أَفي كُلِّ عامٍ مَصْرَعٌ لعَظِيم

أَفي كُلِّ عامٍ مَصْرَعٌ لعَظِيم

أَصابَ المَنَايا حادِثِي وقَدِيمي

أَصابَ المَنَايا حادِثِي وقَدِيمي

Does a great man fall every year?

Does the death of a great man come every year?

Death has struck down my new and old alike.

My new and old companions have met their fate.

هَوَى قَمَرا قَيْسِ بْن عَيْلانَ آنِفاً

هَوَى قَمَرا قَيْسِ بْن عَيْلانَ آنِفاً

وأَوْحَشَ مِن كَلْبٍ مَكَان زَعِيمِ

وأَوْحَشَ مِن كَلْبٍ مَكَان زَعِيمِ

The two moons of Qays ibn Aylan have just fallen,

The bright moon of Qays ibn Aylan has just set -

And the place of a chieftain of Kalb lies desolate.

And the place of a leader seems empty as a howling desert dog.

فَكَيْفَ لِقَائِي الحادِثَاتِ إِذا سَطَتْ

فَكَيْفَ لِقَائِي الحادِثَاتِ إِذا سَطَتْ

وقد فُلَّ سَيْفِي منهُمُ وعَزِيمِي

وقد فُلَّ سَيْفِي منهُمُ وعَزِيمِي

How, then, shall I face calamities when they strike,

So how can I meet misfortunes if they spread?

When my sword and resolve have been blunted by their loss?

My sword is blunted, and my resolve weakened against them.

وكَيْفَ اهْتِدائي في الخُطُوبِ إِذا دَجَت

وكَيْفَ اهْتِدائي في الخُطُوبِ إِذا دَجَت

وقد فَقَدَتْ عَيْنَايَ ضَوْءَ نُجُومِي

وقد فَقَدَتْ عَيْنَايَ ضَوْءَ نُجُومِي

And how shall I find my way through troubles when they darken,

And how can I find my way if darkness falls?

When my eyes have lost the light of my stars?

When my eyes have lost the light of my guiding stars.

مَضَى السَّلَفُ الوَضَّاحُ إِلا بَقِيّةً

مَضَى السَّلَفُ الوَضَّاحُ إِلا بَقِيّةً

كغُرّةِ مُسْوَدِّ القَمِيصِ بَهيمِ

كغُرّةِ مُسْوَدِّ القَمِيصِ بَهيمِ

The radiant predecessors have passed away, save a remnant,

The worthy ancestors have passed away, leaving only

Like a white blaze against a pitch-black coat.

A few like the patch on a worn out black shirt.

رَمَيت بها الآفاقَ عَنِّى غَرِيبَةً

رَمَيت بها الآفاقَ عَنِّى غَرِيبَةً

نَتِيجةَ خَفَّاقِ الضُّلُوعِ كَظِيمِ

نَتِيجةَ خَفَّاقِ الضُّلُوعِ كَظِيمِ

I cast it from me across the horizons, a stranger,

I have cast them away from me into the horizons, strange,

The offspring of one whose ribs quiver, who stifles grief.

Because of the pounding of my grieving heart.

لأُبْدِي إِلى أَهْلِ الحِجَا مِن بَواطِنِي

لأُبْدِي إِلى أَهْلِ الحِجَا مِن بَواطِنِي

وأُدْلِي بعذْرٍ في ظَوَاهِرِ لُومِ

وأُدْلِي بعذْرٍ في ظَوَاهِرِ لُومِ

To reveal to people of reason something of my inner thoughts,

I confess my inner secrets to the people of virtue,

And offer an excuse amid open reproach.

And offer excuses for my outward flaws.

أَنا السيْف لم تَتْعَبْ به كَف ضارِبٍ

أَنا السيْف لم تَتْعَبْ به كَف ضارِبٍ

صَرومٌ إِذا صادَفْت كَفَّ صَرومِ

صَرومٌ إِذا صادَفْت كَفَّ صَرومِ

I am the sword that has not wearied a wielder's hand,

I am the sword - no wielder's hand grew tired of me,

Keen-cutting when I meet a resolute man's hand.

I am deadly when I meet the hand of one who is deadly.

سَعَيْتُ بأَحْرَارِ الرِّجَالِ فخانَنِي

سَعَيْتُ بأَحْرَارِ الرِّجَالِ فخانَنِي

رِجَالٌ ولم أُنْجَدْ بجَدّ عَظِيمِ

رِجَالٌ ولم أُنْجَدْ بجَدّ عَظِيمِ

I strove with noble men, but I was betrayed

I sought the free men, but they betrayed me,

By men, and no great good fortune came to my aid.

Men - I was not helped by the resolve of the great ones.

وضيَّعَنِي الأَمْلاكُ بَدْءاً وعَوْدةً

وضيَّعَنِي الأَمْلاكُ بَدْءاً وعَوْدةً

فضِعْت بدارٍ منهُم وحَرِيمِ

فضِعْت بدارٍ منهُم وحَرِيمِ

And the kings neglected me, at first and again,

The kings neglected me from the start and return,

So I was forsaken in a dwelling and sanctuary of theirs.

So I was disgraced among them and their women.

