity in it.

Lofty and influential and not light in it

هُو المادحُ المَمدوحُ حُسناً وإنَّما

هُو المادحُ المَمدوحُ حُسناً وإنَّما

وصَفتُ بِه مجدَ الرِّجالِ ليوصَفا

وصَفتُ بِه مجدَ الرِّجالِ ليوصَفا

It is the praiser, itself praised for beauty; I have only

He is the praiser, the praised, beautiful in himself

described men's glory through it, so that it too might be described.

And I only described through him the glory of men to be described