لاح وقد فاح بهارُ النهار

لاح وقد فاح بهارُ النهار

برق أطار القلب لما استطار

برق أطار القلب لما استطار

It gleamed—and as it did, the day’s splendor breathed perfume,

There flashed, as the day's yellow blossom gave off its scent,

a lightning bolt that sent the heart flying when it flared.

a lightning-bolt that sent my heart flying as it spread.

ذاب لجين المزن لمّا رمى

ذاب لجين المزن لمّا رمى

معدنه البرق بمقياس نار

معدنه البرق بمقياس نار

The raincloud’s silver melted when

The rainclouds' silver melted when

the lightning cast its ore into a crucible of fire.

lightning struck its ore with a measure of fire.

ومرّ يختال كما قلبت

ومرّ يختال كما قلبت

راحة ماضي العزم ماضي العرار

راحة ماضي العزم ماضي العرار

It swept proudly past, strutting, as a hand brandished

It passed in proud sway, as when

for one resolute in purpose, a sword keen of edge.

a resolute man's palm turns a keen [blade].

واغرق الروض فقضبانه

واغرق الروض فقضبانه

عن مبسم النوار ذات افترار

عن مبسم النوار ذات افترار

It drenched the meadow, and its boughs

And it flooded the garden; its shoots

broke into radiant smiles from the smiling mouths of blossoms.

parted in a smile, revealing the blossoms' mouth.

فالطلُّ في مفرقه بهجة

فالطلُّ في مفرقه بهجة

تاج وفي المعصم منه سوار

تاج وفي المعصم منه سوار

Thus dew lent splendor to its hair-parting—

The dew at its hair's parting is a splendid

a crown—and upon its wrist, a bracelet fashioned of dew.

crown, and on its wrist a bracelet of dew.

ذكرني العهد وما أنسه

ذكرني العهد وما أنسه

وإن نآى الصحب وشطَّ المزار

وإن نآى الصحب وشطَّ المزار

It recalled to me the old covenant, which I never forget,

It reminded me of the old days, which I do not forget,

though the companions are distant and the meeting-place remote.

though the companions are distant and their meeting-place far away.

وجيرة حالي لفقدانهم

وجيرة حالي لفقدانهم

نوم غرار ودموع غزار

نوم غرار ودموع غزار

And the bewilderment of my state at losing them is

And neighbors—through their loss, my lot is

fitful sleep and floods of tears.

scant sleep and copious tears.

رددتُ عاريةَ أنسي بهم

رددتُ عاريةَ أنسي بهم

وأوجبُ الأشياء ردُّ المعار

وأوجبُ الأشياء ردُّ المعار

I repaid the borrowed joy I had in their company,

I returned the borrowed solace of their company;

for the most binding duty is to return a loan.

and the foremost duty is returning what is lent.

والدهر لا يبقى على حالةٍ

والدهر لا يبقى على حالةٍ

ففي صعود تارة وانحدار

ففي صعود تارة وانحدار

Time abides in no single condition:

Time does not remain in one state:

now it rises, and now declines.

now on the rise, now in decline.

محبوبه عنوانُ مكروههِ

محبوبه عنوانُ مكروههِ

وآفة الخمر بقايا الخمار

وآفة الخمر بقايا الخمار

What is loved in it heralds what is hated,

What is loved in it heralds what is hated,

and the bane of wine is the hangover left behind.

and wine's bane is the lingering hangover.

يا برقُ طارحني أحادينهم

يا برقُ طارحني أحادينهم

فهات تطويلاً وهاك اختصار

فهات تطويلاً وهاك اختصار

O lightning, exchange with me stories of them:

O lightning, trade [tales] of them with me;

give me your full-length telling, and take whatever brevity you will.

give me a long account, and take a brief one.

فربما سرِّيتَ عن بهجةٍ

فربما سرِّيتَ عن بهجةٍ

أضحت لفقدانهم في إسار

أضحت لفقدانهم في إسار

Perhaps you may console me for a joy

For you may yet release a joy

that, through losing them, has fallen captive.

that their loss has left in captivity.

جددت عندي مثلاً سائراً

جددت عندي مثلاً سائراً

في الناب حنت لرغاء الحوار

في الناب حنت لرغاء الحوار

You have renewed for me a familiar, oft-quoted proverb:

You revived for me a well-known proverb

the aged she-camel yearns at her calf’s lowing.

about an old she-camel yearning at a calf's bleating.

