عاوَدَ القَلبَ بَثُّهُ وَخَبالُه
لِخَليطٍ زُمَّت بِلَيلٍ جِمالُه
The heart is revisited by its anguish and derangement,
His heartache and sorrows have returned
For a beloved companion whose camels were bridled by night.
His beauty is obscured by a gloomy night
وَسَقيمٍ يُخشى بَلاهُ وَلا يُر
جى مِنَ السُقمِ وَالبِلى إِبلالُه
And an ailing man whose wasting is feared, with no hope
Ailing, I fear for him, though he shows no weakness
Of his recovery from sickness and decay,
Nor stoops from illness and tribulation
يسأَلُ الرَبعَ قَد تَعَفَّت رُباهُ
وَخَلَت مِن أَنيسِهِ أَطلالُه
Questions the dwelling-site, its hillocks now effaced,
He asks after the meadows, their plants now withered
And its ruins empty of their familiar inhabitant,
And empty of companions are their ruins
عَن رَهيفِ القَوامِ يَجمَعُ فيهِ
صِفَةَ الغُصنِ لينُهُ وَاِعتِدالُه
About one of slender stature, in whom are joined
About the slender branch he gathers
A bough's qualities—his suppleness and uprightness.
Its softness and poise as attributes
قَد أَعَلَّ الفُؤادَ تَوريدُ خَدَّي
هِ وَتَفتيرُ لَحظِهِ وَاِعتِلالُه
The heart has been sickened by the rosiness of his cheeks,
His glances and the languor of his eyes
And the languor of his gaze and his frailty.
Have exalted my heart and left it tossed
زائِرٌ في المَنامِ يَهجُرُ يَقظا
نَ وَيَدنو مَعَ المَنامِ وِصالُه
A visitor in dreams, he shuns me in waking,
A visitor in dreams, shunning waking
And union with him draws near with sleep.
Draws near in sleep to bestow his company
طارِقٌ أَرهَقَ الزِيارَةَ وَالصُب
حُ مُطِلٌّ أَو قَد دَنا إِطلالُه
A night visitor who delayed his visit, while dawn
A late night caller, tired from his visits
Is breaking, or is close to breaking.
Perhaps close is his appearance, or still delayed
وَأَما وَالأَراكِ في بَطنِ مَرٍّ
يَتَفَيَأنَ بِالعَشِيِّ ظِلالُه
And indeed, by the arak trees in the valley of Marr,
While you remain in the belly of the sands
Whose shadows shift back in the evening,
At night resting beneath their shadows
وَكُراعِ الغَميمِ يَنآدُ فيها
مُرجَحِنّاً أَثلُ الغَميمِ وَضالُه
And by Kuraʿ al-Ghamim, where sway
And the lightning of the clouds calling out
The drooping tamarisks and wild lote trees of al-Ghamim,
Weighing down the clouds' load when it strays
وَاِعتِسافِ الحَجيجِ عُسفانَ إِذ تو
قِدُ رَمضاؤُهُ وَيَخفِقُ آلُه
And by the pilgrims' crossing of ʿUsfan, when
The moaning of the pilgrims when
Its scorching ground blazes and its mirage quivers:
Their fervor boils over and their passions seethe
ما اِستَعَنتُ الكَرى عَلى الشَوقِ إِلّا
باتَ قَيضاً مِنَ الحبيبِ خَيالُه
Never did I seek sleep's aid against longing but
I have found no succor for yearning
His image spent the night in the beloved's stead.
Except the phantom of the beloved visiting at night
يا أَبا بَكرٍ المَخوفَ شَذاهُ
وَالمُرَجّى كُلَّ الرَجاءِ نَوالُه
O Abu Bakr, whose fierceness is feared,
Oh Abu Bakr, frightening are his whims
And in whose bounty every hope is placed,
And fulfilling all hopes is his bestowal
ما سَعى في نَقيصَةِ المُلكِ إِلّا
حائِرٌ مُرسَلٌ عَلَيهِ نَكالُه
None has striven to diminish the kingdom but
None despaired of diminishing the kingdom
A misguided man upon whom his chastisement is unleashed.
Except the bewildered, upon whom his wrath descends
سَطَواتٌ بُثَّت عَلى الشَرقِ حَتّى
خَضَعَ الشَرقُ سَهلُهُ وَجِبالُه
Onslaughts were unleashed upon the East until
Tyrannies unleashed upon the east
The East submitted, its plains and its mountains.
Until the east surrendered, its plains and mountains
تئلَفُ المَكرُماتُ ساحَةَ خِرقٍ
حائِزٌ ذِكرَ مِثلِها أَمثالُه
Noble deeds are at home in the courtyard of a generous man,
Kindnesses come together in an honored place
Whose peers win renown for deeds like these.
Whose like has seen the accumulation of its equals
رَجُلُ الدَهرِ هِمَّةً وَاِحتِمالاً
لِلَّذي يُعجِزُ الرِجالَ إِحتِمالُه
The man of the age in resolve and endurance
The man of the age in ambition and endurance
Of what men are powerless to bear.
For that which exhausts even the most enduring of men
حُوَّلٌ قُلَّبٌ يَسُرُّكَ مِنهُ
نَهضُهُ بِالجَليلِ وَإِستِقلالُه
Resourceful and versatile—what delights you in him
Transformed and overturned, your joy in
Is his taking up great tasks and bearing them unaided.
His rising with glory and independence
قُم تَأَمَّل فَما المَحاسِنُ إِلّا
فُرَصُ المَجدِ عارَضَت وَإِهتِبالُه
Rise and reflect: virtues are nothing but
Arise and consider, are not the virtues
Opportunities for glory that arise, and his seizing them.
But opportunities for glory that presented themselves and were seized
حَيثُ أَجرَت شِعابَها دُفَعُ الجو
دِ وَحَقَّت لِآمِلٍ آمالُه
Where torrents of generosity have set their channels flowing,
Where its valleys poured the repelling of aggression
And a hopeful man's hopes have come true.
And the hopes of the hopeful were fulfilled
نَزَعَ الحاسِدُ المُنافِسُ صِفراً
آيِساً مِن مَنالِ ما لا يَنالُه
The envious rival withdrew empty-handed,
The envious rival withdrew yellow
Despairing of attaining what he cannot attain.
Despairing of attaining what he cannot reach
حازِمٌ لا يَني يُلَقّى صَواباً
رَيثُهُ في الأُمورِ وَاِستِعجالُه
A prudent man, ever guided aright
Resolute, not bending, always striking true
In his deliberation in affairs and in his haste.
His composure in affairs and lack of haste
بِشرُهُ وَالرُواءُ مِنهُ وَلِلسَي
فِ جَمالانِ حَليُهُ وَصِقالُه
His cheerfulness and comely appearance; a sword, likewise,
Good news of him, and the whiffs from him
Has two beauties: its adornment and its polish.
And the swords have a brilliant polish
راخَنا أَمسِ جاهُهُ وَثَنى اليَو
مَ لَنا بِالرِياشِ أَجمَعَ مالُه
Yesterday his standing eased our lot; today
Yesterday his status was shaking and today
His wealth in full followed it with finery for us.
He has gathered for us in the winds all his money
كانَ مَعروفُهُ المُقَدَّمُ قَولاً
فَقَفا القَولَ مِن قَريبِ فَعالُه
His kindness was offered first in words,
Well known was his generosity spoken
Then his deeds soon followed his words.
Then his words were followed closely by his deeds
Sol 6.1