بَلَغْنا ليلةَ الشِّعبِ

عجالاً مُنيةَ الحبِّ

We reached the night of calamity,

Rushing to the death of love.

تَلاقَينا كَما شِئنا

بلا علمٍ من الرّكبِ

We met as we wished,

Unknowingly, away from the throng.

وَطَيفٍ طافَ في ظَمْيا

ءَ والإصباحُ في الحُجْبِ

A specter wandered in the darkness,

And dawn was behind the veil.

جَفَتْ عيني وجاءتْ في

دُجى اللّيل إلى قلبي

My eyes dried up, and in

The gloom of night came to my heart.

وَزالتْ غبَّ ما زَارتْ

وما قلتُ لها حسبي

The absence that had visited went away.

I said nothing to it but "Enough for me!"

وولّتْ لم تُنِلْ شيئاً

من الغُنْمِ سوى حبّي

It turned away, gaining

Nothing from me but my love.

فَيا شِعباً تَعانقنا

بِهِ بوركتَ من شِعبِ

So O people we embraced

You are blessed by it from calamity

وَلا قُرّبتَ من جَدْبٍ

ولا بوعدتَ من خِصْبِ

And not brought near barrenness,

Nor promised fertility.

فكمْ فيكَ لباغي نَفَ

لِ الأحبابِ من إِرْبِ

How many rebels against

Lovers are in you!

ومِنْ ظبيٍ غنيٍّ في

ك بالحسنِ عن القُلْبِ

And from a rich, contented people

Whose hearts are adorned with beauty.

كَفاه لُؤلؤا منه

لباسُ اللؤلؤ الرّطْبِ

A pearl’s luster is enough for them

As clothing, moist pearls.

وأطرافٌ خضابُ الل

هِ أغناهنّ عن خَضْبِ

And edges - God has dyed them -

Their dyeing has made cosmetics needless.

ولمّا رأت الحسنا

ءُ في رأسِيَ كالشُّهبِ

And when the beauties saw

In my head white hair like falling stars,

وبيضاً كالظُّبا البيضِ

وَما يَصلحنَ للضّربِ

And whiteness like white gazelles

Unfit for beating,

تُجُنِّيتُ بلا جُرمٍ

وَعوقِبتُ بِلا ذَنبِ

I was blamed without crime

And punished without sin.

وحادتْ عن مقرٍّ كا

ن فيه بقرُ السِّربِ

She turned away from a home

Where cattle of the fold were stabled.

وعاتبتُ ولكنْ قل

لَما ينفعنِي عتبِي

I complained but my complaining

Does not benefit me.

فقلْ للمُفعم الملآ

نِ من كِبْرٍ ومن عُجْبِ

So say to the boastful brimming

With pride and arrogance,

ومن يُركِبُهُ الْحِرصُ

قَرا صَعْبٍ من الصّعبِ

And whom greed rides

Hard roads full of hardship,

ومَنْ تنقلُهُ الأَطما

عُ من شرقٍ إلى غربِ

And whom blind ambition moves

From East to West,

دعِ الأسفارَ للرّزقِ

فَما الأَرزاقُ بالكسبِ

"Leave your travels for sustenance

Sustenance is not won by toil,

يجيءُ الدَّرُّ أحياناً

إلى الظامِي بلا حَلْبِ

Sometimes wealth comes

To the gloomy without milking,

وَكَم هَجْرٍ من الوصلِ

وكم جِدٍّ من اللّعْبِ

And how much estrangement there is from union

And how much seriousness from play!

خفِ الدّهرَ فإنّ الدّه

رَ ذو أخذٍ وذو سَلْبِ

Be gentle with fate for fate

Takes and despoils.

فإنْ أغنى فللفقرِ

وإنْ أقعى فللوثبِ

If it enriches, then for poverty,

And if it ruins, then for leaping up!

سَقَى اللَّهُ الأُلى كانوا

يدُرّون بلا عَصْبِ

May God water the Ula who were

Scattering without province,

يَجودونَ بِما ضنّتْ

به أَوعيةُ السُّحْبِ

Giving from what the rain clouds

Withheld grudgingly,

وَيعطون بلا منٍّ

ولا كدٍّ ولا نَصْبِ

Giving without debt

Or toil or trouble,

وفرّاجين كشّافي

نَ للغُمَّةِ والكربِ

And gleaners lighting the way

For the darkness and distress.

