ما بال همك لا يزيدُ

ما بال همك لا يزيدُ

والليلُ نتّاجٌ ولودُ

والليلُ نتّاجٌ ولودُ

Why does your sorrow not increase,

Why does your sorrow not increase,

though night is a prolific mother?

while night is prolific and fruitful?

أتراكَ تقتلُ بالمُدا

أتراكَ تقتلُ بالمُدا

مَة مثلَ ما يجني الصدودُ

مَة مثلَ ما يجني الصدودُ

Could it be that with wi—

Do you suppose you can slay with

—ne you kill as much as cold refusal breeds?

wine the like of what rejection brings?

إن كانَ ذاكَ بذا فعَي

إن كانَ ذاكَ بذا فعَي

شُك بينَ ذاك وذا حميدُ

شُك بينَ ذاك وذا حميدُ

If that is wrought by this, your li—

If that is met with this, then your

—fe between the two is praiseworthy.

life between that and this is good.

ومعلقاتٍ بالخدو

ومعلقاتٍ بالخدو

دِ تظلَّمت منها الخدودُ

دِ تظلَّمت منها الخدودُ

And tresses hanging down the chee—

And locks hanging upon the

—ks, of which the cheeks themselves complained:

cheeks—the cheeks complain of them.

إن حاصَرَتها بالعيون

إن حاصَرَتها بالعيون

فما لها عنها محيدُ

فما لها عنها محيدُ

if you besiege them with your eyes,

If they are besieged with eyes,

they have no path of escape from them.

they have no escape from them.

واللحظُ موقعُه على

واللحظُ موقعُه على

ما رقَّ رقَّتها شديدُ

ما رقَّ رقَّتها شديدُ

A glance, wherever it alights upon

And a glance's impact upon

something tender, is harsh despite its tenderness.

anything as tender as they are is harsh.

أوَ ما تَرى في السودِ بي

أوَ ما تَرى في السودِ بي

ضاً مذ بدت في البيضِ سودُ

ضاً مذ بدت في البيضِ سودُ

Do you not see white among the black,

Do you not see white amid the black,

since black appeared amid the white?

since black appeared amid the white?

يظهرنَ بهجتَها وهن

يظهرنَ بهجتَها وهن

نَ لسترِ بهجتها يريدوا

نَ لسترِ بهجتها يريدوا

They reveal its splendor, though they—

They reveal the cheeks' beauty, though they

—seek to veil that very splendor.

wish to conceal that beauty.

وطريح حانوتٍ ترا

وطريح حانوتٍ ترا

هُ كأنَّما فمُه وَريدُ

هُ كأنَّما فمُه وَريدُ

And a tavern's prostrate victim—you

And one laid low in a tavern—you see

see him, his mouth as though the vein

him, his mouth as though a jugular vein.

ذي أربعٍ قامت بغي

ذي أربعٍ قامت بغي

رِ جنايةٍ فيها حدودُ

رِ جنايةٍ فيها حدودُ

of a four-legged beast; upon him rose—

With four limbs on which, for no

—penalties, though he committed no crime.

crime, prescribed punishments were carried out.

زرناه كالمتوجعين

زرناه كالمتوجعين

وليس يعلمُ ما نريدُ

وليس يعلمُ ما نريدُ

We visited him like men in pain,

We visited him as mourners would,

while he knew nothing of our intent.

while he did not know what we wanted.

نُخليه من دمِه وحي

نُخليه من دمِه وحي

نَ يعود مملوءاً نعودُ

نَ يعود مملوءاً نعودُ

We drain him of his blood; and whe—

We empty him of his blood, and when

—n he returns replenished, we return.

he is filled again, we return.

عجباً لصاحبه يرا

عجباً لصاحبه يرا

نا قاتليهِ ولا يُقيدُ

نا قاتليهِ ولا يُقيدُ

How strange that his master sees—

How strange his keeper is: he sees

—us, his killers, yet exacts no vengeance!

us, his killers, yet exacts no vengeance.

لكنَّها ديةٌ نؤد

لكنَّها ديةٌ نؤد

ديها ويُخلفُها فريدُ

ديها ويُخلفُها فريدُ

But it is blood-money that we pa—

But it is blood money that we

—y him, and Farid replaces what is lost—

pay, and a peerless man replaces it.

