قفا مُتَأمِّلَيْنِ ولا تجوزا

قفا مُتَأمِّلَيْنِ ولا تجوزا

نُحَيِّ التلَّ تلَّ بني قفيزا

نُحَيِّ التلَّ تلَّ بني قفيزا

Stop in contemplation, you two, and do not pass on.

Stand contemplating and do not pass by,

Let us salute the hill, the hill of Banu Qafiz.

Circle around the hills of Banu Qafiza.

وإن حاولتما فوزاً فَطُوفا

وإن حاولتما فوزاً فَطُوفا

على جَنَباتِ بِرْكَتِهِ تَفُوزا

على جَنَباتِ بِرْكَتِهِ تَفُوزا

And if you seek success, then make your rounds

And if you both seek victory, then go around

Along the sides of its pool, and you will succeed.

The sides of its blessed pond and you will win.

فقد أبدتْ ذخائرَها رُباهُ

فقد أبدتْ ذخائرَها رُباهُ

وأَظهرتِ الرياضُ بها الكنوزا

وأَظهرتِ الرياضُ بها الكنوزا

For its hills have revealed their treasures,

For its treasures have been revealed by its Lord,

And the gardens have displayed their hoards there.

And its meadows have shown the treasures openly.

وخاطَ التَّرْبَسُونُ له قميصاً

وخاطَ التَّرْبَسُونُ له قميصاً

تراهُ فلا ترى فيه دُرُوزا

تراهُ فلا ترى فيه دُرُوزا

And the tarbasun plant sewed it a tunic:

And Tarbasun has sewn for it a shirt,

You see it, yet see no seams in it.

You see it but no pearls are seen in it.

تُوَاجِهُهُ مروجٌ مونِقاتٌ

تُوَاجِهُهُ مروجٌ مونِقاتٌ

تخالُ بها إِذا افْتُرشَتْ خُزوزا

تخالُ بها إِذا افْتُرشَتْ خُزوزا

Delightful meadows face it;

It is faced by soft, delicate meadows,

When spread out, they seem to you like silken fabrics.

That you imagine, when spread out, to be the softest carpets.

فحوزا راشِدَيْنِ ذمامَ ودّي

فحوزا راشِدَيْنِ ذمامَ ودّي

فمثلُ ذمامِ وُدِّي لن تحوزا

فمثلُ ذمامِ وُدِّي لن تحوزا

So wisely secure the pledge of my affection;

So take the reins of the one you love,

For you will never gain a pledge like mine.

For you will never take the reins of the one you love like this.

بكيزانٍ تغيرُ على دنانٍ

بكيزانٍ تغيرُ على دنانٍ

فتحرزُ نَهْبَها كوزاً فكوزا

فتحرزُ نَهْبَها كوزاً فكوزا

With cups that raid wine jars,

With a flashing lightning against clouds,

Then seize their plunder, cup after cup.

It snatches their rain, cup after cup.

بإِبنةِ كرمةٍ مهما جلاها

بإِبنةِ كرمةٍ مهما جلاها

لنا الساقي جلا بكراً عجوزا

لنا الساقي جلا بكراً عجوزا

With a vine's daughter: whenever she is unveiled

With the daughter of generous Karima, however glorious she is,

To us by the cupbearer, an aged virgin is revealed.

For us the cupbearer made glorious the old wineskin.

أقيما القطرميزَ مقام رطلٍ

أقيما القطرميزَ مقام رطلٍ

فقد صيّرتُ رطلي قطرميزا

فقد صيّرتُ رطلي قطرميزا

Set the glass jar in place of a ratl measure;

I established Al-Qatramiz as great as a ratl,

For I have made my ratl measure a glass jar.

For I made my ratl Al-Qatramiz.

أَرَيْحانُ الربيعِ وليس راحٌ

أَرَيْحانُ الربيعِ وليس راحٌ

فيا لكِ قسمةً في الدهرِ ضيزى

فيا لكِ قسمةً في الدهرِ ضيزى

Spring's fragrant herbs, and yet no wine?

The basil of spring, and it is not bad,

Ah, what an unjust allotment in this life!

What excellent fortune you have, oh life!

بلى إن عاز خلِّ أَرْيَحِيٌّ

بلى إن عاز خلِّ أَرْيَحِيٌّ

فحقُ الراحِ أيضاً أن تعوزا

فحقُ الراحِ أيضاً أن تعوزا

Yes—if an openhearted friend is lacking,

Yes, if the vinegar of the basil is scarce,

Then wine, too, has the right to be absent.

Then the wind equally deserves to be scarce.

