أأُنْسِيتَ عبدَ الله والنأيُ قد يُنْسي

أأُنْسِيتَ عبدَ الله والنأيُ قد يُنْسي

حقوقيَ في يومي عليكَ وفي أَمسي

حقوقيَ في يومي عليكَ وفي أَمسي

Have you been made to forget, Abd Allah—and distance can make one forget—

Have you forgotten Abd Allah while estrangement may make one forget

my claims upon you, today and yesterday,

My rights over you in my days and nights

وأيامَ وصلٍ يا ابن واصلةَ انطوتْ

وأيامَ وصلٍ يا ابن واصلةَ انطوتْ

على السَّعْدِ منْ حيثُ انطوتْ لا على النحس

على السَّعْدِ منْ حيثُ انطوتْ لا على النحس

and days of union, son of Wasila, that were folded away

And days of connection, O son of the connector have folded

in good fortune wherever they were folded away, not in ill fortune;

Upon fortune wherever fortune folds, not upon misfortune

وأنَّكَ يا ذُخْرَ العلى من ذخائري

وأنَّكَ يا ذُخْرَ العلى من ذخائري

وأنَّكَ يا غرسَ المكارِم من غرسي

وأنَّكَ يا غرسَ المكارِم من غرسي

and that you, O treasure of eminence, are among my treasures;

That you, O pride of the lofty, are of my prides

and that you, O shoot of noble virtues, are among my plantings;

And you, O shoot of generosities, are of my shoots

وأنّيَ كنتُ السيفَ والترسَ نصرةً

وأنّيَ كنتُ السيفَ والترسَ نصرةً

إذا زَمَنٌ لاقاكَ بالسيفِ والترس

إذا زَمَنٌ لاقاكَ بالسيفِ والترس

and that I was sword and shield in your support,

And that I was the sword and shield in support

whenever Time confronted you with sword and shield?

Whenever a time faces you with sword and shield

أُخاشِنُ مَنْ خاشَنْتَ غيرَ مراقِبٍ

أُخاشِنُ مَنْ خاشَنْتَ غيرَ مراقِبٍ

جزاءً وَمَنْ لاينتَ لانَ له مَسِّي

جزاءً وَمَنْ لاينتَ لانَ له مَسِّي

I deal harshly with those you treat harshly, looking for no

I oppose whoever you opposed without supervision

recompense; those you treat gently find my touch gentle.

In retribution and whoever you blessed, no harm touches him from me

فَعُرْسُ الذي يُهدي لكَ السوءَ مأتمي

فَعُرْسُ الذي يُهدي لكَ السوءَ مأتمي

نأي أو دنا منّي ومأتمُهُ عُرسي

نأي أو دنا منّي ومأتمُهُ عُرسي

The wedding feast of anyone who brings you harm is my mourning,

So the wedding of whoever wishes evil upon you is my mourning

whether far from me or near, and his mourning is my wedding feast.

Whether far or near from me and his wedding is my mourning

بنيتُكَ بالآدابِ طفلاً ويافعاً

بنيتُكَ بالآدابِ طفلاً ويافعاً

وكنتُ متى ما أبْنِ أبْنِ على أُسِّ

وكنتُ متى ما أبْنِ أبْنِ على أُسِّ

I built you up with learning, as a child and a youth,

I built you with morals as a child and adolescent

and whenever I built, I built upon a foundation.

And I was whenever I instruct, I instruct gently

وصُغْتُكَ من فهمٍ وعلمٍ صياغةً

وصُغْتُكَ من فهمٍ وعلمٍ صياغةً

إذا لُمِسَتْ بالفكرِ دَقَّتْ على اللمس

إذا لُمِسَتْ بالفكرِ دَقَّتْ على اللمس

And I fashioned you from understanding and knowledge with such craft

And I molded you from understanding and knowledge as casting

that, when touched by thought, it proved too subtle for touch.

That if touched by thought, it would tap at the touch

فلمّا لبستَ الفضلَ لي لبسَ فاضلٍ

فلمّا لبستَ الفضلَ لي لبسَ فاضلٍ

يرى لبسَ ثوبِ الفضلِ من أفضلِ اللبس

يرى لبسَ ثوبِ الفضلِ من أفضلِ اللبس

Then, when you donned excellence for me, as a man of excellence does,

So when you wore excellence for me in the wearing of excel

who counts wearing excellence’s robe among the finest attire,

One sees the wearing of the garb of excellence as the most superior of wearing

وطاولتَ سحباناً بياناً فَطُلْتَهُ

وطاولتَ سحباناً بياناً فَطُلْتَهُ

وَوَازَيْتَ قُسّاً بل رَجَحْتَ على قُسِّ

وَوَازَيْتَ قُسّاً بل رَجَحْتَ على قُسِّ

and vied with Sahban in eloquence, surpassing him,

And you sought splendor in rhetoric so you attained it

and matched Quss—indeed, outweighed Quss—

And equaled a bowman, but rather overtook the bowman

وألهيتَ عن ذكرِ امرئِ القيسِ كندةً

وألهيتَ عن ذكرِ امرئِ القيسِ كندةً

كفى ذا فَدَعْ ذكرَ الحطيئةِ في عَبْس

كفى ذا فَدَعْ ذكرَ الحطيئةِ في عَبْس

and turned Kinda from speaking of Imru’ al-Qays—

And distracted from mentioning Imru’ al-Qais Kindah

enough of that; leave aside mention of al-Hutay’a among Abs—

Enough of that one, so leave mentioning Al-Hutay’ah in sullenness

نَفِسْتَ على سينيَّتي بحليِّها

نَفِسْتَ على سينيَّتي بحليِّها

فحليَّة سينيَّةً لك في الرسِّي

فحليَّة سينيَّةً لك في الرسِّي

you envied my S-rhymed poem for its ornaments;

