يميناً لقد بالغتَ يا خِلَّ في العذلِ

يميناً لقد بالغتَ يا خِلَّ في العذلِ

وما هكذا فِعْلَ الأخلاءِ بالخِلَّ

وما هكذا فِعْلَ الأخلاءِ بالخِلَّ

By my oath, dear friend, you have gone too far in reproach;

I swear, dear friend, you have gone too far in reproach.

This is not how friends should treat a friend.

This is not how friends treat a friend.

اِذا أنتَ لم تُسعِدْ خليلكَ في الهوى

اِذا أنتَ لم تُسعِدْ خليلكَ في الهوى

فَذَرْهُ لقد أمسى عنِ العَذْلِ في شُغْلِ

فَذَرْهُ لقد أمسى عنِ العَذْلِ في شُغْلِ

If you will not aid your companion in love,

If you do not support your friend in love,

Then leave him—for by now he is too consumed to heed reproach.

then leave him: he has become too preoccupied for reproach.

فلا تحسبنَّ العذلَ يُذهِبُ وجدَه

فلا تحسبنَّ العذلَ يُذهِبُ وجدَه

فلومُكَ بالمحبوبِ يُغري ولا يُسلي

فلومُكَ بالمحبوبِ يُغري ولا يُسلي

Do not suppose that blame will banish his passion;

Do not suppose that reproach dispels his passion;

Your blaming him over his beloved incites him—it does not console.

for your blame draws him toward the beloved and gives no solace.

وما كنتُ مِمَّنْ يُذهِبُ الوجدُ حزمَه

وما كنتُ مِمَّنْ يُذهِبُ الوجدُ حزمَه

لعمرُكَ لولا أسهُم الأعينِ النُّجلِ

لعمرُكَ لولا أسهُم الأعينِ النُّجلِ

I was never one whose passion could rob him of resolve—

I would not be one whose resolve passion undoes,

By your life—were it not for the arrows of those wide, dark eyes.

by your life, but for the arrows of wide eyes.

ولا كنتُ مِمَّنْ يشتكي جُمْلَةَ الهوى

ولا كنتُ مِمَّنْ يشتكي جُمْلَةَ الهوى

وتفصيلَهُ لولا أليمُ هوى جُمْلِ

وتفصيلَهُ لولا أليمُ هوى جُمْلِ

Nor was I one to complain of love as a whole,

Nor would I be one to complain of love as a whole

Or unfold its details, but for the painful love of Juml.

and in its particulars, but for the pain of loving Juml.

فمَنْ لمشوقٍ دمعُهُ بعدَما نأتْ

فمَنْ لمشوقٍ دمعُهُ بعدَما نأتْ

مُذالٌ على الأطلالِ يسفحُ كالوَبْلِ

مُذالٌ على الأطلالِ يسفحُ كالوَبْلِ

Who will aid a yearning lover whose tears, since she went far away,

Who, then, will help a yearning lover whose tears, since she went far away,

Pour freely over the abandoned camps like a downpour,

are freely shed upon the ruins, pouring like heavy rain?

يُسَقّي دياراً طالما عرصاتُها

يُسَقّي دياراً طالما عرصاتُها

تشكَّتْ اليه ما تُعانيهِ مِن مَحْلِ

تشكَّتْ اليه ما تُعانيهِ مِن مَحْلِ

Watering dwellings whose courtyards had long

They water dwellings whose courtyards have so often

Complained to him of the drought they endured?

complained to him of the drought they endure.

تناءَى بهِ عن أربُعِ الجِزعِ أهوجٌ

تناءَى بهِ عن أربُعِ الجِزعِ أهوجٌ

يُباري الرياحَ الهوجَ في الحَزْنِ والسهلِ

يُباري الرياحَ الهوجَ في الحَزْنِ والسهلِ

A headstrong mount has borne him far from the dwellings by the valley bend,

A headlong camel bore him far from the dwellings at the valley bend,

Racing the raging winds over rough ground and plain.

racing the raging winds over rugged and level ground.

