هذا الذي ثبتَت عليك شهودُه

هذا الذي ثبتَت عليك شهودُه

إن كانَ لي حقاً فلستُ أريدُهُ

إن كانَ لي حقاً فلستُ أريدُهُ

This, whose witnesses against you have been confirmed—

This one whose witnesses against me you've established

If it is my rightful due, I do not want it.

If I had any right, I wouldn't want it

ماذا أريدُ بلوعَةٍ من لاعجٍ

ماذا أريدُ بلوعَةٍ من لاعجٍ

أبداً يشبُّ وقودُها ووقودُهُ

أبداً يشبُّ وقودُها ووقودُهُ

What do I want with anguish from a searing passion,

What do I want with anguish from one who rejects me

The fuel of both forever flaring up?

Whose fuel is always burning, and its kindling

وأراك يُنكرني هواك كأنه

وأراك يُنكرني هواك كأنه

عرَضٌ من الدنيا عليك أفيدُهُ

عرَضٌ من الدنيا عليك أفيدُهُ

And I see your love disowning me, as though it

And I see you deny me your love as if

Were some worldly gain I would acquire at your expense.

It were an offer from the world that benefits me

هيهاتَ ذاك ولو تواصلَ وصلُ من

هيهاتَ ذاك ولو تواصلَ وصلُ من

أهوى فكيفَ جفاؤه وصدودُهُ

أهوى فكيفَ جفاؤه وصدودُهُ

Far from it, even if union were unbroken with the one

Far from it, even if the union of the one I love continues

I love—how then with his coldness and rejection?

How can his aloofness and his rejection be?

ومغرد باللوم طال غِناؤه

ومغرد باللوم طال غِناؤه

وحِداؤه بملامَتي ونَشيدُهُ

وحِداؤه بملامَتي ونَشيدُهُ

And a warbler of reproach, whose singing has gone on long,

And he chirps blaming me, his singing is long

As have his camel-driving chant reproaching me and his song,

His solitude in blaming me and composing poems against me

أمسى يرجِّعُه ليُسمِعَني به

أمسى يرجِّعُه ليُسمِعَني به

حتَّام أسمعُه وأنت تعيدُهُ

حتَّام أسمعُه وأنت تعيدُهُ

Spent the evening repeating it to make me hear it:

He recites it to make me hear it every evening

How long must I hear it, while you repeat it?

Surely I hear it while you repeat it

أو ما تُحاذِر أن تلومَ على الهوى

أو ما تُحاذِر أن تلومَ على الهوى

أحداً فيسمَعَك الهوى وجُنودُهُ

أحداً فيسمَعَك الهوى وجُنودُهُ

Or do you not fear reproaching, for love,

Or are you not wary of blaming love

Anyone, lest Love and its troops hear you,

So love hears you and its troops

إن لم تكن متعرِّماً لِلقائِه

إن لم تكن متعرِّماً لِلقائِه

ولقاؤه صعبُ المرام شَديدُهُ

ولقاؤه صعبُ المرام شَديدُهُ

If you are not rashly bold enough to face it?

If you were not disdainful of meeting him

And facing it is a hard undertaking, a fierce one.

And meeting him is difficult, severe

ومهفهفٍ وافاكَ يشهدُ خدُّه

ومهفهفٍ وافاكَ يشهدُ خدُّه

قطعاً عليَّ بما جنيتُ وجيدُهُ

قطعاً عليَّ بما جنيتُ وجيدُهُ

And a slender youth came to you, his cheek bearing witness

With a frowning face whose cheek bears witness against me

Decisively against me for what I had done—and his neck too.

Certainly with what I have reaped and harvested

قد كان ذاك لثمتُه وكَلمته

قد كان ذاك لثمتُه وكَلمته

ولئن فعلتُ فبالفؤادِ أقيدُهُ

ولئن فعلتُ فبالفؤادِ أقيدُهُ

Indeed, that happened: I kissed him and wounded him.

That was because I kissed him and spoke to him

And if I did, I let him take revenge upon my heart.

And if I did so, it was with my heart I fettered him

ونوائبٍ بعثَ الزمان عوارضاً

ونوائبٍ بعثَ الزمان عوارضاً

مِنهنَّ فاعترض النّدى وفريدُهُ

مِنهنَّ فاعترض النّدى وفريدُهُ

And calamities—Time sent forth afflictions

And misfortunes, time brought about circumstances

From among them, but bounty and its peerless master barred the way.

