يا عارِمَ الطَرفِ حَيثُما نَظَرا

يا عارِمَ الطَرفِ حَيثُما نَظَرا

أَثَّرَ فيهِ وَإِن رَأى حَجَرا

أَثَّرَ فيهِ وَإِن رَأى حَجَرا

O you of the unruly gaze, wherever it looks,

O glance wherever it looked

O you with the fierce glance, wherever it turns,

it leaves its mark, even if it sees a stone.

It had an effect even if it saw a stone

It leaves a mark, even if it looks upon a stone.

ما لَقِيَ العالَمونَ مِنكَ وَمِن

ما لَقِيَ العالَمونَ مِنكَ وَمِن

طَرفِكَ ما إِن يُعَدُّ مِن قُبِرا

طَرفِكَ ما إِن يُعَدُّ مِن قُبِرا

What people have suffered from you and from

The people of the world have not met anything from you or

What the worlds have suffered from you and from

your gaze! Those buried cannot be counted.

Anything from your glance that would not be considered a grave

Your glance—those laid in graves are beyond count.

أَبوكَ بَدرٌ تَلوحُ غُرَّتُهُ

أَبوكَ بَدرٌ تَلوحُ غُرَّتُهُ

وَأُمُّكَ الشَمسُ أَنتَجا قَمَرا

وَأُمُّكَ الشَمسُ أَنتَجا قَمَرا

Your father is a full moon whose brow shines,

Your father is Badr, his young crescent appears

Your father is a full moon whose brightness shines,

and your mother the sun; together they begot a moon.

And your mother is the sun, they produced a moon

And your mother is the sun; together they bore a moon.

فَهَل عَلى مَن قَتَلتَ مِن حَرَجٍ

فَهَل عَلى مَن قَتَلتَ مِن حَرَجٍ

أَم لَستَ تَدري فَتُخبِرُ الخَبَرا

أَم لَستَ تَدري فَتُخبِرُ الخَبَرا

Is there, then, any blame upon those you have slain,

So is there any burden on whoever you killed

Is there any guilt upon you for those you have slain?

or do you not know enough to give an account?

Or are you not aware so you spread the news

Or are you unaware, needing to be told the news?

عَلَيكَ أَوزارُ مَن قَتَلتَ بِلا

عَلَيكَ أَوزارُ مَن قَتَلتَ بِلا

شَكٍّ فَكُن لِلحِسابِ مُنتَظِرا

شَكٍّ فَكُن لِلحِسابِ مُنتَظِرا

Upon you lie the sins of those you have slain, without

The sins of those you killed without a doubt

Upon you lie the burdens of those you killed without

doubt; so await the reckoning.

Fall upon you so await the reckoning

Doubt, so be ready to await the final reckoning.

وَصاحِبٍ أَطلَقَتهُ رَقدَتُهُ

وَصاحِبٍ أَطلَقَتهُ رَقدَتُهُ

عَن غَيرِ سُكرٍ فَهَبَّ مُعتَذِرا

عَن غَيرِ سُكرٍ فَهَبَّ مُعتَذِرا

And a companion, whom his slumber had released,

And a companion whom slumber loosened

And a companion whom sleep had released from its grip,

though he had not been drunk, sprang up apologizing.

From not drunkenness so he roamed apologizing

Not from drunkenness—who then rose offering excuses.

نازَعتُهُ الكَأسَ ما أُفَتِّرُهُ

نازَعتُهُ الكَأسَ ما أُفَتِّرُهُ

كَأسَ مِدامٍ تَرى لَها شَرَرا

كَأسَ مِدامٍ تَرى لَها شَرَرا

I shared the cup with him, giving him no respite—

I struggled with the cup I weaken him

I vied with him for the cup, never letting him rest,

a cup of aged wine whose sparks you could see,

A cup of wine you see it has sparks

A cup of aged wine that seems to scatter sparks.

مِثلَ دَمِ الشادِنِ الذَبيحِ إِذا

مِثلَ دَمِ الشادِنِ الذَبيحِ إِذا

ما اِنسابَ مِنهُ عَلأَرضِ أَو قَطَرا

ما اِنسابَ مِنهُ عَلأَرضِ أَو قَطَرا

like the blood of a slaughtered young gazelle, when

Like the blood of the slaughtered goat when

Like the blood of a slaughtered fawn when

it streams out onto the earth, or falls in drops.

It dripped on the ground or drops

It flows from him onto the earth or falls in drops.

رَقَّت عَنِ اللَمسِ فَهيَ كَالقَمَرِ ال

رَقَّت عَنِ اللَمسِ فَهيَ كَالقَمَرِ ال

طالِعِ في الماءِ فاتَ مَن نَظَرا

طالِعِ في الماءِ فاتَ مَن نَظَرا

Too fine to touch, it is like the moon

It melts at touch so it is like the rising moon in the water so misses he who looked

It is too subtle for the touch, like the moon

rising in water, beyond the beholder’s reach.

You say it is wine so when you slide it

Rising in the water, eluding the one who gazes.

تَقولُ خَمرٌ فَحينَ تُحدِرُها

تَقولُ خَمرٌ فَحينَ تُحدِرُها

مِن فَمِ إِبريقِها إِذا اِنحَدَرا

مِن فَمِ إِبريقِها إِذا اِنحَدَرا

You say, “Wine!” But when you pour it down

From the mouth of its pitcher when it slides

You call it wine, but when you pour it down

from its ewer’s mouth, as it flows,

You say it is rays so how can I drink it

From the mouth of its pitcher as it descends,

قُلتَ شُعاعٌ فَكَيفَ أَشرَبُها

قُلتَ شُعاعٌ فَكَيفَ أَشرَبُها

لَو كانَ خَمراً لَأَبرَزَت كَدَرا

لَو كانَ خَمراً لَأَبرَزَت كَدَرا

you say, “A ray of light! How can I drink it?

If it were wine it would have revealed sediment

You would say, "It is a beam of light"—so how can I drink it?

Were it wine, it would show some cloudiness.”

Until when you taste it you crawl to it

If it were mere wine, it would reveal some murkiness.

حَتّى إِذا ذُقتَها خَرَرتَ لَها

حَتّى إِذا ذُقتَها خَرَرتَ لَها

بَعدَ مَجالِ الظُنونِ مُنعَفِرا

بَعدَ مَجالِ الظُنونِ مُنعَفِرا

Until, when you taste it, you fall prostrate before it,

After the expanse of speculations snorting

Yet when you taste it, you fall prostrate before it,

after your doubts have run their course, covered in dust.

Face in the dust, after your thoughts had wandered in doubt.