أَرِقتُ فَهَل نَجمُ الدُجُنَّةِ آرِقُ

أَرِقتُ فَهَل نَجمُ الدُجُنَّةِ آرِقُ

وَتَجري الغَوادي بِالرَدى وَالطَوارِقُ

وَتَجري الغَوادي بِالرَدى وَالطَوارِقُ

I lay sleepless—is the star of the dark night sleepless?

I stayed up late, did the star of darkness stay up?

And morning and night visitants course along bearing death.

The valleys flow with dew and lightning,

وَيُطرِبُني بَعدَ النُهى قَولُ قائِلٍ

وَيُطرِبُني بَعدَ النُهى قَولُ قائِلٍ

سَقى بارِقاً مِن جانِبِ الغَورِ بارِقُ

سَقى بارِقاً مِن جانِبِ الغَورِ بارِقُ

And even after attaining wisdom, a speaker's words move me:

And after the prohibition, the words of a speaker excite me,

“May a lightning-bearing cloud from al-Ghawr's direction water Bāriq.”

"One who watered with lightning by the side of the deep canyon."

أَبى الدَهرُ جوداً بِالسُرورِ وَإِن دَنا

أَبى الدَهرُ جوداً بِالسُرورِ وَإِن دَنا

إِلَيهِ الفَتى أَو نالَهُ فَهُوَ سارِقُ

إِلَيهِ الفَتى أَو نالَهُ فَهُوَ سارِقُ

Time refuses to lavish joy; and if a youth draws near

Fate refused joy, even if

to it, or attains it, he is a thief.

The youth approached it or attained it, he is a thief.

هَلِ اليَومُ إِلّا شارِقٌ ثُمَّ غارِبٌ

هَلِ اليَومُ إِلّا شارِقٌ ثُمَّ غارِبٌ

أَوِ اللَيلُ إِلّا غارِبٌ ثُمَّ شارِقُ

أَوِ اللَيلُ إِلّا غارِبٌ ثُمَّ شارِقُ

Is day anything but rising, then setting,

Is today not but rising then setting?

or night anything but setting, then rising?

Or the night not but setting then rising?

مَرازِبُ كِسرى ما وَقَت مُهجَةً لَهُ

مَرازِبُ كِسرى ما وَقَت مُهجَةً لَهُ

وَقَيصَرُ لَم يَمنَع رِداهُ البَطارِقُ

وَقَيصَرُ لَم يَمنَع رِداهُ البَطارِقُ

Kisrā's frontier governors did not safeguard his lifeblood,

The palaces of Chosroes, when have they been violated?

nor did the patricians avert Caesar's death.

And Caesar, did his numerous armies not protect him?

وَيَغبِرُ في الأَيّامِ مَن طالَ عُمرُهُ

وَيَغبِرُ في الأَيّامِ مَن طالَ عُمرُهُ

فَتَغبَرُّ مِن طولِ البَقاءِ المَفارِقُ

فَتَغبَرُّ مِن طولِ البَقاءِ المَفارِقُ

And whoever lives long lingers through the days,

And he grows old in the days, he whose life is long,

so the hair-partings grow dusty from long survival.

So with the length of survival, parting grows old.

مَحا أَلِفاتِ الشَرخِ عَن طِرسِ شَيبِهِ

مَحا أَلِفاتِ الشَرخِ عَن طِرسِ شَيبِهِ

لِتَخلُوَ مِن لَونِ الشَبابِ المَهارِقُ

لِتَخلُوَ مِن لَونِ الشَبابِ المَهارِقُ

He erased youth's alif-strokes from the parchment of his gray hair,

It erased the friendships of youth from the page of his gray hair

so the writing sheets might be empty of youth's color.

So it would be empty of the color of departed youth.

وَمازالَ في شُربِ الأَباريقِ كارِهاً

وَمازالَ في شُربِ الأَباريقِ كارِهاً

لَما بَعَثَتهُ في الرِياحِ الأَبارِقُ

لَما بَعَثَتهُ في الرِياحِ الأَبارِقُ

And while drinking from pitchers, he has always been averse

And it continued to hate drinking from cups

to what the stony hills have sent upon the winds.

When the winds roused it to drink.

يَعافونَ تُرباً فيهِ تُطوى جُسومُهُم

يَعافونَ تُرباً فيهِ تُطوى جُسومُهُم

وَمِنهُ بِحَقٍّ فُرشُها وَالنَمارِقُ

وَمِنهُ بِحَقٍّ فُرشُها وَالنَمارِقُ

They loathe dust in which their bodies will be folded away,

They will be covered with dust in it, their bodies folded,

and from it, in truth, are their bedding and cushions.

And rightly furnishing it are their beddings and pavilions.

وَيُشبِهُ كَعباً إِذ بَكى وَمُتَمِّماً

وَيُشبِهُ كَعباً إِذ بَكى وَمُتَمِّماً

لَدى كُلِّ عَقلٍ مَعبَدٌ وَمُخارِقُ

لَدى كُلِّ عَقلٍ مَعبَدٌ وَمُخارِقُ

And like Kaʿb when he wept, and like Mutammim,

And it resembles Ka'b when he wept and Mutammim

in every mind's judgment, are Maʿbad and Mukhāriq.

At the side of every mind a praised and gifted one.

نَظيرَ اِبنَةِ الجونِ الَّتي النَوحُ شَأنُها

نَظيرَ اِبنَةِ الجونِ الَّتي النَوحُ شَأنُها

مُغَنِّيَةٌ عَن صَوتِها اللُبُّ مارِقُ

مُغَنِّيَةٌ عَن صَوتِها اللُبُّ مارِقُ

Like al-Jawn's daughter, the dove whose wont is lament,

The like of the daughter of Jawn whose affair

is a songstress, from whose voice reason flees.

Is the weeping of her voice, the inspirer of elegies.