Among them, happiness intercepted its companion

فرجعنَ قبل وصولهنَّ جوافلاً

فرجعنَ قبل وصولهنَّ جوافلاً

يستاقهنَّ أبو الوحيد وجودُهُ

يستاقهنَّ أبو الوحيد وجودُهُ

So they turned back before arriving, fleeing in panic,

So they returned in droves before reaching me

Abu al-Wahid and his generosity driving them off.

Yearning for them, the Bountiful and His Generosity

فعلاته في الخيل عند مغارِها

فعلاته في الخيل عند مغارِها

وهناك إن ذُكر الردى موعودُهُ

وهناك إن ذُكر الردى موعودُهُ

His exploits are among the cavalry when they charge;

His horses at their stables when ruin is mentioned

And there, if death is named, is his promised rendezvous.

There, its promise is made

لا يُدنِيَنك منه رقَّة خُلقه

لا يُدنِيَنك منه رقَّة خُلقه

فالسيفُ يقطعُ إذ يرقُّ حديدُهُ

فالسيفُ يقطعُ إذ يرقُّ حديدُهُ

Do not let his gentle nature draw you close to him;

Do not let the gentleness of his manners bring you near him

For the sword cuts when its iron grows thin.

For the sword cuts even as its steel is soft

وابعُد إلى أن يُستماح فإنه

وابعُد إلى أن يُستماح فإنه

يهتزُّ جوداً عند ذلك عودُهُ

يهتزُّ جوداً عند ذلك عودُهُ

And keep away until he is asked for bounty, for

And keep your distance until you ask for respite, for then

His bough sways with generosity at that moment.

His wood shakes generously at that time

للَه درُّك والغبارُ كأنه

للَه درُّك والغبارُ كأنه

خيسٌ وأنت ومن يليكَ أسودُهُ

خيسٌ وأنت ومن يليكَ أسودُهُ

God bless you! The dust is like

God reward you, and the dust is as if

A thicket, and you and those beside you are its lions.

It were chaff while you and those around you are black

تترنَّمون فتسمعونَ سيوفَكم

تترنَّمون فتسمعونَ سيوفَكم

تحكي رنُّمكم لكم وتُجيدُهُ

تحكي رنُّمكم لكم وتُجيدُهُ

You sing, and then hear your swords

You hum, so you hear your swords

Echo your song back to you, and render it well.

Narrate your humming to you and excel at it

وكأنما نغماتُها نغماتُه

وكأنما نغماتُها نغماتُه

وكأنما تمديدُها تمديدُهُ

وكأنما تمديدُها تمديدُهُ

And as though their notes were the notes of your song,

As if their melodies are his melodies

And as though their sustained tones were its sustained tones.

And as if their extension is his extension

في ليلةٍ كنتم عمودَ صباحِها

في ليلةٍ كنتم عمودَ صباحِها

حتى استضاءَ من الصباح عمودُهُ

حتى استضاءَ من الصباح عمودُهُ

On a night when you were the pillar of its dawn,

On a night when you were the pillars of its dawn

Until dawn's own pillar grew bright.

Until the dawn illuminated its pillars

وأراك أغريتَ الحِمامَ بمعشرٍ

وأراك أغريتَ الحِمامَ بمعشرٍ

وأراك عنهم بعدَ ذاك تذودُهُ

وأراك عنهم بعدَ ذاك تذودُهُ

And I see you have set Death upon a company,

And I see you have tempted the pigeons with a group

And I see you driving it away from them after that.

Then after that you chase them away

وأراه في هذا وذلكَ طائعاً

وأراه في هذا وذلكَ طائعاً

حتى كأنك حيثُ شئتَ تقودُهُ

حتى كأنك حيثُ شئتَ تقودُهُ

And I see it obedient in both this and that,

And I see him in this and that, obedient

So much so that you seem to lead it wherever you wish.

As if wherever you wanted, you lead him

فلأمنحنَّك يا مبيدَ نَواله

فلأمنحنَّك يا مبيدَ نَواله

ما لا أظنُّك تستطيعُ تُبيدُهُ

ما لا أظنُّك تستطيعُ تُبيدُهُ

So I shall surely grant you, O you who exhaust your bounty,

So I will grant you, O annihilator of his bliss

What I do not think you can exhaust.

What I don't think you can annihilate