أبقَى الرَّسِيمُ من الرِكابِ رُسُوما

أبقَى الرَّسِيمُ من الرِكابِ رُسُوما

تخفَى فتُشبِهُ سِرَّكَ المَكتُوما

تخفَى فتُشبِهُ سِرَّكَ المَكتُوما

The camels' swift gait has left traces

The breeze left traces of the riders

that fade from sight, resembling your concealed secret.

Hidden, resembling your guarded secret

وأراكَ ما يَجني الفِراقُ جِنايةً

وأراكَ ما يَجني الفِراقُ جِنايةً

إلا أخَذتَ بِها المهارَى الكُوما

إلا أخَذتَ بِها المهارَى الكُوما

And I see you: separation commits no offense

I see what separation commits of crimes

without your punishing the high-humped Mahri camels for it.

Except you have taken the wary, all together

وإذا اشتِياقُكَ جارَ جرت فقدتَها

وإذا اشتِياقُكَ جارَ جرت فقدتَها

مَظلُومَةً أو يُنصِفَ المَظلُوما

مَظلُومَةً أو يُنصِفَ المَظلُوما

And when your longing wrongs you, you wrong them—may you lose them—

And when your longing flowed, you lost it

wronged as they are, until it gives the wronged his due.

Wronged, or the wronged is given justice

وعزَمت فاستَفرَغتَ عزماً لاقِحاً

وعزَمت فاستَفرَغتَ عزماً لاقِحاً

لو لم تكُن أُمُّ السُّلُوِّ عَقِيما

لو لم تكُن أُمُّ السُّلُوِّ عَقِيما

And you resolved, expending a resolve that would have borne fruit,

You determined, exerting determined resolve

had the mother of forgetfulness not been barren.

As if the mother of tranquility were not barren

ومُحجَّبٍ خافُوا عليهِ ولو بَدا

ومُحجَّبٍ خافُوا عليهِ ولو بَدا

للنَّاسِ كانَ الخَوفُ مِنه عُمُوماً

للنَّاسِ كانَ الخَوفُ مِنه عُمُوماً

And a veiled one, for whom they feared—yet had he appeared

A veiled one, they feared for him, and if he appeared

to people, fear of him would have been universal.

To people, the fear of him would be general

تُلقِي العُيونُ على النُّفوسِ حَديثَهُ

تُلقِي العُيونُ على النُّفوسِ حَديثَهُ

وتُرجَّع التَّوقِيفَ والتَّفهِيما

وتُرجَّع التَّوقِيفَ والتَّفهِيما

The eyes convey his tale to souls

Eyes cast upon souls his discourse

and repeat instruction and explanation,

And return the gesture and comprehension

حتَّى إذا عَرَفته صارَ حَوادِثاً

حتَّى إذا عَرَفته صارَ حَوادِثاً

وتَرى هُناكَ القَبضَ والتَّسلِيما

وتَرى هُناكَ القَبضَ والتَّسلِيما

until, once you know him, he becomes a host of calamities,

Until when she knew him, he became events

and there you witness seizure and surrender.

And you see there the taking and the giving

فكأنَّهم فيما أساؤوا أحسَنُوا

فكأنَّهم فيما أساؤوا أحسَنُوا

حَجَبُوا بحَجبَتِهِ الرَّدى المَحتُوما

حَجَبُوا بحَجبَتِهِ الرَّدى المَحتُوما

It is as though, in doing wrong, they did good:

So it's as if in what they did wrong, they did good

by veiling him, they veiled inevitable death.

They veiled with his veil the inevitable calamity

مُدُّوا عَلى وَحشِ الفَلاةِ سُرادِقاً

مُدُّوا عَلى وَحشِ الفَلاةِ سُرادِقاً

إنِّي أراهُ إذا رَأيتُ الرِّيما

إنِّي أراهُ إذا رَأيتُ الرِّيما

Spread a canopy over the beasts of the wasteland;

They extended over the wild beast of the empty quarter a canopy

I see him whenever I see the white gazelle.

