أَرى لي كُلَّ يَومٍ مَع زَماني

أَرى لي كُلَّ يَومٍ مَع زَماني

عِتاباً في البِعادِ وَفي التَداني

عِتاباً في البِعادِ وَفي التَداني

Each day I find, between myself and Time,

I see every day as time passes

Reproach, in distance and in nearness.

Reproach in distance and in nearness

يُريدُ مَذَلَّتي وَيَدورُ هَولي

يُريدُ مَذَلَّتي وَيَدورُ هَولي

بِجَيشِ النائِباتِ إِذا رَآني

بِجَيشِ النائِباتِ إِذا رَآني

It seeks my abasement, and my dread wheels round,

It wants my humiliation and makes me anxious

With an army of calamities whenever it sees me.

With the army of misfortunes when it sees me

كَأَنّي قَد كَبِرتُ وَشابَ رَأسي

كَأَنّي قَد كَبِرتُ وَشابَ رَأسي

وَقَلَّ تَجَلُّدي وَوَهى جَناني

وَقَلَّ تَجَلُّدي وَوَهى جَناني

As though I had grown old and my head turned gray,

As if I had grown old and my hair turned white

And my fortitude had dwindled and my heart grown weak.

And my patience weakened and my resolve faded

أَلا يا دَهرُ يَومي مِثلُ أَمسي

أَلا يا دَهرُ يَومي مِثلُ أَمسي

وَأَعظَمُ هَيبَةً لِمَنِ اِلتَقاني

وَأَعظَمُ هَيبَةً لِمَنِ اِلتَقاني

Listen, O Time: my today is like my yesterday,

Oh fate, my day is like my yesterday

And I inspire greater awe in whoever meets me.

And I am most revered by those who know me

وَمَكروبٍ كَشَفتُ الكَربَ عَنهُ

وَمَكروبٍ كَشَفتُ الكَربَ عَنهُ

بِضَربَةِ فَيصَلٍ لَمّا دَعاني

بِضَربَةِ فَيصَلٍ لَمّا دَعاني

And many a man in distress I have relieved of anguish,

And the distressed whose hardship I removed

With a cleaving sword's stroke when he called me.

With a stroke of my swift sword when he called me

دَعاني دَعوَةً وَالخَيلُ تَردي

دَعاني دَعوَةً وَالخَيلُ تَردي

فَما أَدري أَبِاِسمي أَم كَناني

فَما أَدري أَبِاِسمي أَم كَناني

He called me with a cry while the horses galloped;

He called me in a call and the horses bolted

I do not know whether by my name or my byname.

So I did not know if he called me or Kanani

فَلَم أُمسِك بِسَمعي إِذ دَعاني

فَلَم أُمسِك بِسَمعي إِذ دَعاني

وَلَكِن قَد أَبانَ لَهُ لِساني

وَلَكِن قَد أَبانَ لَهُ لِساني

So I did not catch it with my ears when he called me,

So I did not restrain my hearing when he called me

Yet my tongue made my answer clear to him.

But my tongue made clear to him

فَفَرَّقتُ المَواكِبَ عَنهُ قَهراً

فَفَرَّقتُ المَواكِبَ عَنهُ قَهراً

بِطَعنٍ يَسبُقُ البَرقَ اليَماني

بِطَعنٍ يَسبُقُ البَرقَ اليَماني

So I scattered the squadrons away from him by force,

So I scattered the processions away from him by force

With spear-thrusts that outstrip Yemen's lightning.

With a stab faster than Yemeni lightning

وَما لَبَّيتُهُ إِلّا وَسَيفي

وَما لَبَّيتُهُ إِلّا وَسَيفي

وَرُمحي في الوَغى فَرَسا رِهانِ

وَرُمحي في الوَغى فَرَسا رِهانِ

And I answered him only while my sword

And I only answered him with my sword

And my spear were two racehorses in battle.

And my spear amidst the fray as ransom

وَكانَ إِجابَتي إِيّاهُ أَنّي

وَكانَ إِجابَتي إِيّاهُ أَنّي

عَطَفتُ عَلَيهِ خَوّارَ العِنانِ

عَطَفتُ عَلَيهِ خَوّارَ العِنانِ

And my answer to him was that I

And my answering him was that

Wheeled toward him a horse pliant to the rein,

I turned the obedient steed toward him

بِأَسمَرَ مِن رِماحِ الخَطِّ لَدنٍ

بِأَسمَرَ مِن رِماحِ الخَطِّ لَدنٍ

وَأَبيَضَ صارِمٍ ذَكَرٍ يَمانِ

وَأَبيَضَ صارِمٍ ذَكَرٍ يَمانِ

With a supple brown spear from al-Khatt,

With a dark spear of soft iron from Hadan

And a white, keen-edged, hard-steeled Yemeni sword.

