دونَ ما بَيْنَنَا من الوُدِّ يَكْفِي

دونَ ما بَيْنَنَا من الوُدِّ يَكْفِي

فاحْتَفِظْ يا أَبَا السُّعودِ المُكَفِّي

فاحْتَفِظْ يا أَبَا السُّعودِ المُكَفِّي

Less than the affection between us would suffice.

Without our friendship being enough

So take heed, Abu al-Su'ud al-Mukaffi.

Preserve it, O Abu Al-Su'ud the content

أَيُّ شيءٍ رأَيْتَهُ يا قوىَّ ال

أَيُّ شيءٍ رأَيْتَهُ يا قوىَّ ال

عَقْل من رِكَّتِي إِليكَ وضَعْفِي

عَقْل من رِكَّتِي إِليكَ وضَعْفِي

What have you seen, O strong in

What have you seen, O strong of mind

intellect, of my tenderness toward you and my weakness?

Of my weakness and submission to you

لستُ مِمَّنْ عَرَفْتَهُ أَنْتَ بالنَّوْ

لستُ مِمَّنْ عَرَفْتَهُ أَنْتَ بالنَّوْ

كِ فتُبْدِي منه الحديثَ وتُخْفِي

كِ فتُبْدِي منه الحديثَ وتُخْفِي

I am not one whom you have known for

I'm not one you knew

foolishness, whose talk you reveal and conceal.

To gossip about and conceal

إِنَّمَا عادَةُ الكِرامُ وما أَوْ

إِنَّمَا عادَةُ الكِرامُ وما أَوْ

لاكَ فيهم بأَنْ تُعَدَّ بأَلْفِ

لاكَ فيهم بأَنْ تُعَدَّ بأَلْفِ

The noble have this custom—and how worthy

Rather, it is the way of honorable men

you are among them to count as a thousand—

And your status among them, to be counted by the thousand

إِنّّهم يُنْكِرون رَدَّ يَدِ الرَّا

إِنّّهم يُنْكِرون رَدَّ يَدِ الرَّا

غِبِ فيهمْ ولو أَتاهُمْ بعُنْفِ

غِبِ فيهمْ ولو أَتاهُمْ بعُنْفِ

that they refuse to turn away the hand of one

They disdain to reject the hand of one who seeks them

seeking their favor, even if he comes roughly,

Even if he comes to them aggressively

ويحيُّونه على زَهَرِ الوُدِّ

ويحيُّونه على زَهَرِ الوُدِّ

بخمرٍ من المَحَبَّة صِرْفِ

بخمرٍ من المَحَبَّة صِرْفِ

and greet him amid the blossoms of affection

And they welcome him with the blossom of affection

with pure, unmixed wine of love.

With pure wine of love

لا كما قُمْتَ فيه أَيَّدَكَ الَّل

لا كما قُمْتَ فيه أَيَّدَكَ الَّل

هُ شهيرَ السِّلاحِ أَوَّلَ صَفِّ

هُ شهيرَ السِّلاحِ أَوَّلَ صَفِّ

Not as you stood there—may you be upheld by

Not as you acted with me, may God support you

God—with weapons bared, in the foremost rank.

Famous for your weapons, the first line of battle

وأَجلْتَ البنَانَ بالكَلِمِ الفا

وأَجلْتَ البنَانَ بالكَلِمِ الفا

ضِحِ من ذلكَ الخطابِ المُعَفِّي

ضِحِ من ذلكَ الخطابِ المُعَفِّي

And you set your fingertips moving with words

And you scared off the enemy with your brilliant words

that shame, from that effacing letter.

