جادَ الذُفافِيَّ في أَرضِهِ

جادَ الذُفافِيَّ في أَرضِهِ

رُكامُ الغَمامِ عَلى ظُلمِهِ

رُكامُ الغَمامِ عَلى ظُلمِهِ

May al-Dhufafi in his land be showered with rain

My friend wandered in his land

by heaped-up clouds, despite his injustice.

Clouds piled upon his darkness

أَخٌ لِيَ لَم تَتَّصِل نِسبَتي

أَخٌ لِيَ لَم تَتَّصِل نِسبَتي

بِقُربى أَبيهِ وَلا أُمِّهِ

بِقُربى أَبيهِ وَلا أُمِّهِ

A brother of mine, though my lineage is not linked

A brother of mine, though no blood ties us

by kinship to his father or his mother.

Neither his father nor mother are kin to me

تَنَكَّرَ حَتّى لَأَنكَرتُهُ

تَنَكَّرَ حَتّى لَأَنكَرتُهُ

خَلا أَنَّني عارِفٌ بِاِسمِهِ

خَلا أَنَّني عارِفٌ بِاِسمِهِ

He changed so much that I would not have recognized him,

He's changed until I hardly know him

except that I know his name.

Except I do know his name

وَما لِيَ مِنهُ سِوى رِقَّةٍ

وَما لِيَ مِنهُ سِوى رِقَّةٍ

يَراحُ لَها الشَعرُ في فَهمِهِ

يَراحُ لَها الشَعرُ في فَهمِهِ

And I have nothing from him but a tenderness

And he means to me only tenderness

that gladdens poetry in his understanding.

For which poetry flows in his understanding

كَذا المِسكُ ما فيهِ مُستَمتَعٌ

كَذا المِسكُ ما فيهِ مُستَمتَعٌ

لِمُتَّخِذيهِ سِوى شَمِّهِ

لِمُتَّخِذيهِ سِوى شَمِّهِ

So it is with musk: there is nothing to enjoy in it

So is musk - it gives no pleasure

for those who possess it, save smelling it.

To its bearer but its scent