أُشَرِّقُ أَم أُغَرِّبُ يا سَعيدُ

أُشَرِّقُ أَم أُغَرِّبُ يا سَعيدُ

وَأَنقُصُ مِن زَماعي أَم أَزيدُ

وَأَنقُصُ مِن زَماعي أَم أَزيدُ

Shall I head east or west, O Sa'id?

Shall I rise or set, O Sa'id?

And shall I lessen my resolve or increase it?

Shall I increase my provisions or be in want?

عَدَتني عَن نَصيبَينَ العَوادي

عَدَتني عَن نَصيبَينَ العَوادي

فَنُجحي أَبلَهٌ فيها بَليدُ

فَنُجحي أَبلَهٌ فيها بَليدُ

Adversities have kept me from Nasibin,

Fate has diverted me from my destinies,

so my success there is witless and dull.

So my success in them is muddled and slow.

أَرى الحِرمانَ أَبعُدُهُ قَريبٌ

أَرى الحِرمانَ أَبعُدُهُ قَريبٌ

بِها وَالنُجحَ أَقرَبُهُ بَعيدُ

بِها وَالنُجحَ أَقرَبُهُ بَعيدُ

I see deprivation—even its farthest is near

I see deprivation nearer when it is far,

there—and success—even its nearest is far.

And success farther when it is near.

تَقاذَفَ بي بِلادٌ عَن بِلادي

تَقاذَفَ بي بِلادٌ عَن بِلادي

كَأَنّي بَينَها خَبَرٌ شَرودُ

كَأَنّي بَينَها خَبَرٌ شَرودُ

Lands have tossed me about, away from my homeland,

Countries have tossed me from country to country,

as though I were a wandering piece of news among them.

As if I were a vagrant among them.

وَبِالساجورِ مِن ثُعَلِ بنِ عَمرٍو

وَبِالساجورِ مِن ثُعَلِ بنِ عَمرٍو

صَناديدٌ مِنَ الفِتيانِ صيدُ

صَناديدٌ مِنَ الفِتيانِ صيدُ

And by the Sajur, of Thu'al ibn 'Amr,

And at Sajor, belonging to Thu'al ibn 'Amr,

are proud champions among the young men.

Were gallant youths, excellent game.

إِذا سَجَعَ الحَمامُ هُناكَ قالوا

إِذا سَجَعَ الحَمامُ هُناكَ قالوا

لِفَرطِ الشَوقِ أَينَ ثَوى الوَليدُ

لِفَرطِ الشَوقِ أَينَ ثَوى الوَليدُ

When the doves coo there, they say,

When the doves cooed there the youths said,

out of overwhelming longing, "Where has al-Walid settled?"

For yearning, "Where did Al-Walid lodge?"

وَأَينَ يَكونُ مَرتَهَنٌ بِدَهرٍ

وَأَينَ يَكونُ مَرتَهَنٌ بِدَهرٍ

شَريدٌ في حَوادِثِهِ طَريدُ

شَريدٌ في حَوادِثِهِ طَريدُ

And where can one held hostage by time be,

And where can he who is hostage to fate,

a wanderer amid its calamities, an outcast?

Wretched in its events, banished, abide?

وَخَلَّفَني الزَمانُ عَلى أُناسٍ

وَخَلَّفَني الزَمانُ عَلى أُناسٍ

وُجوهُهُمُ وَأَيديهِم حَديدُ

وُجوهُهُمُ وَأَيديهِم حَديدُ

And time has left me among people

Time left me among people

whose faces and hands are iron.

Whose faces and hands were of iron.

لَهُم حُلَلٌ حَسُنَّ فَهُنَّ بيضٌ

لَهُم حُلَلٌ حَسُنَّ فَهُنَّ بيضٌ

وَأَفعالٌ سَمُجنَ فَهُنَّ سودُ

وَأَفعالٌ سَمُجنَ فَهُنَّ سودُ

They have lovely robes, and these are white,

They wear handsome robes that are white

and ugly deeds, and these are black;

But their acts are ugly and black.

