حقَّ لِلمخزونِ أَنْ ترثيَ لَهْ

حقَّ لِلمخزونِ أَنْ ترثيَ لَهْ

وَاسِهِ إنْ شئت أَوْ دَعْ عَذَلَهْ

وَاسِهِ إنْ شئت أَوْ دَعْ عَذَلَهْ

The sorrowful one deserves your pity.

It is right for the depressed to lament him

Console him if you wish, or stop reproaching him.

And console him if you wish, or leave his torment be

لا تزدْ ضيقاً عليه سبلَه

لا تزدْ ضيقاً عليه سبلَه

ضَمنتْ سودُ اللَّيالي تبلَه

ضَمنتْ سودُ اللَّيالي تبلَه

Do not make his paths still narrower for him.

Do not make his paths more constricted

The black nights have ensured his torment,

The darkness of nights has ensured his distress

وَكَفاهُ ما به مِنْ كمدِ

وَكَفاهُ ما به مِنْ كمدِ

ذَكَرَ الماضي وَذِكْراهُ شجنْ

ذَكَرَ الماضي وَذِكْراهُ شجنْ

And the pent-up grief within him is enough.

And what is in him of resignation suffices him

He recalled the past, and its remembrance is sorrow.

He recalled the past and its recollection brought him melancholy

فاستشارَ الدَّمعُ منه ما أجنْ

فاستشارَ الدَّمعُ منه ما أجنْ

وَرأى البرقَ شآميّاً فَحَنْ

وَرأى البرقَ شآميّاً فَحَنْ

So tears drew from him what he had concealed.

So the tear consulted him about what brought him down

And he saw lightning from Sham and yearned,

And he saw the lightning burdened thus it bowed

كَحنينِ العَوْد يوماً للعَطَنْ

كَحنينِ العَوْد يوماً للعَطَنْ

وانثنى نحو حشاه باليدِ

وانثنى نحو حشاه باليدِ

As an old camel once yearned for its watering-place.

Like the wailing of the lute one day for the affectionate gatherings

And turned his hand toward his breast.

And it bent toward its interior with the hand

يا لَهُ خبا ثمَّ أَضا

يا لَهُ خبا ثمَّ أَضا

موهِناً كالعرقِ لمَّا نَبَضا

موهِناً كالعرقِ لمَّا نَبَضا

Oh, how it dimmed, then shone,

Oh what sorrow then increased

Late at night, like a vein when it throbbed.

Weakening like sweat when it throbbed

تركَ القلبَ عَلَى جَمرِ الغضا

تركَ القلبَ عَلَى جَمرِ الغضا

كلُّ جَفنٍ شامه ما أَغْمضا

كلُّ جَفنٍ شامه ما أَغْمضا

It left the heart on embers of ghada wood.

It left the heart upon the embers of anger

Every eyelid that beheld it stayed unclosed.

Every eyelid its evening has not closed

فَاعذُروه في البكا وَالسُّهد

فَاعذُروه في البكا وَالسُّهد

ذَكَرَ الشامَ عَلَى عَهدِ الوليدْ

ذَكَرَ الشامَ عَلَى عَهدِ الوليدْ

So excuse his weeping and sleeplessness.

So excuse him for the crying and the sleeplessness

He recalled Sham in the reign of al-Walid,

He recalled Damascus in the days of Al-Walid

وحمى بَغداد أَيّامَ الرَّشيدْ

وحمى بَغداد أَيّامَ الرَّشيدْ

وَرأَى الحالَةَ في العصرِ الجديدْ

وَرأَى الحالَةَ في العصرِ الجديدْ

And Baghdad's precincts in the days of al-Rashid.

And protected Baghdad in the days of Al-Rashid

And he saw the condition in the modern age—

And saw the current state in the new era

كيف حالتْ فارْتمى فوقَ الصَّعيدْ

كيف حالتْ فارْتمى فوقَ الصَّعيدْ

خائِرَ القوَّةِ واهي الجلدِ

خائِرَ القوَّةِ واهي الجلدِ

How it had changed; so he flung himself upon the ground,

How it changed so he fell upon the ground

His strength spent, his endurance frail.

Losing strength and weak in endurance

قفْ علَى الرَّبعِ وَلو لَوْثَ الإِزارْ

قفْ علَى الرَّبعِ وَلو لَوْثَ الإِزارْ

عَلَّني أُطْفِيء بالدَّمعِ الأُوار

عَلَّني أُطْفِيء بالدَّمعِ الأُوار

Halt at the dwelling, even for the time of wrapping a waistcloth,

Stand in the neighborhood even in worn-out wraps

Perhaps I can quench the burning heat with tears.

For I will put out my fire with tears

واسأَلِ الرَّبعَ متى عهد الجوارْ

واسأَلِ الرَّبعَ متى عهد الجوارْ

إِنّ لي قلباً عليهمْ مُستطارْ

إِنّ لي قلباً عليهمْ مُستطارْ

And ask the dwelling: when were the days of neighborly life?

And ask the neighborhood when the days of neighborliness were

Indeed, my heart is distraught for them,

For I have a heart resentful of them

دينهُ منْ متهمٍ أَو منجدِ

دينهُ منْ متهمٍ أَو منجدِ

وَقَفتْ واللَّيلُ قَدْ أَرخى السُّدولْ

وَقَفتْ واللَّيلُ قَدْ أَرخى السُّدولْ

Its allegiance lies with those of Tihamah or Najd.

