نَفى شَعرَ الرَأَسِ القَديمَ حَوالِقُهُ

نَفى شَعرَ الرَأَسِ القَديمَ حَوالِقُهُ

وَلاحَ بِشَيبٍ في السَوادِ مَفارِقُهُ

وَلاحَ بِشَيبٍ في السَوادِ مَفارِقُهُ

The head's former hair has been swept away by the forces that shear it;

The twilight of age has removed the hair of my head,

and its partings gleam with gray amid the black.

And whiteness has appeared in the blackness separating it.

وَأَفنى شَبابي صُبحُ يَومٍ وَليلَةٌ

وَأَفنى شَبابي صُبحُ يَومٍ وَليلَةٌ

وَما الدَهرُ إِلّا مُسيُهُ وَمَشارِقُهُ

وَما الدَهرُ إِلّا مُسيُهُ وَمَشارِقُهُ

And daybreak and night have worn away my youth;

My youth was destroyed in one morn and eve,

and time is nothing but its dusk and dawns.

For time is but its coming and going.

وَأَدرَكتُ ما قَد قالَ قَبلي لِدَهرِهِ

وَأَدرَكتُ ما قَد قالَ قَبلي لِدَهرِهِ

زُهَيرٌ وَإِن يَهلِك تُخَلَّد نَواطِقُهُ

زُهَيرٌ وَإِن يَهلِك تُخَلَّد نَواطِقُهُ

And I have grasped what, before me, was said of his own time

I have attained what Zuheir said about his time before me,

by Zuhayr—though he perish, his utterances live forever.

And though he perishes, his words are immortalized.

تَبَصَّر خَليلي هَل تَرى مِن ظَعائِنٍ

تَبَصَّر خَليلي هَل تَرى مِن ظَعائِنٍ

كَنَخلِ القُرى أَو كَالسَفينِ حَزائِقُهُ

كَنَخلِ القُرى أَو كَالسَفينِ حَزائِقُهُ

Look closely, my friend: do you see any women traveling in howdahs,

Look, my friend - do you see any young, slender palm trees

like al-Qura's palms, or ships in clustered fleets?

Or ships with their towering masts?

تَرَبَّعنَ رَوضَ الحَزنِ ما بينَ لَيَّةٍ

تَرَبَّعنَ رَوضَ الحَزنِ ما بينَ لَيَّةٍ

وَسَيحانَ مُستَكّاً لَهُنَّ حَدائِقُهُ

وَسَيحانَ مُستَكّاً لَهُنَّ حَدائِقُهُ

They spent spring in al-Hazn's meadow, between Layyah

He settled in the garden of sorrow between Layya

and Sayhan, its gardens grown thick for them.

And Saihan, leaning on them and their enclosures.

فَلَمّا رَأَينَ الجَزءَ وَدَّعَ أَهلَهُ

فَلَمّا رَأَينَ الجَزءَ وَدَّعَ أَهلَهُ

وَحَرَّقَ نيرانَ الصَفيحِ وَدائِقُهُ

وَحَرَّقَ نيرانَ الصَفيحِ وَدائِقُهُ

Then, when they saw the moist pasture bid its people farewell,

When he saw his tribe depart he bade them farewell

and its scorching heat kindled the fires of the flat stones,

And burned the tents and their skirts.

عَزَمنَ رَحيلاً وَاِنتَجَعنَ عَلى هَوىً

عَزَمنَ رَحيلاً وَاِنتَجَعنَ عَلى هَوىً

وَخِفنَ العِراقَ أَن تَجيشَ بَوائِقُهُ

وَخِفنَ العِراقَ أَن تَجيشَ بَوائِقُهُ

they resolved to depart and sought pasture where they pleased,

They decided on departure and went unrestrained in their love,

and feared Iraq, lest its perils rise in tumult.

Fearing Iraq and its revolutions.

وَخُبِّرنَ ما بَينَ الأَخاديدِ واللِوى

وَخُبِّرنَ ما بَينَ الأَخاديدِ واللِوى

سَقَتهُ الغَوادي وَالسَواري طَوارِقُهُ

سَقَتهُ الغَوادي وَالسَواري طَوارِقُهُ

And they were told that the land between al-Akhadid and al-Liwa

They were told what was between the ravines and twists -

had been watered by morning and night rains, its passing visitors.

