لَيلٌ بِذي الأَثلِ عَنّاني تَطاوُلُهُ

لَيلٌ بِذي الأَثلِ عَنّاني تَطاوُلُهُ

أَرى بِهِ مُقبِلاً قِرناً أُنازِلُهُ

أَرى بِهِ مُقبِلاً قِرناً أُنازِلُهُ

A night at Dhu al-Athl—its length has wearied me.

A night with an effulgent moon whose height astounds me

In it I see an approaching opponent whom I confront.

I see a crescent moon approach, humbling its rising

وَقَد أَبيتُ وَفي باعِ الدُجى قِصَرٌ

وَقَد أَبيتُ وَفي باعِ الدُجى قِصَرٌ

بِزائِرٍ قَرُبَت أُنساً مَخائِلُهُ

بِزائِرٍ قَرُبَت أُنساً مَخائِلُهُ

Yet I sometimes pass the night with darkness's span grown short,

And I stayed awake in the expanse of obscurity, dwelling in a palace

with a visitor whose signs promise close companionship.

With a visitor who made intimacy delightful

إِذ لا وَسيلَةَ لِلواشي يَمُتُّ بِها

إِذ لا وَسيلَةَ لِلواشي يَمُتُّ بِها

مَعَ الصِبا وَهوَ غَضّاتٌ وَسائِلُهُ

مَعَ الصِبا وَهوَ غَضّاتٌ وَسائِلُهُ

When the slanderer has no means by which to claim a connection,

Since there is no means for the sleepless to die of it

amid youth, its avenues of attachment still fresh and tender.

Along with the breeze while he is still plucking its branches

أَواخِرُ العَيشِ أَخبارٌ مُكَرَّرَةٌ

أَواخِرُ العَيشِ أَخبارٌ مُكَرَّرَةٌ

وَأَقرَبُ العَيشِ مِن لَهوٍ أَوائِلُهُ

وَأَقرَبُ العَيشِ مِن لَهوٍ أَوائِلُهُ

Life's later days are tales retold,

The latter part of life is recurring news

and its beginnings are closest to pleasure.

And the nearer part of life is its beginnings, empty of purpose

يَفنى الشَبابُ إِذا ما تَمَّ تَكمِلَةً

يَفنى الشَبابُ إِذا ما تَمَّ تَكمِلَةً

وَالشَيءُ يَرجِعُهُ نَقصاً تَكامُلُهُ

وَالشَيءُ يَرجِعُهُ نَقصاً تَكامُلُهُ

Youth fades once it reaches full completion,

Youth expires when fully completed

and a thing's perfection turns it back toward decline.

And nothing makes up for its loss when perfected

وَيُعقِبُ المَرءَ بُرءً مِن صَبابَتِهِ

وَيُعقِبُ المَرءَ بُرءً مِن صَبابَتِهِ

تَجَرُّمُ العامِ يَأتي ثُمَّ قابِلُهُ

تَجَرُّمُ العامِ يَأتي ثُمَّ قابِلُهُ

And a man is granted healing from his passionate longing

And a man's prime is succeeded by his liberation from youth

as a year comes and runs its course, then the next.

Passed years arrive, then so does their successor

إِن فَرَّ مِن عَنَتِ الأَيّامِ حازِمُها

إِن فَرَّ مِن عَنَتِ الأَيّامِ حازِمُها

فَالحَزمُ فَرُّكَ مِمَّن لا تُقاتِلُهُ

فَالحَزمُ فَرُّكَ مِمَّن لا تُقاتِلُهُ

If the man wise to the days flees their hardships,

If one escapes the severity of days by being prudent

then prudence is fleeing one whom you cannot fight.

Prudence is escaping one whom you cannot fight

فَإِن أَرابَ صَديقي في الوِدادِ فَكَم

فَإِن أَرابَ صَديقي في الوِدادِ فَكَم

أَمسَيتُ أَحذَرُ ما أَصبَحتُ آمُلُهُ

أَمسَيتُ أَحذَرُ ما أَصبَحتُ آمُلُهُ

So if my friend casts doubt on his affection—how often

So if my friend defects in affection, how

have I feared at evening what I hoped for at morning!

I become, at night, more cautious than I was hopeful in the morning

يَكفيكَ مِن عُدَّةٍ لِدَهرِ تَجعَلُها

يَكفيكَ مِن عُدَّةٍ لِدَهرِ تَجعَلُها

ذُخراً سَماحُ أَبي بَكرٍ وَنائِلُهُ

ذُخراً سَماحُ أَبي بَكرٍ وَنائِلُهُ

Sufficient for you as provision against time, which you lay up

It suffices you, as preparation for an age you compose,

in reserve, are Abu Bakr's generosity and bounty.

As treasure: the generosity of Abu Bakr and its obtainment

يَبيتُ مِن بَينِهِم وَهوَ المَحوزُ لَهُ

يَبيتُ مِن بَينِهِم وَهوَ المَحوزُ لَهُ

عالي الفَعالِ وَلِلحُسّادِ سافِلُهُ

عالي الفَعالِ وَلِلحُسّادِ سافِلُهُ

He spends the night among them, his allotted share being

He dwells among them, and he alone possesses it

the loftiest deeds, while the envious have the lowest.

Lofty in his actions, while the envious are debased in relation to him

قَد أَفرَدوهُ بِما يَختارُ مِن حَسَنٍ

قَد أَفرَدوهُ بِما يَختارُ مِن حَسَنٍ

فَما لَهُ فيهِمُ نِدٌّ يُساجِلُهُ

فَما لَهُ فيهِمُ نِدٌّ يُساجِلُهُ

They have set him apart in whatever goodness he chooses,

They singled him out with whatever good he chooses

so among them he has no rival to vie with him.