With that clear speech, so eloquent

وتَفَنَّنْتَ بينَ كافِيك في التَّسْ

وتَفَنَّنْتَ بينَ كافِيك في التَّسْ

جِيعِ مِمَّا بَعَثْتَه والتَّعَفِّي

جِيعِ مِمَّا بَعَثْتَه والتَّعَفِّي

And you displayed your art between your two kāfs, in the rhymed

And you were creative in your messages between us

prose you sent, and in effacement:

In what you sent and suggested

نَظَرا في سؤالِ خِلِّكَ يَخْتَلُّ

نَظَرا في سؤالِ خِلِّكَ يَخْتَلُّ

ولَيْسَ اخْتِلالَ ناظِرِ طَرْفِ

ولَيْسَ اخْتِلالَ ناظِرِ طَرْفِ

a judgment of your friend's request that falters,

Looking into your friend's request, differing

but not the faltering of an eye's pupil;

Though the gaze of an eye doesn't differ

واعتقاداً فيه وحُشِيَت أَنْ أَنْ

واعتقاداً فيه وحُشِيَت أَنْ أَنْ

سُبَ منكَ اعتقادَ عَقْلِ السُّخْفِ

سُبَ منكَ اعتقادَ عَقْلِ السُّخْفِ

and a belief about it—far be it from me to ascribe

And believing it frightened me that I would attribute

to you the thinking of a foolish mind.

To you the belief of a fool's mind

فعَلاَمَ استَبَحْتَ ممنوعَ عِرْضِي

فعَلاَمَ استَبَحْتَ ممنوعَ عِرْضِي

وإِلامَ اسْتَجَزْتَ محظورَ قَذْفي

وإِلامَ اسْتَجَزْتَ محظورَ قَذْفي

Why, then, did you violate my inviolable honor?

So why did you violate the sanctity of my honor

And to what end did you permit yourself the forbidden slandering of me?

And why did you take the forbidden liberty of slandering me

ولماذا أَخَفْتَنِي بالقِلَى وَهْ

ولماذا أَخَفْتَنِي بالقِلَى وَهْ

وَ لِنَفْسِي أَحبّه دُونَ إِلفى

وَ لِنَفْسِي أَحبّه دُونَ إِلفى

And why did you frighten me with aversion, which

And why did you hide me with insults though

I, for my part, love more than my companion?

My soul loves no one but you

ورَميْتَ الفؤادَ مِنِّي بنارٍ

ورَميْتَ الفؤادَ مِنِّي بنارٍ

أَنتَ لا شَكَّ تصطَلِيِها وتُطْفِي

أَنتَ لا شَكَّ تصطَلِيِها وتُطْفِي

And you hurled a fire at my heart

And you threw my heart into a fire

that you surely warm yourself at and extinguish.

Which undoubtedly scorches and extinguishes it

إِنَّ أشْرَاكَكَ الصِّعابَ لَتَجْرِي

إِنَّ أشْرَاكَكَ الصِّعابَ لَتَجْرِي

هَيِّناتِ التَّخْلِيصِ ما بَيْنَ كَفِّي

هَيِّناتِ التَّخْلِيصِ ما بَيْنَ كَفِّي

Your difficult snares indeed pass

Your traps on difficult terrain will certainly

within my grasp, easy to disentangle.

Make easy plunder between my hands

ما سأَلنا إِلاَّ على قدر ذا الدّه

ما سأَلنا إِلاَّ على قدر ذا الدّه

رِ فلا تَشْمَخَنْ عَلَيْنَا بأَنْفِ

رِ فلا تَشْمَخَنْ عَلَيْنَا بأَنْفِ

We asked only according to the measure of this

We asked only in proportion to this lowly one

age; so do not turn up your nose at us.

So do not lord yourself above us in your pride

كان لي مَوْعِدٌ على حَلِفٍ لا

كان لي مَوْعِدٌ على حَلِفٍ لا

غَرْوَ أَنْ جاءَ فيه عندي بخُلْفِ

غَرْوَ أَنْ جاءَ فيه عندي بخُلْفِ

I had a promise backed by an oath; no

I had a tryst sworn on oath that would not be broken

wonder it was met, in my case, with a breach.

