دَعِ الرَسمَ الَّذي دَثَرا

دَعِ الرَسمَ الَّذي دَثَرا

يُقاسي الريحَ وَالمَطَرا

يُقاسي الريحَ وَالمَطَرا

Leave the campsite's traces that have crumbled,

Leave the attire that defies

Leave behind the ruin that has perished,

enduring the wind and rain.

The wind and rain

Enduring the winds and the rain,

وَكُن رَجُلاً أَضاعَ العِل

وَكُن رَجُلاً أَضاعَ العِل

مَ في اللَذّاتِ وَالخَطَرا

مَ في اللَذّاتِ وَالخَطَرا

And be a man who squandered his learning

And be a man who wastes his knowledge

And be a man who casts knowledge aside

on pleasures—and his standing too.

In pleasures and danger

For the pursuit of delights and of risks.

أَلَم تَرَ ما بَنى كِسرى

أَلَم تَرَ ما بَنى كِسرى

وَسابورٌ لِمَن غَبَرا

وَسابورٌ لِمَن غَبَرا

Have you not seen what Kisra built,

Have you not seen what Kisra built

Have you not seen what Chosroes built,

and Sabur, for those left behind?

And Sapur for one who crossed the desert

And Sabur, for the ages to come?

مَنازِهُ بَينَ دَجلَةَ وَال

مَنازِهُ بَينَ دَجلَةَ وَال

فُراتِ تَفَيَّأَت شَجَرا

فُراتِ تَفَيَّأَت شَجَرا

Pleasure gardens between the Tigris and

Its dwellings between the Tigris and Euphrates

Pleasure grounds 'twixt the Tigris and the

the Euphrates, sheltered beneath trees,

Were shaded by trees

Euphrates, deep shaded by trees.

بِأَرضٍ باعَدَ الرَحمَ

بِأَرضٍ باعَدَ الرَحمَ

نُ عَنها الطَلحَ وَالعُشَرا

نُ عَنها الطَلحَ وَالعُشَرا

in a land where the Most Merciful kept

In a land that kept compassion away

In a land whence the Merciful One

thorn-acacias and milkweed far away.

From it, the acacia and the tent

Has banished the thorn and the weed,

وَلَم يَجعَل مَصايِدَها

وَلَم يَجعَل مَصايِدَها

يَرابيعاً وَلا وَحَرا

يَرابيعاً وَلا وَحَرا

And He did not make its quarry

He did not make its hunting grounds

And He did not fill its hunting grounds

jerboas or desert lizards,

Squares or pens

With jerboas or lizards of rock,

وَلَكِن حورُ غِزلانٍ

وَلَكِن حورُ غِزلانٍ

تُراعي بِالمَلا بَقَرا

تُراعي بِالمَلا بَقَرا

but dark-eyed gazelles

But they were gazelles with lovely eyes

Nay, but rather with bright-eyed gazelles,

watching wild cattle on the open plain.

Grazing with the cattle

Grazing in the open with kine.

وَإِن شِئنا حَثَثنا الطَي

وَإِن شِئنا حَثَثنا الطَي

رَ مِن حافاتِها زُمَرا

رَ مِن حافاتِها زُمَرا

And if we wished, we drove the birds

And if we wished we would stir up the birds

And if we desire, we rouse up the birds

from its edges in flocks.

In flocks from its outskirts

From its borders in fluttering flocks.

وَإِن قُلنا اِقتُلوا عَنكُم

وَإِن قُلنا اِقتُلوا عَنكُم

يُباكِر شَربُها الخَمَرا

يُباكِر شَربُها الخَمَرا

And if we said, "Kill off your cares,"

And if we said "Kill!" away from you

And if we say, "Let your cares be slain,"

its drinking companions would seek wine at dawn.

Their drinking of wine hastens

Her drinkers rise early for wine.

أَتاكَ حَليبُ صافِيَةٍ

أَتاكَ حَليبُ صافِيَةٍ

شَجا قَطَفاً وَمُعتَصَرا

شَجا قَطَفاً وَمُعتَصَرا

The milk of a clear wine would come to you,

There comes to you the pure milk

There comes to you the milk of a pure vine,

that pained the picking and the pressing [wording unclear].

Of she-camels, plucked off and squeezed

Distilled from the pick and the press.

فَذاكَ العَيشُ لا سيداً

فَذاكَ العَيشُ لا سيداً

بِقَفرَتِها وَلا وَبَرا

بِقَفرَتِها وَلا وَبَرا

That is life—not a wolf

That is the life, not an abode

That is true living—not chasing a wolf

in its wilderness, nor a hyrax

With its bleakness or pen

In the wasteland, nor hunting the hare,

بِعازِبِ حَرَّةٍ يُلفى

بِعازِبِ حَرَّةٍ يُلفى

بِها العُصفورُ مُنجَحِرا

بِها العُصفورُ مُنجَحِرا

in a remote lava-field, where

With the tent ropes of a free woman,

On a desolate, black stony tract, where

the sparrow is found hiding in a hole.

