أَما إِنَّهُ لَولا الخَليطُ المُوَدِّعُ

وَرَبعٌ عَفا مِنهُ مَصيفٌ وَمَربَعُ

Yet had it not been for the parting drink

And a quarter that turned into summer resorts and squares

لَرُدَّت عَلى أَعقابِها أَريحِيَّةٌ

مِنَ الشَوقِ واديها مِنَ الهَمِّ مُترَعُ

The fragrance of longing and valleys of sorrow

Would have driven the caravan back upon its tracks

لَحِقنا بِأُخراهُم وَقَد حَوَّمَ الهَوى

قُلوباً عَهِدنا طَيرَها وَهيَ وُقَّعُ

We would have caught up with their last ones, as passionate love

Had overturned hearts we knew as free as birds

فَرُدَّت عَلَينا الشَمسُ وَاللَّيلُ راغِمٌ

بِشَمسٍ لَهُم مِن جانِبِ الخِدرِ تَطلُعُ

The sun and the night turned back upon us in defiance

With a sun rising for them on the side of morning

نَضا ضَوءُها صِبغَ الدُجُنَّةِ فَاِنطَوى

لِبَهجَتِها ثَوبُ السَماءِ المُجَزَّعُ

Its radiance dyed the darkness and the canopy of heaven folded up

For the joy of it, its broidered robe fluttering

فَوَاللَهِ ما أَدري أَأَحلامُ نائِمٍ

أَلَمَّت بِنا أَم كانَ في الرَكبِ يوشَعُ

By God, I know not whether dreams of a slumberer

Have touched us or whether Joshua was among the band

وَعَهدي بِها تُحيي الهَوى وَتُميتُهُ

وَتَشعَبُ أَعشارَ الفُؤادِ وَتَصدَعُ

My pact with it is that it brings love to life and slays it

And bifurcates the tenths of the heart rending them

وَأَقرَعُ بِالعُتبى حُمَيّا عِتابَها

وَقَد تَستَقيدُ الراحَ حينَ تُشَعشَعُ

With blame I cuff passion’s hump and it can take

The winds prisoner when it sways and swings

وَتَقفو إِلى الجَدوى بِجَدوى وَإِنَّما

يَروقُكَ بَيتُ الشِعرِ حينَ يُصَرَّعُ

It strides along virtue upon virtue but only

A line of verse pleases you when it is chiselled

أَلَم تَرَ آرامَ الظِباءِ كَأَنَّما

رَأَت بِيَ سيدَ الرَملِ وَالصُبحُ أَدرَعُ

Have you not seen the deer of sand as though

They saw the lord of the sands and the morn armoured

لَئِن جَزِعَ الوَحشِيُّ مِنها لِرُؤيَتي

لَإِنسِيُّها مِن شَيبِ رَأسِيَ أَجزَعُ

If the wild creature startled at the sight of me

My hoary hair startled it even more

غَدا الهَمُّ مُختَطّاً بِفَوَدَيِّ خِطَّةً

طَريقُ الرَدى مِنها إِلى النفسِ مَهيَعُ

On the morrow care will stride with lines scored

On my cheeks, the road of perdition runs from it to the soul, desolate

هُوَ الزَورُ يُجفى وَالمُعاشَرُ يُجتَوى

وَذو الإِلفِ يُقلى وَالجَديدُ يُرَقَّعُ

It is falsehood that is maltreated and companionship nursed

Old friends baked and new ones patched up

لَهُ مَنظَرٌ في العَينِ أَبيَضُ ناصِعٌ

وَلَكِنَّهُ في القَلبِ أَسوَدُ أَسفَعُ

It has an appearance in the eye gleaming white

But in the heart it is the blackest blacker than jet

وَنَحنُ نُزَجّيهِ عَلى الكُرهِ وَالرِضا

وَأَنفُ الفَتى مِن وَجهِهِ وَهوَ أَجدَعُ

While we treat it fairly, willing or not

And the noble one averts his face, utterly riled

لَقَد ساسَنا هَذا الزَمانُ سِياسَةً

سُدىً لَم يَسُسها قَطُّ عَبدٌ مُجَدَّعُ

This age has treated us with a policy

Absurdly, no clever slave has ever treated thus

تَروحُ عَلَينا كُلَّ يَومٍ وَتَغتَدي

خُطوبٌ كَأَنَّ الدَهرَ مِنهُنَّ يُصرَعُ

Every day tribulations alight and take wing

As though fate is being felled by them

حَلَت نُطَفٌ مِنها لِنِكسٍ وَذو النُهى

يُدافُ لَهُ سُمٌّ مِنَ العَيشِ مُنقَعُ

Drops of them are fatal misfortunes and forbidden draughts

Of life, a seeping poison, are baked for the shrinking soul

فَإِن نَكُ أُهمِلنا فَأَضعِف بِسَعيِنا

وَإِن نَكُ أُجبِرنا فَفيمَ نُتَعتِعُ

So if we are neglected, we redouble our efforts

And if we are compelled, what can we do but chafe?