Its religion from a blamer or someone dutiful

She stood while night had lowered its curtains,

She stood while the night adorned itself with its gowns

تسكبُ الدَّمعَ عَلَى تلك الطُّلولْ

تسكبُ الدَّمعَ عَلَى تلك الطُّلولْ

أَيُّ شيءٍ هو أَدعى لِلذُّهولْ

أَيُّ شيءٍ هو أَدعى لِلذُّهولْ

Pouring tears upon those ruined dwellings.

Pouring tears upon those hills

What could be more bewildering

What is more deserving of bewilderment

مِنْ بكاءِ الرُّودِ في رَسمٍ محيلْ

مِنْ بكاءِ الرُّودِ في رَسمٍ محيلْ

موحشٍ ليس به مِنْ أَحدِ

موحشٍ ليس به مِنْ أَحدِ

Than a gentle maiden weeping at a weathered ruin,

Than the weeping of the dunes in an abandoned illustration

Desolate, with no one there?

Devoid of anyone in it

لا نَسلْ عمّا عراني وَعَراها

لا نَسلْ عمّا عراني وَعَراها

ساعةً حيث تراني وأراها

ساعةً حيث تراني وأراها

Let us not ask what befell me and her

Do not ask what has scandalized and disgraced her

At the moment when she sees me and I see her.

For a time when you see me and I see her

حُزنٌ كمَّ فمي إِذْ كمَّ فاها

حُزنٌ كمَّ فمي إِذْ كمَّ فاها

وَعلتْ آياتهُ منّا الجباها

وَعلتْ آياتهُ منّا الجباها

Grief sealed my mouth as it sealed hers,

Sorrow sealed my mouth when it sealed its mouth

And its signs spread across our foreheads,

And its signs raised from us the foreheads

منبِّئات عن أَسىً في الخَلَدِ

منبِّئات عن أَسىً في الخَلَدِ

لوعةٌ وَثّابَةٌ بين الضُّلوعْ

لوعةٌ وَثّابَةٌ بين الضُّلوعْ

Telling of sorrow in the heart.

Informing of sorrow in eternity

A burning anguish, leaping between the ribs,

Heartache and melancholy between the ribs

وأَسىً ذَادَ عن العينِ الهجوعْ

وأَسىً ذَادَ عن العينِ الهجوعْ

ليتَ شِعري فيمَ تسكابُ الدُّموعْ

ليتَ شِعري فيمَ تسكابُ الدُّموعْ

And sorrow that banished sleep from the eye.

And sorrow defending from the eye the sleeplessness

Would that I knew: why this pouring of tears?

If only I knew why tears pour

وَقديماً ما درتْ معنى الوُلوعْ

وَقديماً ما درتْ معنى الوُلوعْ

جلدةَ العينِ وخلب الكبدِ

جلدةَ العينِ وخلب الكبدِ

And long since, the meaning of passion has been known

When long ago it did not know the meaning of fervor

To the eye's membrane and the liver's lobe.

Firmness of the eye and contortion of the liver

إِنَّما تبكي لمجدٍ قَدْ سلفْ

إِنَّما تبكي لمجدٍ قَدْ سلفْ

لم يكنْ محتفِظاً فيه الخلفْ

لم يكنْ محتفِظاً فيه الخلفْ

She weeps only for glory that has passed,

It only cries for a past glory

Which later generations failed to preserve.

That the successors did not preserve

آنَ للقاعدِ منّا أَنْ نخف

آنَ للقاعدِ منّا أَنْ نخف

نحو دَرْكِ المجدِ فالوَقْتُ أَزفْ

نحو دَرْكِ المجدِ فالوَقْتُ أَزفْ

It is time for us who sit idle to bestir ourselves,

Now it is time for us sitting to be lighter

Toward attaining glory, for the hour draws near.

Towards attaining glory for the time is nigher

ليس يكفينا كريمُ المحتدِ

ليس يكفينا كريمُ المحتدِ

وَملاكُ الأمْرِ تهذيبُ الفتاةِ

وَملاكُ الأمْرِ تهذيبُ الفتاةِ

Noble lineage is not enough for us.

The generous of our era do not suffice

And the crux of the matter is the girl's education,

And the key is educating the young woman

فهيَ مشكاةٌ تُنيرُ الظُّلُماتِ

فهيَ مشكاةٌ تُنيرُ الظُّلُماتِ

هل سمعتمْ في القُرونِ الخالياتِ

هل سمعتمْ في القُرونِ الخالياتِ

For she is a lamp-niche that lights the darkness.

For she is a lantern that lights up the darkness

Have you heard, in bygone centuries,

Have you heard in past generations

أُمةً هبَّتْ بغيرِ النّاهضاتِ

أُمةً هبَّتْ بغيرِ النّاهضاتِ

للعُلى أَو في العصورِ الجددِ

للعُلى أَو في العصورِ الجددِ

Of a nation rising without women striving

A nation that rose without women

Toward greatness—or in the newer ages?

To the heights, or in the new eras