Yet when it came, you broke it

وهْوَ ما قَدْرُهُ من العَيْنِ مثقا

وهْوَ ما قَدْرُهُ من العَيْنِ مثقا

لٌ ومثقالُ ذَرَّةٍ منه يكفي

لٌ ومثقالُ ذَرَّةٍ منه يكفي

It was a sum of gold whose measure was a

It was as heavy as an eye's measure

mithqal; and a mote's weight of it would suffice.

And a mustard seed of it would suffice

وبَعَثْتَ الرسولَ فارتَدَّ نحوي

وبَعَثْتَ الرسولَ فارتَدَّ نحوي

مُسْتَخَفًّا أَفدِيهِ من مُسْتَخَبف

مُسْتَخَفًّا أَفدِيهِ من مُسْتَخَبف

And you sent the messenger, and he returned toward me,

You sent a messenger who returned to me

belittled—I would ransom him from one who belittles—

Mocking me, I ransom him from the mocker

قائلاً لو قَبلْتَ أَخْفَيْتَ هذي النَّ

قائلاً لو قَبلْتَ أَخْفَيْتَ هذي النَّ

فْسَ مستقصِيًا فقلتُ سَأُخْفِي

فْسَ مستقصِيًا فقلتُ سَأُخْفِي

saying, 'If you accepted, you would conceal this

Saying "If you accept, I will conceal it"

self completely.' I said, 'I shall conceal it.'

Seeking to expose me, so I said "I will conceal it"

ويَدِي هذِهِ إِليكَ قد امْتَدَّ

ويَدِي هذِهِ إِليكَ قد امْتَدَّ

تْ بعهدٍ أَلاَّ نَطَقْتَ بحَرْفِ

تْ بعهدٍ أَلاَّ نَطَقْتَ بحَرْفِ

And this hand of mine has stretched out toward you

And my hand reached out to you

with a pledge that you would not utter a letter.

With a covenant - did you not speak a word?

أَتُرَى إِذْ بَعَئْتَ لي خَطَّكَ العا

أَتُرَى إِذْ بَعَئْتَ لي خَطَّكَ العا

لِي وَعَرَّفْتَنِي به غَيْرَ عُرْفي

لِي وَعَرَّفْتَنِي به غَيْرَ عُرْفي

Do you suppose, when you sent me your lofty

When you sent me your sublime script

script and acquainted me through it with something unfamiliar,

And introduced it to me, though I knew it not

وطوَيْتُ القِرطاسَ منه على ما

وطوَيْتُ القِرطاسَ منه على ما

فاحَ حتَّى سَدَدْتُ بالرَّاحِ أَنْفِي

فاحَ حتَّى سَدَدْتُ بالرَّاحِ أَنْفِي

and I folded its paper over what

And I folded the parchment from it

reeked, until I stopped my nose with my palm,

On the scent that lingered until I covered my nose

أَنَّنِي لَوْ وَقَفْتُ وقْفَةَ شاكٍ

أَنَّنِي لَوْ وَقَفْتُ وقْفَةَ شاكٍ

قد رأَى في الهوى الرجوعَ لِخَلْفِ

قد رأَى في الهوى الرجوعَ لِخَلْفِ

that I would have stood like a complainant

That had I paused in doubt

who had seen in love a retreat backward,

Having seen in passion a return backwards

وتركتُ العتابَ لم أُجْرِ فيه

وتركتُ العتابَ لم أُجْرِ فيه

قَلَمِي من جميع هذا بحَرْفِ

قَلَمِي من جميع هذا بحَرْفِ

and abandoned reproach, never running through it

And abandoned reproach, not guiding

my pen with a single letter about all this,

My pen in any of this with a letter

وتَسلَّيْتُ عن مَوَاعِيدِ فيها

وتَسلَّيْتُ عن مَوَاعِيدِ فيها

خَلَفٌ لا يزالُ صاحِبَ خُلْفِ

خَلَفٌ لا يزالُ صاحِبَ خُلْفِ

and consoled myself for promises in which

And been distracted from promises in which

Khalaf remains ever a breaker of promises?

Betrayal remains the companion of betrayal