أَتَيتُ سوقَ عُكاظٍ

أَتَيتُ سوقَ عُكاظٍ

أَسعى بِأَمرِ الرَئيسِ

أَسعى بِأَمرِ الرَئيسِ

I came to the market of Ukaz,

I came to the market of Okaz

Hastening at the president's command,

Seeking by order of the president

أُزجي إِلَيهِ قَوافٍ

أُزجي إِلَيهِ قَوافٍ

مُنَكَّساتِ الرُؤوسِ

مُنَكَّساتِ الرُؤوسِ

Offering him rhymed verses

I presented to him deserts

With bowed heads.

With heads hanging low

لَيسَت بِذاتِ رُواءٍ

لَيسَت بِذاتِ رُواءٍ

تُزهى بِهِ في الطُروسِ

تُزهى بِهِ في الطُروسِ

They have no fair appearance

They are not of pleasant company

In which to glory on the written pages,

To be adorned with in rituals

وَلا بِذاتِ جَمالٍ

وَلا بِذاتِ جَمالٍ

يَسري بِها في النُفوسِ

يَسري بِها في النُفوسِ

Nor any beauty

Nor of any beauty

That flows with them through souls.

That flows into souls

لَم يَحبُها فَضلُ شَوقي

لَم يَحبُها فَضلُ شَوقي

بَقِيَّةً مِن نَسيسِ

بَقِيَّةً مِن نَسيسِ

Shawqi's bounty did not grant them

The excess of Shawqi's passion did not love them

A remnant of life's breath.

A remnant from the intimate

فَهُنَّ قَفرٌ خَوالٍ

فَهُنَّ قَفرٌ خَوالٍ

مِن كُلِّ مَعنىً نَفيسِ

مِن كُلِّ مَعنىً نَفيسِ

So they are a barren waste, empty

So they are barren emptinesses

Of every precious meaning.

Of any precious meaning

وَهُنَّ جُهدُ مُقِلٍّ

وَهُنَّ جُهدُ مُقِلٍّ

حَليفَ هَمٍّ وَبوسِ

حَليفَ هَمٍّ وَبوسِ

And they are a poor man's best effort,

And they are the effort of a weakling

A companion of care and misery.

Ally of worry and affliction

قالَ الرَئيسُ وَمَن ذا

قالَ الرَئيسُ وَمَن ذا

يَقولُ بَعدَ الرَئيسِ

يَقولُ بَعدَ الرَئيسِ

The president spoke—and who

The president said, and who else

Can speak after the president?

Speaks after the president?

سَقى الحُضورَ شَراباً

سَقى الحُضورَ شَراباً

يُنسى شَرابَ القُسوسِ

يُنسى شَرابَ القُسوسِ

He gave those present a drink

He served the attendants a drink

That makes one forget the priests' wine,

To forget the drink of sorrows

مُعَتَّقاً قَبلَ عادٍ

مُعَتَّقاً قَبلَ عادٍ

في مُظلِماتِ الحُبوسِ

في مُظلِماتِ الحُبوسِ

Aged since before 'Ad,

Fermented before Aad

In the dark recesses of prisons.

In the darkness of prisons

تُذكي الدِياراتُ مِنهُ

تُذكي الدِياراتُ مِنهُ

ناراً كَنارِ المَجوسِ

ناراً كَنارِ المَجوسِ

The monasteries kindle from it

It ignites countries with a fire

A fire like the Magians' fire.

Like the fire of the Magi

يُريكَ وَاللَيلُ داجٍ

يُريكَ وَاللَيلُ داجٍ

شُموسَهُ في الكُؤوسِ

شُموسَهُ في الكُؤوسِ

It shows you, while the night is dark,

Showing you while the night is still dark

Its suns in the cups.

Its suns in the cups

بَناتُ أَفكارِ شَوقي

بَناتُ أَفكارِ شَوقي

في جَلوَةٍ كَالعَروسِ

في جَلوَةٍ كَالعَروسِ

The daughters of Shawqi's thoughts

Daughters of Shawqi's thoughts

Are on display like a bride,

In revelation like the bride

تُزهى بِمَعنىً سَرِيٍّ

تُزهى بِمَعنىً سَرِيٍّ

أَتى بِمَعنىً شَموسِ

أَتى بِمَعنىً شَموسِ

Glorying in a noble meaning;

Adorned with a hidden meaning

He has brought forth a meaning hard to tame.

That came with the meaning of suns

وَلَيلَةٍ مِن عُكاظٍ

وَلَيلَةٍ مِن عُكاظٍ

ضَمَّت حُماةَ الوَطيسِ

ضَمَّت حُماةَ الوَطيسِ

And a night at Ukaz

And a night of Okaz

Gathered the champions of battle's furnace.

Which gathered the protectors of the quagmire

أَحيا بِها ذِكرَ عَهدٍ

أَحيا بِها ذِكرَ عَهدٍ

آثارُهُ في الطُروسِ

آثارُهُ في الطُروسِ

He revived in it the memory of an age

He brought to life through it the memory of an era

Whose traces lie on written pages:

Whose relics are in the rituals

عَهدٌ سَما الشِعرُ فيهِ

عَهدٌ سَما الشِعرُ فيهِ

إِلى مَجالي الشُموسِ

إِلى مَجالي الشُموسِ

An age in which poetry soared

An era where poetry flowed

To the shining realms of the suns,

To the horizons of the suns

وَوِردُهُ كانَ أَصفى

وَوِردُهُ كانَ أَصفى

مِن مَورِدِ القاموسِ

مِن مَورِدِ القاموسِ

And its waters were clearer

And its meadow was more pure

Than the ocean's waters.