Where the sparrow twitters

The bird seeks refuge in its hole.

إِذا ما كُنتَ بِالأَشيا

إِذا ما كُنتَ بِالأَشيا

ءِ في الأَعرابِ مُعتَبَرا

ءِ في الأَعرابِ مُعتَبَرا

If you draw lessons from things

So if you consider matters

If you were to judge the state of affairs

among the Bedouins,

Among the nomads

Amongst the Bedouins of the wild,

فَإِنَّكَ أَيَّما رَجُلٍ

فَإِنَّكَ أَيَّما رَجُلٍ

وَرَدتَ فَلَم تَجِد صَدَرا

وَرَدتَ فَلَم تَجِد صَدَرا

then, whatever man you are,

You, whichever man arrives

You would find yourself, whatever the man,

you have come to water and found no way back.

And does not find a bosom

Descending to water, finding none.

وَمِن عَجَبٍ لِعِشقِهِمُ ال

وَمِن عَجَبٍ لِعِشقِهِمُ ال

جُفاةَ الجُلفَ وَالصَحَرا

جُفاةَ الجُلفَ وَالصَحَرا

And how strange is their love for

And from wonder at their love

And 'tis strange how they cherish the rude,

the harsh, the uncouth, and the desert!

Of the rough, coarse desert

The uncouth, and the sands of the waste.

فَقيلَ مِرَقِّشٌ أَودى

فَقيلَ مِرَقِّشٌ أَودى

وَلَم يَعجَز وَقَد قَدَرا

وَلَم يَعجَز وَقَد قَدَرا

Then it was said, "Muraqqish perished,

It was said Murqish perished

They say that Muraqqish has perished,

though he was not helpless and had the power."

And he did not fail having determined

Though capable, possessing the power;

وَقَد أَودى اِبنُ عَجلانٍ

وَقَد أَودى اِبنُ عَجلانٍ

وَلَم يَفطَن لَهُ خَبَرا

وَلَم يَفطَن لَهُ خَبَرا

And Ibn Ajlan also perished,

And the son of 'Ujlan perished

And Ibn 'Ajlan has met his demise,

yet he had not grasped the story about him.

And was not aware of news

With no news ever known of his fate.

فَحَدَّثَ كاذِباً عَنهُ

فَحَدَّثَ كاذِباً عَنهُ

وَقالَ بِغَيرِ ما شَعَرا

وَقالَ بِغَيرِ ما شَعَرا

So he spoke falsely about him

So a liar related about him

So he spoke of him with a lying tongue,

and said things he did not understand.

And said what he did not feel

And uttered what he did not know.

وَلَن كانَ اِبنُ عَجلانٍ

وَلَن كانَ اِبنُ عَجلانٍ

مِنَ البَلوى كَما ذُكِرا

مِنَ البَلوى كَما ذُكِرا

And [if] Ibn Ajlan was

Had the son of 'Ujlan been

And even if truly Ibn 'Ajlan

in such affliction as was reported,

Of affliction as was said

Suffered trials as the stories recite,

لَكانَ أَذَمَّ عَهداً في ال

لَكانَ أَذَمَّ عَهداً في ال

هَوى وَأَخَبَّهُ عُذُرا

هَوى وَأَخَبَّهُ عُذُرا

he would be most blameworthy in keeping faith in

He would have broken a pact in love

He would still be the basest in keeping

love, and its most deceitful in excuses.

And reproached himself for an excuse

Love's pact, and the falsest in plea.

تَعُدُّ الشَيخَ وَالقَيصو

تَعُدُّ الشَيخَ وَالقَيصو

مَ وَالفُقَهاءَ وَالسُمُرا

مَ وَالفُقَهاءَ وَالسُمُرا

She counts the elder and southernwood,

You count the old man and judge

She counts up the wormwood and sage,

the jurists and the acacias,

And jurists and the night conversation as nothing

The fungus and desert-thorn trees,

جَنِيَّ الآسِ وَالنِسري

جَنِيَّ الآسِ وَالنِسري

نِ وَالسوسانِ إِن زَهُرا

نِ وَالسوسانِ إِن زَهُرا

as freshly plucked myrtle and wild roses,

The wild ass, the ostrich, and the hyena

As if they were myrtle and briar,

and lilies, when they bloom.

Even if they blossomed

And lilies when bursting in bloom.

وَيُغنيها عَنِ المُرجا

وَيُغنيها عَنِ المُرجا

نِ أَن تَتَقَلَّدَ البَعرا

نِ أَن تَتَقَلَّدَ البَعرا

And in place of coral, it suffices her

And singing diverts her from missing

She is happy to forego the red coral

to wear dung pellets as a necklace.

