كأنّ دارين لها دارُ

كأنّ دارين لها دارُ

فروضها المِعطالُ معطارُ

فروضها المِعطالُ معطارُ

As though Darin were her home,

It's as if it has a house with another house,

for her unadorned garden is richly perfumed.

Its obligations are neglected yet it is still fragrant,

تحملُ عنه نفحاتُ الصَبا

تحملُ عنه نفحاتُ الصَبا

نشراً به للصبِّ إنشارُ

نشراً به للصبِّ إنشارُ

From it the east wind's breezes carry

It carries from it the breezes of youth,

a fragrance that brings the lovesick back to life.

Spreading with it the flowers' scent dispersed,

فكلما استنشقتَهُ شاقَه

فكلما استنشقتَهُ شاقَه

لنازحِ الأوطانِ أوطارُ

لنازحِ الأوطانِ أوطارُ

So whenever you inhale it, he is stirred by

So whenever you inhale it, it misses

the longings of one far from his homelands.

The homelands for the homesick wanderer,

تلك شِفاءُ الوجدِ لو أنهم

تلك شِفاءُ الوجدِ لو أنهم

صاروا بها من بعد ما ساروا

صاروا بها من بعد ما ساروا

That would cure love's anguish, if only they

It is the cure for passion if only they

came there after they had gone away.

Became with it, after they had walked away,

علّقْتُ قلبي بذِمامِ الهوى

علّقْتُ قلبي بذِمامِ الهوى

وهْو خفير منه إخفارُ

وهْو خفير منه إخفارُ

I bound my heart to love's protection,

I hung my heart on the rein of passion,

yet it is a guardian that breaks its pledge.

And it was its unbridled galloping pace,

وكان قلباً فغدا طائراً

وكان قلباً فغدا طائراً

له من الأكوارِ أوكارُ

له من الأكوارِ أوكارُ

It was a heart, then became a bird

It was a heart but became a bird,

with camel-saddles for its nests.

Having in dense thickets its nests,

في سُندسِ الكَلّة حوريّةٌ

في سُندسِ الكَلّة حوريّةٌ

تسكنُ قلبي وهو النار

تسكنُ قلبي وهو النار

Within the bed-curtain's fine silk is a houri

In the silks of the howdah, a houri,

who dwells in my heart, though it is fire.

Dwells in my heart while it's still on fire,

أحدقتِ الشمسُ بها مثلَ ما

أحدقتِ الشمسُ بها مثلَ ما

تحدِقُ بالمُقلةِ أشْفارُ

تحدِقُ بالمُقلةِ أشْفارُ

The sun has encircled her, just as

The sun stared at it just as

the eyelid rims encircle the eye.

Eye lashes stare at the kohl's eyes,

يا كوكباً يمنعُ أن يُجتلَى

يا كوكباً يمنعُ أن يُجتلَى

غيثُ مَهىً أوطَفُ مِدرارُ

غيثُ مَهىً أوطَفُ مِدرارُ

O star, kept from sight by

An orbit that prevents being eclipsed

a thick-fringed, abundantly pouring raincloud of oryxes,

A rain of bliss or a pouring cloud,

ودرّةً يحجُبُ عن نيلها

ودرّةً يحجُبُ عن نيلها

بحرُ وغًى بالبأسِ زخّارُ

بحرُ وغًى بالبأسِ زخّارُ

and pearl, kept beyond reach by

A pearl it blocks from being attained

a sea of battle surging with might!

A deep sea, turbulent with might,

أغريتِ بي الوجدَ وغررتِ بي

أغريتِ بي الوجدَ وغررتِ بي

إنّ الغريرَ الطرْفِ غرّار

إنّ الغريرَ الطرْفِ غرّار

You set love's anguish upon me and deceived me;

You seduced me with passion and fooled me

indeed, the innocent-eyed one is a deceiver.

