مَن حاكمٌ بَيني وَبينَ عَذولي

الشَّجوُ شَجوي وَالعَويلُ عَويلي

Who will judge between me and my blamer

My passion is my passion, my anguish my anguish

أَقصِر فَما دينُ الهَوى كُفرٌ وَلا

أَعتَدُّ لَومَك لي مِن التَّنزيلِ

Be brief, for passion’s faith is not blasphemy

Nor do I heed your blame more than revelation

عَجباً لِقَومٍ لَم تَكُن أَذهانهم

لِهَوىً وَلا أَجسادهم لِنحولِ

Strange are the people whose minds

Were neither for passion nor bodies for emaciation

دَقَّت مَعاني الحُبِّ عَن أَفهامِهم

فَتأولُوهُ أَقبَح التَأويلِ

The subtleties of love eluded their minds

So they interpreted it in the ugliest way

فَي أَيِّ جارِحَةٍ أَصُونُ مُعذبي

سَلِمَت مِن التَّعذيبِ وَالتَّنكيلِ

In which limb can I protect my tormentor

That was spared torment and oppression?

إِن قُلتُ في عَيني فَثَمَّ مَدامِعي

أَو قُلتُ في قَلبي فَثَمَّ غَليلي

If I say “in my eyes”, then there are my tears

If I say “in my heart”, then there is my agony

لَكن جَعلت لَهُ المَسامِعَ مَسكناً

وَحَجَبتُهُ عَن عَذلِ كُلِّ عَذولِ

Rather, I made my ears his dwelling

And shielded him from the blame of every blamer

وَثَلاثِ شَيباتٍ نَزَلن بِمَفرقي

فَعَلِمتُ أَنَّ نَزولهن رَحيلي

And three gray hairs descended on my forehead

So I knew their descent meant my departure

طلعت ثَلاثاً في نزولِ ثَلاثةٍ

واشٍ وَوَجهِ مراقبٍ وَثقيلِ

They appeared three with the descent of three

Difficulties, an observer’s face, and burdens

فَعَزَلنني عَن صَبوَتي فَلَئِن ذلل

تُ فَقَد سَمعتُ بذلة المَعذولِ

So they sequestered me from my youth, and if

I am humbled, I have heard the humiliation of the blamed

إِن كُنتُ وَدَّعتُ التَّصابي عن قلىً

وَبَدَت بِرَأسي حجة لعذولِ

If I have bid farewell to pleasures

And signs of blame appeared on my head

قَد أغتَدي وَالصُّبحُ في تَوريسه

تَقضي العُيونُ لَهُ بِوَجهِ عَليلِ

I have been satiated, and the dawn in its saddlebags

Brings eyes that see it with a sickly face

بِأَقبَّ لَونِ الآبنوس مفضضٍ

في غُرَّةٍ مِنهُ وَفي تَحجيلِ

Of the darkest Hyacinth, sprouting

In its prime and in its withering

مُستَغرق لصفاتِ زَيدِ الخَيل وال

غَنَويِّ وَالمُزنِيِّ وَالضليلِ

Immersed in the qualities of the excellent Zaid

And singer and miserable one

يُزهى بِتحليةِ اللِّجامِ كما زَها

مَلِكٌ مُحَلَّى الرَّأسِ بِالأكيلِ

Adorned by the bejeweling of the bridle as a

King adorned with crown and turban

مُتَقَلِّبٌ مرحُ القَضيبِ اللدنِ قَد

مالَت بِهِ الأَرواحُ كُلَّ مميلِ

Turning the smooth rod which souls

Incline to him, every leaning one

يَعلو وَيخفضُ في الصَّهيل كَأَنَّما

هُوَ مُفرِدٌ لَحناً لِكُلِّ صَهيلِ

He rises and descends in neighing as if

He is soloing a melody for every neigh

فَكَأَنَّ في فيه المَلاهي حُرِّكَت

لَكَ في خَفيفٍ تارَةً وَثَقيلِ

So it is as if the entertainments in his mouth

Were mobilized for you in light and heavy rhythms

قيدت لَنا بيضٌ بَعُدنَ فَلم تُنَل

إِلا بِعَينِ الوَهمِ وَالتَّخييلِ

Eggs were tied for us, then they were only attained

By the eye of the imagination and picturing

ريحٌ وَلَكن ما تُغِبُّ بإِثرها

بَرقاً فلم تَمطُلهُ بِالتَّطويلِ