That she ties on the camel saddle

To wear a necklace of dung,

وَتَغدو في بَراجِدِها

وَتَغدو في بَراجِدِها

تَصيدُ الذِئبَ وَالنَمِرا

تَصيدُ الذِئبَ وَالنَمِرا

And she goes out at dawn in her striped cloaks,

And sets out in her litter

And she goes out in her rough, woollen garb

hunting the wolf and the leopard.

Hunting the wolf and tiger

To hunt down the wolf and the leopard.

أَما وَاللَهِ لا أَشَرا

أَما وَاللَهِ لا أَشَرا

حَلَفتُ بِهِ وَلا بَطَرا

حَلَفتُ بِهِ وَلا بَطَرا

Now, by God—not out of wantonness

By God I swear neither jesting

Nay, by God, I swear—not in hubris,

have I sworn by Him, nor out of pride—

Nor raillery

I swear it, and not out of pride:

لَوَ اِنَّ مُرَقِّشاً حَيٌّ

لَوَ اِنَّ مُرَقِّشاً حَيٌّ

تَعَلَّقَ قَلبُهُ ذَكَرا

تَعَلَّقَ قَلبُهُ ذَكَرا

if Muraqqish were alive,

If Murqish were living

If the poet Muraqqish were living,

his heart would fall for a male,

His heart clinging to a memory

His heart would have clung to a male,

كَأَنَّ ثِيابَهُ أَطلَع

كَأَنَّ ثِيابَهُ أَطلَع

نَ مِن أَزرارِهِ قَمَرا

نَ مِن أَزرارِهِ قَمَرا

as though his clothes had brought forth

As if his clothes were adorned

As though his fine robes made a moon

a moon from his buttons,

With moons on his buttons

Rise forth from the clasp of his coat.

وَمَرَّ يُريدُ ديوانَ ال

وَمَرَّ يُريدُ ديوانَ ال

خَراجِ مُضَمَّخاً عِطرا

خَراجِ مُضَمَّخاً عِطرا

and he passed by, bound for the bureau of

And he passed intending the office

He passed, seeking out the Bureau of

land tax, steeped in perfume,

Of taxes smeared with perfume

Taxation, anointed with scent,

بِوَجهٍ سابِرِيٍّ لَو

بِوَجهٍ سابِرِيٍّ لَو

تَصَوَّبَ مائُهُ قَطَرا

تَصَوَّبَ مائُهُ قَطَرا

with a face like fine Sabiri cloth—if

With a Sibari face, if its water flowed

With a face of such delicate texture,

its lustre flowed down, it would drip—

It would drip pearls

Its essence would drip if poured out,

وَقَد خَطَّت حَواضِنُهُ

وَقَد خَطَّت حَواضِنُهُ

لَهُ مِن عَنبَرٍ طُرَرا

لَهُ مِن عَنبَرٍ طُرَرا

and his nursemaids had traced

Whose cheeks traced for him

And the hair of his temples has traced

for him fringes of ambergris,

Fragrances of ambergris

Dark fringes like lines of black amber,

بِعَينٍ خالَطَ التَفتي

بِعَينٍ خالَطَ التَفتي

رُ في أَجفانِها الحَوَرا

رُ في أَجفانِها الحَوَرا

with an eye whose languor mingled

With an eye whose coquetry mixed

With eyes wherein languor is mixed

in its lids with dark-eyed beauty;

In its lids, dark-eyed beauties

In the lids, 'midst the white and the black.

يَزيدُكَ وَجهُهُ حُسناً

يَزيدُكَ وَجهُهُ حُسناً

إِذا ما زِدتَهُ نَظَرا

إِذا ما زِدتَهُ نَظَرا

his face grows lovelier to you

His face increases your beauty

His face only grows in its beauty,

the more you gaze at it;

When you look at it more

The more that you gaze upon it.

لَأَيقَنَ أَنَّ حُبَّ المُر

لَأَيقَنَ أَنَّ حُبَّ المُر

دِ يُلفى سَهلُهُ وَعَرا

دِ يُلفى سَهلُهُ وَعَرا

he would surely know that love of beardless youths

He would be sure that the love of Murray

He'd accept that the love of young men

has smooth ground that proves rugged,

Embraces its plain and hill

Is a path where the smooth parts are rugged,

وَلا سِيَما وَبَعضُهُمُ

وَلا سِيَما وَبَعضُهُمُ

إِذا حَيَّيتَهُ اِنتَهَرا

إِذا حَيَّيتَهُ اِنتَهَرا

especially since some of them

Especially when some of them

And especially when one of them,

snap at you when you greet them.

If you greet them become enraged

Rebukes you whenever you greet him.