Seduction by the eyes is betraying,

لا تحسَبي أن ثرت فتاكة

لا تحسَبي أن ثرت فتاكة

كلُّ قتيلٍ ما لهُ ثارُ

كلُّ قتيلٍ ما لهُ ثارُ

Do not think that, when you rise as a slayer,

Think not you are immune from my revenge

every victim goes unavenged.

Each slain person has no avenger,

جورُكِ يمضي فيّ لو لم يكن

جورُكِ يمضي فيّ لو لم يكن

من أحمدَ المختارِ لي جارُ

من أحمدَ المختارِ لي جارُ

Your tyranny would prevail against me, were there not

Your tyranny persists in me even if

a protector for me in Ahmad al-Mukhtar.

Ahmed the Chosen were not my protector,

حِبْرٌ له خُطَّ يَراعٌ به

حِبْرٌ له خُطَّ يَراعٌ به

يراعُ خطّيٍّ وخطّار

يراعُ خطّيٍّ وخطّار

A scholar for whom a reed-pen was marked out, with which

An ink with a line, minding

a Khatti lance and a swaying spear are awed.

My lines and the lines of a writer,

يبسِمُ منه الطرفُ عن سؤدد

يبسِمُ منه الطرفُ عن سؤدد

ضاحكَ فيه النورَ أنوارُ

ضاحكَ فيه النورَ أنوارُ

His gaze smiles, revealing nobility

From it the gaze smiles from the sadness

in which radiances exchange smiles with blossoms.

The light laughing within it lights,

دوحٌ من المُعْجِزِ لا يجتَني

دوحٌ من المُعْجِزِ لا يجتَني

منهُ بغير السَمْعِ أثمارُ

منهُ بغير السَمْعِ أثمارُ

A grove of marvels, from which no one gathers

A miracle grove that does not yield

fruit except through hearing.

Without hearing, any fruits,

لفظٌ عَوانٌ بين أحشائه

لفظٌ عَوانٌ بين أحشائه

من المعاني العُقْم أبكارُ

من المعاني العُقْم أبكارُ

Mature wording, within whose depths

Words, between their folds, virgin

lie virgin, barren meanings.

Meanings, of bareness and chastity,

يَبيتُ ساري النّهْجِ في فِكرها

يَبيتُ ساري النّهْجِ في فِكرها

رهنَ ضلالٍ وهْي إقْمارُ

رهنَ ضلالٍ وهْي إقْمارُ

The night-traveler on their path ponders them through the night,

It sleeps flowing in her thoughts

captive to bewilderment, though they are moonlight.

Held by misguidance while she is the full moon,

حظُّ الموالي والمَعادي به

حظُّ الموالي والمَعادي به

نفعٌ كما شاءت وإضرار

نفعٌ كما شاءت وإضرار

Through it, friend and foe receive their share:

The share of loyalists and opponents in it

benefit, as it wills, and harm.

Benefit as she willed and harm,

يرجو ويخشى حالتَيْها الوَرى

يرجو ويخشى حالتَيْها الوَرى

كأنها الجنّةُ والنارُ

كأنها الجنّةُ والنارُ

Mortals hope for and fear its two states,

People hope for and fear her two states

as though it were Paradise and Hell.

As if she were Hell and Paradise,

وراحةٍ دينارُها درهمٌ

وراحةٍ دينارُها درهمٌ

ودرهمُ الباخلِ دينارُ

ودرهمُ الباخلِ دينارُ

And a palm whose dinar is a mere dirham,

And her peace of mind is a gold coin

while the miser's dirham is a dinar.

While the miser's coin is a dirham,

لا يُمتَرى في أنها تمترى

لا يُمتَرى في أنها تمترى

أخلافَ نُعماها وتُمْتارُ

أخلافَ نُعماها وتُمْتارُ

No one doubts that it milks

None bargains that it bargains

the teats of its bounty and is drawn on for provisions.

For generations her boons and gifts,

شادَ بها ربعُ الندى بعدما

شادَ بها ربعُ الندى بعدما

أرداهُ إعصار وإعصار

أرداهُ إعصار وإعصار

Through it the abode of generosity rose, after

The horizon restored by it after

whirlwind upon whirlwind had brought it low.

