وَمِمّا شَجاني بارِقٌ لاحَ مَوهِناً

فَأَكفا إِناءَ الدَمعِ وَاِستَلَبَ الغُمضا

Out of the blue, a flashing ray appeared to me languidly,

Stilling the pouring of my tears and stealing slumber from my eyes.

كَأَنَّ المُلاءَ البيضَ في يَدِ ناشِرٍ

عَلى الأُفُقِ الغَربيِّ يَنفُضُها نَفضا

As though the pure white meadows were in the hands of one scattering them

Across the western horizon, strewn and tossed.

رَنَوتُ إِلَيهِ مِن بَعيدٍ بِنَظرَةٍ

رَسولٍ لِقَلبٍ لَم يُطِق نَحوَهُ غُمضا

From afar, I glanced at it with the gaze

Of a heart's messenger, too timid to meet its gaze.

لَهُ عارِضٌ كَالجَيشِ تَفري سَوادَهُ

عَناجيجُ شُهبٍ خَرَّقَت مَتنُهُ رَكضا

It has a brow like an army, its blackness scattered

By the sparks of shooting stars that ripped through its expanse as they darted.

فَبِتُّ وَلي خَصمٌ مِنَ الشَوقِ غالِبٌ

إِذا ما دَعا دَمعي تَحَدَّرَ وَاِرفَضّا

I lie awake, and yearning is an adversary that defeats me,

When it calls my tears, they flow and pour forth abundantly.

وَأَهدَتهُ دَعوائي بِنَجدٍ وَأَهلِها

فَيا أَهلَ نَجدٍ هَل تُجازونَني قِرضا

And I called out to it from Najd and its people,

"O people of Najd, will you repay me in kind?"

أَلا نَكَرَت شُرُّ شُجوني وَراعَها

نُحولٌ أَرَقَّ العَظمَ وَاِستَلَبَ الغُمضا

Alas! The trouble of my passion knew and was wary of it—

Exhaustion that robbed my bones and stole slumber from my eyes.

وَشَيبٌ تَعَرّى في الشَبابِ كَأَنَّهُ

سِراجُ صَباحٍ شَقَّ في اللَيلِ مُبيَضّا

And gray hair that stripped youth bare, as though it were

The lamp of dawn rending the night with its whiteness.

مُنَعَّمَةٌ مَحمودَهُ الحُسنِ غادَةٌ

تُكَسِّرُ في أَجفانِها مَرَضاً خَفضا

A beautiful, praised, delicate gazelle,

In whose glances a subtle ailment is shattered and stilled.

إِذا ما مَشَت هَزَّت قَضيباً عَلى نَقاً

كَهَزِّ نَسيمِ الغُصنِ رَيحانَهُ غَضّا

When she walks she sways a slender branch over a delicate stem

Like the swaying of a gentle breeze blowing tenderly over sweet basil.

سَلَت نافِلاتِ الحُبِّ مِمَّن عَلِمتُهُ

فَكَيفَ بِمَشغوفٍ يَرى حُبَّها فَرضا

I asked her for love's supererogatory gifts, knowing that she

Grants even her passionate lovers no more than what duty requires.

أَرى كُلَّ يَومٍ في ظَلامِ مَفارِقي

شِهابَ مَشيبٍ باقِيَ الأَثرِ مُنقَضّا

Each day amidst the darkness of our separation

I see the traces of lasting gray hairs dissipating.

وَكانَت يَدُ الأَيّامِ تَقبَلُ بِزَّتي

فَصارَت يَدُ الأَيّامِ تَنفُضُني نَفضا

While time used to welcome my youth,

Now the hands of time toss me aside and scatter me.

وَقارَعَني مُلكُ الشَبابِ فَأَصبَحَت

عُيونُ المَها الإِنسِيِّ تَنقُضُني نَقضا

The kingdom of youth assailed me, and now

The eyes of mortal man tear me down and destroy me.

وَرَدَّ عَلَيَّ الدَهرُ حَدَّ سِلاحِهِ

فَقَطَّعَني جَرحاً وَأَوجَعَني عَضّا

Fate turned its blade upon me,

Cutting me with wounds, racking me with pain.

وَخَلَّفتُ ماءَ العَيشِ صَفوَ غَديرِهِ

وَبُدِّلتُ مِن سَلسالِهِ نَمِراً بَرضا

I left behind the cool water of life and its flowing stream,

And for its smooth surface, I was exchanged with a growling panther.

رُوَيدَكَ إِنَّ الدَهرَ ما قَد عَلِمتَهُ

وَلَيسَ لَنا مِن حُكمِهِ كُلُّ ما نَرضى

Restrain yourself! For fate is not as you have known it to be,

And we cannot control whatever we wish.

وَلا بُدَّ أَن يُصغي إِلى البُؤسِ جانِبُ ال

نَعيمِ وَيَقضي مَنعُهُ ثُمَّ لا يُقضى

Inevitably, good fortune must heed misery’s call,

And joy’s ban must end, though it cannot end.

أَرى الدَهرَ يَقضي كَيفَ شاءَ مُحَكَّماً

وَلا يَملِكُ الإِنسانُ بَسطاً وَلا قَبضا

I see fate judging as it wills, sovereign,

While man owns neither bestowal or withholding.

وَإِن تَجهَليني بَعدَ عِلمٍ فَإِنَّني

عُرِضتُ عَلى الأَحداثِ بَعدَكُمُ عَرضا

And if after knowing me you still ignore me,

I was presented to events after you all the same.

وَفَقدُ أُناسٍ لا أَخافُ عُيونَهُم

قَرَونِيَ مِن أَخلافِهِم حَلَباً مَخضا

I fear not the eyes of a people whose peers

I see in their descendants, mellowed and ripened.

أُرَقّي زَفيري في التَراقي عَلَيهِمُ

إِذا لاعَجُ الأَحزانِ أَوجَعَني مَضّا

I send my sighs on high to them

When sorrows flame and rack me with burning pain.

وَصَلتُ جَناحَ الوُدِّ بَعدَ فِراقِهِم

بِريشِ ذُنابى بَعضُها يَخذُلُ البَعضا

After they left, I joined the wings of love,

Some feathers supporting others, some letting others fall.

فَعُلقَةُ قَلبي كَيفَ تَلحَقُ لَهوَهُ

وَأَسفارُ أَحزاني تُخَلِّفُهُ مُنضى

My heart, how can it keep pace?

While the roads of my sorrows leave it behind, abandoned?

أَلا زَوِّدي يا رَبَّةَ الخِدرِ راجِلاً

تَتَبَّعَ أَرضاً قَد دَعَت شَخصُهُ رَضّا

O lady of the howdah, provision a rider

Who follows a land whose people have welcomed his coming.

وَكَيفَ ثَوائي بَينَ قَومٍ كَأَنَّما

تُرَضُّ تَحِيّاتي وُجوهَهُمُ رَضّا

How can I live among a people whose faces’ smiles

Seem pleased with my greetings while goodwill between us waned?

سَرَت عَقرَبُ الشَحناءِ وَالبُغضُ بَينَنا

وَلا يَملِكُ الناسُ المَحَبَّةَ وَالبُغضا

The hand of hatred and enmity crept between us,

While man owns neither love nor hate.

أَلا رُبَّ حِلمٍ عادَ رِقّاً وَذِلَّةً

وَجَهلٍ بِهِ مُعطيكَ ذو الجَهلِ ما تَرضى

Alas! Many gentle deeds return as shame and disgrace,

And ignorance rewarding you with what you wish.