I see it when I see the sand dune

ومُعرّضٍ للطَّارِقينَ بِبَيتِهِ

ومُعرّضٍ للطَّارِقينَ بِبَيتِهِ

طُولَ الزَّمانِ وما يُعدُّ كَرِيما

طُولَ الزَّمانِ وما يُعدُّ كَرِيما

And one accessible to night callers at his house,

And one turning his house away from the raiders

throughout all time, yet not deemed generous.

For ages, and does not count anything precious

رُحنا وأطلَعتِ السَّماءُ نُجُومَها

رُحنا وأطلَعتِ السَّماءُ نُجُومَها

وسَعَى فأطلَعَ في الكُؤوسِ نُجُوما

وسَعَى فأطلَعَ في الكُؤوسِ نُجُوما

We went forth, and the sky brought out its stars;

We walked, and the sky revealed its stars

and he busied himself, bringing stars forth in the cups.

And he strove, and revealed in the cups, stars

قلتُ ارمِها في كلِّ قَلبٍ جَذوَةً

قلتُ ارمِها في كلِّ قَلبٍ جَذوَةً

قد صارَ شَيطانُ القُلوبِ رَجيما

قد صارَ شَيطانُ القُلوبِ رَجيما

I said, 'Cast it into every heart as a burning ember;

I said, hurl into each heart an ember

the devil of hearts is now pelted with stones.'

For the devil of hearts has become banished

فكأنَّها مِن نارِ إبراهيمَ أو

فكأنَّها مِن نارِ إبراهيمَ أو

دارَت عَلى ذِكرِ ابنِ إبراهِيما

دارَت عَلى ذِكرِ ابنِ إبراهِيما

So it was as though it came from Abraham's fire, or

So it's as if they were from the fire of Abraham

had gone round at the mention of Ibn Ibrahim.

Or they mentioned the son of Abraham

فَتَذاكروا شِيماً غرسنَ مكارِماً

فَتَذاكروا شِيماً غرسنَ مكارِماً

لو يُعتَصَرنَ لَخِلتَهنَّ كُرُوما

لو يُعتَصَرنَ لَخِلتَهنَّ كُرُوما

So they recalled traits that planted noble deeds;

And they recalled noble traits planted with generosity

were they pressed, you would take them for grapevines.

That if squeezed, would drip syrup

ثمَّ انتَشَوا بَحديثِ أمسِ وما مَضَى

ثمَّ انتَشَوا بَحديثِ أمسِ وما مَضَى

فكأنَّهم وجَدوا بِه المَعدُوما

فكأنَّهم وجَدوا بِه المَعدُوما

Then they grew drunk on talk of yesterday and what had passed,

Then they dispersed with talk of yesterday and what has passed

as though through it they found what was no more.

As if they found in it the nonexistent

وإذا جَرَت مَجرى الشَّرابِ صِفاتُهُ

وإذا جَرَت مَجرى الشَّرابِ صِفاتُهُ

لم تَلقَ إلا ساقِياً ونَدِيما

لم تَلقَ إلا ساقِياً ونَدِيما

And when his qualities flow as wine flows,

And when his qualities flowed like drink

you meet none but a cupbearer and a drinking companion.

They did not find except a cupbearer and boon companion

ولأجلِ ذلكَ ما بَلغتُ بِمَدحِهِ

ولأجلِ ذلكَ ما بَلغتُ بِمَدحِهِ

إلا إلى أن أعلَمَ المَعلُوما

إلا إلى أن أعلَمَ المَعلُوما

And for that reason, in praising him I have reached

And for that reason I did not, in praising him

no further than making known what was already known.

Reach except to make known the known

وإِذا ظَننتُ بأَنَّني استَحدَثتُهُ

وإِذا ظَننتُ بأَنَّني استَحدَثتُهُ

ألفيتُ مَن عَرفَ الحَديثَ قَدِيما

ألفيتُ مَن عَرفَ الحَديثَ قَدِيما

And whenever I thought I had originated it,

And when I thought that I innovated him

I found someone who had known that novelty long ago.

