الدّمعُ يَنطقُ واللّسانُ صَموتُ

الدّمعُ يَنطقُ واللّسانُ صَموتُ

فانظرْ إلى الحركاتِ كيف تموتُ

فانظرْ إلى الحركاتِ كيف تموتُ

Tears speak, and the tongue is silent.

The tears speak though the tongue is mute

So look at the movements—how they die.

So look to the gestures, see how they die

ما زالَ يظهرُ كلّ يومٍ بي ضَنَىً

ما زالَ يظهرُ كلّ يومٍ بي ضَنَىً

فلذاك عن عَيْنِ الحِمامِ خَفِيتُ

فلذاك عن عَيْنِ الحِمامِ خَفِيتُ

Wasting sickness keeps appearing in me each day,

My sorrow still appears every day

so I have vanished from death's eye.

So I've hidden from the eyes of the doves

صبٌّ يطالِبُ في صبابَةِ نَفسِهِ

صبٌّ يطالِبُ في صبابَةِ نَفسِهِ

جسداً بمديةِ سقمه منحوتُ

جسداً بمديةِ سقمه منحوتُ

A lovesick man, seeking in his soul's longing

A youth seeking in the freshness of his soul

a body, is carved by his sickness's knife.

A body sculpted by the chisel of illness

وأنا نذيرك إنْ تُلاحظ صبوةً

وأنا نذيرك إنْ تُلاحظ صبوةً

فاللّحظُ منكَ لنارِها كِبريتُ

فاللّحظُ منكَ لنارِها كِبريتُ

And I warn you, should you look upon passion:

I warn you, if you see the passion of youth

for your glance is brimstone for its fire.

Your gaze is the flint to its fire

قد كنتُ في عهدِ النصيح كآدمٍ

قد كنتُ في عهدِ النصيح كآدمٍ

لكن ذكرتُ هوى الدّمَى فنسيتُ

لكن ذكرتُ هوى الدّمَى فنسيتُ

I was like Adam, bound by the counselor's charge;

I used to give advice like Adam

but I remembered love for the doll-like beauties, and forgot.

But I remembered the love of girls and forgot

كيف التخلّصُ من فواترِ أعينٍ

كيف التخلّصُ من فواترِ أعينٍ

يُلْقي حبائلَ سحرها هاروتُ

يُلْقي حبائلَ سحرها هاروتُ

How can one escape languid eyes

How can I escape from the dues of eyes

whose magic snares Harut casts?

That cast the spells of their magic like Harut

ومُعذِّبي مَنْ يَستلذُّ تَعذّبي

ومُعذِّبي مَنْ يَستلذُّ تَعذّبي

لا باتَ من بلوَايَ كيفَ أبِيتُ

لا باتَ من بلوَايَ كيفَ أبِيتُ

And my tormentor is one who relishes my torment;

And my torturer is one who enjoys torturing me

may he never spend a night in my affliction as I do.

He hasn't experienced my afflictions to know how I spent the night

رشأٌ أحنّ إلى هواه كأنّه

رشأٌ أحنّ إلى هواه كأنّه

وطنٌ وُلدتُ بأرضه ونشيتُ

وطنٌ وُلدتُ بأرضه ونشيتُ

A gazelle-fawn—I yearn for his love, as though he were

A cheek I yearn for as if it were

a homeland on whose soil I was born and grew up.

A homeland where I was born and raised

في ليلِ لمته ضللتُ عن الهوى

في ليلِ لمته ضللتُ عن الهوى

وبنورِ غُرّتِهِ إليه هديتُ

وبنورِ غُرّتِهِ إليه هديتُ

In the night of his locks I strayed from love,

In the night of his absence I lost the path to love

and by the light of his brow I was guided to it.

And in the light of his cheating I was guided to him

ومنعَّمٌ جَرَحَ الشّبابُ بخَدّهِ

ومنعَّمٌ جَرَحَ الشّبابُ بخَدّهِ

لحظي فسالَ على المها الياقوتُ

لحظي فسالَ على المها الياقوتُ

And a pampered youth—his youthful cheek wounded

A changer whose cheek wounded youth

my gaze, and rubies flowed over crystal.

My eyes saw him and poured over the rubies

وأنا الذي ذاقت حلاوةَ حُسْنِهِ

وأنا الذي ذاقت حلاوةَ حُسْنِهِ

عيني فساغَ لطرفها وشجيتُ

عيني فساغَ لطرفها وشجيتُ

And I am he: the sweetness of his beauty was tasted

And I'm the one who tasted the sweetness of his beauty

by my eye; it was sweet to its gaze, and I was grieved.

My eyes feasted on his glances though it pained me

قال الكواعبُ قد سعدتَ بوصلنا

قال الكواعبُ قد سعدتَ بوصلنا

فَأَجبتها وبِهَجركنّ شقيتُ

فَأَجبتها وبِهَجركنّ شقيتُ

The full-breasted maidens said, 'You have found bliss in union with us.'

The flirts said "You were happy with our company"

So I replied, 'And in your desertion I found misery.'

