أَرِقتُ لِضَوءِ بَرقٍ في نَشاصِ

أَرِقتُ لِضَوءِ بَرقٍ في نَشاصِ

تَلَألَأَ في مُمَلَّأَةٍ غِصاصِ

تَلَألَأَ في مُمَلَّأَةٍ غِصاصِ

I lay sleepless at lightning’s glow in a high-rising cloud,

I lay sleepless at lightning's glow in towering clouds.

Flashing within a cloudbank crammed to bursting—

It glittered in a brimming, rain-filled cloud,

لَواقِحَ دُلَّحٍ بِالماءِ سُحمٍ

لَواقِحَ دُلَّحٍ بِالماءِ سُحمٍ

تَثُجُّ الماءَ مِن خَلَلِ الخَصاصِ

تَثُجُّ الماءَ مِن خَلَلِ الخَصاصِ

Fertilizing clouds, black and heavily laden with water,

pregnant, water-laden, black clouds,

Gushing rain through the gaps in the cloud.

pouring water through their open rifts.

سَحابٍ ذاتِ أَسحَمَ مُكفَهِرٍّ

سَحابٍ ذاتِ أَسحَمَ مُكفَهِرٍّ

تُوَحّي الأَرضَ قَطراً ذا اِفتِحاصِ

تُوَحّي الأَرضَ قَطراً ذا اِفتِحاصِ

A mass of black, lowering cloud

A cloudbank with a black, glowering mass,

Whose downpour pits the earth with hollows;

drenching the earth with rain that gouges it.

تَأَلَّفَ فَاِستَوى طَبَقاً دِكاكاً

تَأَلَّفَ فَاِستَوى طَبَقاً دِكاكاً

مُحيلاً دونَ مَثعَبِهِ نَواصِ

مُحيلاً دونَ مَثعَبِهِ نَواصِ

It gathered, then leveled into a dense, flattened layer,

It gathered, then spread into a flat, close-packed sheet,

Its advancing fronts veiling the channel of its torrent—

pouring rain, with flight before its torrent,

كَلَيلٍ مُظلِمِ الحَجَراتِ داجٍ

كَلَيلٍ مُظلِمِ الحَجَراتِ داجٍ

بَهيمٍ أَو كَبَحرٍ ذي بَواصِ

بَهيمٍ أَو كَبَحرٍ ذي بَواصِ

Like a pitch-dark night, its recesses sunk in gloom,

like a night dark in every quarter, deep in gloom,

Utterly black—or like a sea alive with gleams.

pitch-black, or a sea with heaving waves.

كَأَنَّ تَبَسُّمَ الأَنواءَ فيهِ

كَأَنَّ تَبَسُّمَ الأَنواءَ فيهِ

إِذا ما اِنكَلَّ عَن لَهِقٍ هُصاصِ

إِذا ما اِنكَلَّ عَن لَهِقٍ هُصاصِ

The rain-clouds’ smiling within it seemed

As though the rain-stars were smiling within it,

Whenever it bared a dazzling, flashing whiteness;

when it parts to reveal a dazzling whiteness,

وَلاحَ بِها تَبَسُّمُ واضِحاتٍ

وَلاحَ بِها تَبَسُّمُ واضِحاتٍ

يَزينُ صَفائِحَ الحورِ القِلاصِ

يَزينُ صَفائِحَ الحورِ القِلاصِ

And through it flashed the smile of bright teeth

and a smile of gleaming teeth flashes there,

Adorning the broad cheeks of fair young she-camels.

adorning the cheeks of young, dark-eyed women.

سَلِ الشُعَراءَ هَل سَبَحوا كَسَبحي

سَلِ الشُعَراءَ هَل سَبَحوا كَسَبحي

بُحورَ الشِعرِ أَو غاصوا مَغاصي

بُحورَ الشِعرِ أَو غاصوا مَغاصي

Ask the poets whether they have ever swum as I swim,

Ask the poets: have they swum as I swim

The seas of poetry, or dived as deep as I.

the seas of poetry, or dived where I dive?

لِساني بِالقَريضِ وَبِالقَوافي

لِساني بِالقَريضِ وَبِالقَوافي

وَبِالأَشعارِ أَمهَرُ في الغَواصِ

وَبِالأَشعارِ أَمهَرُ في الغَواصِ

In verse and rhyme, my tongue

My tongue, in verse and rhyme,

Is more skillful at diving among poems

and in poetry, is more skilled at diving

مِنَ الحوتِ الَّذي في لُجِّ بَحرٍ

مِنَ الحوتِ الَّذي في لُجِّ بَحرٍ

يُجيدُ السَبحَ في اللُجَجِ القِماصِ

يُجيدُ السَبحَ في اللُجَجِ القِماصِ

Than the fish that inhabits the open sea’s abyss,

than the fish that, in the depths of a sea,

Swimming masterfully through its surging depths.

swims deftly through the heaving depths.

إِذا ما باصَ لاحَ بِصَفحَتَيهِ

إِذا ما باصَ لاحَ بِصَفحَتَيهِ

وَبَيَّضَ في المَكَرِّ وَفي المَحاصِ

وَبَيَّضَ في المَكَرِّ وَفي المَحاصِ

When it darts up, its two flanks gleam,

When it darts out, it flashes along both flanks,

And it flashes white in wheeling flight and escape.

and gleams white in turning back and veering away.

تُلاوِصُ في المَداصِ مُلاوِصاتٌ

تُلاوِصُ في المَداصِ مُلاوِصاتٌ

لَهُ مَلصى دَواجِنَ بِالمِلاصِ

لَهُ مَلصى دَواجِنَ بِالمِلاصِ

Slippery creatures dodge about in the swimming-place,

Wriggling fish maneuver in their watery haunts,

While it slips free of those that lurk there.

slippery companions to it, accustomed to slipping free.