I found one who knew the discourse to be old

ومناقبٍ أجريتُ شِعري بينها

ومناقبٍ أجريتُ شِعري بينها

ليُكمِّل التَّوزِيعَ والتَّقسِيما

ليُكمِّل التَّوزِيعَ والتَّقسِيما

And I sent my poetry coursing among virtues,

And virtues I made my poetry run between

to complete the distribution and apportionment.

To complete the allotment and division

ورَأيتُه عَن حَملِ ذلكَ عاجِزاً

ورَأيتُه عَن حَملِ ذلكَ عاجِزاً

فَعذَرتُه ورَجَعتُ عَنه مَلُوما

فَعذَرتُه ورَجَعتُ عَنه مَلُوما

And I found it unable to bear that burden,

And I saw him incapable of bearing that

so I excused it and withdrew from it, bearing the blame.

So I excused him and turned from him, blamed

بينَ الرِّئاسَةِ والسِّياسَةِ مَنزلٌ

بينَ الرِّئاسَةِ والسِّياسَةِ مَنزلٌ

أصبَحتَ وَحدكَ في ذُراهُ مُقِيما

أصبَحتَ وَحدكَ في ذُراهُ مُقِيما

Between leadership and governance stands a station;

Between leadership and politics is a position

on its heights you alone have come to dwell.

You became, alone in its houses, resident

وَجَعلتَ تَفعَلُ مثلَ ما فَعلَ الألى

وَجَعلتَ تَفعَلُ مثلَ ما فَعلَ الألى

منهُ فَتَتَّخذ الخُطُوبَ خُصُوما

منهُ فَتَتَّخذ الخُطُوبَ خُصُوما

And you began to act just as did those

And you began to do like what the high ones did

of that station, taking calamities for your foes.

Of it, so you take tribulations as opponents

ولَو اقتَصرتَ عَلى القَديم كَفى العُلى

ولَو اقتَصرتَ عَلى القَديم كَفى العُلى

إنَّ القَديِمَ لَيُوجبُ التَّقدِيما

إنَّ القَديِمَ لَيُوجبُ التَّقدِيما

Even had you confined yourself to the old, it would have sufficed for glory;

And if you had kept to the old, the high ones suffice

indeed, the old surely warrants precedence.

For the old necessitates the precedence

للحادِثاتِ مَعي حَديثٌ مُبهَمٌ

للحادِثاتِ مَعي حَديثٌ مُبهَمٌ

أضحَى النَّهارُ عليَّ مِنه بَهيما

أضحَى النَّهارُ عليَّ مِنه بَهيما

Misfortunes have an obscure discourse with me;

For the events with me is an ambiguous discourse

because of it, daylight has become pitch-dark for me.

The day has become, because of it, confused for me

وصِناعَتي عَربِيَّةٌ وكأنَّني

وصِناعَتي عَربِيَّةٌ وكأنَّني

ألقَى بأكثرِ ما صَنَعتُ الرُّوما

ألقَى بأكثرِ ما صَنَعتُ الرُّوما

And my craft is Arabic, yet it is as though I

My craft is Arabic, and it is as if I

meet the Romans with most of what I have made.

Cast off most of what I made, foreign

فَلِمَن أقولُ وما أقولُ وأينَ بِي

فَلِمَن أقولُ وما أقولُ وأينَ بِي

فأسيرَ أو لا أينَ بِي فأُقيما

فأسيرَ أو لا أينَ بِي فأُقيما

To whom, then, shall I speak, and what shall I say? Where am I to go,

So for whom do I speak, and what do I say, and where am I

that I may journey—or have I nowhere to go, so I must stay?

Do I walk, or not, where am I, do I stay

وإِذا شَكوتُ إلى امرِىءٍ ما حَلَّ بي

وإِذا شَكوتُ إلى امرِىءٍ ما حَلَّ بي

وأَقولُ يغضَبُ أن أراهُ حَلِيما

وأَقولُ يغضَبُ أن أراهُ حَلِيما

And when I complain to a man of what has befallen me,

And if I complain to a man of what befell me

and speak, he grows angry that I take him to be forbearing.

And say, he gets angry that I see him forbearing