And I replied "but your abandonment made me miserable"

كنْتُ المُحبّ كرامَةً لشَبيبَتي

كنْتُ المُحبّ كرامَةً لشَبيبَتي

حتى إذا وَخَطَ المَشِيبُ قُلِيتُ

حتى إذا وَخَطَ المَشِيبُ قُلِيتُ

I was the beloved, honored for my youth,

I was a lover out of respect for my youth

until gray hair flecked me and I was loathed.

Until when old age crept in I was disgraced

مَن أَستَعينُ بِهِ على فرط الأسَى

مَن أَستَعينُ بِهِ على فرط الأسَى

فأنا الذي بجنايَتي عوديتُ

فأنا الذي بجنايَتي عوديتُ

Whom can I call upon against overwhelming sorrow?

Who can I seek help from for the excess of sorrow?

For I am the one treated as an enemy for my own offense.

When it's my own crimes that accustomed me

كنتُ امرَأً لم أَلقَ فيه رزيّةً

كنتُ امرَأً لم أَلقَ فيه رزيّةً

حتى سُلِبْتُ شبيبَتي فرُزِيتُ

حتى سُلِبْتُ شبيبَتي فرُزِيتُ

I was a man who had known no calamity within himself,

I was a man who never faced misery

until I was robbed of my youth and was bereaved.

Until my youth was taken from me and I was wretched

تهدي ليَ المرآةُ سُخْطَ جنايَتي

تهدي ليَ المرآةُ سُخْطَ جنايَتي

فَاللَّه يعلمُ كيف عنه رضيتُ

فَاللَّه يعلمُ كيف عنه رضيتُ

The mirror offers me disgust at my own offense;

The mirror shows me the ugliness of my crimes

and God knows how I was content with myself.

Yet God knows how I was content with it

همّي كسِقطِ القَبسِ لكنْ طُعمُهُ

همّي كسِقطِ القَبسِ لكنْ طُعمُهُ

عُمْرٌ إذا أفْناهُ فيَّ فنيتُ

عُمْرٌ إذا أفْناهُ فيَّ فنيتُ

My grief is like a spark from a firebrand, but its food

My worry is like the falling of an ember

is a lifetime; when it consumes that within me, I perish.

A lifetime that if spent on me will destroy me

وإذا المشيبُ بَدا به كافُورُهُ

وإذا المشيبُ بَدا به كافُورُهُ

كَفَرَتْ به فكأنّه الطّاغوتُ

كَفَرَتْ به فكأنّه الطّاغوتُ

And when gray hair's camphor appeared upon him,

And when old age shows its camphor-like whiteness

she disbelieved in him, as though he were the false god.

It is ungrateful, as if it were an idol

ولربّ مُنْتَهِبِ المدى يجري به

ولربّ مُنْتَهِبِ المدى يجري به

عرقٌ عريقٌ في الجيادِ وَلِيتُ

عرقٌ عريقٌ في الجيادِ وَلِيتُ

And many a distance-plundering steed, through whom courses

And perhaps a raider, time carries him

a bloodline deep-rooted among noble steeds, I have handled.

On a steed pure of breed, if only I were carried

لَيلٌ حَبَاهُ الصبحُ درهمَ غُرّةٍ

لَيلٌ حَبَاهُ الصبحُ درهمَ غُرّةٍ

وحجولَ أربعَةٍ بهنّ القوتُ

وحجولَ أربعَةٍ بهنّ القوتُ

A night, to whom dawn gave a dirham-shaped blaze,

A night gifted by dawn a piece of silver

and four white anklets, in which sustenance lies.

And four lively horses fed with fodder

متفنّنٌ في الجري يتّبعُ اسمَهُ

متفنّنٌ في الجري يتّبعُ اسمَهُ

منه نعوتٌ بعدهنّ نعوتُ

منه نعوتٌ بعدهنّ نعوتُ

Versatile in running, his name is followed

An excellent runner who follows his name

by epithets drawn from him, then further epithets.

With attributes, after them more attributes

أطلَقتُهُ فعقلتُ كلّ طريدة

أطلَقتُهُ فعقلتُ كلّ طريدة

تبغي بلحظِكَ صيدَها فتفوتُ

تبغي بلحظِكَ صيدَها فتفوتُ

I loosed him and bound every quarry

I released him and I thought of every prey

you seek to catch with your gaze, but which eludes you.

That seeks with your glance to catch it, so miss it

لقطتْ قوائمه الأوابدَ شُرّداً

لقطتْ قوائمه الأوابدَ شُرّداً

قد كانَ منهُ لِجَمعها تَشتيتُ

قد كانَ منهُ لِجَمعها تَشتيتُ

His legs gathered the wild beasts as they fled;

His hooves gathered the hilltops scattered

he had scattered them in order to gather them.

As if to gather them he dispersed them

فكأنّمَا جَمَدَ الصُّوارُ لِدَوْمِهِ

فكأنّمَا جَمَدَ الصُّوارُ لِدَوْمِهِ

تَحتي فَلي من صَيدها ما شيتُ

تَحتي فَلي من صَيدها ما شيتُ

So the wild-cattle herd seemed frozen by his ceaseless running

It was as if the rocks were frozen in place

beneath me, and I could take from it whatever game I wished.

Beneath me, so I hunted whatever I wished