Its valleys and plains watered it with their torrents.

وَباكَرنَ جَوفاً تَنسُجُ الريحُ مَتنَهُ

وَباكَرنَ جَوفاً تَنسُجُ الريحُ مَتنَهُ

تَناءَمُ تَكليمَ المَجوسِ غَرانِقُهُ

تَناءَمُ تَكليمَ المَجوسِ غَرانِقُهُ

And at dawn they reached a basin whose surface the wind was weaving;

They ventured into the deserts, which the winds wove into waves

its cranes murmured to one another like Magians speaking.

Whose troughs corresponded with the soothsayers' incantations.

إِذا ما أَتَتهُ الريحُ مِن شَطرِ جانِبٍ

إِذا ما أَتَتهُ الريحُ مِن شَطرِ جانِبٍ

إِلى جانِبٍ حازَ التُرابَ مَهارِقُهُ

إِلى جانِبٍ حازَ التُرابَ مَهارِقُهُ

Whenever the wind came to it from the direction of one side,

Whenever the wind came to it from one side,

its parchment-like sheets swept the dust toward another side.

It would seize the dust and transport it to the other.

بِحافَتِهِ مِن لا يَصيحُ بِمَن سَرى

بِحافَتِهِ مِن لا يَصيحُ بِمَن سَرى

وَلا يَدَّعي إِلا بِما هُوَ صادِقُهُ

وَلا يَدَّعي إِلا بِما هُوَ صادِقُهُ

At its edge were those who did not call out to travelers by night,

With its edge devoid of one who calls to the departed

and made no claim except what they could truthfully assert,

Or claims anything but what is true.

عَلَى كُلِّ مُعطٍ عِطفَهُ مُتَزَيِّدٍ

عَلَى كُلِّ مُعطٍ عِطفَهُ مُتَزَيِّدٍ

بِفَضلِ الزِمامِ أَو مَروحٍ تُواهِقُهُ

بِفَضلِ الزِمامِ أَو مَروحٍ تُواهِقُهُ

on every mount yielding its flank and quickening its pace

On every pilgrim its compassion excelled,

with slack in the rein, or a lively mount you keep pace with.

Through the grace of its bridle or a swaying carrier.

وَقَد قُلنَ بِالبَردِيِّ أَوَّلُ مَشرَبٍ

وَقَد قُلنَ بِالبَردِيِّ أَوَّلُ مَشرَبٍ

أَجَلَّ جَيرٍ إِن كانَت سَقَتهُ بَوارِقُهُ

أَجَلَّ جَيرٍ إِن كانَت سَقَتهُ بَوارِقُهُ

And they said: 'At al-Bardi is the first watering place.'

In the beginning, the first object of its waters

'Yes, indeed—if its lightning-bearing clouds have watered it.'

Was the purest rainwater from its downpour.

وَقَد يَنبَري لِيَ الجَهلُ يَوماً وَأَنبَري

وَقَد يَنبَري لِيَ الجَهلُ يَوماً وَأَنبَري

لِسربٍ كَحُرّاتِ الهِجانِ تُوافِقُهُ

لِسربٍ كَحُرّاتِ الهِجانِ تُوافِقُهُ

And recklessness may come my way one day, and I approach

Ignorance may one day sally forth to me and I to it,

a bevy like the choicest white she-camels you might encounter:

To a flock like locusts of the wadis corresponding to it.

ثلاثٌ غَريراتُ الكَلامِ وَناشِصٌ

ثلاثٌ غَريراتُ الكَلامِ وَناشِصٌ

عَلى البَعلِ لا يَخلو وَلا هِيَ عاشِقُهُ

عَلى البَعلِ لا يَخلو وَلا هِيَ عاشِقُهُ

three innocent in speech, and one rebellious

Three bubbling of speech and a critic

against her husband; he is not alone, nor is she in love with him.

Of the master - it is neither free of nor loving him.