الآن إِذ بَرَدَ السلوُّ ظَمائي

الآن إِذ بَرَدَ السلوُّ ظَمائي

وأصاب بَعدكم الأُساةُ دوائي

وأصاب بَعدكم الأُساةُ دوائي

Now that forgetfulness has cooled my thirst,

Now that the cold has numbed my thirst

and, since your departure, the healers have found my cure—

And your absence has pained my remedy

كانت عزيمة حازمٍ أضللتُها

كانت عزيمة حازمٍ أضللتُها

في قربكم فأصبتُها في النائي

في قربكم فأصبتُها في النائي

it was a resolute man's resolve that I had lost

My firm resolve once led me astray

near you, then recovered far away—

To your nearness, and misled me into remoteness

آليتُ لا رَقَبَ الكواكبَ ناظري

آليتُ لا رَقَبَ الكواكبَ ناظري

شوقا ولا مَسَحَ الدموعَ ردائي

شوقا ولا مَسَحَ الدموعَ ردائي

I have sworn: my eye shall never watch the stars

I have vowed neither to raise my eyes to the stars in yearning

in longing, nor shall my cloak wipe away tears.

Nor to wipe away my tears with my sleeve

أمسٌ من الأهواء عَفَّي رسَمه

أمسٌ من الأهواء عَفَّي رسَمه

بيد النُّهى يومٌ من الآراءِ

بيد النُّهى يومٌ من الآراءِ

A yesterday of passions had its traces erased

A yesterday of passions whose form

by a day of sober judgment, with reason's hand.

The Hand of Prohibition has erased

وقَذاءُ قلبي أن يَحنّ لناظرٍ

وقَذاءُ قلبي أن يَحنّ لناظرٍ

يومَ الرحيل تفرّقَ الخُلَطاءِ

يومَ الرحيل تفرّقَ الخُلَطاءِ

And a mote in my heart is its yearning for an eye

The cure for my heart would be to yearn for the watcher

that watched companions part on the day of departure.

On the day of parting when companions scatter

دعهم ومَنْ حَمَلَتْه حُمْرُ جِمالهم

دعهم ومَنْ حَمَلَتْه حُمْرُ جِمالهم

للبين مِن حمراءَ في بيضاءِ

للبين مِن حمراءَ في بيضاءِ

Leave them, and whoever their red camels carried

Leave them and those whom their beautiful redness bore

off in separation—a rosy beauty in white.

To the separation between the rosy and the white

مستمطِرين ولم تَجُدهم أدمعي

مستمطِرين ولم تَجُدهم أدمعي

ومؤجِّجين وما لهم أحشائي

ومؤجِّجين وما لهم أحشائي

Seeking rain, though my tears did not shower them,

I weep for them yet my tears do not find them

and kindling flames, though my vitals were not theirs.

I flare up yet they are not in my heart

كانوا النواظرَ عِزّةً لكنهم

كانوا النواظرَ عِزّةً لكنهم

غَدروا فلم تُطبِق على الأقذاءِ

غَدروا فلم تُطبِق على الأقذاءِ

They were as dear as eyes, but they

They were eyes that brought honor but they

betrayed me, so my eyes would not close over motes.

Betrayed, so gazes do not fall upon the wounded

ولقد يغادرني وحيدا مخفقا

ولقد يغادرني وحيدا مخفقا

خَبَثُ المعاش وقِلَّةُ النجباءِ

خَبَثُ المعاش وقِلَّةُ النجباءِ

And indeed, I may be left alone and empty-handed

Indeed, the wickedness of livelihood and the paucity of nobles

by the sordidness of life and the scarcity of noble people.

Will leave me alone, defeated

أظمَى ورِيِّي في السؤال فلا يفي

أظمَى ورِيِّي في السؤال فلا يفي

حَرُّ المذلّةِ لي ببَرْد الماءِ

حَرُّ المذلّةِ لي ببَرْد الماءِ

I thirst, though my quenching lies in begging; yet

I am thirsty, yet my guide does not quench my questioning thirst

water's coolness cannot compensate me for humiliation's heat.

The heat of humiliation is not cooled for me by water’s chill

قالوا سخِطتَ على الأنام وإنما

قالوا سخِطتَ على الأنام وإنما

سخطي لجهلهمُ بوجه رضائي

سخطي لجهلهمُ بوجه رضائي

They said, 'You are angry with mankind'; but

They said you are angry with people, but truly

my anger is only at their ignorance of what would please me.

My anger is at their ignorance of the way to please me

صُوَرٌ تَصَرَّفُ أنفسُ الأمواتِ فى

صُوَرٌ تَصَرَّفُ أنفسُ الأمواتِ فى

أجسامها بجوارح الأحياءِ

أجسامها بجوارح الأحياءِ

Mere forms: the souls of the dead move within

Images that make even the souls of the dead

their bodies through the limbs of the living.

Move in their bodies with the limbs of the living

أُلقِي إلى الصَّمَّاء بثّيَ منهُمُ

أُلقِي إلى الصَّمَّاء بثّيَ منهُمُ

وأُعير شمسيَ ناظرَ العَشْواءِ

وأُعير شمسيَ ناظرَ العَشْواءِ

I pour out my grief over them to the deaf stone,

I cast my message to the deaf and lend

and lend my sun to the eye of the dim-sighted she-camel.

