وَنار دعوت المعتفين بضوئها

وَنار دعوت المعتفين بضوئها

فَباتو عليها أَو هديت بها سفرا

فَباتو عليها أَو هديت بها سفرا

And many a fire, by whose glow I summoned seekers of bounty;

And a fire by whose light I called those seeking bounty,

they spent the night beside it, or by it I guided travelers.

so they spent the night beside it, or by it I guided travelers.

تضرّم في ليل التمام وقد بدت

تضرّم في ليل التمام وقد بدت

هوادي نجوم اللَيل تحسبها جمرا

هوادي نجوم اللَيل تحسبها جمرا

It flamed on the night of the full moon, when there had appeared

It blazes in the year's longest night, and there have appeared

the leading stars of night—you might have thought them embers.

the first stars of night, which you would take for embers.

وَضيف يخوض الليل خوضاً كأَنَّما

وَضيف يخوض الليل خوضاً كأَنَّما

يَخوض به حتى تأوبنيبحرا

يَخوض به حتى تأوبنيبحرا

And many a guest has plunged through the night, as though

And a guest who waded through the night, as though

he were crossing a sea through it, until he came to me by night.

he were wading through a sea, until he came to me by night.

وَكَم من كَريم بوأته رماحه

وَكَم من كَريم بوأته رماحه

فتاة اناس لا يَسوق لها مهرا

فتاة اناس لا يَسوق لها مهرا

How many a noble man have his spears installed as husband to

And many a nobleman's spears have secured him

a maiden of another people, without his tendering her a bride-price.

a maiden of a people, for whom he brings no bride-price.

وَما أَنكحونا طائعين بناتهم

وَما أَنكحونا طائعين بناتهم

ولكن نكحناها بأَرماحنا قِسرا

ولكن نكحناها بأَرماحنا قِسرا

They did not willingly give us their daughters in marriage;

And they did not willingly give us their daughters in marriage;

rather, with our spears we took them as wives by force.

but we married them by force, with our spears.

وكائن ترى فينا من ابن سبيئة

وكائن ترى فينا من ابن سبيئة

إِذا لقي الابطالَ يطعنهم شزرا

إِذا لقي الابطالَ يطعنهم شزرا

And how many a captive woman's son you see among us

And how many a captive woman's son you see among us,

who, when he meets the champions, stabs them from the flank.

who, when he meets champions, strikes them with slanting thrusts.

فَما ردها فينا السباء وضيعة

فَما ردها فينا السباء وضيعة

ولا عريت فينا ولا طبخت قدرا

ولا عريت فينا ولا طبخت قدرا

Captivity did not make his mother lowly among us,

So captivity did not make her lowly among us,

nor was she left unclothed among us, nor made to cook a pot.

nor was she left naked among us, nor did she cook a potful.

ولكن جعلناها كخير نسائنا

ولكن جعلناها كخير نسائنا

فَجاءَت بهم بيضاً غطارفة زهرا

فَجاءَت بهم بيضاً غطارفة زهرا

Rather, we treated her like the finest of our women,

Instead, we made her like the best of our women,

and she bore them—fair, lordly men, radiant-faced.

so she bore them fair, noble, and radiant.

وَمنعقد ثني اللسان بعثته

وَمنعقد ثني اللسان بعثته

يخال النعاس في مفاصله جمرا

يخال النعاس في مفاصله جمرا

And many a man, the fold of his tongue knotted, I sent forth—

And one with his tongue tied in knots I sent forth,

he thought the drowsiness in his joints was burning coals—

who imagines the drowsiness in his joints to be embers,

بأرض كساها اللَيل ثوباً كأَنَّما

بأرض كساها اللَيل ثوباً كأَنَّما

كَساها مسوحاً أَو طيالة خضرا

كَساها مسوحاً أَو طيالة خضرا

across a land that night had clothed in a garment, as though

in a land that night clothed in a robe, as though

it had clothed it in haircloth or long, dark-green robes.

it had clothed it in haircloth or green mantles.

