بَعدَ المَعاطِفِ وَالرَوادِفِ لَم تَرُق

بَعدَ المَعاطِفِ وَالرَوادِفِ لَم تَرُق

أَجفانَ عَيني بانَةٌ وَكَثيبُ

أَجفانَ عَيني بانَةٌ وَكَثيبُ

After the supple curves and rounded hips, no longer did

After the coats and saddles could not

a ban-tree and a sand dune delight my eyes.

My eyelids seduce the dunes and mound

ما كُنتُ أَدعوهُ وَكانَ يُجيبُني

ما كُنتُ أَدعوهُ وَكانَ يُجيبُني

وَاليَومَ أَدعوهُ وَلَيسَ يُجيبُ

وَاليَومَ أَدعوهُ وَلَيسَ يُجيبُ

I did not call him, yet he would answer me;

I used to call him, and he’d respond

today I call him, and he does not answer.

Today I call him, yet no response is found

أَنتُم نَصيبي في الزَمانِ وَلَيس لي

أَنتُم نَصيبي في الزَمانِ وَلَيس لي

مِنكُم عَلى طولِ الزَمانِ نَصيبُ

مِنكُم عَلى طولِ الزَمانِ نَصيبُ

You are my lot in time, yet I have

You are my fate in time, I own

no share of you through all the years.

No portion of you, for time is bound

لا تَحسَبوا دَمعي تَحَدَّرَ إِنَّما

لا تَحسَبوا دَمعي تَحَدَّرَ إِنَّما

نَفسي عَلَيكَ مِنَ الجُفونُ تَذوبُ

نَفسي عَلَيكَ مِنَ الجُفونُ تَذوبُ

Do not think my tears have streamed down; rather,

Think not my tears flowed, but my soul

my soul melts for you from my eyelids.

Upon you from my eyes does melt and drown

وَلَو اَنَّ داراً بِالدَموعِ بِناؤُها

وَلَو اَنَّ داراً بِالدَموعِ بِناؤُها

بُنِيَت هُنالِكَ أَدمُعٌ وَقُلوبُ

بُنِيَت هُنالِكَ أَدمُعٌ وَقُلوبُ

And if a house were built of tears,

If homes by tears were built, their halls

tears and hearts would be built there.

With tears and hearts would abound

لا تَكذِبَنَّ فَعَيشُ كُلِّ مُفارِقٍ

لا تَكذِبَنَّ فَعَيشُ كُلِّ مُفارِقٍ

حَتفٌ وَلا بَعدَ الفِراقِ يَطيبُ

حَتفٌ وَلا بَعدَ الفِراقِ يَطيبُ

Do not lie, for the life of anyone who parts

Believe not that the life of one departed

is death, and after parting it has no sweetness.

Is bliss, for after parting, no bliss is found

ذَنبي الفِراقُ فإِن ظَفِرتُ بِقُربِكُم

ذَنبي الفِراقُ فإِن ظَفِرتُ بِقُربِكُم

فَعَلى يَدَيهِ مِنَ الفِراقِ أَتوبُ

فَعَلى يَدَيهِ مِنَ الفِراقِ أَتوبُ

My sin is separation; if I attain closeness to you,

My sin is parting, so if I gain your nearness

then at its hands I shall repent of separation.

I’ll repent from parting, astounded

مِن كُلِّ مَن دينارُهُ مُستَوطِنٌ

مِن كُلِّ مَن دينارُهُ مُستَوطِنٌ

في كَفِّهِ وَالخَيرُ عَنهُ غَريبُ

في كَفِّهِ وَالخَيرُ عَنهُ غَريبُ

From each man whose dinar makes its home

Of all whose dinar resides in his palm

in his palm, while goodness is a stranger to him.

While good from him is strange, astounded

إِن عَزَّ عَزَّ مَنالُهُ وَنَوالُهُ

إِن عَزَّ عَزَّ مَنالُهُ وَنَوالُهُ

أَو ذَلَّ ظَلَّ إِلَيكَ وَهوَ قَريبُ

أَو ذَلَّ ظَلَّ إِلَيكَ وَهوَ قَريبُ

If he rises high, he and his bounty become hard to reach;

Whether he rose or fell, his reach and gain

or, if brought low, he remains close to you.

Is to you, while he stays near, astounded

كَالبَدرِ في لَيلِ التَمامِ نُجومُهُ

كَالبَدرِ في لَيلِ التَمامِ نُجومُهُ

تَبدو وَفي لَيلِ المِحاقِ يَغيبُ

تَبدو وَفي لَيلِ المِحاقِ يَغيبُ

Like the full moon: on the night of fullness, its stars

Like the full moon in the night of completeness, its stars

appear, and on the moonless night it vanishes.

Appear, but in the night of loss, confounded

كُلٌّ عَنِ النَهجِ القَويمِ خَوارِجٌ

كُلٌّ عَنِ النَهجِ القَويمِ خَوارِجٌ

فَلِمَ الأَزارِقِ خَصَّها التَغْلِيبُ

فَلِمَ الأَزارِقِ خَصَّها التَغْلِيبُ

All are Kharijites, straying from the upright path;

All from the straight path dissidents

why, then, has prevailing usage singled out the Azariqa?

