أوفى بِذِمَّةِ رَبعِ الرِّيعِ أن تَقِفَا

أوفى بِذِمَّةِ رَبعِ الرِّيعِ أن تَقِفَا

فِيهِ المَطَايَا فَعُوجَاها بِهِ وقِفَا

فِيهِ المَطَايَا فَعُوجَاها بِهِ وقِفَا

Faithfulness to the covenant of al-Rīʿ’s campsite demands that you two halt

It better honors the pledge to the dwelling on the ridge that you two halt

the mounts there; turn them toward it, and stop.

the mounts there; so turn them toward it, and stop.

لَيسَ الوَفَا أَن تُمُرَّا بَاكِيَينِ ولَم

لَيسَ الوَفَا أَن تُمُرَّا بَاكِيَينِ ولَم

تَستَنطِقَاهُ أَسىً لَمَّا انمَحَى وعَفَا

تَستَنطِقَاهُ أَسىً لَمَّا انمَحَى وعَفَا

It is not fidelity that you pass by weeping, yet do not

Loyalty is not to pass by weeping without

question it into speech for grief, now that it is effaced and erased.

questioning it in sorrow, now that it has been effaced and faded.

عُوجَا بِهِ وأندُبَا أطلاَلَهُ أسَفاً

عُوجَا بِهِ وأندُبَا أطلاَلَهُ أسَفاً

أحرَى بِأن تَندُبَا أطلالَهُ أسَفَا

أحرَى بِأن تَندُبَا أطلالَهُ أسَفَا

Turn toward it and mourn its traces sorrowfully;

Turn toward it and lament its ruins in grief;

its traces are all the more worthy of your sorrowful mourning.

it is more fitting that you lament its ruins in grief.

لا تُكَفِفَا الدَّمعَ حَتَّى تُجرِيَاهُ دَماً

لا تُكَفِفَا الدَّمعَ حَتَّى تُجرِيَاهُ دَماً

حَقُّ الدُّمُوعِ بِرَبعِ الرِّيعِ أَن تَكِفَا

حَقُّ الدُّمُوعِ بِرَبعِ الرِّيعِ أَن تَكِفَا

Do not check the tears until you make them run as blood;

Do not restrain your tears until you make them flow as blood.

the tears’ due at al-Rīʿ’s campsite is to stream.

Tears at the dwelling on the ridge have the right to flow.

قَد كُنتُمَا فِيهِ في أصفي بُلَهنِيَةٍ

قَد كُنتُمَا فِيهِ في أصفي بُلَهنِيَةٍ

لَم تَخشَيَا دَاعِىَ التَّرحَالِ إِن أزِفَا

لَم تَخشَيَا دَاعِىَ التَّرحَالِ إِن أزِفَا

You two once dwelt there in the purest ease,

You two once lived there in the purest ease,

fearing no summons to departure, should it draw near,

fearing no summons to departure if it drew near,

مُحَبِّبينِ إِلَى مَا فِيهِ مِن رَشَأٍ

مُحَبِّبينِ إِلَى مَا فِيهِ مِن رَشَأٍ

أحوَى يَمِيسُ كَغُصنِ ألبَانِ مُنعَطَفا

أحوَى يَمِيسُ كَغُصنِ ألبَانِ مُنعَطَفا

endeared to what was there—a young gazelle,

beloved by the young gazelle dwelling there,

dark-lipped, swaying like a bending branch of bān.

dusky, swaying like a bending branch of the ban tree.

في فِيهِ بَعدَ الكَرَى راحٌ يَضُنُّ بِه

في فِيهِ بَعدَ الكَرَى راحٌ يَضُنُّ بِه

ولَو تُرُشِّفَ ذُمَّ الرَّاحُ مُر تَشَفَا

ولَو تُرُشِّفَ ذُمَّ الرَّاحُ مُر تَشَفَا

In his mouth after sleep is wine he guards jealously;

In its mouth after sleep is wine it jealously guards;

were it sipped, wine itself would be faulted by the sipper.

were it sipped, wine itself would be scorned when tasted.

قَالاَ أطَعنَاكَ فِيمَا قَد دَعَوتَ لَهُ

قَالاَ أطَعنَاكَ فِيمَا قَد دَعَوتَ لَهُ

مِنَ السَّفَاهِ وقَد كَلَّفَتنَا كُلَفَا

مِنَ السَّفَاهِ وقَد كَلَّفَتنَا كُلَفَا

They said, “We obeyed you in the folly

The two said: We obeyed you in what you called us to—

to which you called us, though you burdened us with hardships.

folly—and you have burdened us with hardships.

إنَّا بَكَينَا وَساءَلنَا الطَُّلُولَ وَلَم

إنَّا بَكَينَا وَساءَلنَا الطَُّلُولَ وَلَم

يَشفِ البُكَا في الطُّلُولِ المُغرَم الكَلِفَا

يَشفِ البُكَا في الطُّلُولِ المُغرَم الكَلِفَا

We wept and questioned the ruins, but

We wept and questioned the ruins, but

weeping among ruins never healed the passion-worn lover.

weeping over ruins did not heal the lovesick, infatuated lover.