إِذا لَم تجد بداً من الأَمر فائته

إِذا لَم تجد بداً من الأَمر فائته

رَحيب الذراع لا تضيقن به صدرا

رَحيب الذراع لا تضيقن به صدرا

If you find no escape from a matter, then face it

If you find no escape from a matter, then approach it

wide of arm; do not let your breast tighten at it.

with open arms; do not let your breast tighten over it.

ولا تأمن الخلان إِلّا أَقلهم

ولا تأمن الخلان إِلّا أَقلهم

عليك إِذا كانت صداقتهم مكرا

عليك إِذا كانت صداقتهم مكرا

Trust no close friends except a very few:

And trust no close friends except the least burdensome of them

they are against you when their friendship is guile.

to you, when their friendship is deceit.

واني امرؤ لا آلف البيت قاعداً

واني امرؤ لا آلف البيت قاعداً

الى جنب عرسي لا أُفارقها شبرا

الى جنب عرسي لا أُفارقها شبرا

Indeed, I am a man not accustomed to sitting idly at home,

And I am a man who will not keep to the house, sitting

beside my wife, never leaving her by so much as a handspan;

beside my wife, never straying a handspan from her.

ولا مقسم لا تبرح الدهر بيتها

ولا مقسم لا تبرح الدهر بيتها

لأَجعله قبل المَمات لها قبرا

لأَجعله قبل المَمات لها قبرا

nor am I one to swear that she shall never in her life leave her house,

Nor do I swear that she will never leave her house,

thus making it, before death, a grave for her.

to make it her grave before death.

إِذا هي لم تحصن أَمام فنائها

إِذا هي لم تحصن أَمام فنائها

فَلَيسَ ينجيها بنائي لها قصرا

فَلَيسَ ينجيها بنائي لها قصرا

If she does not guard her honor before her own courtyard,

If she does not keep herself chaste before her courtyard,

then my building her a palace will not save her.

then my building her a palace will not save her.

ولا حامل ظني ولا قال قائل

ولا حامل ظني ولا قال قائل

على غيرة حتىّ أَحيط به خُبرا

على غيرة حتىّ أَحيط به خُبرا

No suspicion carries me away, nor can any speaker say

Neither my suspicion nor a speaker's words will drive me

that jealousy comes over me before I know the whole truth.

to jealousy until I have full knowledge of it.

وَهبني امرءاً راعيت ما دمت شاهداً

وَهبني امرءاً راعيت ما دمت شاهداً

فَكَيفَ اذا ما غبت من بيتها شهرا

فَكَيفَ اذا ما غبت من بيتها شهرا

Suppose me a man who watches over her as long as I am present—

And suppose I am a man who keeps watch while I am present;

then what, when I am absent from her house for a month?

then what if I am absent from her house for a month?

وعوراء من قبل امرئ قدرددتها

وعوراء من قبل امرئ قدرددتها

بسالمة العينين طالبة عذرا

بسالمة العينين طالبة عذرا

Many a one-eyed insult from a man have I answered

And I have answered a man's one-eyed insult

with a sound-eyed word, seeking an excuse.

with a word sound in both eyes, seeking an excuse.

ولو انني اذ قالها قلت مثلها

ولو انني اذ قالها قلت مثلها

أَو اكبر منها أَورثت بيننا غمرا

أَو اكبر منها أَورثت بيننا غمرا

Had I, when he spoke it, answered with its like,

And had I, when he said it, said its like,

or worse than it, it would have sown deep rancor between us.

or something worse, I would have bred rancor between us.

فأَعرضت عنه واِنتظرت به غداً

فأَعرضت عنه واِنتظرت به غداً

لعل غداً يبدي لناظره أَمرا

لعل غداً يبدي لناظره أَمرا

So I turned away from him and bided my time with him until tomorrow;

So I turned away from him and bided my time with him till tomorrow,

perhaps tomorrow will reveal something to whoever watches—

perhaps tomorrow would reveal something to its beholder,

لأَنزع ضباً جاثماً في فؤاده

لأَنزع ضباً جاثماً في فؤاده

وأَقلم اظفاراً أَطال بِها حفرا

وأَقلم اظفاراً أَطال بِها حفرا

that I may draw out the lizard crouching in his heart

to pull out a lizard crouching in his heart

and clip the claws with which he has long been digging.

and clip the claws with which he had long been digging.