وَأَخلاقُ البِغالِ فَكُلَّ يَومٍ

وَأَخلاقُ البِغالِ فَكُلَّ يَومٍ

يَعِنُّ لِبَعضِهِم خُلُقٌ جَديدُ

يَعِنُّ لِبَعضِهِم خُلُقٌ جَديدُ

and the temperaments of mules; for every day

They have the morals of mules, and every day

a new disposition arises in some of them.

Some new evil trait occurs to one of them.

وَأَكثَرُ ما لِسائِلِهِم لَدَيهِم

وَأَكثَرُ ما لِسائِلِهِم لَدَيهِم

إِذا ما جاءَ قَولُهُمُ تَعودُ

إِذا ما جاءَ قَولُهُمُ تَعودُ

And the most they have for their petitioner,

And mostly when asked they reply

when he comes, is their saying, "Come back."

With a promise that means refusal.

وَوَعدٌ لَيسَ يُعرَفُ مِن عُبوسِ اِن

وَوَعدٌ لَيسَ يُعرَفُ مِن عُبوسِ اِن

قِباضِهِمِ أَوَعدٌ أَم وَعيدُ

قِباضِهِمِ أَوَعدٌ أَم وَعيدُ

And a promise—one cannot tell from the grimness of

A promise - but from their frowning faces

their reserve whether it is a promise or a threat.

One knows not if it is promise or threat.

أُناسٌ لَو تَأَمَّلَهُم لَبيدٌ

أُناسٌ لَو تَأَمَّلَهُم لَبيدٌ

بَكى الخَلفَ الَّذي يَشكو لَبيدُ

بَكى الخَلفَ الَّذي يَشكو لَبيدُ

People—had Labid looked closely at them,

If Labid observed them he would weep

he would have mourned the generation Labid complains of.

Over the successor whom Labid mourns.

أَلا لَيتَ المَقادِرَ لَم تُقَدَّر

أَلا لَيتَ المَقادِرَ لَم تُقَدَّر

وَلَم تَكُنِ الأَحاظي وَالجُدودُ

وَلَم تَكُنِ الأَحاظي وَالجُدودُ

Ah, would that the fates had never been decreed,

Would that the ordainments had not been ordained

and that lucky lots and good fortunes had never existed!

And there had been no fortunes and no fates,

فَنَنظُرَ أَيَّنا يُضحي وَيُمسي

فَنَنظُرَ أَيَّنا يُضحي وَيُمسي

لَهُ هَذي المَواكِبُ وَالعَبيدُ

لَهُ هَذي المَواكِبُ وَالعَبيدُ

Then we could see which of us, morning and evening,

That we might see who at morning and evening

would have these retinues and slaves.

Would possess this retinue and servants!

فَلَو كانَ الغِنى حَظّاً كَريماً

فَلَو كانَ الغِنى حَظّاً كَريماً

لَأَخطَأَهُ النَصارى وَاليَهودُ

لَأَخطَأَهُ النَصارى وَاليَهودُ

For if wealth were a noble lot,

Had wealth been a noble destiny

the Christians and the Jews would have missed it.

Christians and Jews would have missed it.

وَلَكِنَّ الزَمانَ زَمانُ سوءٍ

وَلَكِنَّ الزَمانَ زَمانُ سوءٍ

سِجالُ الأَمرِ يَفعَلُ ما يُريدُ

سِجالُ الأَمرِ يَفعَلُ ما يُريدُ

And yet the age is an age of evil,

But time is a time of vileness,

changeable in its affairs, doing whatever it wills.

Contention for authority does what it will.

فَأَسعُدُهُ عَلى قَومٍ نُحوسٍ

فَأَسعُدُهُ عَلى قَومٍ نُحوسٍ

وَأَنحُسُهُ عَلى قَومٍ سُعودُ

وَأَنحُسُهُ عَلى قَومٍ سُعودُ

So its luckiest time is ill luck for some people,

It favors over some ill-omened people,

and its unluckiest is good luck for others.

And disfavors over some fortunate folk.