أَلَم تَرَ أَنّي يَومَ جَوَّ سُوَيقَةٍ

أَلَم تَرَ أَنّي يَومَ جَوَّ سُوَيقَةٍ

بَكَيتُ فَنادَتني هُنَيدَةُ مالِيا

بَكَيتُ فَنادَتني هُنَيدَةُ مالِيا

Have you not seen how, that day at Jaww Suwayqa,

Did you not see when on the day of Suwaqah

I wept, and Hunayda called to ask what ailed me?

I wept, so Hunaydah called out: What ails you?

فَقُلتُ لَها إِنَّ البُكاءَ لَراحَةٌ

فَقُلتُ لَها إِنَّ البُكاءَ لَراحَةٌ

بِهِ يَشتَفي مَن ظَنَّ أَن لا تَلاقِيا

بِهِ يَشتَفي مَن ظَنَّ أَن لا تَلاقِيا

So I told her: Weeping is indeed a relief;

I said to her: Weeping is solace

through it, whoever thinks there will be no reunion finds healing.

By which one who thought there'd be no union is comforted

قِفي وَدِّعينا يا هُنَيدُ فَإِنَّني

قِفي وَدِّعينا يا هُنَيدُ فَإِنَّني

أَرى الحَيَّ قَد شاموا العَقيقَ اليَمانِيا

أَرى الحَيَّ قَد شاموا العَقيقَ اليَمانِيا

Stop and bid us farewell, Hunayd, for I

Stop, Hunaydah, and bid us farewell, for I

see the tribe has set its sights on the Yemeni al-Aqiq.

See the tribe has had their fill of Yemeni wine

قَعيدَكُما اللَهَ الَّذي أَنتُما لَهُ

قَعيدَكُما اللَهَ الَّذي أَنتُما لَهُ

أَلَم تَسمَعا بِالبَيضَتَينِ المُنادِيا

أَلَم تَسمَعا بِالبَيضَتَينِ المُنادِيا

I adjure you both by God, to whom you belong:

May Allah who you belong to provide you company

did you two not hear the caller at al-Baydatayn,

Did you not hear the two camps calling out?

حَبيباً دَعا وَالرَملُ بَيني وَبَينَهُ

حَبيباً دَعا وَالرَملُ بَيني وَبَينَهُ

فَأَسمَعَني سَقياً لِذَلِكَ داعِيا

فَأَسمَعَني سَقياً لِذَلِكَ داعِيا

a beloved calling, with the sand between me and him?

A beloved called and the sands between me and him

He made me hear him—may rain fall for that caller!

So he made me hear one calling me to that

فَكانَ جَوابي أَن بَكَيتُ صَبابَةً

فَكانَ جَوابي أَن بَكَيتُ صَبابَةً

وَفَدَّيتُ مَن لَو يَستَطيعُ فَدانِيا

وَفَدَّيتُ مَن لَو يَستَطيعُ فَدانِيا

So my answer was to weep with longing,

My response was that I wept copiously

and offer myself as ransom for one who, if he could, would ransom me.

And ransomed one I wish I could ransom

إِذا اِغرَورَقَت عَينايَ أَسبَلَ مِنهُما

إِذا اِغرَورَقَت عَينايَ أَسبَلَ مِنهُما

إِلى أَن تَغيبَ الشِعرَيانِ بُكائِيا

إِلى أَن تَغيبَ الشِعرَيانِ بُكائِيا

When my eyes brim, from them flows

When my eyes pour down, they flow

my weeping, until the two Shiʿra stars set,

Until the streams of my weeping disappear

لِذِكرى حَبيبٍ لَم أَزَل مُذ هَجَرتُهُ

لِذِكرى حَبيبٍ لَم أَزَل مُذ هَجَرتُهُ

أَعُدُّ لَهُ بَعدَ اللَيالي لَيالِيا

أَعُدُّ لَهُ بَعدَ اللَيالي لَيالِيا

in remembrance of a beloved: since I left him, I have never ceased

For the memory of a beloved I have not ceased since his parting

counting night after night for him.