نَبَوْا عن مطرحِ الفحشا

ءِ والفحشاءُ قد تُنبي

They eschewed indecency though indecency

arouses;

ولم يُصْبَوْا بشنعاءَ

وفي الشّنعاءِ ما يُصبي

No ugliness touched them

Though in ugliness is what cuts sharply;

ولم يُعْدَوا طِوال الدّه

ر من أنيابِهِ الجُربِ

Throughout time they were not unjust

To people from its ravaging leprosy;

ولا كانوا لكلِّ النّا

سِ إلّا موضعَ القُطبِ

And they were not to all mankind

Save a place of fair treatment,

بأعراضٍ نقيّاتٍ

من التّقريف والثّلبِ

With pure, immaculate honor

From defamation and wrongful acquisition.

يرون اليومَ ذا نحسٍ

إذا كان بلا شَغْبِ

They see the day of ill omen

When it comes without rabble.

ولا حَفْلَ لهمْ بالما

لِ لا يجنوه بالعضْبِ

They take no account of wealth,

Not amassing it through force.

لهمْ في كلِّ نكراءَ

حُلومٌ لَسْنَ للهضْبِ

For every disreputable thing they have

Tongues that do not receive blame.

وأيمانٌ خلقن الدّهْ

ر للطّعن وللضّربِ

And oaths - time created them -

For slander, for beating, for profit,

وللنّفعِ وللضّرّ

وللدّفع وللذّبِّ

For harm, for warding off, for sacrifice,

Without any fear or terror,

وَأَلبابٌ لدَى الرّوعِ

بلا شيءٍ من الرُّعْبِ

And minds at the moment of confusion

Without anything of dread.

فيومُ السِّلمِ فيهنّ

كيومِ البأْسِ والحربِ

Their day of peace is like their day

Of distress and war.

وَأَغنوا بالنّدى الغَمْرِ

عَنِ الأنواءِ والعُشبِ

With fresh dew they are rich

Over the twistings of dry wood

وَجاؤوا ساعةَ الذُّعْرِ

على المُضْمَرَّةِ القُبِّ

And came at the hour of panic

To the race-course of the tombs,

وفي أيديهمُ كلُّ

طويلِ المُرتقى صُلبِ

And in their hands each long,

Smooth spear is firm.

تراه يدع الأورا

دَ في سَكْبٍ على سَكْبِ

You see it leaving the banners pouring

Blood on blood.

ويرمي من دم الجوف ال

ثرى بِالأحمرِ العَصْبِ

When they patched the face of the earth

With the red national cloth,

إِذا ما لَحَفوا وجه ال

ثَرى أرديةَ العَصْبِ

And diffused the perfume of musk

Far and near,

وفاحوا عَبَقَ المسكِ

على بُعدٍ ومن قُربِ

And refused save trailing the train

And veil,

ولم يَرْضَوْا سوى التّجري

ر للأذيالِ والسّحبِ

You saw glory carried

On every young man called.

رأيتَ المجد محمولاً

على كلِّ فتىً نَدْبِ

They went from me so no pleasure is

Left for me in cool fresh water,

مَضوا عنِّي فلا لذَّ

ةَ لي بالباردِ العذْبِ

Neither closing my eyes or my side

For rest.

ولا غمضَ ولا أرضَ

لِعَينَيَّ وللجنبِ

I had been with them a time,

My mind and heart at ease.

وقد كنتُ بهمْ دهراً

رَخيَّ البالِ والقَلبِ

When someone turns from me,

I am not bored with his nearness.

بنفسي مَن نأى عنِّي

وما إنْ ملّ مِنْ قُربي

I fulfilled before fulfilling for him

And for him my passion.

قضى من قبل أن أقض

يَ فيه وله نَحْبي

When we conveyed him despite ourselves

To the dust,

ولمّا أن نقلناهُ

على الرّغمِ إلى التُّربِ

And laid him out on dusty ground

On his side,

وَأَضجعناهُ في غبرا

ءَ مَلساءَ على الجنبِ

With no voice to console him

Save the quaking of disaster,

بلا صوتٍ يناجيهِ

سوى زَعزعةٍ النُّكْبِ

We buried passion in the earth -

And how much passion is in the earth!

دَفنّا العَضْب في الأرضِ

وكمْ في الأرض من عَضْبِ