لَقَد آسَفَ الأَعداءَ مَجدُ اِبنِ يوسُفٍ

وَذو النَقصِ في الدُنيا بِذي الفَضلِ مولَعُ

The glory of the son of Joseph aggrieved the enemies

And the flawed one in the world is obsessed with the meritorious

أَخَذتُ بِحَبلٍ مِنهُ لَمّا لَوَيتُهُ

عَلى مِرَرِ الأَيّامِ ظَلَّت تَقَطَّعُ

I have grasped a rope from it though time

Has gnawed it away, it keeps snapping

هُوَ السَيلُ إِن واجَهتَهُ اِنقَدتَ طَوعَهُ

وَتَقتادُهُ مِن جانِبَيهِ فَيَتبَعُ

It is the torrent: confront it and you break its onrush

Conduct it from its flanks and it will follow

وَلَم أَرَ نَفعاً عِندَ مَن لَيسَ ضائِراً

وَلَم أَرَ ضَرّاً عِندَ مَن لَيسَ يَنفَعُ

And I have seen no benefit in one who does no harm

And no harm in one who brings no benefit

يَقولُ فَيُسمِعُ وَيَمشي فَيُسرِعُ

وَيَضرِبُ في ذاتِ الإِلَهِ فَيوجِعُ

It speaks, so it makes heard, and walks, so it hastens,

And strikes against the essence of God, so it hurts

مُمَرٌّ لَهُ مِن نَفسِهِ بَعضُ نَفسِهِ

وَسائِرُها لِلحَمدِ وَالأَجرِ أَجمَعُ

A passage lies open to it from itself, some of itself,

The rest for praise and reward altogether

رَأى البُخلَ مِن كُلٍّ فَظيعاً فَعافَهُ

عَلى أَنَّهُ مِنهُ أَمَرُّ وَأَفظَعُ

Seeing in all terrible stinginess, it overlooks it

For it sees in itself what is more bitter and foul

وَكُلُّ كُسوفٍ في الدَرارِيِّ شُنعَةٌ

وَلَكِنَّهُ في الشَمسِ وَالبَدرُ أَشنَعُ

Every eclipse is a horror in the prairies

But it is fouler in the sun and the moon

مَعادُ الوَرى بَعدَ المَماتِ وَسَيبُهُ

مَعادٌ لَنا قَبلَ المَماتِ وَمَرجِعُ

The return to creation after death and its driving force

Is a return for us before death and a place of return

لَهُ تالِدٌ قَد وَقَّرَ الجودُ هامَهُ

فَقَرَّت وَكانَت لا تَزالُ تَفَزَّعُ

Born to it, munificence has settled its zeal

So it came to rest and it does not cease to tremble

إِذا كانَتِ النُعمى سَلوباً مِن اِمرِىءٍ

غَدَت مِن خَليجَي كَفِّهِ وَهيَ مُتبَعُ

When bounty is stripped from a man

It issues from the bays of his palms trailing it

وَإِن عَثَرَت سودُ اللَيالي وَبيضُها

بِوَحدَتِهِ أَلفَيتَها وَهيَ مَجمَعُ

And if the black nights and white trip up

Solitude befriends them as they mass together

وَإِن خَفَرَت أَموالَ قَومٍ أَكُفُّهُم

مِنَ النَيلِ وَالجَدوى فَكَفّاهُ مَقطَعُ

And if it detects the wealth of a people, the palms

Suffice them from gain and virtue a handful

وَيَومٍ يَظَلُّ العِزُّ يُحفَظُ وَسطَهُ

بِسُمرِ العَوالي وَالنُفوسُ تُضَيَّعُ

A day when glory remains protected at its core

By the thick of the loins while souls are squandered

مَصيفٍ مِنَ الهَيجا وَمِن جاحِمِ الوَغى

وَلَكِنَّهُ مِن وابِلِ الدَمِ مَربَعُ

A summer of clamour and battle’s plunging charger

But it is a rain of blood, squared

عَبوسٍ كَسا أَبطالَهُ كُلَّ قَونَسٍ

يُرى المَرءُ مِنهُ وَهوَ أَفرَعُ أَنزَعُ

Scowling, its heroes clad in every coat of mail

