طَويلُ عِمادِ البَيتِ تَبني مُجاشِعٌ

طَويلُ عِمادِ البَيتِ تَبني مُجاشِعٌ

إِلى بَيتِهِ أَطنابَها ما تَنَزَّعُ

إِلى بَيتِهِ أَطنابَها ما تَنَزَّعُ

His tent-pole is lofty; Mujashiʿ anchors

The pillar of the house builds affectionately

its tent-ropes to his tent, never to come loose.

Towards his house though far apart her tracks may be

سَيَبلُغُ عَنّي حاجَتي غَيرُ عامِلٍ

سَيَبلُغُ عَنّي حاجَتي غَيرُ عامِلٍ

بِها مِن ذَوي الحاجاتِ فَيجٌ مُسَرِّعُ

بِها مِن ذَوي الحاجاتِ فَيجٌ مُسَرِّعُ

My need will be conveyed for me, with no one laboring

My needs will be met by another though I strive not

over it among petitioners, no speeding courier—

Among the needy, a rider racing eagerly

عَصائِبُ لَم يَطحَن كُدَيرٌ مَتاعَها

عَصائِبُ لَم يَطحَن كُدَيرٌ مَتاعَها

يَمُرُّ بِها بَينَ الغَديرَينِ مَهيَعُ

يَمُرُّ بِها بَينَ الغَديرَينِ مَهيَعُ

by bands whose provisions Kudayr has not ground;

He passes by two pools though no monks ground his flour

a broad road bears them between the two pools

A gurgling full, then one dried up completely

إِلَيهِ وَإِن كانَت زَبالَةُ بَينَنا

إِلَيهِ وَإِن كانَت زَبالَةُ بَينَنا

وَذو حَدَبٍ فيهِ القَراقيرُ تَمزَعُ

وَذو حَدَبٍ فيهِ القَراقيرُ تَمزَعُ

to him, even though Zubala lies between us,

Though but garbage lies between us, yet to him I’ll go

and a swelling sea where great ships speed along.

A humpbacked house wherein the crevices yawn widely

يَميناً لَئِن أَمسى كُدَيرٌ يَلومُني

يَميناً لَئِن أَمسى كُدَيرٌ يَلومُني

لَقَد لُمتُهُ لَوماً سَيَبقى وَيَنصَعُ

لَقَد لُمتُهُ لَوماً سَيَبقى وَيَنصَعُ

I swear: if Kudayr now reproaches me,

Truly, if the monk reproaches me tomorrow

I have indeed reproached him with a reproach that will endure and stand out.

I have blamed him with blame that shall remain and feed me

خَليلَي كُدَيرٍ أَبلِغا إِن لَقيتُهُ

خَليلَي كُدَيرٍ أَبلِغا إِن لَقيتُهُ

طَبِعتُ وَأَنّى لَيسَ مِثلُكَ يَطبَعُ

طَبِعتُ وَأَنّى لَيسَ مِثلُكَ يَطبَعُ

Kudayr’s two friends, convey this if I meet him:

O two friends of the monk, if ye should meet him

I have become sullied; how can one like you not become sullied?

I have molded - who indeed is like thee to mold me?

أَفي مِئَةٍ أَقرَضتَها ذا قَرابَةٍ

أَفي مِئَةٍ أَقرَضتَها ذا قَرابَةٍ

عَلى كُلِّ بابٍ ماءُ عَينَيكَ يَدمَعُ

عَلى كُلِّ بابٍ ماءُ عَينَيكَ يَدمَعُ

Is it over a hundred you lent to a kinsman

For the hundred thou lent a kinsman, at every door

that the water of your eyes flows at every door?

Thine eyes rain tears that flow plentifully

تَسيلُ مَآقيكَ الصَديدَ تَلومُني

تَسيلُ مَآقيكَ الصَديدَ تَلومُني

وَأَنتَ اِمرُؤٌ قَحمُ العَذارَينِ أَصلَعُ

وَأَنتَ اِمرُؤٌ قَحمُ العَذارَينِ أَصلَعُ

Your eye-corners ooze pus as you reproach me,

Thy streaming tears blame me, yet thou art a man

and you are a man, old at the side-whiskers and bald.