فإِنْ رَكِبَتْ منِّي اللَّيَالِي هَضِيمةً

فإِنْ رَكِبَتْ منِّي اللَّيَالِي هَضِيمةً

فقَبْلِيَ مَا كانَ اهْتِضَام تَمِيمِ

فقَبْلِيَ مَا كانَ اهْتِضَام تَمِيمِ

So if the nights have dealt me an injustice,

If the nights ride me roughly,

Tamim was indeed oppressed before me.

I rode before them the collapse of Tamim.

أَما وأَبِي الأَيَّام لَوْلا اعْتِدَاؤهَا

أَما وأَبِي الأَيَّام لَوْلا اعْتِدَاؤهَا

لَظَاهَرْت في ساداتِهَا بقُرومِ

لَظَاهَرْت في ساداتِهَا بقُرومِ

Indeed, by the father of days, were it not for their aggression,

By my father's life, if not for their transgression,

I would have allied with mighty chiefs among their lords,

I would have appeared among their leaders with eminence.

وقَارَعْت مَن يَبْغِي قِرَاعِي منهم

وقَارَعْت مَن يَبْغِي قِرَاعِي منهم

بأَحْلامِ بَطْشٍ أَوْ بِطَيْش حلُومِ

بأَحْلامِ بَطْشٍ أَوْ بِطَيْش حلُومِ

And confronted any of them who sought to confront me,

And I would have opposed those who sought to oppose me,

With force's wisdom, or wise minds' rashness.

With dreams of heroism or the madness of the brave.

أَحَلُّوا مَلامِي لا أَبَا لأَبِيهِم

أَحَلُّوا مَلامِي لا أَبَا لأَبِيهِم

وإِنِّي ورَبِّ المَجْدِ غَيْر مَلُومِ

وإِنِّي ورَبِّ المَجْدِ غَيْر مَلُومِ

They made blaming me lawful—may their father be fatherless!

They heaped blame on me, no, their fathers are not to blame,

And I, by the Lord of glory, am blameless.

And by the Lord of Glory, I am not to blame.

فَلا تَعْذُلُونِي إِنْ وَلِهْت فإِنَّهَا

فَلا تَعْذُلُونِي إِنْ وَلِهْت فإِنَّهَا

علاقةُ حَبْرٍ لا علاقةُ رِيمِ

علاقةُ حَبْرٍ لا علاقةُ رِيمِ

So do not reproach me if I am distraught, for this is

So do not rebuke me if I have strayed, for it is

An attachment to a scholar, not an attachment to a white gazelle.

The relationship of ink, not the relationship of sand.

أَبا عَبْدةٍ إِنَّا عَذَرْناك عِنْدَمَا

أَبا عَبْدةٍ إِنَّا عَذَرْناك عِنْدَمَا

رَجَعْنَا وغَادَرْنَاك غَيْرَ ذَمِيمِ

رَجَعْنَا وغَادَرْنَاك غَيْرَ ذَمِيمِ

O Abu Abda, we excused you when

Abu Abdillah, we have excused you, when we returned

We returned and left you free of blame.

And left you, not slighted.

أَنَخْذُل مَن كُنَّا نَرود بأَرْضِهِ

أَنَخْذُل مَن كُنَّا نَرود بأَرْضِهِ

ونَكْرَع منه في إِناءِ علُومِ

ونَكْرَع منه في إِناءِ علُومِ

Shall we forsake one in whose land we used to seek pasture,

Shall we abandon one whose land we inhabited

And drank deeply from him, from a vessel of learning,

And from his vessel drank the water of knowledge?

ويَجْلُو العَمَى عنَّا بأَنْوارِ رأيهِ

ويَجْلُو العَمَى عنَّا بأَنْوارِ رأيهِ

إِذا أَظْلَمَت ظَلْمَاءُ ذات غُيومِ

إِذا أَظْلَمَت ظَلْمَاءُ ذات غُيومِ

Who dispelled our blindness with the lights of his insight

And the blindness is lifted from us by the light of his wisdom

Whenever a cloud-laden dark night grew black?

When the gloom of clouds overwhelmed us.

كأَنَّكَ لم تُلْقِحْ برِيحٍ مِن الحِجَا

كأَنَّكَ لم تُلْقِحْ برِيحٍ مِن الحِجَا

عَقَائِمَ أَوْكَارٍ بغَيْرِ عَقِيمِ

عَقَائِمَ أَوْكَارٍ بغَيْرِ عَقِيمِ

As though you had never fertilized, with a wind of reason,

It is as if you did not inseminate with a scent of virtue

Barren nests with a wind that was not barren,

The wombs of dens with anything but fruitful seed.

ولم نَعْتَمِدْ مَغْنَاكَ غَدْواً ولم نزَلْ

ولم نَعْتَمِدْ مَغْنَاكَ غَدْواً ولم نزَلْ

نَؤُمُّ لفَصْلِ الحُكْمِ دارَ حَكِيمِ

نَؤُمُّ لفَصْلِ الحُكْمِ دارَ حَكِيمِ

And we had never sought your dwelling in the morning—though we never ceased

We did not rely on your abundance morning and night,

To make for a sage's house for decisive judgment.

But always headed to the abode of the wise judge.