My sun-like gaze to the sightless

بأبي غريبٌ بينهم في داره

بأبي غريبٌ بينهم في داره

متوحِّدٌ بتعدّد النُّظَراءِ

متوحِّدٌ بتعدّد النُّظَراءِ

My father be his ransom—a stranger among them in his own home,

My father is a stranger among them in his own abode

solitary amid a multitude of peers.

Alone though multitudes look on

يَفديك مستامون لا عن قيمةٍ

يَفديك مستامون لا عن قيمةٍ

مُسْمَوْن والمعنَى سوى الأسماءِ

مُسْمَوْن والمعنَى سوى الأسماءِ

May men priced without regard to worth be your ransom,

May Mutasim ransom you - not for your price

men bearing names—yet substance is other than names.

Named, though the meaning transcends names

يتطاولون ليبلُغوك ولم يكن

يتطاولون ليبلُغوك ولم يكن

ليضمَّهم وعلاك خطُّ سواءِ

ليضمَّهم وعلاك خطُّ سواءِ

They stretch upward to reach you, but never could

They strive to reach you, though it was never

a level line join them with your lofty height.

Meant for them to encompass you at your lofty line

واذا جريتَ على الرِّهان وبُهْمَهم

واذا جريتَ على الرِّهان وبُهْمَهم

لاقَ الخَلوقُ بجبهة الغرّاءِ

لاقَ الخَلوقُ بجبهة الغرّاءِ

And when you race for the stakes against their unmarked steeds,

And if you race the stallions in their confusion

saffron perfume clings to the forehead of the white-blazed mare.

Creation meets its downfall

والشامةُ البيضاءُ تَنعَت نفْسَها

والشامةُ البيضاءُ تَنعَت نفْسَها

بوضوحها في الجِلدة السوداءِ

بوضوحها في الجِلدة السوداءِ

And the white beauty mark proclaims itself

And the white beauty-mark proclaims itself

by its brightness upon black skin.

By its clarity on the black cheek

عَجَزتْ قرائحُهم وأغدرُ غادرٍ

عَجَزتْ قرائحُهم وأغدرُ غادرٍ

يومَ الخصام الفاءُ بالفأفاءِ

يومَ الخصام الفاءُ بالفأفاءِ

Their talents have failed; and the most treacherous betrayer

Their minds fall short and the most treacherous of traitors

on the day of dispute is fāʾ to the man who stammers on it.

Fails in the feud to fulfill his promises

لبّيك عِدّةَ ما أتاني غافلا

لبّيك عِدّةَ ما أتاني غافلا

عنك الرواةُ بطيّب الأنباءِ

عنك الرواةُ بطيّب الأنباءِ

At your service—as often as there came to me, while I was unaware

I am present for you whenever the narrators related to me heedlessly

of you, narrators bearing pleasant tidings.

News of you in your absence

وغلوتَ في وصفي فقلتُ سجيّةٌ

وغلوتَ في وصفي فقلتُ سجيّةٌ

ما زلتُ أعرفها من الكرماءِ

ما زلتُ أعرفها من الكرماءِ

And you went too far in praising me; I said, 'A trait

You exaggerated in describing me, so I said a nature

I have always known among the generous.'

I still know to be generous

عمِيَ الورى عن وجهها فرأيتُه

عمِيَ الورى عن وجهها فرأيتُه

وهو البعيد بناظريْ زرقاءِ

وهو البعيد بناظريْ زرقاءِ

Mankind was blind to its face, but I beheld it,

The blind world did not see its face, yet I saw it

though far away, with the two eyes of Zarqāʾ.

Though from afar, with my blue eyes

قد كنتُ أُظهرها وتَخفَي بينهم

قد كنتُ أُظهرها وتَخفَي بينهم

ما للِغني أثرٌ على البخلاءِ

ما للِغني أثرٌ على البخلاءِ

I used to reveal it, yet it remained hidden among them;

I used to show it, though it remained hidden from them

wealth leaves no mark upon the miserly.

For the wealthy leave no trace among the stingy

لا ارتعتُ إذ أُعطيتُ منك مودّةً

لا ارتعتُ إذ أُعطيتُ منك مودّةً

ماذا أسرّ الناسُ من بَغضائي

ماذا أسرّ الناسُ من بَغضائي

May I never fear, now that I have been given your affection,

I did not shy away when you gave me your affection

whatever hatred of me people keep hidden.

What can people whisper of my hatred?

وصداقتي للفاضلين شهادةٌ

وصداقتي للفاضلين شهادةٌ

بالنقص ثابتةٌ على أعدائي

بالنقص ثابتةٌ على أعدائي

And my friendship with the virtuous is testimony

And my friendship with the virtuous is proof

firmly attesting to my enemies' shortcomings.

Of steady enmity toward my detractors

نسبٌ مُزِجنا لا تميّز بيننا

نسبٌ مُزِجنا لا تميّز بيننا

فيه أمتزاجَ الماءِ بالصهباءِ

فيه أمتزاجَ الماءِ بالصهباءِ

A kinship: we have been mingled—you cannot distinguish us

A lineage whose mixture does not distinguish between us

within it, as water is mingled with tawny wine.

There the water mixes with the sparkling wine

ومودّة الأبناء أحسنُ ما تُرَى

ومودّة الأبناء أحسنُ ما تُرَى

موروثةً عن نِسبة الآباءِ

موروثةً عن نِسبة الآباءِ

And sons' affection is at its finest when seen

And the affection of sons is the best that can be seen

inherited from their fathers' kinship.

Inherited from the ancestry of fathers