أَيا وَيحَهُ ما ذَنبُهُ إِن تَذَكَّرا
سَوالِفَ أَيّامٍ سَبَقنَ وَأَخَّرا
Alas, what was his crime that when memories
Of bygone days of carefree living passed between us
وَسَكرَةَ عَيشٍ فارِغٍ مِن هُمومِهِ
وَمَعروفَ حالٍ لَم نَخَف أَن يُنَكَّرا
And the sweetness of a vacant life, devoid of worries,
And times when status was known and not disowned
وَعَصرَ شَبابٍ كانَ مَيعَةَ حُسنِهِ
وَظِلّاً مِنَ الدُنيا عَلَيهِ مُنَشَّرا
And the springtime of youth whose beauty graced me
With shade in life spread over me in branches grown,
إِذا كُنَّ لا يَردُدنَ ما فاتَ مِن هَوىً
فَلا تَدَعِ المَحزونَ أَن يَتَصَبَّرا
If you would but let one sorrowing recall
Loves that were and would not sorrow ban,
وَقالوا كَبِرتَ فَاِنتَضَيتَ مِنَ الصَبا
فَقُلتُ لَهُم ما عُشتُ إِلّا لِأَكبَرا
‘You are grown old,’ they said, ‘your youth is o’er’
And I replied, ‘I have but lived this life before
إِذا لاحَ شَيبُ الرَأسِ يَوماً وَلَيلَةً
فَما أَجدَرَ الإِنسانَ أَن يَتَغَيَّرا
To grow the older,’ when the grey appears one day
How fit the thought that man his ways should change each day.
وَلَبثي وَإِخلافي أُناساً فَقِدتُهُم
وَما كُنتُ أَرجو بَعدَهُم أَن أُعَمَّرا
Long was my staying after they had gone from me
Those dear ones, and I hoped not again years to see,
هُمُ طَرَدوا عَن مُقلَتَي رائِدَ الكَرى
وَشَكّوا سَوادَ القَلبِ حَتّى تَفَطَّرا
They were torn from my eyelids’ gaze, guides of my star,
They darkened my heart’s depths that had been bright afar,
وَأَجلوا هُمومي مِن سِواهُم وَأَطبَقوا
جُفوني فَما أَهوى مِنَ العَيشِ مَنظَرا
They took away my griefs, all else beside them nothing,
They closed my eyelids—the world’s scene desiring naught then,
وَأَصبَحتُ مُعتَلَّ الحَياةِ كَأَنَّني
أَسيرٌ رَأى وَجهَ الأَميرِ فَفَكَّرا
Life grew unstable seeming as a captive viewing
What to the prince’s face one day had been accruing,
فَإِمّا تَرَيني بِالَّذي قَد نَكَرتِهِ
فَيارَبُّ يَومٍ لَم أَكُن فيهِ مُنكَرا
So I am viewed by you in ways you recognise no more
Oh Lord of days whose ways I knew not then before.
أَروحُ كَغُصنِ البانِ بَيَّتَهُ النَدى
وَهَزَّ بِأَنفاسٍ ضِعافٍ وَأُمطِرا
I roam like boughs made drunk by dew in gentle weather,
Which soft breathing shakes, and rain about they scatter,
فَمالَ عَلى مَيثاءَ ناعِمَةِ الثَرى
تَغَلغَلَ فيها ماؤُها وَتَحَيَّرا
And lean on fertile soil where penetrating ever
Deep the water glides and wanders without let,
كَأَنَّ الصَبا تُهدي إِلَيها إِذا جَرَت
عَلى تُربِها مِسكاً سَحيقاً وَعَنبَرا
As though the zephyrs o’er it poured musk freely, ambergris,
Brooks fed it brimming from their rain, and it grew verdant, bloomed,
سَقَتهُ الغَوادي وَالسَواري قِطارَها
فَجَنَّ كَما شاءَ النَباتُ وَنَوَّرا
and bore
Night came upon it, spacious, when the pond grew troubled,
وَحَلَّت عَلَيهِ لَيلَةٌ أَرحَبيَّةٌ
إِذا ما صَفا فيها الغَديرُ تَكَدَّرا
As if the rose gardens had blossomed amid their havens
Leaving 'mong their petals trails of perfumes' scented lays.
كَأَنَّ الغَواني بُتنَ بَينَ رِياضِهِ
فَغادَرنَ فيهِ نَشرَ وَردٍ وَعَبهَرا
Long drawn out between horizons never greeted
The eye at break of its dawn with proof completed.
طَويلَةَ ما بَينَ البَياضينِ لَم يَكَد
يُصَدَّقُ فيها فَجرُها حينَ بَشَّرا
When the smooth rocks it rubbed and its swelling bubbled
Up, and branches of springs were ready, weak to crack.
إِذا ما أَلَحَّت قَشَّرَ الصَخرَ وَبلُها
وَهَمَّت غُصونُ النَبعِ أَن تَتَكَسَّرا
So dawn would find it mantled with dust and darkened,
As if you'd spread out on it wide carpets patterned.
