من لِقَلبٍ دَنِفٍ أو مُعتَمَد

من لِقَلبٍ دَنِفٍ أو مُعتَمَد

قد عَصَى كلَّ نَصيحٍ ومُفَد

قد عَصَى كلَّ نَصيحٍ ومُفَد

Who will tend a heart ailing or afflicted,

For a heart, stubborn or resolute,

that has defied every counselor and cherished friend?

That disobeyed all advice and guidance,

لَستُ في سَلمَى ولا جاراتها

لَستُ في سَلمَى ولا جاراتها

سامعاً فيها إلى قَولِ أَحَد

سامعاً فيها إلى قَولِ أَحَد

As for Salma and her neighbors, I am not

I am not in Salma or its neighborhoods,

one to heed anyone's words about her.

Hearing in it anyone's words,

راعَني منها بَنَانٌ ناعِمٌ

راعَني منها بَنَانٌ ناعِمٌ

كَسِيُورِ القِدِّ في مثلِ البَرَد

كَسِيُورِ القِدِّ في مثلِ البَرَد

Her soft fingers struck me with wonder,

A soft, delicate girl allured me,

like rawhide thongs set in hail-like whiteness;

Like the wrists’ adornment in the cold,

وشَنيبٌ كالأَقاحي شابَهُ

وشَنيبٌ كالأَقاحي شابَهُ

نُضحُ ماءِ الُمزنِ في غَيرِ صَرَد

نُضحُ ماءِ الُمزنِ في غَيرِ صَرَد

and a cool, sweet mouth like daisies, mingled with

And a mustache like spears whose youth

a sprinkling of raincloud water, without biting cold.

The water of fermentation sprinkled without inhibition,

حُرَّةُ الطَّرفِ رَخيمٌ دَلُّها

حُرَّةُ الطَّرفِ رَخيمٌ دَلُّها

لَم تُعالج سُوءَ عيشٍ في كَبَد

لَم تُعالج سُوءَ عيشٍ في كَبَد

Her gaze is noble, her coquetry gentle;

The coquetry of her eyes is a fertile land whose slopes

she has never struggled with a harsh life of toil.

Did not suffer the misery of life in a liver,

تَسرُقُ الطَّرفَ بعَينَي جُؤذُرٍ

تَسرُقُ الطَّرفَ بعَينَي جُؤذُرٍ

مُستَحيلٍ بينَ رَملٍ وجَلَد

مُستَحيلٍ بينَ رَملٍ وجَلَد

She steals glances with an oryx calf's eyes,

She steals glances with the eyes of a gazelle,

turning about between sand and hard ground.

Transforming between sands and skin,

هَل سَأَلتَ الحَربَ عن إخوانِها

هَل سَأَلتَ الحَربَ عن إخوانِها

إذ فُحُولُ النَّاسِ تُغمَى بالزبَّدَ

إذ فُحُولُ النَّاسِ تُغمَى بالزبَّدَ

Have you asked war about her brothers,

Have you asked war about its brothers,

when the stallions among men were covered in foam,

When the stallions of men are covered with foam?

وتَنادَوا بِعَوالٍ ذُبَّلٍ

وتَنادَوا بِعَوالٍ ذُبَّلٍ

تُزلِقُ الأَضعَفَ عن خَطِّ الأَشَدّ

تُزلِقُ الأَضعَفَ عن خَطِّ الأَشَدّ

and called to one another with long, slender spears

And they called out with weakened, emaciated throats

that drove the weaker from the stronger's line?

To slip the weakest from the path of the firmest,

عُصُرٌ فَانٍ وهذا عُصُرٌ

عُصُرٌ فَانٍ وهذا عُصُرٌ

ناقصٌ من كلِّ حَيٍّ وعَدَد

ناقصٌ من كلِّ حَيٍّ وعَدَد

An age passes away, and this age

An era has passed and this is an era

diminishes every tribe and every multitude.

Lacking from every living and number,

واذا ذَكَّرتُ نَفسي ما خَلا

واذا ذَكَّرتُ نَفسي ما خَلا

عادَ في العَينِ كتَسهيدِ الرَّمَد

عادَ في العَينِ كتَسهيدِ الرَّمَد

And when I remind myself of what has passed,

And when I remind myself of what is past,

it returns to my eyes like the sleeplessness of inflamed eyes—

It returns to the eye like the irritation of drowsiness,

من أُناس كنت أرجوُ نَفعَهُم

من أُناس كنت أرجوُ نَفعَهُم

أَصبحُوا قد خَمَدُوا تحتَ البلَدَ

أَصبحُوا قد خَمَدُوا تحتَ البلَدَ

of people whose help I once hoped for,

Of people from whom I hoped to benefit,

who now lie extinguished beneath the earth.

