فطمت ولائِيَ ثم أقبلت عاتباً

فطمت ولائِيَ ثم أقبلت عاتباً

أفاطم مهلاً بعد هذا التذلّل

أفاطم مهلاً بعد هذا التذلّل

You weaned away my loyalty, then came reproaching me.

I weaned my affection, then came reproaching

O Fatim, be gentle after this abasement.

Gently, after this submission!

بروحيَ ألفاظٌ تعرض عتبها

بروحيَ ألفاظٌ تعرض عتبها

تعرّض أثناء الوشاح المفصَّل

تعرّض أثناء الوشاح المفصَّل

My soul be ransom for words that display their reproach,

My soul has words that expose their reproach

like the spreading folds of a gem-studded sash.

Exposing during the detailed cloak

فأحيين وُدًّا كانَ كالرسم عافياً

فأحيين وُدًّا كانَ كالرسم عافياً

بسقط اللوى بين الدخول فحومل

بسقط اللوى بين الدخول فحومل

So they revived an affection that had faded like a campsite's traces,

So revive a love that was well, like a drawing

at the edge of the winding dunes, between al-Dakhul and Hawmal.

When loyalty's splendor falls among the immersion and the wrapping

تعفي رياح العذر منك رقومها

تعفي رياح العذر منك رقومها

لما نسجتها من جنوب وشمأل

لما نسجتها من جنوب وشمأل

The winds of excuses from you efface their markings,

The winds of excuse free you from their markings

because of what south and north winds have woven over them.

From what she wove of south and north

ثمَّ قوّضت منكَ المودَّة وانْقضت

ثمَّ قوّضت منكَ المودَّة وانْقضت

فيا عجباً من رحلها المتحمَّل

فيا عجباً من رحلها المتحمَّل

Then your affection struck its tents and came to an end;

Then you undermined from me the affection and it collapsed

how strange its camel-saddle being borne away!

So strange is the one who carries it

ونامت على الباكي ولم يدرِ جفنها

ونامت على الباكي ولم يدرِ جفنها

داره ولم ينضح بماءٍ فيغسل

داره ولم ينضح بماءٍ فيغسل

And she slept heedless of the weeper; her eyelid knew not

And it slept upon the crying one, and his eyelids did not know

his dwelling, nor was it sprinkled with water to be washed.

His home, and he was not sprinkled with water and washed

فداك سهادِي في الدُّجى من مودّةٍ

فداك سهادِي في الدُّجى من مودّةٍ

تؤمُّ الضحى لم تنطبق عن تفصل

تؤمُّ الضحى لم تنطبق عن تفصل

May my sleeplessness in the dark ransom you, born of an affection

I sacrifice for you my pillow in the darkness out of an affection

that seeks the forenoon, never closing through separation.

That attends the morning, does not cease to detail

أمولايَ لا تسلك من الظلم والجفا

أمولايَ لا تسلك من الظلم والجفا

بنا بطن خبتٍ ذي قفافٍ عقنقل

بنا بطن خبتٍ ذي قفافٍ عقنقل

O my master, do not lead, out of injustice and estrangement,

My beloved, do not tread the injustice and estrangement

us into a lowland's hollow, with rocky knolls and heaped sands.

With a clever belly, with a hardy disposition

ولا تنسَ منِّي صحبة تصدع الدجى

ولا تنسَ منِّي صحبة تصدع الدجى

بصبحٍ وما الإصباح منها بأمثل

بصبحٍ وما الإصباح منها بأمثل

And do not forget my companionship, which cleaves the darkness

And do not forget from me a companionship that cracks open the darkness

with dawn, though its daybreak is no better.

With a morning, and the morning is not its equal

صحبتك لا ألوِي على صاحبٍ عطا

صحبتك لا ألوِي على صاحبٍ عطا

بجيدِ معمٍّ في العشيرة مخوَل

بجيدِ معمٍّ في العشيرة مخوَل

I kept your company, turning aside for no companion who stretched upward

Your companionship, I do not twist upon a companion a gift

with the neck of one rich in paternal and maternal uncles within the clan.

Of good lineage in the clan, appointed

وخافيت حتَّى من هوًى أين مهجتي

وخافيت حتَّى من هوًى أين مهجتي

فألهيتها عن ذي تمائم محول

فألهيتها عن ذي تمائم محول

And I hid even from passion where my soul lay,

And I hid even from an infatuation - where is my passion?

then distracted it from a year-old child bearing amulets.

So I preoccupied it from the one with shifting talismans

وآنسة أعرضت عنها وقد جلت

وآنسة أعرضت عنها وقد جلت

عليَّ هضيم الكشح ريَّا المخلخل

عليَّ هضيم الكشح ريَّا المخلخل

And I turned away from a winsome maiden, though she had appeared

And a coquette I turned away from, though she impressed

before me, slim-waisted and full-fleshed about the anklets.

