ضَرَبُوا الخيامَ على النَّدَى والخِيمِ

ضَرَبُوا الخيامَ على النَّدَى والخِيمِ

ورَغِبْتُ عن مَرْعًى بِهِنَّ وَخيمِ

ورَغِبْتُ عن مَرْعًى بِهِنَّ وَخيمِ

They pitched their tents upon generosity and character,

They pitched tents upon the dew and small tents

and I shunned an unwholesome pasture among them.

And I was keen to pasture among them and their tents

ما كنتُ أَوَّلَ زاهدٍ في رَوْضَةٍ

ما كنتُ أَوَّلَ زاهدٍ في رَوْضَةٍ

تُجْنَى أَراقِمُ وَشْيِها المَرْقُوم

تُجْنَى أَراقِمُ وَشْيِها المَرْقُوم

I was not the first to renounce a garden

I was not the first ascetic in a garden

where speckled serpents are plucked from its patterned embroidery.

Whose palms and branched trees were picked

كم من سقيمِ الجسمِ يِتُّ لأَجلِهِ

كم من سقيمِ الجسمِ يِتُّ لأَجلِهِ

وأَنا الصَّحيحُ بداءِ كلِّ سقيمِ

وأَنا الصَّحيحُ بداءِ كلِّ سقيمِ

For many a frail-bodied one I have spent the night,

How many with frail bodies yearn for it

though healthy myself, stricken with every sufferer's ailment.

While I, though healthy, have the ills of every frail one

فارجِعْ عنِ الوادي فإِنَّ مياهَهُ

فارجِعْ عنِ الوادي فإِنَّ مياهَهُ

مما يُشَبُّ بها غليلُ الهيمِ

مما يُشَبُّ بها غليلُ الهيمِ

So turn back from the valley, for its waters

So turn away from the valley, for its waters

are such as inflame the burning thirst of parched camels.

Are what his fervent thirst is mixed with

مدّ الحُمَاةَ من الأَسِنَّةِ فوقَه

مدّ الحُمَاةَ من الأَسِنَّةِ فوقَه

ظِلاًّ وذاكَ الظِّلَّ من يَحْمُومِ

ظِلاًّ وذاكَ الظِّلَّ من يَحْمُومِ

The defenders spread above it, from spearheads,

The protectors extended from tongues above it

a shade—and that shade is of black smoke.

A shade, and that shade is from the fevered

وبشِعْبِ رامَةَ مَعْرَكٌ يغدُو بِهِ

وبشِعْبِ رامَةَ مَعْرَكٌ يغدُو بِهِ

قَلْبُ الهِزَبْرِ أَسيرِ لَحْظِ الرِّيمِ

قَلْبُ الهِزَبْرِ أَسيرِ لَحْظِ الرِّيمِ

And in Ramah's ravine is a battlefield where

And in the valley of Rama is a fray in which

the lion's heart becomes captive to the gazelle's glance.

The heart of the coward is captive to the glance of the spear

حيثُ التَفَتَّ إِلى مطالِعِ شَمْسِهِ

حيثُ التَفَتَّ إِلى مطالِعِ شَمْسِهِ

أَلفَيْتَها محجوبَةً بِغُيُوم

أَلفَيْتَها محجوبَةً بِغُيُوم

Wherever you turned toward the rising places of its sun,

Wherever he turned to the horizons of his sun

you found it veiled by clouds.

You found them obscured by clouds

مَغْنًى يُدِيرُ به النسيمُ رَحِيقَهُ

مَغْنًى يُدِيرُ به النسيمُ رَحِيقَهُ

ممزوجَةَ الرَّشَفَاتِ من تَسْنِيمِ

ممزوجَةَ الرَّشَفَاتِ من تَسْنِيمِ

An abode where the breeze passes round its pure wine,

A melody which the breeze turns with its nectar

its sips blended with water from Tasnim.

Blended with the sprinklings of gentle plucking

وكأَنَّ مُبْتًسَمَ السحابِ متيَّمٌ

وكأَنَّ مُبْتًسَمَ السحابِ متيَّمٌ

يبكي عليه بدمعِهِ المسجومِ

يبكي عليه بدمعِهِ المسجومِ

And it is as though the clouds' smile were a lovesick lover,

As if the smiling of the clouds is a lover

weeping over it with his streaming tears.

Who weeps for it with his heated tears

لِمَنِ المنازلُ كالمَنازِلِ رِفْعَةً

لِمَنِ المنازلُ كالمَنازِلِ رِفْعَةً

وضياءَ آفاقٍ وبُعْدَ نُجُومِ

وضياءَ آفاقٍ وبُعْدَ نُجُومِ

Whose are these dwellings, like the celestial mansions in height,

For whom are the dwellings like dwellings of loftiness

in the radiance of horizons and the remoteness of stars?

And light of horizons and distance of stars

ما رَدَّدَ المشتاقُ فيها نظرةً

ما رَدَّدَ المشتاقُ فيها نظرةً

إِلا انْثَنَتْ عن نَضْرَةٍ ونعيمِ

إِلا انْثَنَتْ عن نَضْرَةٍ ونعيمِ

Never did the yearning lover cast another glance there

The longing one has not glanced in them

but it returned from radiant freshness and bliss.

Except it swayed from delight and bliss

أَتُرَى الذي في وَجْهِهِ لِيَ جَنَّةٌ

أَتُرَى الذي في وَجْهِهِ لِيَ جَنَّةٌ

يَدْري بأَنِّي أَصطلي بجحيمِ

يَدْري بأَنِّي أَصطلي بجحيمِ

Do you think the one whose face is paradise to me

Can it be that he whose face is a paradise to me

knows that I am scorched by hellfire?