Bald of noble stock, ignoble in degree

فَدونَكَها إِنّي إِخالُكَ لَم تَزَل

فَدونَكَها إِنّي إِخالُكَ لَم تَزَل

لَدُن خَرَجَت مِن بابِ بَيتِكَ تَلمَعُ

لَدُن خَرَجَت مِن بابِ بَيتِكَ تَلمَعُ

So take it! I think you have never ceased,

Besides thee, though we are comrades, hast thou not been

since it left the door of your house, to wave your hands,

Radiant since first thou camest forth from thy abode?

تُنادي وَتَدعو اللَهَ فيها كَأَنَّما

تُنادي وَتَدعو اللَهَ فيها كَأَنَّما

رُزِئتَ اِبنَ أُمٍّ لَم يَكُن يَتَضَعضَعُ

رُزِئتَ اِبنَ أُمٍّ لَم يَكُن يَتَضَعضَعُ

crying out and calling on God over it, as though

Thou callest and prayest unto God as though some child

you had lost a brother who never faltered.

Of a base mother had not ceased his crying loudly

مَتى تَأتِهِ مِنّي النَذيرَةُ لا يَنَم

مَتى تَأتِهِ مِنّي النَذيرَةُ لا يَنَم

وَلَكِن يَخافُ الطارِقاتُ وَيَفزَعُ

وَلَكِن يَخافُ الطارِقاتُ وَيَفزَعُ

Whenever my warning reaches him, he does not sleep,

When comes my messenger, he sleeps not at the warning

but fears what comes by night and is terrified.

Nay, but he fears the night-comers, startled fitfully

وَأَيُّ اِمرِئٍ بَعدَ النَذيرَةِ قَد رَأى

وَأَيُّ اِمرِئٍ بَعدَ النَذيرَةِ قَد رَأى

طَلايِعَها مِنّي لَهُ العَينُ تَهجَعُ

طَلايِعَها مِنّي لَهُ العَينُ تَهجَعُ

And what man, after the warning, having seen

What man, when warned, has seen my vanguard and not had

its advance parties from me, has an eye that sleeps,

Sleep frightened from his eyes however heavily?

مِنَ الناسِ إِلّا فاسِدَ العَقلِ شارَكَت

مِنَ الناسِ إِلّا فاسِدَ العَقلِ شارَكَت

بِهِ العَجزَ حَولاً أُمُّهُ وَهوَ مُرضَعُ

بِهِ العَجزَ حَولاً أُمُّهُ وَهوَ مُرضَعُ

among mankind, except one corrupt in mind, whose mother shared

Save the witless, none shares with him in his weakness

her hindquarters with him for a year while he was being suckled?

Whilst yet a babe, his mother and he successively

فَلا يَقذِفَنكَ الحينُ في نابِ حَيَّةٍ

فَلا يَقذِفَنكَ الحينُ في نابِ حَيَّةٍ

عَصا كُلَّ حَوّاءٍ بِهِ السُمُّ مُنقَعُ

عَصا كُلَّ حَوّاءٍ بِهِ السُمُّ مُنقَعُ

So do not let doom cast you into the fang of a serpent

So fling him not into the viper's fang straightway

that defied every snake-charmer, with venom steeped in it.

Each Eve's rod in it is steeped most plenteously

يَفِرُّ رُقاةُ القَومِ لا يَقرَبونَهُ

يَفِرُّ رُقاةُ القَومِ لا يَقرَبونَهُ

خَشاشُ حِبالٍ فاتِكُ اللَيلِ أَقرَعُ

خَشاشُ حِبالٍ فاتِكُ اللَيلِ أَقرَعُ

The people’s incantation-healers flee; they do not approach it:

The tribe's leaders shun and come not nigh unto him

a lithe snake of the sand-ridges, a bald killer by night,

Scared witlings who the dark night sets trembling fitfully

مِنَ الصُمِّ إِن تَعلُكَّ مِنهُ شَكيمَةٌ

مِنَ الصُمِّ إِن تَعلُكَّ مِنهُ شَكيمَةٌ

تَمُت أَو تُفِق قَد ماتَ عَقلُكَ أَجمَعُ

تَمُت أَو تُفِق قَد ماتَ عَقلُكَ أَجمَعُ

one of the deaf serpents—if its bridle-bit should gnaw you,

Deaf he is: if treated for it, only dies therefrom

you die—or regain consciousness with all your reason dead.

Or recovers: dead in sooth is his mind utterly