A wind but no lightning flashes in its trail

Nor does it prolong it with extension

فَلَهُ الملاحظُ مِن حَبيبٍ هاجرٍ

للصبِّ أَو مُتَكبرٍ لِذَليلِ

So the observer has from an absent lover

Or arrogant to the submissive one

وَكَأَنَّما فلَّ الخطوبَ لِحازمٍ

قَبل الجِياد بِجدّه المَغلولِ

As if the calamities were unleashed to a resolute one

Before the stallions with his bound forehead

حَتّى إِذا صِدنا الوُحوشَ فَلم نَدَع

مِنهُنَّ غَيرَ مَعالمٍ وَطُلولِ

Until we hunted the beasts and did not leave

Anything but traces and hills

قامَت قَوائِمُهُ لَنا بِطعامنا

غَضّاً وَقامَ العُرفُ بِالمنديلِ

It stood its legs for us with our food

New, and proper conduct with handkerchief

وَمُكَبَّلٍ لَم يَجترم جُرماً وَلا

دانَت سَحائِبُهُ بِغَير كبول

And shackled, it had not committed a crime

Nor did its clouds confess without concentration

مُتدرعٌ بِالوشي إِلا أَن مِد

رَعَهُ يحاكُ عَلَيهِ غَيرَ طَويلِ

Clad in armor except its breastplate

Its range stitches upon it other than long

فَكَأنَّ بَلقيساً عَلَيهِ إِذ دَنَت

في الصَّرحِ رافعةً لِفَضلِ ذُيولِ

So it is as if Bilquis approached it when

She entered the pavilion raising the train of her gown

مُتلفتٌ كَتلفّتِ المرتاعِ يَق

سِمُ لَحظه في الجُولِ بَعدَ الجُولِ

Glancing as the frightened one glances

Dividing its gaze in rounds after rounds

حَتَّى إِذا ما السّربُ عَنَّ للحظه

أَومى بِقادمتيه خلِّ سَبيلي

Until when the flock turned away for a glance

He gestured with his forelegs: let me go

وَنَهَت مُحافظة اللِّسان فَلم تَصل

كَفِّي إِلى ظَبي أَغنَّ كحيلِ

And the safeguarding of the tongue ended, but my palm

Did not reach the gazelle with kohl-lined eyes

أَرسلته في إِثرِهنَّ كَأَنَّهن

نَ عَصين لي أَمراً وَكانَ رَسولي

I unleashed it after them as if they

Had disobeyed me and it was my messenger

وَلَّت جَماعتُها فَشدَّ وَراءَها

وَكَأَنَّهُ بطلٌ وَراءَ رَعيلِ

Its group fled so it pursued behind it

As if it were a hero behind the caravan

عَجِلَت وَأَدرَكها ردىً في إِثرها

إِنَّ الرَّدى قَيدٌ لِكلِّ عجولِ

It hurried and overtook it, connected in its trail

Surely connection is a binding for every hurrier

فَقَضى عَلى سَبعين ضارٍ خَطمُهُ

هو عُقدةُ التَّعبير في التَّمثيلِ

So its snout finished off seventy vicious ones

It is the crux of expression in the example

حَتَّى إِذا حمل السّحابَ بِجيدِهِ

لَم تَحتَملهُ فَرائصُ المَحمولِ

Until when it carried the clouds with its neck

The saddled could not carry it

وَلَقَد غَدَوتُ بِأَهرتٍ مُتضائلٍ

سرُّ النُّفوسِ إِلَيهِ غَير ضَئيلِ

And I went out early with a short spear

Souls inclining to it not insignificant

وَلربَّما اشتمَّ الصّعيدَ بِأَنفِهِ

حيناً فَقامَ لَهُ مَقام دَليلِ

And sometimes it smelled the ground with its nose

At times, so it took the position of a guide for me

مُتَتَبِّعٌ لِطلابه فَكَأنهُ

في القيظ يَطلبُ ظلَّهُ لمقيلِ

Seeking its requests, so it is as if

In the noon heat seeking its shade for a nap

في إِثرها وَقعت مَلاحم تَجتَلي

التاريخ بَينَ سَحائب وَمحولِ

Behind them, epic battles occurred that