Upon me the digestion of thick blood, flowing hair

وحاولت من إدناء ودّك ما نأى

وحاولت من إدناء ودّك ما نأى

فأنزلت منه العصم من كلِّ منزل

فأنزلت منه العصم من كلِّ منزل

And I tried to draw near what had grown distant in your affection,

And I attempted to lessen and bring near your affection, which avoided

so I brought down from it the white-legged ibex from every perch.

So I brought down from it the refuge, from every abode

يقلِّب لي وجدِي به سوط سائق

يقلِّب لي وجدِي به سوط سائق

وإرخاء سرحانٍ وتقريب تتفل

وإرخاء سرحانٍ وتقريب تتفل

My longing for him brandishes a driver's whip at me,

Turning my fervor with it the whip of a driver

and a wolf's lope and a fox cub's quick trot.

And the slackening of one who lets the camels roam and draws near

فكم خدمةٍ عجَّلتها ومحبَّةٍ

فكم خدمةٍ عجَّلتها ومحبَّةٍ

تمتَّعت من لهوٍ بها غير معجَّل

تمتَّعت من لهوٍ بها غير معجَّل

How many a service I hastened to render, and an affection

So how much service I hastened, and how much affection

whose playful delights I enjoyed without being hurried!

I enjoyed from play, not hastened

وكم أسطرٍ مني ومنك كأنها

وكم أسطرٍ مني ومنك كأنها

عذارى دوارٍ في مُلاءٍ مذيَّل

عذارى دوارٍ في مُلاءٍ مذيَّل

And how many lines from me and you were like

And how many lines from me and from you as if they are

maidens of Duwar in wraps with trailing hems.

Spinning virgins in an adorned wrap

وكم ناصح كذّبت دعواه إذ غدت

وكم ناصح كذّبت دعواه إذ غدت

عليَّ وآلت حلفةً لم تحلَّل

عليَّ وآلت حلفةً لم تحلَّل

And how many an adviser's claim I denied, when it turned

And how much advice whose claim I denied when it led

against me and swore an oath that was not annulled.

Against me and turned an oath not to be undone

ولحية لحَ غاظها ضحكي على

ولحية لحَ غاظها ضحكي على

أثيثٍ كقنو النخلة المتعثكل

أثيثٍ كقنو النخلة المتعثكل

And a nagger's beard, vexed by my laughter at

And coarse hair which my laughter mocked

its thick growth, like a palm's laden fruit-cluster:

Furnishings like the date palm's bending sprout

ترى بعَرَ الآرام في عرصانها

ترى بعَرَ الآرام في عرصانها

وقيعانها فكأنه حبّ فُلفل

وقيعانها فكأنه حبّ فُلفل

you see white gazelles' dung in its open spaces

You see the places where the beautiful women stomp in their meadows

and its low plains, as though it were grains of pepper.

And their lowlands, as if it were grains of pepper

نزعت سلوِّي ساحباً عن صبابتي

نزعت سلوِّي ساحباً عن صبابتي

على إثرها أذيال مرطٍ مرحَّل

على إثرها أذيال مرطٍ مرحَّل

I cast off my solace, dragging away from my yearning

I removed my bliss, dragging from my youth

in its wake the skirts of a mantle patterned with saddles.

Behind it the trains of a striped cloak

وقلت خليلٌ ينشد الهمّ ودُّه

وقلت خليلٌ ينشد الهمّ ودُّه

ألا أيها الليل الطويل ألا انجل

ألا أيها الليل الطويل ألا انجل

And I said: a friend whose affection chants sorrow:

And I said, "A friend who chants worry and his affection"

Ah, O long night—come, clear away!

"Oh long night, oh unravel!"

وساتر تقصير المكافين قد أبى

وساتر تقصير المكافين قد أبى

لدى الستر إلا لبسة المتفضل

لدى الستر إلا لبسة المتفضل

And one who hides the shortcomings of those repaying favors refused

And a cover, reproaching the inadequacy of requitals, refused

beside the curtain, any garb but the lightly clad benefactor's dress,

To don the garb except of the bountiful

إلى أن تبدَّى عذرهُ متمطِّياً

إلى أن تبدَّى عذرهُ متمطِّياً

وأردف إعجازاً وناء بكلكل

وأردف إعجازاً وناء بكلكل

until his excuse appeared, stretching itself out,

Until his excuse appeared, mounted

and brought helplessness in its wake, bearing down with its chest.

And he clasped justification and bent with admonition

فلاطفته في الحالتين ولم أقل

فلاطفته في الحالتين ولم أقل

فسلي ثيابي من ثيابك تنسل

فسلي ثيابي من ثيابك تنسل

So I treated him gently in both states and did not say:

So I gentled him in both states, and did not say

Draw my garments from yours, and they will slip free.

