كفى حَزناً يا ابنَ المُسَيِّبِ أَنَّني

كفى حَزناً يا ابنَ المُسَيِّبِ أَنَّني

ببغداد دَانٍ من جِوارِكَ نَازحُ

ببغداد دَانٍ من جِوارِكَ نَازحُ

It is grief enough, O Ibn al-Musayyib, that I am

Enough sorrow, O son of al-Musayyab, that I

in Baghdad, near your neighborhood, yet far away.

Am exiled from Baghdad, from your neighborhood.

وانى أَرى أَعلامَ دارى كما يَرى

وانى أَرى أَعلامَ دارى كما يَرى

منازلَ بُصرى دوحُها المتناوِحُ

منازلَ بُصرى دوحُها المتناوِحُ

And I see the landmarks of my home as

And I see the flags of my home as one sees

Busra's great trees, facing one another, see its dwellings.

The well-aligned houses overlooking each other.

اذا شئت غنتنى حَمائم أَيكةٍ

اذا شئت غنتنى حَمائم أَيكةٍ

أَوالفها والفاقداتُ الصَّوادِحُ

أَوالفها والفاقداتُ الصَّوادِحُ

Whenever I wish, the doves of a thicket sing to me—

If you wish, the doves of Ayka will sing to me,

its paired birds and its bereaved ones, calling aloud.

Or the young gazelles and those missing their companions.

أقلبُ طرفي في اليفاعِ كأَنني

أقلبُ طرفي في اليفاعِ كأَنني

من الزُّرقِ أَقنى يَنفُضُ طَافِحُ

من الزُّرقِ أَقنى يَنفُضُ طَافِحُ

I turn my gaze over the high ground, as though I were

I turn my eyes to the meadows as if I were

a hooked-beaked blue hawk, shaking its feathers and soaring.

A thirsty man gathering dew that pours out.

اذا حلَّ أرضاً لم يصفق بجوها

اذا حلَّ أرضاً لم يصفق بجوها

جناحٌ ولم يسرح من الوحشِ سارِحُ

جناحٌ ولم يسرح من الوحشِ سارِحُ

When it settles in a land, there does not beat in its air

If he lands in a place whose air was not clapped by a wing,

a wing, nor does any wild creature roam.

Nor did any beast wander free in the wilderness.

أمن بعد ما رضت الصعابَ وعُللتْ

أمن بعد ما رضت الصعابَ وعُللتْ

بما أتغناه القِلاصُ الطلائحُ

بما أتغناه القِلاصُ الطلائحُ

Is it after I tamed unruly mounts and soothed

After being content with hardships and disabilities,

the weary young she-camels with the songs I sing,

With what the little birds on the hills sing.

وغادرتُ لم أَجفلْ وانْ بعدَ المَدَى

وغادرتُ لم أَجفلْ وانْ بعدَ المَدَى

زواحفُ في أَغراسِهِنَّ السرَّائِحُ

زواحفُ في أَغراسِهِنَّ السرَّائِحُ

and left behind—never flinching, however far the journey—

And I left, I did not hesitate, though after the distance

the pasturing camels, crawling in their birth membranes,

There are snakes slithering in their thickets.

أَهمُ فلا اسطيعُ نحوكَ نَهْضَةً

أَهمُ فلا اسطيعُ نحوكَ نَهْضَةً

وعَرضُ الملا بينى وبينكَ فاسِحُ

وعَرضُ الملا بينى وبينكَ فاسِحُ

that I resolve to come, yet cannot rise to go toward you,

Alas, I cannot journey towards you,

while the wilderness between us stretches wide?

And the flood plain is between me and you, vast.

فقل لمدرِ الحَربِ قبلَ أَوانِها

فقل لمدرِ الحَربِ قبلَ أَوانِها

لقد لَقَحَتْ فانظرْ بما هي لاقحُ

لقد لَقَحَتْ فانظرْ بما هي لاقحُ

Then tell the one who milks war before its time:

So tell the rain-pourer of war, before its time,

'It has conceived; look at what it is pregnant with.'

That it is already pregnant, so see what it will give birth to.

فانَّكَ لو شاورتَنى يومَ واسِطٍ

فانَّكَ لو شاورتَنى يومَ واسِطٍ

علمتَ مَن المولى الذي لكَ ناصِحُ

علمتَ مَن المولى الذي لكَ ناصِحُ

For, had you consulted me on the day of Wasit,

For had you consulted me on the day of Wasit,

you would have known which ally offers you sincere counsel.

You would have known who is the advisor loyal to you.

سأَصْرِفُ نَفْسي عنكم آل باسِلٍ

سأَصْرِفُ نَفْسي عنكم آل باسِلٍ

وفي كل أَرضٍ عن سِواها مَنَادِحُ

وفي كل أَرضٍ عن سِواها مَنَادِحُ

I shall turn myself away from you, house of Bāsil;

I will divert myself from you, O clan of Basil,

and every land offers ample room apart from all the rest.

And in every land, from other than it, I will bellow.

فأكره وِرْداً ليس يُشْفَى به الصَّدى

فأكره وِرْداً ليس يُشْفَى به الصَّدى

كما كَرِهَتْ وردَ الحِياضِ المَقَامِحُ

كما كَرِهَتْ وردَ الحِياضِ المَقَامِحُ

So I spurn a watering that does not quench thirst,

So I dislike a cure that does not heal longing

as head-raised camels shun coming to the watering-pools.

As I disliked the roses of gardens that sting.

