جاءَ الشِتاءُ جيأَةَ المُفاجي

كَأَنَّما قَد كانَ في الرِتاجِ

Winter came suddenly with surprise

Winter has arrived with a sudden start,

As if it had been hiding in wait

As if it had been waiting right at the gate.

فَجَمَدَ السائِلُ في الزُجاجِ

وَاِكتَسَتِ الأَرضُ بِمِثلِ العاجِ

The flowing water froze in the glass

The liquid has frozen inside the glass,

And the ground was covered as if with ivory

And the earth is clothed in the likeness of ivory.

فَاِمتَنَعَ المَرعى عَلى النِعاجِ

وَاِمتَنَعَ الحَبُّ عَلى الدَجاجِ

The pasture was denied to the sheep

Grazing has become impossible for the sheep,

And the seed was denied to the chickens

And grain is out of reach for the chickens.

وَاِمتَنَعَ السَيرُ عَلى النَواجي

رُبَّ جَوادٍ لاحيقٍ هِملاجِ

And travel was denied on the paths

Travel is denied to the swift mounts;

Many a swift and robust horse

Many a sleek, pacing steed,

مُعَوَّدِ الإِلجام وَالإِسراجِ

وَالوَخد وَالذَميل وَالإِهماجِ

Accustomed to bridle and saddle

Accustomed to the bridle and the saddle,

And cheekpiece and crupper and stirrup

To trotting, pacing, and galloping hard,

أَصبَحَ مِثلَ العِرقِ في اِختِلاجِ

مُنعَرِجاً في غَيرِ ذي اِنعِراجِ

Woke up writhing as if with colic

Has become like a twitching vein in its trembling,

Buckling though on level ground

Swerving on a path that has no curves.

لَو هاجَهُ الراكِبُ بِالكُرباجِ

لَما مَشى بِهِ سِوى اِعوِجاجِ

If its rider had driven it on

If the rider were to urge him with the whip,

It would have walked only crooked

He would move only in a crooked stagger.

لَولا الجَليدُ طارَ بِالمُهتاجِ

مِثلَ البُراقِ بِفَتى المِعراجِ

If not for the ice, the spirited one would have flown

Were it not for the ice, he would fly with his rider,

Like Al-Buraq with the Prophet's night journey

Like Al-Buraq carrying the Hero of the Ascension,

وَحَطَّه وَالشَمسُ في الأَبراجِ

لَكِنَّهُ مِنهُ عَلى الزُجاجِ

And landed while the sun was still in the constellations

And set him down while the sun is still high in the towers,

But because of the ice it buckled

But because of the ice, he stands as if on glass.

وَأَمسَكَ الناسُ عَنِ اللَجاجِ

أَما تَرى نِدائَهُم تَناجي

And people refrained from argument

People have refrained from loud clamor;

Do you not hear their voices whispering

Do you not see that their calling is but a whisper?

كَأَنَّما الجُموعُ في المَلاجي

عَلى مِنى مَواكِبُ الحُجّاجِ

As if the crowds were at the sanctuaries

As if the crowds huddled in shelters

At Mina the processions of pilgrims

Were pilgrim processions at Mina.

وَرَغِبَ المُثري عَنِ الديباجِ

إِلى اللِباسِ الخَشِنِ النِساجِ

And the ostentatious one was drawn

The wealthy man has turned away from fine silk,

To rough, hand-woven clothes

Favoring instead clothes of rough weave.

وَكانَ أَن جيءَ لَهُ بِالتاجِ

أَعرَضَ عَنهُ وارِمَ الأَوداجِ

When he was brought the crown

And were a crown to be brought to him,

He turned away from it and threw down his staff

He would turn from it, his neck veins swollen in annoyance.

وَاِنقَبَضَ النَهرُ عَنِ الهِياجِ

وَكانَ مِثلَ الزاخِرِ العَجّاجِ

And the river drew back from tumult

The river has withdrawn from its raging flow,

And was like the seething, frothing torrent

Where once it was swelling and tumultuous,

يُصارِعُ الأَمواجَ بِالأَمواجِ

يا مَسبَحَ الأُوَز وَالدُرّاجِ

Wrestling waves with waves

Wrestling waves against waves.

O path of flocks and processions

O swimming pool of the geese and francolins,

كيَفَ غَدَوتَ مَوطِئَ الأَحداجِ

وَمَعبَرَ الخَلقِ إِلى الخَراجِ

How you have become a footway for the wretched

How have you become a path for camel litters,

And a crossing for people into destitution

And a crossing for people heading to the fields?

ما لِي وَالصُبحُ عَلى اِنبِلاجِ

أَخبِطُ كَالعَشواءِ في الدَياجي

Why am I at dawn still tossing and turning

What ails me, that while the dawn is breaking,

Stumbling about like a blind man in the darkness

I stumble blindly like a camel in the dark?

إِذا أَرَدتُ السَيرَ في مِنهاجي

طالَ عِثاري فيه وَاِنزِلاجي

When I try to walk my accustomed path

When I wish to walk upon my path,

I stumble and slip constantly

My stumbling and slipping are prolonged.

كَأَنَّي أَمشي عَلى زُجاجِ

مُحتَذِياً بِالزِئبَقِ الرَجراجِ

As if walking on glass

It is as if I am walking upon glass,

Steadying myself with shifting quicksilver

Shod in shoes of quivering mercury.

خُيِّلَ لي لِشِدَّةِ اِرتِجاجي

أَنَّ دَمي يَرتَجُّ في أَشاجي

So violent is my shaking

I imagined, from the violence of my shaking,

It seems my blood trembles in my veins

That my very blood was trembling within my veins.

أَرى الدُنى ضَيَّةَ الفِجاجِ

وَلَم تَضِق لَكِنَّما اِحتِياجي

I see the world as a place of pitfalls

I see the world as having narrow passes,

Yet my need is not to avoid them

Though it has not narrowed; rather, my need

إِلى طَريقٍ واضِحِ الشِجاجِ

أَسلُكُ فيهِ غَيرَ ما اِنزِعاجِ

But for a clear, smooth road

Is for a road with clear, defined tracks,

To walk on without trouble

Where I may travel without distress.

وَحاجَتي بَِلكَوكَبِ الوَهّاجِ

كَحاجَةِ الأَعمى إِلى سِراجِ

And I need the blazing star

And my need for the glowing sun

As the blind man needs a lamp

Is like the blind man's need for a lamp.

إِن لَجَّ هَذا القَرُّ في إِحراجي

لَأَرفَعَنَّ لِلسَما اِحتِجاجي

If this shame persists in distressing me

If this bitter cold persists in tormenting me,

I will raise my complaint to the heavens

I shall surely raise my protest to the heavens.