"Take off my clothes from your clothes and change"

وأقنعني منه المدجاة أعرضت

وأقنعني منه المدجاة أعرضت

بشقٍّ وشقٍّ عندنا لم يجوّل

بشقٍّ وشقٍّ عندنا لم يجوّل

And the veiled one from him contented me, turning aside

And he convinced me, from it I turned away, distracted

with one half, while one half remained with us, unturned.

With a rend here for us not to go around

معللة ماذا يفيد بها الفتى

معللة ماذا يفيد بها الفتى

تبايع كفّيه بحبل موصّل

تبايع كفّيه بحبل موصّل

Offering excuses—what does a youth gain through it,

Justifying, "What use is it for the lad?

his two palms' mutual pledging with a joined cord?

A pledge of his palms with a binding rope"

يضنّ بأسطارٍ كأنَّ يراعها

يضنّ بأسطارٍ كأنَّ يراعها

أساريع ظبي أو مساويك أسحل

أساريع ظبي أو مساويك أسحل

He is stingy with lines, as though their reed pen were

He envies lines as if to watch over them

the little worms of Zaby, or tooth-sticks of the asḥal tree.

Gazelles or lances of smooth wood

ويقرع سمعي من معاريض نظمه

ويقرع سمعي من معاريض نظمه

مداكُ عروسٍ أو صلابة حنظل

مداكُ عروسٍ أو صلابة حنظل

And from the veiled allusions of his verse, my hearing is struck by

And he offends my hearing with the couplets of his composition

a bride's perfume-pestle, or a stone for grinding colocynth.

Like the bridal attire of a bride or the firmness of unripe dates

ويأبى جلوسي من مراتبه إلى

ويأبى جلوسي من مراتبه إلى

كبير أناسٍ في بجادٍ مزمَّل

كبير أناسٍ في بجادٍ مزمَّل

And he denies me a seat among his ranks beside

And he refuses my sitting from his positions to

a people's chief, wrapped in a striped mantle.

An elder of people in open space, fully adorned

كأن دموعي في ثيابي بهجره

كأن دموعي في ثيابي بهجره

عصارة حناءٍ بشيبٍ مرجّل

عصارة حناءٍ بشيبٍ مرجّل

As though the tears in my garments, from his desertion,

As if my tears in my clothes in his estrangement

were henna's juice upon combed gray hair.

Were henna extract in hoary Handle

ولمَّا تجاذبنا العتاب موشعاً

ولمَّا تجاذبنا العتاب موشعاً

نزول اليماني بالعتابِ الجمَّل

نزول اليماني بالعتابِ الجمَّل

And when we exchanged reproach, spread out like

And when we exchanged subtle reproach

a Yemeni's descent with reproach—'the thick cable' [wording unclear].

Like the falling of rain with hail mixed in

بنينا الوَلا الواهي فلم يبقَ معهداً

بنينا الوَلا الواهي فلم يبقَ معهداً

ولا أطماً إلاَّ مشيَّداً بجندل

ولا أطماً إلاَّ مشيَّداً بجندل

We rebuilt frail loyalty, leaving no dwelling-site

We rebuilt the weak affection, so no covenant remained

or stronghold except one built high with stone.

Nor pillar except established with bricks

وعدنا لودٍّ يملأ القلب عوده

وعدنا لودٍّ يملأ القلب عوده

بشحمٍ كهدَّاب الدَّمقس المفتل

بشحمٍ كهدَّاب الدَّمقس المفتل

And we returned to a love whose return fills the heart

And we returned to an affection filling the heart, its restoration

with fat like fringes of twisted white silk.

With fat like the hump of a fat-tailed sheep

أعدت صلاح الدِّين عهد مودَّةٍ

أعدت صلاح الدِّين عهد مودَّةٍ

بكل مغار الفتل شدَّت بيذبل

بكل مغار الفتل شدَّت بيذبل

Salah al-Din, you renewed a covenant of affection,

I restored in Saladin the covenant of affection

bound to Yadhbul with every tightly plied rope.

With every cave of disengagement it was tied with constraint

فدونك عتبي اللفظ ليس بفاحشٍ

فدونك عتبي اللفظ ليس بفاحشٍ

إذا هيَ نضَّته ولا بمعطل

إذا هيَ نضَّته ولا بمعطل

So take my reproach; its wording is not coarse

So my verbal reproach is not indecent

when she bares it, nor is it unadorned.

If it actively reproaches and is not ineffective

وعادات حبٍّ هنَّ أشهر فيك من

وعادات حبٍّ هنَّ أشهر فيك من

قفا نبكٍ من ذكرى حبيبٍ ومنزل

قفا نبكٍ من ذكرى حبيبٍ ومنزل

And love's customs in you are more famous than

And the customs of love in you are more renowned than

'Halt, you two; let us weep at the memory of a beloved and a dwelling.'

A sandy hill from the memory of a lover and an abode