سبطُ الخليقةِ واليَدَي

سبطُ الخليقةِ واليَدَي

نِ وكلُّ جعدٍ لا يسودُ

نِ وكلُّ جعدٍ لا يسودُ

Farid, gentle in nature and open in both—

Gentle in temperament and openhanded;

—hands; no tight-fisted man can lead.

and no tightfisted man becomes a lord.

وإذا يذودُ الناسُ عن

وإذا يذودُ الناسُ عن

أموالِهم فبِها يذودُ

أموالِهم فبِها يذودُ

When others defend their wealth,

And when men defend

it is with wealth itself that he defends.

their wealth, he defends with his.

وبكلِّ أجردَ تحتَ أش

وبكلِّ أجردَ تحتَ أش

وَس فوق صَهوته يميدُ

وَس فوق صَهوته يميدُ

And on every sleek horse, beneath a fi—

And with every sleek steed beneath a fierce

—erce rider swaying high upon its saddle,

warrior who sways upon its back,

ويهزُّ عِطفَيه كما

ويهزُّ عِطفَيه كما

يهتزُّ بعد الريِّ عودُ

يهتزُّ بعد الريِّ عودُ

he tosses his shoulders just as

And rocks his sides, as

a bough sways after drinking deep.

a branch sways after being watered.

نشوانُ من كأس الكري

نشوانُ من كأس الكري

هَةِ وهو منها مستزيدُ

هَةِ وهو منها مستزيدُ

Drunk from the cup of batt—

Drunk on the cup of

—le, yet ever craving more of it,

battle, and still seeking more of it.

يَرتادُ سَكرتهُ وسك

يَرتادُ سَكرتهُ وسك

رتُه على الساقي يعيدُ

رتُه على الساقي يعيدُ

he courts its rapture, and his dru—

He seeks his own intoxication, and his

—nkenness bids the cupbearer pour again.

intoxication he turns back upon the cupbearer.

ويعدُّ هَمهَمة الكُما

ويعدُّ هَمهَمة الكُما

ةِ من النَشيد فيستعيدُ

ةِ من النَشيد فيستعيدُ

He counts the murmuring of warri—

And counts the rumble of armored

—ors among songs, and calls to hear it again.

warriors as song, and asks to hear it again.

تلك المناقبُ أصبحَت

تلك المناقبُ أصبحَت

وأبو الوحيد بها وحيدُ

وأبو الوحيد بها وحيدُ

Such are the virtues that now remain,

Those virtues have now come to be,

and Abu al-Wahid alone is peerless in them.

and Abū al-Waḥīd is unrivaled in them.

لا يسبقُ الوعدُ الندى

لا يسبقُ الوعدُ الندى

والبأسُ يسبقهُ الوعيدُ

والبأسُ يسبقهُ الوعيدُ

His promise never outruns his bounty,

No promise precedes his generosity,

while his warning outruns his might.

but threats precede his martial might.

إني سرقتُ إليكَ نف

إني سرقتُ إليكَ نف

سي والخطوبُ معي شهودُ

سي والخطوبُ معي شهودُ

I stole away to you with my very sou—

I stole my own self away to you,

—l, with calamities beside me as witnesses.

with calamities beside me as witnesses.

وهي القوافي ربما ات

وهي القوافي ربما ات

تَفقَت وتختلفُ النقودُ

تَفقَت وتختلفُ النقودُ

These are my rhymes: perhaps they a—

And these are rhymes: they may sometimes

—gree, though coins may differ.

coincide, though the coins differ.

والشعرُ ما طالَت معا

والشعرُ ما طالَت معا

نيه وإن قلَّ النشيدُ

نيه وإن قلَّ النشيدُ

Poetry is that whose mea—

And poetry is that whose

—nings run long, though its song be brief.

meanings are ample, though its song be brief.

ولقد نصحتُ عليكَ إذ

ولقد نصحتُ عليكَ إذ

حلَّت بساحتِك الوفودُ

حلَّت بساحتِك الوفودُ

I gave them honest counsel concerning you when

Indeed, I gave advice about you when

the delegations arrived in your courtyard.

delegations alighted in your courtyard.

قلتُ البَثوا لا تسألوه

قلتُ البَثوا لا تسألوه

فليس يلبثُ أو يجودُ

فليس يلبثُ أو يجودُ

I said, “Stay; do not ask him—

I said: Wait; do not ask him,

he will scarcely pause before he gives.”

for he will not delay before giving.