وتأخذُ آفاقَ البلادِ عليكم

وتأخذُ آفاقَ البلادِ عليكم

سوائرُ في أَمثالها السمُ ذَابِحُ

سوائرُ في أَمثالها السمُ ذَابِحُ

And against you, across the lands' horizons, shall spread

And the winds take the horizons from you in all directions

far-traveling verses, whose like contains deadly poison.

Bringing death, rending them like a slaughtering knife.

تقطَّع عن روحاتها وبكورها

تقطَّع عن روحاتها وبكورها

رياحُ الصَّبا منها مُرِمٌّ ورازحُ

رياحُ الصَّبا منها مُرِمٌّ ورازحُ

Left behind by their evening and morning journeys

They are cut off from their dawns and times of watering

are the east winds—some marrow-rich, some exhausted.

By the morning breezes, attacking and moaning.

أُخبر فيها بالذي قد صَنَعتُم

أُخبر فيها بالذي قد صَنَعتُم

وما أَنا هاجيكم وما أَنا مادِحُ

وما أَنا هاجيكم وما أَنا مادِحُ

In them I recount what you have done,

I have been told of what you have done,

and I neither satirize you nor praise you.

And I am neither provoking nor praising you.

أَلم يكُ في عشرينَ حولاً سَهِرتُها

أَلم يكُ في عشرينَ حولاً سَهِرتُها

أُناضلُ عن أَحسابِكم وأُكافِحُ

أُناضلُ عن أَحسابِكم وأُكافِحُ

Was there not, in twenty years I spent sleepless,

For twenty years I stayed up nights

defending your family honor and fighting,

Struggling for your causes and fighting.

ثوابٌ فتنهوا عن أَذايَ سفيهكم

ثوابٌ فتنهوا عن أَذايَ سفيهكم

ومن لا يورع كلَبه فهو نابِحُ

ومن لا يورع كلَبه فهو نابِحُ

some reward—that you restrain your fool from harming me?

A reward! So refrain from the ignorance of your fool

And whoever does not restrain his dog is himself a barker.

And he who does not restrain his dog is a barker.

وما كنتُ الا فارغاً متشاغلا

وما كنتُ الا فارغاً متشاغلا

اذا جئتكم أَغدوكما أَنا رائِحُ

اذا جئتكم أَغدوكما أَنا رائِحُ

I was only an idle man making a show of being busy,

I was nothing but absent, preoccupied,

when I visited you, going at dawn and returning at evening unchanged.

When I came to you, whether going or returning.

وانَّ من الانصافِ أَنْ تَتَثبتوا

وانَّ من الانصافِ أَنْ تَتَثبتوا

سنا الحقِ انَّ الحقَ أَبلجُ واضِحُ

سنا الحقِ انَّ الحقَ أَبلجُ واضِحُ

And fairness requires that you carefully examine

And it is only fair that you investigate

the radiance of truth: truth is bright and clear.

The proper tradition―truth is lucid and clear.

فتا للهِ أَبقى أن تَسيلَ عليكمُ

فتا للهِ أَبقى أن تَسيلَ عليكمُ

شِعابُ القوافى أَوْ تجيش القرائِحُ

شِعابُ القوافى أَوْ تجيش القرائِحُ

So, by God, I hold back lest there pour over you

Far be it for me that the springs of poetry

the ravines of rhyme, or poetic minds surge.

Should flow upon you or the meters surge.

لعل أَبا حسَّانَ يجلو ظَلامَها

لعل أَبا حسَّانَ يجلو ظَلامَها

بغُرَّتِهِ والمشتري الحَمْدَ رابِحُ

بغُرَّتِهِ والمشتري الحَمْدَ رابِحُ

Perhaps Abu Hassān will dispel its darkness

Perhaps Abu Hassan will dispel its darkness

with his radiant brow; whoever buys praise profits.

With his genius―and the Buyer―success is profitable.

فَتُخْبِرَني كعبٌ ولا كعبَ غيرها

فَتُخْبِرَني كعبٌ ولا كعبَ غيرها

لساقِ هَوى قَيدُومها فهوَ طائِحُ

لساقِ هَوى قَيدُومها فهوَ طائِحُ

Then may Ka'b tell me—she alone is the ankle

So Ka‘b, and none but him, will inform me

for a leg whose forepart has collapsed and lies fallen.

If the anklet of his love―it wanders unrestrained.

بنو رافعِ البنيانِ رهطُ مقلدٍ

بنو رافعِ البنيانِ رهطُ مقلدٍ

بهم يَمنعُ الضيمَ الألدُ المكاشِحُ

بهم يَمنعُ الضيمَ الألدُ المكاشِحُ

Sons of the raiser of the edifice, Muqallid's clan:

The clan of the builder of edifices, the imitators,

through them the unyielding adversary wards off oppression.

Through them injustice is prevented by the ferocious attacker.

أناسٌ لمستَنِ الفراتِ عِصيُّهم

أناسٌ لمستَنِ الفراتِ عِصيُّهم

طوالُ العوالي والسُّيوفُ الجَوارِحُ

طوالُ العوالي والسُّيوفُ الجَوارِحُ

A people whose staffs along the Euphrates' course

They are people whose rods refused to bend,

are long spears and wounding swords.

Lofty heights and swords that tear flesh.

هم يَعْقِرُونَ الكُومَ والربحُ قَرَّةٌ

هم يَعْقِرُونَ الكُومَ والربحُ قَرَّةٌ

تُصارعُ نيرانَ القِرى أو تُرامِحُ

تُصارعُ نيرانَ القِرى أو تُرامِحُ

They slaughter high-humped she-camels while the bitterly cold wind

They maim the dunes and profit is a pleasure

wrestles the fires of hospitality or fights them with spears.

That battles the fires of settlements or hurls spears.