Many a storm and hurricane eroded it,

ومنظرٌ عزّ نظيرٌ له

ومنظرٌ عزّ نظيرٌ له

والناسُ أشكال وأنظارُ

والناسُ أشكال وأنظارُ

And a countenance whose equal is rare,

A rare splendid view the like of which

though people have counterparts and peers.

People are forms and sights,

في صفحتيهِ لمياهِ الحَيا

في صفحتيهِ لمياهِ الحَيا

مُطّرِدَ الإجراءِ تيّار

مُطّرِدَ الإجراءِ تيّار

Along its two cheeks the rainwaters

In its two pages are the waters of life

form a ceaselessly flowing current.

A current, steady flowing,

للبِشْرِ برقٌ بين أرجائه

للبِشْرِ برقٌ بين أرجائه

وللندى الفائضِ أمطارُ

وللندى الفائضِ أمطارُ

Cheerfulness has its lightning across its reaches,

For mankind is lightning in its corners

and overflowing generosity has its rains.

And for the excess of bliss are rains,

وليس يُجدي الأثْرُ في صارمٍ

وليس يُجدي الأثْرُ في صارمٍ

ما لِشَبا حدّيْهِ آثارُ

ما لِشَبا حدّيْهِ آثارُ

And blade-patterning is no use in a keen sword

In a determined fate, the trace is fruitless,

whose two sharp edges leave no marks.

What effect can youth's mark make?

يا بنَ الألى طابتْ أحاديثُهُم

يا بنَ الألى طابتْ أحاديثُهُم

على التَمادي فهْي أسْمار

على التَمادي فهْي أسْمار

O son of those whose stories are sweet

O son of the exalted, fair are their narrations,

throughout the passing ages: they are evening tales.

For their fluency they are affluent,

خذ مِدَحاً سحرُ بلاغاتِها

خذ مِدَحاً سحرُ بلاغاتِها

في سُدَف الأشعارِ أسحارُ

في سُدَف الأشعارِ أسحارُ

Accept praises: the magic of their eloquence

Take praise, the magic of its rhetoric

is dawn after dawn amid poetry's darkness.

Is sorcery in the collection of poems,

قصائدٌ أرسلَها خاطرٌ

قصائدٌ أرسلَها خاطرٌ

في سُبُلِ الإحسانِ خطّارُ

في سُبُلِ الإحسانِ خطّارُ

Poems sent forth by a mind

Poems sent by a mind

ever roaming the paths of excellence.

On the paths of benevolence a caring messenger,

تثني البلاغاتُ بمنطوقها

تثني البلاغاتُ بمنطوقها

مستعبداتٍ وهْي أحرار

مستعبداتٍ وهْي أحرار

Eloquent expressions give praise through their words,

Eloquences bow with their uttered meaning,

enslaved, though they are free.

As if they were slaves yet they are free,

أغليتُها بَذْلاً وأعليتُها

أغليتُها بَذْلاً وأعليتُها

فضلاً وللأشعارِ أسعارُ

فضلاً وللأشعارِ أسعارُ

I made them precious as gifts and exalted them

I made them priceless with generosity

in merit; poems have their prices.

And supreme with merit, though poems have prices,

فليَهْنِكَ الشهرُ الأصمّ الذي

فليَهْنِكَ الشهرُ الأصمّ الذي

أسمعُهُ للمَدْحِ تَكْرار

أسمعُهُ للمَدْحِ تَكْرار

So may the Deaf Month gladden you—the month

So let the deaf month that hears not

whose hearing repeated praise has awakened.

My praises be worn down repeating them,

وليَبْقَ في المجدِ مقيماً فلي

وليَبْقَ في المجدِ مقيماً فلي

جوّالُ مدحٍ منكَ سيّارُ

جوّالُ مدحٍ منكَ سيّارُ

And may it remain abiding in glory, for I have

And let it stay eminently in glory, so let

roaming praise from you, ever traveling.

The roaming praise from you go around.