بَناتُ الماءِ لَيسَ لَها حَياةٌ

بَناتُ الماءِ لَيسَ لَها حَياةٌ

إِذا أَخرَجتَهُنَّ مِنَ المَداصِ

إِذا أَخرَجتَهُنَّ مِنَ المَداصِ

The daughters of the water have no life

The daughters of water have no life

If you take them out of their watery home.

if you take them from their watery haunts.

إِذا قَبَضَت عَلَيهِ الكَفُّ حيناً

إِذا قَبَضَت عَلَيهِ الكَفُّ حيناً

تَناعَصَ تَحتَها أَيَّ اِنتِعاصِ

تَناعَصَ تَحتَها أَيَّ اِنتِعاصِ

When a hand closes upon one for a moment,

When the hand grips it for a moment,

How violently it writhes beneath it!

it thrashes beneath it—what a thrashing!

وَباصَ وَلاصَ مِن مَلَصٍ مَلاصٍ

وَباصَ وَلاصَ مِن مَلَصٍ مَلاصٍ

وَحوتُ البَحرِ أَسوَدُ أَو مِلاصِ

وَحوتُ البَحرِ أَسوَدُ أَو مِلاصِ

It darts and slips from every sleek, slippery hold;

and darts and twists through sheer slipperiness.

The sea-fish is black—or smooth and gleaming—

And sea fish are black, or smooth and scaleless,

كَلَونِ الماءِ أَسوَدُ ذو قُشورٍ

كَلَونِ الماءِ أَسوَدُ ذو قُشورٍ

نُسِجنَ تَلاحُمَ السَردِ الدِلاصِ

نُسِجنَ تَلاحُمَ السَردِ الدِلاصِ

Black as the water’s hue, and covered in scales

black as the water, bearing scales

Woven close together like supple chain mail.

woven together like the linked mesh of gleaming mail.

لَعَمرُكَ إِنَّني لَأُعِفُّ نَفسي

لَعَمرُكَ إِنَّني لَأُعِفُّ نَفسي

وَأَستُرُ بِالتَكَرُّمِ مِن خَصاصِ

وَأَستُرُ بِالتَكَرُّمِ مِن خَصاصِ

By your life, I keep my soul above baseness

By your life, I surely restrain myself,

And veil my want with noble self-respect.

and shield myself from want through noble conduct.

وَأُكرِمُ والِدي وَأَصونُ عِرضي

وَأُكرِمُ والِدي وَأَصونُ عِرضي

وَأَكرَهُ أَن أُعَدَّ مِنَ الحِراصِ

وَأَكرَهُ أَن أُعَدَّ مِنَ الحِراصِ

I honor my father and safeguard my good name,

And I honor my father and safeguard my good name,

And hate to be numbered among the greedy.

and hate to be counted among the greedy.

إِذا ما كُنتَ لَحّاساً بَخيلاً

إِذا ما كُنتَ لَحّاساً بَخيلاً

سَؤولاً لِلمُطاعِ وَذا عِقاصِ

سَؤولاً لِلمُطاعِ وَذا عِقاصِ

But if you are a plate-licking miser,

If you are a greedy plate-licker, a miser,

Begging from the powerful, with tangled locks,

forever begging of a master, and obstinate,

لِزادِ المَرءِ آبَصَ مِن عُقابٍ

لِزادِ المَرءِ آبَصَ مِن عُقابٍ

وَعِندَ البابِ أَثقَلَ مِن رَصاصِ

وَعِندَ البابِ أَثقَلَ مِن رَصاصِ

Keener for another man’s provisions than an eagle,

swifter than an eagle to snatch a man's provisions,

And heavier than lead beside his door,

and heavier at the door than lead,

بَكى البَوّابُ مِنكَ وَقالَ هَل لي

بَكى البَوّابُ مِنكَ وَقالَ هَل لي

وَهَل لِلبابِ مِن ذا مِن خَلاصِ

وَهَل لِلبابِ مِن ذا مِن خَلاصِ

The doorkeeper will weep at the sight of you and say, ‘Is there

the doorkeeper weeps because of you and says, 'Is there for me

For me—or for this door—any deliverance from this man?’

and for the door any escape from this fellow?'

فَيوشِكُ أَن يَراكَ لَهُ عَدُوّاً

فَيوشِكُ أَن يَراكَ لَهُ عَدُوّاً

عَداوَةَ مَن يُلاطِمُ أَو يُناصي

عَداوَةَ مَن يُلاطِمُ أَو يُناصي

Soon he will come to regard you as his enemy,

Then he will soon regard you as his enemy,

With the hatred of one who trades blows or grapples by the forelock.

with the enmity of one who trades slaps or grabs forelocks.

إِذا ما كانَ عِرضي عِندَ بَطني

إِذا ما كانَ عِرضي عِندَ بَطني

فَأَينَ مِنَ اَن أُسَبَّ بِهِ مَناصي

فَأَينَ مِنَ اَن أُسَبَّ بِهِ مَناصي

If my honor were made subject to my belly,

If my honor is at the mercy of my belly,

Where could I escape being reviled on its account?

then where is my escape from being reviled for it?

فَإِن خَفَّت لِجوعِ البَطنِ رِجلي

فَإِن خَفَّت لِجوعِ البَطنِ رِجلي

فَدَقَّ اللَهُ رِجلي بِالمُعاصِ

فَدَقَّ اللَهُ رِجلي بِالمُعاصِ

If hunger ever makes my foot hasten toward begging,

And if hunger in my belly makes my foot hasten,

Then may God strike that foot with crippling affliction.

then may God crush my foot with cramp!