فلا تسمني الصَّبر من بعدهم

فلا تسمني الصَّبر من بعدهم

فلستُ أصغي لا ولا لي اصطبار

فلستُ أصغي لا ولا لي اصطبار

So do not bid me be patient after them:

So do not demand patience of me after their departure;

I will not heed you—no, I have no endurance.

for I will not listen—no—and I have no endurance.

أخوى تلمسان وسكانها

أخوى تلمسان وسكانها

لو كان لي في الكون اختيار

لو كان لي في الكون اختيار

Tlemcen and all its people would lie desolate,

I would [favor] Tlemcen and its inhabitants,

if choice in all creation were mine.

if the choice in all creation were mine.

أرضٌ خلعتُ العُذرَ في تركها

أرضٌ خلعتُ العُذرَ في تركها

أضعاف ما فيها خلعتُ العذار

أضعاف ما فيها خلعتُ العذار

A land—in leaving her I cast every excuse aside,

A land—I cast away my excuse for leaving it,

many times as often as, within her, I cast restraint aside.

many times more than I cast off my bridle within it.

أقسم بالبيت وأستاره

أقسم بالبيت وأستاره

وزمزم والركن والمستجار

وزمزم والركن والمستجار

I swear by the Sacred House and its coverings,

I swear by the House and its coverings,

by Zamzam, the Corner, and the place of refuge;

and Zamzam, the Corner, and al-Mustajar,

وصفوة أنضوا إلى حجهم

وصفوة أنضوا إلى حجهم

عيس المهاري وعتاق المهار

عيس المهاري وعتاق المهار

and by the chosen pilgrims who wore thin, on their pilgrimage,

and by the elect who wore out, on their pilgrimage,

white Mahri camels and noble, purebred foals;

pale Mehari camels and noble-bred colts;

والبدن كالأسطار معقولة

والبدن كالأسطار معقولة

مصفوفة فوق طروس

مصفوفة فوق طروس

and by the sacrificial camels, tethered like lines of script,

and by the sacrificial camels, hobbled like lines of writing,

arrayed in rows upon sheets of parchment,

set in rows upon pages.

قد حملا العشر وطي الفلا

قد حملا العشر وطي الفلا

حتى تساوت حولُها والعشار

حتى تساوت حولُها والعشار

having endured the ten-day thirst interval and crossed the wastes,

Both have endured ten days between drinks and the desert crossing,

until its barren and ten-month-pregnant she-camels became alike;

until their nonpregnant and ten-month-pregnant she-camels were alike.

تغني عن المورد في ظميها

تغني عن المورد في ظميها

بعارض النقع ورد السعار

بعارض النقع ورد السعار

in their thirst they do without the watering-place,

In their thirst, they dispense with the watering-place,

a looming bank of dust their draught against fevered thirst—

with a cloud of dust—a draught of blazing heat.

أليّة تقضي على نفسها

أليّة تقضي على نفسها

بصحة العقد وطيب النجار

بصحة العقد وطيب النجار

an oath that proves itself

An oath that attests, of itself,

by the soundness of its bond and the nobility of its source:

to the soundness of its bond and the nobility of its stock:

ما سكنت نفسي إلى غيرهم

ما سكنت نفسي إلى غيرهم

وهل يروق الصُّفرُ بعد النُّضَار

وهل يروق الصُّفرُ بعد النُّضَار

my soul has never found repose in anyone but them;

my soul has found rest with none but them.

can brass delight the eye after pure gold?

And can brass delight after pure gold?

يا سكَّن الله فؤادي بهم

يا سكَّن الله فؤادي بهم

فما له بَعدَهُمُ من قرار

فما له بَعدَهُمُ من قرار

Ah, may God soothe my heart through them,

Ah, God gave my heart rest through them,

for after them it has no rest.

for after them it has no rest.

أُعلِلُ النفس بطول المدى

أُعلِلُ النفس بطول المدى

وقد مضى وَعٌ وطال انتظار

وقد مضى وَعٌ وطال انتظار

I console my soul with time’s long reach,

I console my soul with the long span ahead,

though a promised date has passed and the waiting has grown long.

though the [promised time] has passed and waiting has grown long.

فأين مني والنوى غربة

فأين مني والنوى غربة

أولئك الناس وتلك الديار

أولئك الناس وتلك الديار

How far from me—when separation is exile—

How far, then, from me—separation is exile—

are those people and those homes!

are those people and those homes?