Knows that I warm myself by hellfire

أُبْدِي التَّجَلُّدَ في الكلامِ وأَنطوِي

أُبْدِي التَّجَلُّدَ في الكلامِ وأَنطوِي

دونَ العذولِ على حَشًى مكلومِ

دونَ العذولِ على حَشًى مكلومِ

I show fortitude in speech, and keep within,

I show composure in speech and fold myself

hidden from the reproacher, a wounded heart.

Without complaining, upon burning sorrows

مالِي إِذا اسْتَظْلَلْتُ وارِفَ هَمِّه

مالِي إِذا اسْتَظْلَلْتُ وارِفَ هَمِّه

سَقَطَتْ عَلَيَّ فروعُها بِهُمومِ

سَقَطَتْ عَلَيَّ فروعُها بِهُمومِ

Why, when I seek the spreading shade of his care,

What is it to me if when I sought shade under it

do its branches fall upon me laden with sorrows?

Its branches fell upon me with worries

أَنا بالبراقِعِ والبَلاقِعِ هائِمٌ

أَنا بالبراقِعِ والبَلاقِعِ هائِمٌ

لا أَكْحَلُ الجَفْنيْنِ بالتَّهْوِيمِ

لا أَكْحَلُ الجَفْنيْنِ بالتَّهْوِيمِ

I wander, lovesick, among veils and barren wastes;

I wander with veils and calamities

I do not line my eyelids with drowsiness.

Not darkening my eyelids with drowsiness

كم مَهْمَهٍ خَفَضَتْ رُءُوسَ إِكامِهِ

كم مَهْمَهٍ خَفَضَتْ رُءُوسَ إِكامِهِ

نَغَمَ الحُداةِ برَفْعِ أَيدِي الكُومِ

نَغَمَ الحُداةِ برَفْعِ أَيدِي الكُومِ

How many a wasteland's hilltops were brought low

How many noble qualities lowered their heads

by the camel-drivers' songs, lifting the high-humped camels' forelegs!

The melody of separation by raising hands of despair

نادَى لسانُ الدهرِ باسْمِي ناقصاً

نادَى لسانُ الدهرِ باسْمِي ناقصاً

فَحَمَلْتُه مِنْهُ على التَّرْخِيمِ

فَحَمَلْتُه مِنْهُ على التَّرْخِيمِ

The tongue of Time called me by my name, leaving it incomplete;

The tongue of time called my name truncating it

so I took it as a shortened form of address.

So I carried it from him with resignation

ودُعِيتُ بالمرزوقِ ثمّ اسْتَرْجَعَتْ

ودُعِيتُ بالمرزوقِ ثمّ اسْتَرْجَعَتْ

أَيَّامُهُ فَدُعِيتُ بالمَحْروم

أَيَّامُهُ فَدُعِيتُ بالمَحْروم

And I was called 'the Provided-for'; then it was taken back

And I was called blessed, then its days

by Time's days, and I was called 'the Deprived'.

Took it back, so I was called deprived

لولا الجدودُ لما ارْتَمَتْ بمُسَافِرٍ

لولا الجدودُ لما ارْتَمَتْ بمُسَافِرٍ

كَفُّ الغِنَى وتعلَّقَتْ بمُقِيمِ

كَفُّ الغِنَى وتعلَّقَتْ بمُقِيمِ

But for luck, no traveler would be flung away

If it weren't for the ancestors, no traveller would flourish

by wealth's hand, nor would it cling to one who stayed.

The palm of wealth and cling to the resident

والحظُّ حتَّى في الحروفِ مُؤَثِّرٌ

والحظُّ حتَّى في الحروفِ مُؤَثِّرٌ

تختصُّ بالتدقيقِ والتفخيمِ

تختصُّ بالتدقيقِ والتفخيمِ

And fortune has an effect even upon letters,

And fortune, even in letters, has effect

which are distinguished by thinning and thickening.

Specializing in emphasis and amplification

ويقبِّلُ الضَّحَّاكُ ما سَفَرَتْ لهم

ويقبِّلُ الضَّحَّاكُ ما سَفَرَتْ لهم

تحتَ العَجَاجَةِ عن أَغَرَّ شَتِيمِ

تحتَ العَجَاجَةِ عن أَغَرَّ شَتِيمِ

And al-Dahhak kisses what was unveiled for them

And they kiss what roamed to them

beneath the dust cloud: a radiant, grim-faced one.

Under the litter, from the most vulgar abuse

وتَحَمَّلُوا لِلْفُرْسِ في صَنْعَائِها

وتَحَمَّلُوا لِلْفُرْسِ في صَنْعَائِها

أُمَّ التي جاءَتْ على أَحْمِيمِ

أُمَّ التي جاءَتْ على أَحْمِيمِ

And they bore for the Persians, in its Sana'a,

And they tolerated for the Persians in their Sana'a

the mother of that which befell Ahmim.

The Umm that came on Peregrine Falcons

وانظِمْ بسِلْكِ القَوْلِ دُرَّ فِعالِهِمْ

وانظِمْ بسِلْكِ القَوْلِ دُرَّ فِعالِهِمْ

في لَبَّةِ المنثورِ والمنظومِ

في لَبَّةِ المنثورِ والمنظومِ

And string the pearls of their deeds on the thread of speech

And string with the twine of words the pearls of their deeds

at the throat of prose and verse.

In the mantle of prose and verse