إِن كُنتَ تَطلُبُ مِمَّا قَد أصابَكَ مِن

إِن كُنتَ تَطلُبُ مِمَّا قَد أصابَكَ مِن

داءٍ شِفَاءً بِهِ ينزَاحُ مُنكَشِفَا

داءٍ شِفَاءً بِهِ ينزَاحُ مُنكَشِفَا

If you seek, for the illness that has struck you,

If you seek, for what has befallen you in the way of

a cure by which it may withdraw, dispelled,

illness, a cure through which it recedes and is dispelled,

فَاجنَح إِلَى الحضرَةِ الغَرَّا التى غَرِفَت

فَاجنَح إِلَى الحضرَةِ الغَرَّا التى غَرِفَت

مِن شَيخِهَا وأبِيهَا الطِّبَّ والظَّرَفَا

مِن شَيخِهَا وأبِيهَا الطِّبَّ والظَّرَفَا

then turn toward the radiant Presence, which has drawn

then turn toward the radiant assembly, which has drawn

from its shaykh and father medicine and refinement,

from its shaykh and father healing and refinement,

والعِلمَ والحِلمَ والتَّقوَى المُنِيرَ سَناً

والعِلمَ والحِلمَ والتَّقوَى المُنِيرَ سَناً

والمَجدَ والجُودَ والآدَابَ والشَّرَفَا

والمَجدَ والجُودَ والآدَابَ والشَّرَفَا

knowledge, forbearance, and piety, radiant in splendor,

knowledge, forbearance, and piety radiant in splendor,

glory, generosity, letters, and honor.

glory, generosity, noble conduct, and honor:

نَادِى الوَفَا آل أوفي مَن إذَا ذُكرُوا

نَادِى الوَفَا آل أوفي مَن إذَا ذُكرُوا

حَولَ السَّقِيم يَكُونُوا لِلسَّقِيمِ شِفَا

حَولَ السَّقِيم يَكُونُوا لِلسَّقِيمِ شِفَا

The hall of fidelity is the house of Awfā: when their names are spoken

the assembly of fidelity, the family of Awfa, who, when mentioned

beside a sick man, they become healing for the sick.

near the sick, become a cure for the sick.

وَلتَخصُصَنَّ إِذَا مَا جِئتَ نَادِيَهُم

وَلتَخصُصَنَّ إِذَا مَا جِئتَ نَادِيَهُم

مُحَمداً فَالاً النَّدبَ الذي عُرِفا

مُحَمداً فَالاً النَّدبَ الذي عُرِفا

And when you enter their hall, be sure to single out

And when you come to their assembly, be sure to single out

Muhammad Fāl, the noble man renowned,

Muhammad Fal, the noble man who is renowned.

قَد كانَ وَارِثَ أوفي في ظَرَافَتِهِ

قَد كانَ وَارِثَ أوفي في ظَرَافَتِهِ

وفي كُشُوفاته التي بِهَا اتَّصَفَا

وفي كُشُوفاته التي بِهَا اتَّصَفَا

who was Awfā’s heir in his refinement

He was Awfa's heir in his refinement,

and in the unveilings for which he was known,

and in his unveilings, by which he was distinguished,

وفي لَدني عِرفَانٍ يَمِيطُ بِهِ

وفي لَدني عِرفَانٍ يَمِيطُ بِهِ

عَن قَلبِهِ الزَّيغ والأدرَانَ والسُّدُفَا

عَن قَلبِهِ الزَّيغ والأدرَانَ والسُّدُفَا

and in God-given gnosis by which he removes

and in divinely bestowed knowledge, through which he removes

from his heart deviation, stains, and darkness.

error, defilements, and darkness from his heart.

فَاللهُ أبقَاهُ مِن أوفي لَنَا خَلَفاً

فَاللهُ أبقَاهُ مِن أوفي لَنَا خَلَفاً

وقَد رَضِينَاهُ مِن أوفي لَنَا خَلَفَا

وقَد رَضِينَاهُ مِن أوفي لَنَا خَلَفَا

May God preserve him for us as Awfā’s successor;

Thus God has preserved him for us as Awfa's successor,

we are content to have him as Awfā’s successor.

and we have accepted him as Awfa's successor.

فَكَم عِلاَجٍ لَهُ لَم يُدرِ بَاطِنُهُ

فَكَم عِلاَجٍ لَهُ لَم يُدرِ بَاطِنُهُ

لِذِى الحِجَا عَن صَحِيحِ الكَشفِ قَد كَشَفَا

لِذِى الحِجَا عَن صَحِيحِ الكَشفِ قَد كَشَفَا

How many a treatment of his, whose inner workings no man of sense discerned,

How many a treatment of his, its inner workings unknown

has he laid bare through true unveiling!

to the discerning, has revealed the truth of his unveiling!

وكَم سَقِيمٍ أتَاهُ لاَ حَرَاكَ لَهُ

وكَم سَقِيمٍ أتَاهُ لاَ حَرَاكَ لَهُ

عَانَى يُيَمِّمُهُ الدَّيمُومَةَ القُذُفَا

عَانَى يُيَمِّمُهُ الدَّيمُومَةَ القُذُفَا

And how many a sick man came to him unable to move,

And how many a sick person came to him, unable to move,

suffering, making for him across the far-flung wilderness,

having braved the far-flung, waterless desert to reach him,

مِن بَعدِ مَا أظهَرَ الآسُونَ كُلُّهُمُ

مِن بَعدِ مَا أظهَرَ الآسُونَ كُلُّهُمُ

لَمَّا أتَى عَنهُ إعرَاضاً له وَجَفَا

لَمَّا أتَى عَنهُ إعرَاضاً له وَجَفَا

after all the physicians had shown,

after all the healers had shown,

when he came to them, only aversion and harsh neglect.

when he came, rejection of him and cold disdain.

جَلاَ بِنَجلاَءَ حَورَا مِن بَصِيرَتِهِ

جَلاَ بِنَجلاَءَ حَورَا مِن بَصِيرَتِهِ

عَن حَالِ تَترِيحِهِ حَتَّى بَدَا وَصَفَا

عَن حَالِ تَترِيحِهِ حَتَّى بَدَا وَصَفَا

With the wide, dark-lustrous eye of his insight, he unveiled

With his insight's wide eye, dark against white, he laid bare

the state of his relief, until it stood manifest and clear.

the state of his affliction, until it stood revealed and clear.