فَباتَت إِذا ما البَرقُ أَوقَدَ وَسطَها
حَريقاً أَهَلَّ الرَعدُ فيهِ وَكَبَّرا
In it all sprightly creatures joyously darted,
An eye that watched the languid glance grow nimble, dwelt;
كَأَنَّ الرَبابَ الجَونَ دونَ سَحابِهِ
خَليعٌ مِنَ الفِتيانِ يَسحَبُ مِئزَرا
Roaming in trails as though their trains were fashioned
From the gown of a crowned king stern and high statured
إِذا لَحَقَتهُ رَوعَةٌ مِن وَرائِهِ
تَلَفَّتَ وَاِستَلَّ الحُسامَ المُذَكَّرا
Plucking at the leafy twigs with its lightning phosphor,
As if it fingered shoon of leather pierced and punctured.
فَأَصبَحَ مَستورَ التُرابِ كَأَنَّما
نَشَرتَ عَلَيهِ وَشيَ بُردٍ مُحَبَّرا
With neck as straight as staffs, their heads tossed backwards,
Their hides stripped off them forward, flayed and fractured,
بِهِ كُلُّ مَوشيَّ القَوائِمِ ناشِطٌ
وَعَينٌ تُراعي فاتِرَ اللَحظِ أَحوَرا
With legs like shafts of lances, hocks swelling backwards,
Collapsing on their forelegs—they had tripped and stumbled.
تُطيفُ بِذَيّالٍ كَأَنَّ صُوارَهُ
غَدائِرُ ذي تاجٍ عَتا وَتَجَبَّرا
I neared him ere the morn, a wide-stretched space untethered,
As the jealous would, with horse that raced and galloped;
يَحُكُّ الغُصونَ المورِقاتِ بِرَوقِهِ
كَخَصفَكَ بِالإِشفى نِعالاً فَخَصَّرا
Once he appeared, his face's youth you'd see
Like clusters of ripe grapes between two twigs new-covering.
وَذي عُنُقٍ مِثلَ العَصا شُقَّ رَأسَها
وَشُذَّبَ عَنها جِلدُها فَتَقَشَّرا
An alert gazelle, when frightened, his neck and chest expanding,
With haunch behind him spread like scales overlapping
وَساقٍ كَشَطرِ الرُمحِ صُمَّ كُعوبُهُ
تَرَدّى عَلى ما فَوقَها وَتَأَزَّرا
And the rein let out freely to his will surrendering
By brother sure and fleet—no fears detaining, doubting,
فَبادَرتُهُ قَبلَ الصَباحِ بِسابِحٍ
جَوادٍ كَما شاءَ الحَسودُ وَأَكثَرا
Anxieties attacked me, their unforeseen guests waking,
With a howling wilderness their harbourage forsaking
إِذا ما بَدا أَبصَرتَ غُرَّةَ وَجهِهِ
كَعُنقودِ كَرمٍ بَينَ غُصنَينِ نَوَّرا
As if their pools were lightning in smooth surfaces shaking
Or sands unfolding and advancing, steam evaporating
وَسالِفَتي ظَبي مِنَ الوَحشِ سانِحٍ
إِذا ما عَراهُ خَوفُ شَيءٍ تَبَصَّرا
As night advanced its starry train, we donned a gown of blackness
The end of which was far from clear at morning's starkness.
وَرِدفاً كَظَهرِ التُرسِ أُسبِلَ خَلفَهُ
عَسيبٌ كَفَيضِ الطَودِ لَمّا تَحَدَّرا
About that band the fate of men circled till they in seeming
Were like the drafts of wine cups brimming over, drunken, reeling.
وَأَرسَلتُهُ مُستَطعِماً لِعِنانِهِ
أَخا ثِقَةٍ ما أَنتَ إِلّا مُبَشِّرا
From all this I have spent my scaping years and summits.
All things must pass—I mourn, I sorrow and remember.
وَهَمٌّ أَتَتني طارِقاتُ ضُيوفِهِ
فَما كانَ إِلّا اليَعمُلاتِ لَهُ قِرى
Once, in July, I steered that fire through Gemini's runnel,
The cloak of stars spread down when Sirius drew nigh.
بِوَحشيَّةٍ قَفرٍ تَخالُ سَرابَها
مَهاً لامِعاتٍ أَو مُلاءً مُنَشَّرا
The day's eye had devoured all his shadows,
And he became like the red streaks in dust clouds flying.
فَلَمّا تَبَدّى اللَيلُ يَحدو بِنَجمِهِ
لَبِسنا ظَلاماً لَم يَكَد صُبحُهُ يُرى
What enemy did not attack us on our march,
And meet us with bright flashing evil starry and stellar!
وَطافَ الكَرى بِالقَومِ حَتّى كَأَنَّهُم
نَشاوى شَرابٍ دَبَّ فيهِم وَأَسكَرا
If you had not ridden too near deeds unforeseen
You'd have met on roughest roads with furthest ends extreme.
فَمِن كُلِّ هَذا قَد قَضَيتُ لُبانَتي
وَوَلّى فَلَم أَملِك أَسىً وَتَذَكُّرا
وَيَوماً مِنَ الجَوزاءِ أَصلَيتُ نارَهُ
وَقَد سَتَّرَ الكَناسُ إِذ بانَ مُشتَرى
وَقَد أَكَلَت شَمسُ النَهارِ ظِلالَهُ
وَصارَت كَحِرباءِ الهَواجِرِ مِعفَرا
وَكَم مِن عَدوٍّ رامَ قَصفَ قَناتِنا
فَلاقى بِنا يَوماً مِنَ الشَرِّ أَحمَرا
إِذا أَنتَ لَم تَركَب أَدانِيَ حادِثٍ
مِنَ الأَمرِ لاقَيتَ الأَقاصِيَ أَوعَرا