And a white sharp sword of Yemeni make

وَقِرنٍ قَد تَرَكتُ لَدى مَكَرٍّ

وَقِرنٍ قَد تَرَكتُ لَدى مَكَرٍّ

عَلَيهِ سَبائِبا كَالأُرجُوانِ

عَلَيهِ سَبائِبا كَالأُرجُوانِ

And many a rival I have left on the charging-ground,

And a spear which I left in the hands of Makir

With fringes of blood upon him like crimson cloth.

Upon it purple straps like crimson

تَرَكتُ الطَيرَ عاكِفَةً عَلَيهِ

تَرَكتُ الطَيرَ عاكِفَةً عَلَيهِ

كَما تَردي إِلى العُرسِ البَواني

كَما تَردي إِلى العُرسِ البَواني

I left the birds gathered over him,

I left the birds hovering over it

As bridal attendants hurry to the wedding feast.

As the entertained swoop down to the courtyard

وَتَمنَعُهُنَّ أَن يَأكُلنَ مِنهُ

وَتَمنَعُهُنَّ أَن يَأكُلنَ مِنهُ

حَياةُ يَدٍ وَرِجلٍ تَركُضانِ

حَياةُ يَدٍ وَرِجلٍ تَركُضانِ

And what keeps them from feeding on him

And the life of hands and feet that run

Is life in a hand and a foot, both still kicking.

Prevent them from eating it

فَما أَوهى مِراسُ الحَربِ رُكني

فَما أَوهى مِراسُ الحَربِ رُكني

وَلَكِن ما تَقادَمَ مِن زَمانِ

وَلَكِن ما تَقادَمَ مِن زَمانِ

So the rigors of war have not weakened my strength,

So the pillars of war did not weaken me

But the long passage of time has.

But the passage of time

وَما دانَيتُ شَخصَ المَوتِ إِلّاً

وَما دانَيتُ شَخصَ المَوتِ إِلّاً

كَما يَدنو الشُجاعُ مِنَ الجَبانِ

كَما يَدنو الشُجاعُ مِنَ الجَبانِ

And I have never approached the figure of Death except

And I never came near the specter of death

As a brave man approaches a coward.

Except as the brave approaches the coward

وَقَد عَلِمَت بَنو عَبسٍ بِأَنّي

وَقَد عَلِمَت بَنو عَبسٍ بِأَنّي

أَهُشُّ إِذا دُعيتُ إِلى الطَعانِ

أَهُشُّ إِذا دُعيتُ إِلى الطَعانِ

And the sons of Abs have learned that I

And the tribe of Abs knew that I

Rejoice when summoned to spear-fighting,

Charge when called to thrust

وَأَنَّ المَوتَ طَوعُ يَدي إِذا ما

وَأَنَّ المَوتَ طَوعُ يَدي إِذا ما

وَصَلتُ بَنانَها بِالهِندُواني

وَصَلتُ بَنانَها بِالهِندُواني

And that Death obeys my hand whenever

And that death is submissive to my hand when

I join its fingers to the Indian sword.

My fingers reach the Indian sword

وَنِعمَ فَوارِسُ الهَيجاءِ قَومي

وَنِعمَ فَوارِسُ الهَيجاءِ قَومي

إِذا عَلِقوا الأَعِنَّةَ بِالبَنانِ

إِذا عَلِقوا الأَعِنَّةَ بِالبَنانِ

And what fine horsemen of battle my people are,

And excellent are the horsemen of my ferocious people

When they grasp the reins with their fingers.

When they hang the swords from the waistbands

هُمُ قَتَلوا لَقيطاً وَاِبنَ حُجرٍ

هُمُ قَتَلوا لَقيطاً وَاِبنَ حُجرٍ

وَأَردَوا حاجِباً وَاِبني أَبانِ

وَأَردَوا حاجِباً وَاِبني أَبانِ

They killed Laqit and the son of Hujr,

They killed Liqit and Ibn Hujr

And slew Hajib and the two sons of Aban.

And they felled Hajib and the two sons of Aban