يخوضُ الدجى والقفرَ لا يعرفُ الوَجا

يخوضُ الدجى والقفرَ لا يعرفُ الوَجا

اِذا ما اشتكاه العيسُ في لاحبِ السُّبلِ

اِذا ما اشتكاه العيسُ في لاحبِ السُّبلِ

It plunges through darkness and wasteland, knowing no soreness,

It plunges through darkness and wasteland, knowing no foot pain,

Though the pale camels complain of the journey on the road’s clear track.

when pale camels complain of it on well-trodden roads.

وينصاعُ في ثِني الزمامِ كأنَّه

وينصاعُ في ثِني الزمامِ كأنَّه

يحاذِرُ صلاً منه أو نهشةَ الصَّلِ

يحاذِرُ صلاً منه أو نهشةَ الصَّلِ

It yields to the slightest turn of the rein as though

And it turns with the bending of the rein, as though

It feared a viper from it, or the serpent’s bite.

it fears a viper in it, or the viper's bite.

واِنْ أسدلَ الليلُ البهيمُ ستورَه

واِنْ أسدلَ الليلُ البهيمُ ستورَه

سَرَى عَنَقاً في البيدِ يَعْسِلُ كالطَّملِ

سَرَى عَنَقاً في البيدِ يَعْسِلُ كالطَّملِ

And when black night lets down its curtains,

And if pitch-black night lets down its curtains,

It travels at a long-striding pace through the waste, swaying like an ostrich cock.

it travels by night through the wastes at a brisk gait, loping like a wolf.

اِذا رامتِ البزلُ الصَّعابُ لحاقَه

اِذا رامتِ البزلُ الصَّعابُ لحاقَه

وقد ذرعَ الموماةَ أعيا على البزلِ

وقد ذرعَ الموماةَ أعيا على البزلِ

When hardy, full-grown camels attempt to catch it,

When the unruly mature camels try to catch it,

Having traversed the wilderness, it leaves those mature camels spent.

having already crossed the wasteland, it proves beyond the mature camels' reach.

فترجِعُ دونَ القصدِ وهي طلائحٌ

فترجِعُ دونَ القصدِ وهي طلائحٌ

سواهمَ مثلَ الجِذْلِ تنفخُ في الجُدْلِ

سواهمَ مثلَ الجِذْلِ تنفخُ في الجُدْلِ

They turn back short of their goal, worn thin,

They turn back short of their goal, exhausted,

Their bodies like stumps, panting into the braided reins.

gaunt as a tree stump, panting against their plaited reins.

فهل يُبْلِغَنَّي دار هندٍ واِنْ نأتْ

فهل يُبْلِغَنَّي دار هندٍ واِنْ نأتْ

وأصبحَ منها الوصلُ منصرِمَ الحبلِ

وأصبحَ منها الوصلُ منصرِمَ الحبلِ

Will it carry me to Hind’s abode, though she be far away,

Will it, then, bring me to Hind's dwelling, though it lies far away,

And though the cord of union with her has now been severed?

and the cord of union with her has now been severed?

لئن جئتُها مِن بَعْدِ بُعْدٍ فظهرُه

لئن جئتُها مِن بَعْدِ بُعْدٍ فظهرُه

حرامٌ على الكُورِ المبرَّحِ والرَّحْلِ

حرامٌ على الكُورِ المبرَّحِ والرَّحْلِ

If I reach her after so long a journey, then its back

If indeed I reach her after such distance, then its back

Shall be forbidden to the chafing saddle-frame and saddle.

shall be forbidden to the galling saddle gear and riding saddle.

فما ذكرتْها النفسُ إلا تحدَّرتْ

فما ذكرتْها النفسُ إلا تحدَّرتْ

مدامعُ تُغني الأرضَ عن ساجمِ الهَطْلِ

مدامعُ تُغني الأرضَ عن ساجمِ الهَطْلِ

Whenever the soul remembers her, down stream

For whenever my soul remembers her, down flow

Tears that spare the earth any need of pouring rain-clouds.

tears that spare the earth the need for pouring rain,

تجودُ عليها بالعشيَّ وبالضحى

تجودُ عليها بالعشيَّ وبالضحى

فتزهو بمخضرًّ مِنَ النبتِ مُخضلَّ

فتزهو بمخضرًّ مِنَ النبتِ مُخضلَّ

They lavish themselves upon it at evening and morning,

pouring generously upon it at evening and at midmorning,

Until it glories in lush, rain-drenched green.

so it flourishes with green, richly watered plants.