They faded beneath the ground,

وأُراني جاهِداً من بَعدِهم

وأُراني جاهِداً من بَعدِهم

في عِلاجِ المالِ تأمِيلَ البُعُد

في عِلاجِ المالِ تأمِيلَ البُعُد

And I see myself striving after they are gone,

And I found myself struggling after them

in managing wealth, hoping for far-off years,

In the treatment of wealth, coveting distance,

كادِحاً أَحسَبُ أَنِّي مُخلَدٌ

كادِحاً أَحسَبُ أَنِّي مُخلَدٌ

جاهِلُ اليَوم وتَيسيري لِغَد

جاهِلُ اليَوم وتَيسيري لِغَد

toiling, supposing I shall live forever,

Toiling as I reckoned I was immortalized,

ignorant of today, yet making provision for tomorrow.

Ignorant today and easing my way for tomorrow,

لا أَرى حِصناً يُنَجِّي أَهَلهُ

لا أَرى حِصناً يُنَجِّي أَهَلهُ

كلُّ حَيٍّ لفَناءٍ ونَفَد

كلُّ حَيٍّ لفَناءٍ ونَفَد

I see no fortress that can save its people;

I do not see a fortress saving its people,

every living being is bound for death and extinction.

Every living being is to vanishing and depletion,

فدَعِ الباطِلَ واعمِد لِلتقى

فدَعِ الباطِلَ واعمِد لِلتقى

وتُقَى رَبِّكَ رَهنٌ لِلرشَد

وتُقَى رَبِّكَ رَهنٌ لِلرشَد

So abandon falsehood and turn to piety;

So leave falsehood and aim for piety,

reverence for your Lord guarantees right guidance.

And fear your Lord, it is the pledge to guidance,

وقُلِ المَعرُوفَ فيمَن قاَلهُ

وقُلِ المَعرُوفَ فيمَن قاَلهُ

وأمنَعَن نَفسَكَ مِن قيلِ الفَنَد

وأمنَعَن نَفسَكَ مِن قيلِ الفَنَد

And speak well of whoever speaks well,

And say good wherever it was said,

and restrain yourself from foolish speech.

And prevent yourself from the words of defamation,

ومَجُودٍ زَعَلٍ ظِلمانُهُ

ومَجُودٍ زَعَلٍ ظِلمانُهُ

كَرِجالِ الَحبشِ تَردي بالعَمَد

كَرِجالِ الَحبشِ تَردي بالعَمَد

And many a rain-watered tract, its male ostriches lively

Of a generous, easily angered one whose injustice

like Abyssinian men running with staves,

Is like the Abyssinian men, deteriorating with purpose,

قد تَبَطَّنتُ وتَحتي جَسرَةٌ

قد تَبَطَّنتُ وتَحتي جَسرَةٌ

تَخلِطُ الَمشيَ تُعادي كَالفَرَد

تَخلِطُ الَمشيَ تُعادي كَالفَرَد

I have crossed through its heart, a sturdy mount beneath me,

I became plump and under me is a breastplate

mixing walking with galloping, like a lone wild bull,

That mixes walking, antagonizing like an isolated person,

مَصرَخَ الدِّيِك بكَفَّي جُرشُعٍ

مَصرَخَ الدِّيِك بكَفَّي جُرشُعٍ

سابِغٌ أَسفَلُهُ ضَخمُ الكَتَد

سابِغٌ أَسفَلُهُ ضَخمُ الكَتَد

at cockcrow, borne by a broad-chested beast's forefeet,

The rooster crowed with two cutting claws,

ample below, massive at the withers,

Thick below, enormous in size,

هَيَّجَ البَوعَ إذا هَيَّجتَهُ

هَيَّجَ البَوعَ إذا هَيَّجتَهُ

يَخلِطُ الَمعجَ بتَقرِيبٍ وشَدّ

يَخلِطُ الَمعجَ بتَقرِيبٍ وشَدّ

quickening its stride whenever you urge it on,

It agitates the lairs when you agitate it,

mixing a swerving run with cantering and hard galloping.

Mixing the turbid with approximation and pulling,

فَانَبَرى أَحقَبُ يَتلُو أَربَعاً

فَانَبَرى أَحقَبُ يَتلُو أَربَعاً

لاَحِقُ الأَيطَلِ في قاعٍ جَلَد

لاَحِقُ الأَيطَلِ في قاعٍ جَلَد

Then a white-girdled wild ass appeared, following four females,

So the bandy-legged one set out following four,

lean-flanked, on a hard, level plain,

Overtaking the slender in a smooth field,

صَيِّبُ التَّعشيرِ زِمزامُ الضُّحَى

صَيِّبُ التَّعشيرِ زِمزامُ الضُّحَى

ناِسِلٌ عقَّتَهُ مِثلُ الَمسَد

ناِسِلٌ عقَّتَهُ مِثلُ الَمسَد

loud in his braying, rumbling through the forenoon,

The warbler of hosting, the bridle of dawn,

shedding his first coat, like twisted fiber-rope.

Extending its belt like a pier,

يُغرِقُ الَمطرُودَ منهُ وابِلٌ

يُغرِقُ الَمطرُودَ منهُ وابِلٌ

ضابِطُ الوَعثِ ضَبُوعٌ في الَجدَد

ضابِطُ الوَعثِ ضَبُوعٌ في الَجدَد

A downpour from him drenches the one he drives;

It floods the dispelled from it with a downpour,

sure-footed on loose sand, long-striding on firm ground.

The watcher of the litter, hyenas in the palms,