Than the source of the dictionary

فَجِئتُها بِحَديثٍ

فَجِئتُها بِحَديثٍ

أَسوقُهُ لِلجُلوسِ

أَسوقُهُ لِلجُلوسِ

So I came to it with a tale

So I came to it with a tale

Which I recount to those seated:

I drive to the sitting

قَد زُرتُ مُتحَفَ مِصرٍ

قَد زُرتُ مُتحَفَ مِصرٍ

في ظُهرِ يَومِ الخَميسِ

في ظُهرِ يَومِ الخَميسِ

I had visited Egypt's museum

I had visited the museum of Egypt

At noon on Thursday,

On the back of Thursday

في زُمرَةٍ مِن رِفاقٍ

في زُمرَةٍ مِن رِفاقٍ

غُرِّ الشَمائِلِ شوسِ

غُرِّ الشَمائِلِ شوسِ

With a group of companions,

Amongst a group of companions

Radiant of character, proud and fierce.

Young men of good traits

فَضِقتُ ذَرعاً بِأَمرٍ

فَضِقتُ ذَرعاً بِأَمرٍ

عَلى النُفوسِ بَئيسِ

عَلى النُفوسِ بَئيسِ

Then I was sorely distressed by a matter

So I was extremely bothered by something

Grievous to souls,

Grievous to the souls

وَكِدتُ أُصرَعُ غَمّاً

وَكِدتُ أُصرَعُ غَمّاً

لِحَظِّها المَعكوسِ

لِحَظِّها المَعكوسِ

And I was nearly felled by grief

And I almost collapsed in sorrow

At her fortune turned awry.

For its reversed fortune

وَصَرعَةُ الغَمِّ أَدهى

وَصَرعَةُ الغَمِّ أَدهى

مِن صَرعَةِ الخَندَريسِ

مِن صَرعَةِ الخَندَريسِ

And to be felled by grief is worse

And the collapse of grief is more catastrophic

Than to be felled by aged wine.

Than the collapse of the hyena

رَأَيتُ جُثَّةَ خوفو

رَأَيتُ جُثَّةَ خوفو

بِقُربِ سيزوستَريسِ

بِقُربِ سيزوستَريسِ

I saw the corpse of Khufu

I saw the corpse of Khufu

Near Sesostris.

Near Sesostris

فَقُلتُ يا قَومُ هَذا

فَقُلتُ يا قَومُ هَذا

صُنعُ العَقوقِ الخَسيسِ

صُنعُ العَقوقِ الخَسيسِ

So I said: O people, this

So I said, O people, this is

Is the work of vile, unfilial ingratitude.

The making of despicable ingratitude

أَجسادُ أَملاكِ مِصرٍ

أَجسادُ أَملاكِ مِصرٍ

وَشائِدي مَنفيسِ

وَشائِدي مَنفيسِ

The bodies of Egypt's kings

The bodies of Egypt's kings

And of the builders of Memphis,

And its honored dead

مِن بَعدِ خَمسينَ قَرناً

مِن بَعدِ خَمسينَ قَرناً

لَم تَستَرِح في الرُموسِ

لَم تَستَرِح في الرُموسِ

After fifty centuries,

After fifty centuries

Have found no rest in the graves.

Did not rest in burials

أَرى فَراعينَ مِصرٍ

أَرى فَراعينَ مِصرٍ

في ذِلَّةٍ وَنُحوسِ

في ذِلَّةٍ وَنُحوسِ

I see Egypt's pharaohs

I see Egypt's pharaohs

In humiliation and ill fortune,

In misery and ill fate

مَعروضَةً لِلبَرايا

مَعروضَةً لِلبَرايا

أَجسادُهُم بِالفُلوسِ

أَجسادُهُم بِالفُلوسِ

Displayed to humankind—

Their bodies exposed

Their bodies, for coins.

To the commons for money

عَنهُم نَبَشنا زَماناً

عَنهُم نَبَشنا زَماناً

في مُظلِماتِ الدُروسِ

في مُظلِماتِ الدُروسِ

For a time we dug in search of them

We dug up from them an era

In the dark recesses of oblivion.

In the darkness of lessons

فَديسَ ظُلماً حِماهُم

فَديسَ ظُلماً حِماهُم

وَكانَ غَيرَ مَدوسِ

وَكانَ غَيرَ مَدوسِ

So their sanctuary was unjustly trampled,

So vilely wronging their protection

And it had been untrodden.

And it was not trampled

لَعَلَّهُم حَصَّنوهُم

لَعَلَّهُم حَصَّنوهُم

مِن هادِماتِ الفُؤوسِ

مِن هادِماتِ الفُؤوسِ

Perhaps they had fortified them

Perhaps they fortified themselves

Against the destructive strokes of axes,

From the damagers of graves

عِلماً بِأَن سَوفَ يُمنى

عِلماً بِأَن سَوفَ يُمنى

بِيَومِ شَرٍّ عَبوسِ

بِيَومِ شَرٍّ عَبوسِ

Knowing that it would be afflicted

Knowing that one day

By a grim day of evil.

An angry day would be wished

لَو أَنَّ أَمثالَ مينا

لَو أَنَّ أَمثالَ مينا

في الغَربِ أَو رَمسيسِ

في الغَربِ أَو رَمسيسِ

Had the likes of Menes

If the likes of Menes

Been in the West—or Ramses—

In the West or Ramses

بَنوا عَلَيهِم وَخَطّوا

بَنوا عَلَيهِم وَخَطّوا

حَظائِرَ التَقديسِ

حَظائِرَ التَقديسِ

They would have built over them and marked out

Built upon them and outlined

Enclosures of veneration.

Precincts of sanctity