To count over the nights, night after night

أَراني إِذا فارَقتُ هِنداً كَأَنَّني

أَراني إِذا فارَقتُ هِنداً كَأَنَّني

دَوى سَنَةٍ مِمّا اِلتَقى في فُؤادِيا

دَوى سَنَةٍ مِمّا اِلتَقى في فُؤادِيا

When I part from Hind, I see myself as though I were

When I depart from Hind is as though I

one sick for a year, from what has gathered in my heart.

For a year have recalled what lodged in my heart

فَإِن يَدعُني بِاِسمي البَعيثُ فَلَم يَجِد

فَإِن يَدعُني بِاِسمي البَعيثُ فَلَم يَجِد

لَئيماً كَفى في الحَربِ ما كانَ جانِيا

لَئيماً كَفى في الحَربِ ما كانَ جانِيا

If al-Baʿith calls me by my name, he has not found

If the lost one calls me by name but does not find

a base man: I warded off in war the harm he had caused.

A coward - my war days suffice as my defender

وَما أَنتَ مِنّا غَيرَ أَنَّكَ تَدَّعي

وَما أَنتَ مِنّا غَيرَ أَنَّكَ تَدَّعي

إِلى آلِ قُرطٍ بَعدَما شِبتَ عانِيا

إِلى آلِ قُرطٍ بَعدَما شِبتَ عانِيا

You are not one of us, except that you claim descent

You are not one of us but you claim

from the house of Qurṭ, after growing grey in bondage.

To the house of Quraysh after you've grown old and bent

تَكونُ مَعَ الأَدنى إِذا كُنتَ آمِناً

تَكونُ مَعَ الأَدنى إِذا كُنتَ آمِناً

وَأُدعى إِذا غَمَّ الغُثاءُ التَراقِيا

وَأُدعى إِذا غَمَّ الغُثاءُ التَراقِيا

You stay with the lowly when you are safe,

You stay with the lowliest when you feel safe

and I am summoned when floating debris covers the collarbones.

And are called on when the torrential rain pours

عَجِبتُ لِحَينِ اِبنِ المَراغَةِ أَن رَأى

عَجِبتُ لِحَينِ اِبنِ المَراغَةِ أَن رَأى

لَهُ غَنَماً أَهدى إِلَيَّ القَوافِيا

لَهُ غَنَماً أَهدى إِلَيَّ القَوافِيا

I marvel at Ibn al-Maragha's doom: seeing

I wonder that Ibn Maragha saw

sheep of his own, he presented his rhymes to me.

He had sheep which he gifted to me, rhyming verse!

وَهَل كانَ فيما قَد مَضى مِن شَبيبَتي

وَهَل كانَ فيما قَد مَضى مِن شَبيبَتي

لَهُ رُخصَةٌ عِندي فَيَرجو ذَكائِيا

لَهُ رُخصَةٌ عِندي فَيَرجو ذَكائِيا

Was there, in the bygone days of my youth,

Was there in my past youth

any leniency from me for him, that he should hope for it in my maturity?

License for him to hope for my genius?

أَلَم أَكُ قَد راهَنتُ حَتّى عَلِمتُمُ

أَلَم أَكُ قَد راهَنتُ حَتّى عَلِمتُمُ

رِهاني وَخَلَّت لي مَعَدٌّ عَنانِيا

رِهاني وَخَلَّت لي مَعَدٌّ عَنانِيا

Had I not already raced until you knew

Did I not bet until you knew

my racing, and Maʿadd gave me free rein?

My wager, and the reins were loosened for me?

وَما حَمَلَت أُمُّ اِمرِئٍ في ضُلوعِها

وَما حَمَلَت أُمُّ اِمرِئٍ في ضُلوعِها

أَعَقَّ مِنَ الجاني عَلَيها هِجائِيا

أَعَقَّ مِنَ الجاني عَلَيها هِجائِيا

No man's mother has carried within her ribs

No mother ever bore in her breast

one more unfilial than he who brings my satire down upon her.

