أَخي إِنَّهُ يَومٌ أَضَعتُ بِهِ رُشدي

أَخي إِنَّهُ يَومٌ أَضَعتُ بِهِ رُشدي

وَلَم أَرضَ هَزلي في اِنصِرافي وَلا جِدّي

وَلَم أَرضَ هَزلي في اِنصِرافي وَلا جِدّي

My brother, this is a day on which I lost my sound judgment.

My brother, it was a day when I lost my reason,

And in my departure, neither my jesting nor my earnestness pleased me.

And did not accept my jesting or seriousness in parting.

تَرَكتُكَ لَمّا اِستَوقَفَ الدَجنُ رَكبَهُ

تَرَكتُكَ لَمّا اِستَوقَفَ الدَجنُ رَكبَهُ

عَلينا وَطارَ البَرقُ خَوفاً مِنَ الرَعدِ

عَلينا وَطارَ البَرقُ خَوفاً مِنَ الرَعدِ

I left you when the cloud-gloom halted its caravan

I left you when the rain held back its downpour,

above us, and lightning flew in fear of thunder.

Lightning flashed over us, afraid of thunder.

فَلا تَرَ بِالخَضراءِ مِثلَ الَّذي رَأى

فَلا تَرَ بِالخَضراءِ مِثلَ الَّذي رَأى

صَديقُكَ بِالدَكناءِ مِن عَودِهِ المُبدي

صَديقُكَ بِالدَكناءِ مِن عَودِهِ المُبدي

So may you not see in al-Khadra anything like what

So you did not see in the green what your friend saw

your friend saw in al-Dakna as it returned afresh.

In the darkness from his farewell showers.

لَجَرَّ عَلينا الغَيثُ هُدّابَ مُزنَةٍ

لَجَرَّ عَلينا الغَيثُ هُدّابَ مُزنَةٍ

أَواخِرُها فيهِ وَأَوَّلُها عِندي

أَواخِرُها فيهِ وَأَوَّلُها عِندي

Indeed, the rain dragged over us the fringes of a raincloud,

The rain dragged on us clouds of drizzle,

its trailing edges within it, and its beginning beside me.

Its end with him, its beginning with me.

تَعَجَّلَ عَن ميقاتِهِ فَكَأَنَّهُ

تَعَجَّلَ عَن ميقاتِهِ فَكَأَنَّهُ

أَبو صالِحٍ قَد بِتُّ مِنهُ عَلى وَعدِ

أَبو صالِحٍ قَد بِتُّ مِنهُ عَلى وَعدِ

It hurried ahead of its appointed time, as though it were

It hurried ahead of its appointed time, as though

Abu Salih, on whose promise I had spent the night.

Abu Salih had spent the night promising it.

فَظَلتُ أُقاسي حارِثَيكَ بُعَيدَما اِن

فَظَلتُ أُقاسي حارِثَيكَ بُعَيدَما اِن

صَرَفتُ فَسَلني عَن مُعاشَرَةِ الجُندِ

صَرَفتُ فَسَلني عَن مُعاشَرَةِ الجُندِ

So I spent the day enduring your two Hariths shortly after I

So I remained, enduring your two friends, after

departed; ask me, then, about keeping company with soldiers.

I turned away. Ask me about the soldiers’ company!

لَدى خُلُقٍ جاسي النَواحي كَأَنَّني

لَدى خُلُقٍ جاسي النَواحي كَأَنَّني

أُصارِعُ مِنهُ هادِيَ الأَسَدِ الوَردِ

أُصارِعُ مِنهُ هادِيَ الأَسَدِ الوَردِ

Faced with a nature hard on every side, as though I

With a nature that flows to all regions, as though I

were grappling, in him, with a tawny lion's neck.

Wrestle with it, the tamer of the fragrant lions.