So he has no peer among them to contend with him

إِن نَحنُ جِئناهُ لَم تَكسُد بِضاعَتُنا

إِن نَحنُ جِئناهُ لَم تَكسُد بِضاعَتُنا

وَلَم يَحُل دونَ ما جِئنا نُحاوِلُهُ

وَلَم يَحُل دونَ ما جِئنا نُحاوِلُهُ

If we come to him, our merchandise does not go unsold,

When we came to him, our goods were not devalued

nor does he stand in the way of what we came seeking.

And nothing prevented what we came desiring to obtain

مَتى تَأَمَّلتَهُ فَالعُرفُ مِن يَدِهِ

مَتى تَأَمَّلتَهُ فَالعُرفُ مِن يَدِهِ

إِلى العُفاةِ قَويمُ النَهجِ سابِلُهُ

إِلى العُفاةِ قَويمُ النَهجِ سابِلُهُ

Whenever you contemplate him, kindness from his hand

Whenever you observe him, custom flows from his hand

travels a straight path to the supplicants.

To the destitute, direct in method, its conduit

مُحَمَّلاً كُلَّ يَومٍ مِن نَوائِبِهِم

مُحَمَّلاً كُلَّ يَومٍ مِن نَوائِبِهِم

ثِقلاً يُزاوِلُ مِنهُ ما يُزاوِلُهُ

ثِقلاً يُزاوِلُ مِنهُ ما يُزاوِلُهُ

Burdened each day by their calamities

Burdened each day with their troubles

with a weight, he grapples with whatever of it he undertakes.

A weight he contends with and contends against

لَم نَعدُ بَغدادَ لَولا حَظُّنا مَعَهُ

لَم نَعدُ بَغدادَ لَولا حَظُّنا مَعَهُ

وَلَم نُرِد واسِطاً لَولا نَوافِلُهُ

وَلَم نُرِد واسِطاً لَولا نَوافِلُهُ

We would not have gone beyond Baghdad but for our good fortune with him,

We would not have regained Baghdad, had it not been for our fortune through him

nor would we have sought Wasit but for his gifts.

And we would not have wanted Wasit, were it not for his bonus deeds

يَعرى مِنَ المالِ أَفضالاً وَنُلبِسُهُ

يَعرى مِنَ المالِ أَفضالاً وَنُلبِسُهُ

وَشياً مِنَ المَدحِ لَم تُخلِق مَباذِلُهُ

وَشياً مِنَ المَدحِ لَم تُخلِق مَباذِلُهُ

He strips himself of wealth in giving, and we clothe him

He strips himself of wealth, conferring bounties while we dress him in

in brocade of praise whose everyday garments have not worn thin.

Something of praise his matchless counterparts have not created

نُريهِ كَيفَ نَسيمُ الشُكرِ مُحتَضَراً

نُريهِ كَيفَ نَسيمُ الشُكرِ مُحتَضَراً

أَكنافُهُ وَيُرينا كَيفَ نامُلُهُ

أَكنافُهُ وَيُرينا كَيفَ نامُلُهُ

We show him what gratitude's breeze is like, with visitors frequenting

We show him how the breeze of gratitude is expiring

his precincts; he shows us how we may hope in him.

Its sides, and we show him how we hope for it

دَعِ الَّذي فاتَتِ العَلياءَ بَسطَتُهُ

دَعِ الَّذي فاتَتِ العَلياءَ بَسطَتُهُ

يَموتُ غَيظاً وَنَل ما أَنتَ نائِلُهُ

يَموتُ غَيظاً وَنَل ما أَنتَ نائِلُهُ

Leave the man whose reach fell short of greatness

Leave one whom loftiness has eluded with its extension

to die of rage; attain what you are to attain.

To die of spite while you attain what he cannot attain

تَعلو بِبَيتِكَ مَروُ الشاهِجانِ وَقَد

تَعلو بِبَيتِكَ مَروُ الشاهِجانِ وَقَد

يُزادُ فَضلاً بِفَضلِ البَيتِ آهِلُهُ

يُزادُ فَضلاً بِفَضلِ البَيتِ آهِلُهُ

Marw al-Shahijan rises high through your house, and indeed

Your house rises above Marw's horizon and

its inhabitant gains distinction through the house's distinction.

Excellence can be increased by the excellence of its inhabitants

ما أَحسَنَ الغَيثَ إِلّا ما حَكاكَ بِهِ

ما أَحسَنَ الغَيثَ إِلّا ما حَكاكَ بِهِ

تَهتانُهُ وَاِقتَفاهُ مِنكَ وابِلُهُ

تَهتانُهُ وَاِقتَفاهُ مِنكَ وابِلُهُ

Nothing makes rain lovely except what it copies from you

The rain is made good only by what it relates of you

in its steady fall, and what its downpour takes from your example.

Rushing to you as its pouring trails you

وَلَيسَ لِلبَدرِ إِلّا ما حُبيتَ بِبِ

وَلَيسَ لِلبَدرِ إِلّا ما حُبيتَ بِبِ

أَن يَستَنيرَ وَأَن تَعلو مَنازِلُهُ

أَن يَستَنيرَ وَأَن تَعلو مَنازِلُهُ

And the full moon has nothing but what you have been endowed with:

And the moon has no merit but what it was enamored with

to shine, and for its stations to rise high.

That it may shine and raise its stations through you