You prided yourself on my poems with their adornments

so, adornment for an S-rhymed poem of yours on al-Rassi [wording unclear];

So the adornment of my poems for you is in the verses

وخُلِّيْتَ ألفاظي يُخيلُ مكانُها

وخُلِّيْتَ ألفاظي يُخيلُ مكانُها

وما نغمةُ القمريِّ من نغمةِ الدبسي

وما نغمةُ القمريِّ من نغمةِ الدبسي

and you were left with my words, their place growing empty;

And you left my words giving the impression of their place

yet the ringdove’s song is not the dusky dove’s song.

And not the tune of Al-Qumri from the tune Al-Dubsi

فمنْ ليَ يَقضي لي عليكَ وإِنَّما

فمنْ ليَ يَقضي لي عليكَ وإِنَّما

قضاءُ الذي يقضي لنفسي على نفسي

قضاءُ الذي يقضي لنفسي على نفسي

Who, then, will judge for me against you? Yet it is only

So who can judge for me against you while the only

a judge’s verdict for myself against myself.

Judgement is that which judges for myself against myself

وحاولتَ ديواني فها أنا باعثٌ

وحاولتَ ديواني فها أنا باعثٌ

إِليكَ به من غيرِ مطْلٍ ولا حبس

إِليكَ به من غيرِ مطْلٍ ولا حبس

And you sought my collected verse: here I am sending

And you attempted my diwan so here I am sending

it to you without delay or withholding,

It to you without reluctance and without withholding

ولكن على أَنّي أعَلِّقُ فَوْقَهُ

ولكن على أَنّي أعَلِّقُ فَوْقَهُ

تعاويذَ تحميه من الجِنِّ والإِنس

تعاويذَ تحميه من الجِنِّ والإِنس

but on condition that I hang above it

But on the condition that I suspend above it

amulets to protect it from jinn and humans.

Talismans that protect it from jinn and mankind

ولولا اتّقاءُ الوزْرِ أيضاً بعثتُهُ

ولولا اتّقاءُ الوزْرِ أيضاً بعثتُهُ

ومن فوقِهِ مكتوبةً آيةُ الكرسي

ومن فوقِهِ مكتوبةً آيةُ الكرسي

And, were it not for fear of sin, I would have sent it too

And had I not feared sin, I would have sent it

with the Throne Verse inscribed above it.

And written above it is the Verse of The Throne

فدوَنَكَهُ يستغرقُ اللطفَ لُطْفُهُ

فدوَنَكَهُ يستغرقُ اللطفَ لُطْفُهُ

ويغرقُ في محسوسِهِ مُغرق الحسِّ

ويغرقُ في محسوسِهِ مُغرق الحسِّ

So take it: its subtlety encompasses all subtlety,

So receive it, its charm consumes charm

and one steeped in perception drowns in its sensory content.

And it drowns the immersed in its sensation

كأنّ الرياضَ الخضرَ فيه إِذا جرى

كأنّ الرياضَ الخضرَ فيه إِذا جرى

عليها بياضُ الطلِّ في صُفْرةِ الشمس

عليها بياضُ الطلِّ في صُفْرةِ الشمس

As though within it were green gardens, when there flows

As if the green gardens wherein flows over them

over them the whiteness of dew in the sun’s yellow light.

The whiteness of dew in the yellow of the sun

ففاخرْ به تصبحْ وتمسِ مفاخراً

ففاخرْ به تصبحْ وتمسِ مفاخراً

بأثقلَ في ميزانِ فَخْرِك من قُدْس

بأثقلَ في ميزانِ فَخْرِك من قُدْس

So boast of it: morning and evening you will boast

So boast with it you become boasting

of something weightier in the balance of your pride than Quds.

With the heaviest in your scale of boasting than holiness

فما كلُّ مَنْ صاغَ المعانيَ صائغاً

فما كلُّ مَنْ صاغَ المعانيَ صائغاً

وكم بينَ دينارٍ عتيقٍ إلى فَلْس

وكم بينَ دينارٍ عتيقٍ إلى فَلْس

For not everyone who fashions meanings is a goldsmith,

For not everyone who crafted meanings is a caster

and what a gulf from an ancient dinar to a fals!

And how far between an old dinar to a fils

معاني القوافي آنُفٌ في وجوهِها

معاني القوافي آنُفٌ في وجوهِها

فمن آنفٍ شُمٍّ ومن آنفٍ فُطْس

فمن آنفٍ شُمٍّ ومن آنفٍ فُطْس

The meanings of rhymes are noses upon their faces:

The meanings of the rhymes: some of nose

some noses are high-bridged, and some are flat.

So from a nostril smell and from a nostril burst