هي الأَخلاقُ من بيضٍ وسودٍ

هي الأَخلاقُ من بيضٍ وسودٍ

كما عاينتما عاجاً وشيزى

كما عاينتما عاجاً وشيزى

Such are dispositions: some white, some black,

They are morals, some white and some black,

As you two have seen ivory and dark shiza wood.

As you both saw ivory and ebony.

فلا يَغْرُرْكُما مَلَقُ المداجِي

فلا يَغْرُرْكُما مَلَقُ المداجِي

ولكنْ جَرِّبا أبداً وروزا

ولكنْ جَرِّبا أبداً وروزا

So let no dissembler's flattery deceive you;

So do not be fooled by the beauty of gifts,

But always try and test.

But always test and examine.

فَصَدْعُ الرمحِ ثاوٍ فيه باقٍ

فَصَدْعُ الرمحِ ثاوٍ فيه باقٍ

وإن عاليته عَقَباً وتُوزا

وإن عاليته عَقَباً وتُوزا

For a spear's crack remains lodged within it,

For the crack of a spear though cured remains,

Even if you wrap it in sinew and birch bark.

No matter how high its heel is raised.

ولوذا بالقناعةِ إِنَّ فيها

ولوذا بالقناعةِ إِنَّ فيها

بماءِ وجوهِنا حِرْزاً حريزا

بماءِ وجوهِنا حِرْزاً حريزا

And seek refuge in contentment, for in it lies

And take refuge in contentment, for indeed in it

A secure safeguard for the luster of our faces.

Is a guarded preservation of our dignity.

نَعِشْ من دهرِنا عيشاً كريماً

نَعِشْ من دهرِنا عيشاً كريماً

فإِن متنا نَمُتْ موتاً عزيزا

فإِن متنا نَمُتْ موتاً عزيزا

Let us live our days in nobility;

Let us live our lives generously,

And if we die, let us die an honorable death.

For if we die, we die a noble death.

إذا أنا لم أَحزْ رأياً سديداً

إذا أنا لم أَحزْ رأياً سديداً

أصولُ به ولا قولاً وجيزا

أصولُ به ولا قولاً وجيزا

If I possess no sound judgment

If I have not grasped a sound opinion,

With which to strike, nor any concise speech,

That I originate, nor an eloquent saying,

ولم يسترعِ صرفُ الدهر مني

ولم يسترعِ صرفُ الدهر مني

جُرازاً حين يَسْتَرْعِي جروزا

جُرازاً حين يَسْتَرْعِي جروزا

And time's vicissitudes do not summon from me

And the passage of fate has not drawn from me

A keen sword when they summon swords,

A deep measure, when it draws a shallow one,

فما أنا في مجاز القول إلا

فما أنا في مجاز القول إلا

مُحَالٌ لا أُصيبُ له مُجيزا

مُحَالٌ لا أُصيبُ له مُجيزا

Then, figuratively speaking, I am nothing but

Then I am not in figurative speech but

An impossibility for which I find no sanction.

An impossible one, gaining no reward for it.

سأَبرزُ وَجْهَ صبري للّيالي

سأَبرزُ وَجْهَ صبري للّيالي

وهل يتَجنَّبُ الصبحُ البروزا

وهل يتَجنَّبُ الصبحُ البروزا

I shall bare the face of my patience to the nights;

I will show the face of my patience to the nights,

And does dawn shun coming forth?

Does the dawn ever avoid appearing?

وأَلْتَحِفُ الهواجرَ مستهيناً

وأَلْتَحِفُ الهواجرَ مستهيناً

بآمالي وأَنْتَعِلُ الحزيزا

بآمالي وأَنْتَعِلُ الحزيزا

And I shall cloak myself in noonday heat, making light

And I will wrap myself in resignation,

Of my hopes, and wear rugged ground as sandals.

Indifferent to my hopes, wearing my old slippers.

ولا أَرِدُ البحارَ على امتهانٍ

ولا أَرِدُ البحارَ على امتهانٍ

وأمتصُّ الثِّمادَ أَوِ النُّزوزا

وأمتصُّ الثِّمادَ أَوِ النُّزوزا

I shall not approach the seas at the price of humiliation;

And I will not set sail upon the seas in disgrace,

And I shall suck up scant pools or seepage instead.

I will drain the poison or take the ropes.

فلم يظأرْ على خسفٍ كريمٌ

فلم يظأرْ على خسفٍ كريمٌ

فتأبى نفسُه إلا نُشُوزا

فتأبى نفسُه إلا نُشُوزا

For no noble man can be coerced into abasement;

So no noble person has appeared upon a sinking ship,

His soul will have nothing but defiance.

And refused, except to steer it.