A man glimpses it and it is more sinuous and twisting

وَأَسمَرَ مُحمَرِّ العَوالي يَؤُمُّهُ

سِنانٌ بِحَبّاتِ القُلوبِ مُمَتَّعُ

And a red-smeared charger assists it

Teeth set in the hearts cleaving them

مِنَ اللاءِ يَشرَبنَ النَجيعَ مِنَ الكُلى

غَريضاً وَيَروى غَيرُهُنَّ فَيَنقَعُ

Some drink the fresh milk from the udders

A gulp, while it gives others the dregs to drain

شَقَقتَ إِلى جَبّارِهِ حَومَةَ الوَغى

وَقَنَّعتَهُ بِالسَيفِ وَهُوَ مُقَنَّعُ

You split apart the swelling of war’s arrogance

And with the sword it was content, though cloven

لَدى سَندِبايا وَالهِضابِ وَأَرشَقٍ

وَموقانَ وَالسُمرُ اللَدانُ تَزَعزَعُ

At Shindibaya, the hillsides, Arshshad

Mauqan, the rugged summits convulsing

وَأَبرَشَتَويمٍ وَالكَذاجِ وَمُلتَقى

سَنابِكِها وَالخَيلُ تَردي وَتَمزَعُ

Abrushtaweem, the Ghaz and the point

Where its arrows meet, the steeds stamping and rearing

غَدَت ظُلَّعاً حَسرى وَغادَرَ جَدُّها

جُدودَ أُناسٍ وَهيَ حَسرى وَظُلَّعُ

It became a disappointment to yearning and its lineage

Abandoned lineage of men, itself disappointment and dejection

هُوَ الصُنعُ إِن يَعجَل فَنَفعٌ وَإِن يَرِث

فَلَلرَيثُ في بَعضِ المَواطِنِ أَسرَعُ

Prudence, if hasty, brings benefit, and if it waits

For sometimes waiting is swifter

أَظَلَّتكَ آمالي وَفي البَطشِ قُوَّةٌ

وَفي السَهمِ تَسديدٌ وَفي القَوسِ مَنزَعُ

My hopes have shaded you, in might there is strength

In arrow, true aim, and in bow, tension

وَإِنَّ الغِنى لي إِن لَحَظتُ مَطالِبي

مِنَ الشِعرِ إِلّا في مَديحِكَ أَطوَعُ

And riches are mine if my wishes are fulfilled

In poetry, save in your praise where I find compliance

وَإِنَّكَ إِن أَهزَلتَ في المَحلِ لَم تُضِع

وَلَم تَرعَ إِن أَهزَلتَ وَالرَوضُ مُمرَعُ

And you, if you decline on occasion, do not demean

Or pasture, if you decline, and the meadow lies open

رَأَيتُ رَجائي فيكَ وَحدَكَ هِمَّةً

وَلَكِنَّهُ في سائِرِ الناسِ مَطمَعُ

I have seen my hopes in you alone, desire

But in all other men, wishful thinking

وَكَم عاثِرٍ مِنّا أَخَذتَ بِضَبعِهِ

فَأَضحى لَهُ في قُلَّةِ المَجدِ مَطلَعُ

And how many stumblers among us you have grasped by the forelock

And he came to have at scant glory a rising

فَصارَ اِسمُهُ في النائِباتِ مُدافِعاً

وَكانَ اِسمُهُ مِن قَبلُ وَهوَ مُدَفَّعُ

So his name in disasters drove them back

When once his name was the cannonaded

وَما السَيفُ إِلّا زُبرَةٌ لَو تَرَكتَهُ

عَلى الخِلقَةِ الأولى لَما كانَ يَقطَعُ

The sword is only an ingot, if you left it

In its primal temper, it would never cut

فَدونَكَها لَولا لَيانُ نَسيبِها

لَظَلَّت صِلابُ الصَخرِ مِنها تَصَدَّعُ

But for the filing of its keenness

The flint mass would still crack under it

لَها أَخَواتٌ قَبلَها قَد سَمِعتَها

وَإِن لَم تَزِع بي مُدَّةً فَسَتسَمَعُ

It has sisters aforetime you have heard tell

And if they have not rung long by me, you will hear