History relates between clouds and carried things

فَكأنَّها جَيشٌ بدهم خيول

غاز إِلى جَيش بِشُهبِ خيولِ

As if they are a sudden attack of horses

Warring to horses with the flames of horses

قامَت رَواعدها لَهُ بطبول

في حَربِها وَبروقها بنصولِ

Their poles stood for it with drums

In their war and lightning in onslaughts

وَلَّت جُنودُ المحلِ ثم تَحصنت

في قَلبِ كُلِّ متيمٍ مَعذولِ

The soldiers of the locality retreated then took refuge

In the heart of every blameworthy coward

بَكَتِ السّحابُ عَلى الرِّياض فَحسنت

مِنها غُروساً مِن دُموع ثكولِ

The clouds cried over the meadows, so it adorned

It with sprouts from the tears of concentrated ones

فَكأنَّها وَالطلُّ يُشرِقُ فَوقَها

وَشيٌ يحاك بلؤلؤ مَفصولِ

So it is as if it and the rising dawn above it

Are a cloak woven with detached pearls

غَلَبَت عَلى شَمس النَّهار فَأَلبَسَت

مِنها ظَهيرتها ثيابَ أَصِيلِ

It overcame the sun of day, so it clothed

Its brilliance in clothes of mottled cloth

فَنَزَلتُ في فرش الرِّياض وَلَم يَكُن

ليَحوزها مثلي بِغَيرِ نزولِ

So I alighted in the meadows’ furnishings, and none

Like me deserved it without alighting

سَلب العمامةَ بَيننا مُتَعَمِّمٌ

لَطَمَت سَوالفَه يَدا مَغلولِ

One wearing a turban stole between us

Its conversations silenced a shackled hand

فَوضعتُ في فَمه فمي فعل الَّذي

يَهوى بريق حَبيبه المَعسولِ

So I placed my mouth in its mouth, what a lover

Enchanted by the glimmer of his sweet one does

غنيَّ الطُّراةُ مِن الذباب لَنا بِها

طرباً فَهجنَ شَمائِلاً بِشمولِ

The doves sang for us with it

A melody, so it mingled features with integration

رَوضٌ تعاهده السّحابُ كَأَنَّه

مُتعاهدٌ مِن عَهدِ إِسماعيلِ

A garden tended by the clouds as if

It had a covenant from the era of Ishmael

قِسهُ إِلى الأَعرابِ تعلم أَنَّهُ

أَولى مِن الأَعرابِ بِالتَّفضيلِ

Compare it to the bedouins, you will know

It is worthier than the bedouins in preferability

حازَت قَبائلهم لغاتٍ جمعت

فيهم وَحازَ لغاتِ كُلِّ قَبيلِ

Their tribes possessed languages collected

Among them, and it possessed the languages of every tribe

فَالشَّرقُ خالٍ بَعده فَكأَنَّما

نَزل الخَرابُ بربعه المَأهولِ

So the East is empty after it, as if

Destruction had descended upon its inhabited region

جَمَعوا بغيبته وَمَوتِ شُيوخه

عَنهُم وَلما يَظفروا بِبَديلِ

With its absence and the death of its elders

From them, and they did not attain a substitute

مُذ جاءَهُم وَهُمُ بِلَيلِ هُمومِهم

مِنهُ فَصاروا في دُجى مَوصولِ

Since it came to them while they were

In the night of their worries from it, so they became connected in darkness

فَكَأنَّهُ شَمسٌ بَدَت في غَربنا

وَتَغرَّبَت في شَرقِهم بأفولِ

It is as if it were a sun that rose in our west

And was estranged in their east by disappearance

يا سَيدي هَذا ثنائي لَم أَقُل

زوراً وَلا عَرَّضتُ بِالتَّنويلِ

My master, this is my praise, I have not

Said falsely nor presented with prolongation

مَن كانَ يَأملُ نائِلاً فَأَنا اِمرؤٌ

لَم أَرجُ غَيرَ القُربِ في تَأميلي

Whoever hopes to attain, I am a man

Who did not expect other than nearness in my hoping