One more spiteful than I in my satire

وَأَنتَ بِوادي الكَلبِ لا أَنتَ ظاعِنٌ

وَأَنتَ بِوادي الكَلبِ لا أَنتَ ظاعِنٌ

وَلا واجِدٌ يا اِبنَ المَراغَةِ بانِيا

وَلا واجِدٌ يا اِبنَ المَراغَةِ بانِيا

And you are in Wadi al-Kalb—neither setting out

While you are in Wadi Kalb, not a transgressor

nor finding a builder, Ibn al-Maragha.

Nor a founder, O Ibn Maragha, a builder

إِذا العَنزُ بالَت فيهِ كادَت تُسيلُهُ

إِذا العَنزُ بالَت فيهِ كادَت تُسيلُهُ

عَلَيكَ وَتَنفي أَن تَحُلَّ الرَوابِيا

عَلَيكَ وَتَنفي أَن تَحُلَّ الرَوابِيا

If a she-goat urinates there, she nearly sends it flooding

When the nanny goat pees there she almost

over you, and keeps you from settling on the heights.

Washes you away, unable to cross the meadows

عَلَيكُم بِتَربيقِ البِهامِ فَإِنَّكُم

عَلَيكُم بِتَربيقِ البِهامِ فَإِنَّكُم

بِأَحسابِكُم لَن تَستَطيعوا رِهانِيا

بِأَحسابِكُم لَن تَستَطيعوا رِهانِيا

Keep to tethering lambs and kids, for you

Take the maiming of the camel hen - you

with your ancestral honors will never be able to race me.

Cannot withstand my wager by your accounts

بِأَيِّ أَبٍ يا اِبنَ المَراغَةِ تَبتَغي

بِأَيِّ أَبٍ يا اِبنَ المَراغَةِ تَبتَغي

رِهاني إِلى غاياتِ عَمّي وَخالِيا

رِهاني إِلى غاياتِ عَمّي وَخالِيا

With what father, Ibn al-Maragha, do you seek

Through what father, O Ibn Maragha, do you seek

to race me to the goals of my paternal uncle and my maternal uncle?

My wager to the furthest ends of my paternal and maternal uncles?

هَلِمَّ أَباً كَاِبنَي عِقالٍ تَعُدُّهُ

هَلِمَّ أَباً كَاِبنَي عِقالٍ تَعُدُّهُ

وَواديهِما يا اِبنَ المَراغَةِ وادِيا

وَواديهِما يا اِبنَ المَراغَةِ وادِيا

Bring a father you can name to match the two sons of ʿIqal,

Bring me a father like my two sons of ʿIqāl

and a valley like theirs, Ibn al-Maragha.

And their valley, O Ibn Maragha, as my valley

تَجِد فَرعَهُ عِندَ السَماءِ وَدارِمٌ

تَجِد فَرعَهُ عِندَ السَماءِ وَدارِمٌ

مِنَ المَجدِ مِنهُ أَترَعَت لي الجَوابِيا

مِنَ المَجدِ مِنهُ أَترَعَت لي الجَوابِيا

You will find its upper reaches near heaven, and Darim

You will find its branch by the sky, and it has

has filled my basins to the brim with glory from it.

Of glory drinking troughs it provided for my camels

بَنى لي بِهِ الشَيخانِ مِن آلِ دارِمٍ

بَنى لي بِهِ الشَيخانِ مِن آلِ دارِمٍ

بِناءً يُرى عِندَ المَجَرَّةِ عالِيا

بِناءً يُرى عِندَ المَجَرَّةِ عالِيا

With it, the two elders of the house of Darim built for me

The two elders of the house of Dārim

a building seen towering near the Milky Way.

Built for me a structure seen lofty at the galaxy