Why then are the blues given renown?

لَكَ مِنهُمُ في بِدعَةٍ لا فَتكَةٍ

لَكَ مِنهُمُ في بِدعَةٍ لا فَتكَةٍ

قَطَرِيُّ قَومٍ قائِمٌ وَشَبيبُ

قَطَرِيُّ قَومٍ قائِمٌ وَشَبيبُ

Among them you have, in heresy—not in deadly assault—

You have of them in heresy, no carnage

a people's Qatari standing forth, and a Shabib.

A trickle of folk erect and young abound

يا مَن يُهيِّجُ لَوعَتي بِكِتابِهِ

يا مَن يُهيِّجُ لَوعَتي بِكِتابِهِ

فَيَطيبُ لي مِن عَذبِهِ التَعذيبُ

فَيَطيبُ لي مِن عَذبِهِ التَعذيبُ

O you whose letter stirs my anguish,

O you who stir my fervor with your writ

so that its sweetness makes torment sweet to me.

Whereby your gentle torment gives me joy profound

وَكَأَنَّها مِن شَوقِهِ وَنَسيمِهِ

وَكَأَنَّها مِن شَوقِهِ وَنَسيمِهِ

مِثلُ المَجامِرِ فاحَ مِنها الطيبُ

مِثلُ المَجامِرِ فاحَ مِنها الطيبُ

And, from its longing and its breeze, it seems

As if from ardor and breeze, like incense

like censers from which perfume has wafted.

A scent from you spreads, perfumed compound

يَظما وَيُروى مَن يَرومُ مَرامَها

يَظما وَيُروى مَن يَرومُ مَرامَها

فَكَأَنَّما شُؤبوبُها مَشبوبُ

فَكَأَنَّما شُؤبوبُها مَشبوبُ

Whoever seeks to attain it thirsts and is quenched,

It quenches and contents whom its purpose seeks

as though its downpour were ablaze.

As if its draft were brewed and wound

شَرِبَت عُقولَ السامِعينَ بِشُربِها

شَرِبَت عُقولَ السامِعينَ بِشُربِها

فَأَتاكَ مِنها الشارِبُ المَشروبُ

فَأَتاكَ مِنها الشارِبُ المَشروبُ

It drank the listeners' minds as they drank it;

It imbibed the intellects of listeners in its draft

so from it the drinker came to you, himself drunk up.

So the drinker and the drunk to you were bound

تَتَناهَبُ الأَلبابَ إِذ نُهِبَت وَما

تَتَناهَبُ الأَلبابَ إِذ نُهِبَت وَما

شَيءٌ سِواها ناهِبٌ مَنهوبُ

شَيءٌ سِواها ناهِبٌ مَنهوبُ

It plunders minds when itself plundered, and no

They vie for minds when plundered, and naught

other thing is both plunderer and plundered.

Else is plunderer or plundered, confounded

حَشَدَت لَنا جَيشَ البَلاغَةِ سائِراً

حَشَدَت لَنا جَيشَ البَلاغَةِ سائِراً

وَمِنَ السُطورِ لِواؤُهُ مَنصوبُ

وَمِنَ السُطورِ لِواؤُهُ مَنصوبُ

It mustered for us eloquence's marching army,

It marshaled for us the army of eloquence progressing

and from the lines its banner is raised.

And from the lines its banners were unfurled

فَأَعجَب لِجَيشٍ ظافِرٍ ما بَينَهُ

فَأَعجَب لِجَيشٍ ظافِرٍ ما بَينَهُ

أَبَداً وَبَينَ السامِعينَ حُروبُ

أَبَداً وَبَينَ السامِعينَ حُروبُ

Marvel, then, at a victorious army: between it

So astounding an army victorious, naught between it

and the listeners there are never any wars.

And listeners, evermore, of battle held compound

وَذُنوبُ دَهري في فِراقِكَ جَمَّةٌ

وَذُنوبُ دَهري في فِراقِكَ جَمَّةٌ

فَإِذا بَقِيت بِهِ فَلا تَثريبُ

فَإِذا بَقِيت بِهِ فَلا تَثريبُ

And the sins of my time in parting me from you are many;

And the sins of my life in your separation abundant

yet if you remain in it, there is no reproach.

So if I remain with them, then no reproof resound

فَاِسلَم يَحوزُ ثَناءَكَ المَكسوبَ مِن

فَاِسلَم يَحوزُ ثَناءَكَ المَكسوبَ مِن

أَيدي العقولِ نَوالُكَ المَسكوبُ

أَيدي العقولِ نَوالُكَ المَسكوبُ

So remain safe; praise of you, earned from

Submit! And gain the praise you’ve earned

the hands of minds, is won by your poured-out bounty.

From intellects’ hands your poured gift astound

إِن هَوَّنَ المِقدارُ مِقدارَ اِمرِئٍ

إِن هَوَّنَ المِقدارُ مِقدارَ اِمرِئٍ

فَلِقَدرِكَ التَرحيبُ وَالتَرغيبُ

فَلِقَدرِكَ التَرحيبُ وَالتَرغيبُ

If fate belittles a man's worth,

If the value lessened one’s value, man

then your worth merits welcome and encouragement.

For your worth the welcome and temptation abound!