أَرى النَفسَ لَجَّت في رَجاءٍ مُكَذِّبِ

وَقَد جَرَّبَت لَو تَقتَدي بِالمُجَرَّبِ

I see the soul yearning in denied hope,

Though it has tried following the ways of experience,

وَكائِن رَأَيتُ مِن مُلوكٍ وَسوقَةٍ

وَصاحَبتُ مِن وَفدٍ كِرامٍ وَمَوكِبِ

And I've seen kings and leaders,

And met honorable delegates and processions,

وَسانَيتُ مِن ذي بَهجَةٍ وَرَقَيتُهُ

عَلَيهِ السُموطُ عابِسٍ مُتَغَضِّبِ

And I've socialized with the joyful, conversing with him,

While grim clouds gathered over us,

وَفارَقتُهُ وَالوُدُّ بَيني وَبَينَهُ

بِحُسنِ الثَناءِ مِن وَراءِ المُغَيَّبِ

And we parted while good praise still echoed between us,

With kindness from behind the unseen veil,

وَأَبَّنتُ مِن فَقدِ اِبنِ عَمٍّ وَخُلَّةٍ

وَفارَقتُ مِن عَمٍّ كَريمٍ وَمِن أَبِ

And I grieved over the loss of a cousin and aunt,

And I parted from a generous uncle and father,

فَبانوا وَلَم يُحدِث عَلَيَّ سَبيلُهُم

سِوى أَمَلي فيما أَمامي وَمَرغَبي

So they passed away, leaving behind no path but

My hopes in what's ahead and my desires,

فَأَيَّ أَوانٍ لا تَجِئني مَنِيَّتي

بِقَصدٍ مِنَ المَعروفِ لا أَتَعَجَّبِ

So when will my fate come to me,

With no surprise, out of kindness?

فَلَستُ بِرُكنٍ مِن أَبانٍ وَصاحَةٍ

وَلا الخالِداتِ مِن سُواجٍ وَغُرَّبِ

For I'm neither an eternal mountain nor plain,

Nor one of the everlasting Pleiades nor Capella,

قَضَيتُ لُباناتٍ وَسَلَّيتُ حاجَةٍ

وَنَفسُ الفَتى رَهنٌ بِقَمرَةِ مُؤرِبِ

I have fulfilled prayers and poured libations,

And the soul of youth is held ransom by the wine-pourer,

وَفِتيانِ صِدقٍ قَد غَدَوتُ عَلَيهِمُ

بِلا دَخِنٍ وَلا رَجيعٍ مُجَنَّبِ

And I raced at dawn to visit true friends,

Without turning back or returning, straight on course,

بِمُجتَزَفٍ جَونٍ كَأَنَّ خَفائَهُ

قَرا حَبَشِيٍّ في السَرَومَطِ مُحقَبِ

With smooth, delicate steps as though his slippers

Were Ethiopian leather on a plush carpet,

إِذا أَرسَلَت كَفُّ الوَليدِ كِعامَهُ

يَمُجُّ سُلافاً مِن رَحيقٍ مُعَطَّبِ

When the hand of al-Walid extends his cup,

It overflows with scented wine,

فَمَهما نَغِض مِنهُ فَإِنَّ ضَمانَهُ

عَلى طَيِّبِ الأَردانِ غَيرِ مُسَبَّبِ

And no matter how much he drinks, his warranty

Is always the pure spices, without cause,

جَميلِ الأُسى فيما أَتى الدَهرُ دونَهُ

كَريمِ الثَنا حُلوِ الشَمائِلِ مُعجِبِ

Beautiful is his grief over what time has ruined,

Noble his praise, charming his character, captivating,

تَراهُ رَخيَّ البالِ إِن تَلقَ تَلقَهُ

كَريماً وَما يَذهَب بِهِ الدَهرُ يَذهَبِ

You see him easygoing if you meet him,

Generous, unaffected by the passage of time,

يُثَبّي ثَناءً مِن كَريمٍ وَقَولُهُ

أَلا اِنعَم عَلى حُسنِ التَحِيَّةِ وَاِشرَبِ

He affirms with praise from the generous, and his words:

“Please, enjoy good company and drink!”

لَدُن أَن دَعا ديكُ الصَباحِ بِسُحرَةٍ

إِلى قَدرِ وِردِ الخامِسِ المُتَأَوِّبِ

Since the rooster called at dawn to the fifth regular visit,

Of those who don flowing attire, as though,

مِنَ المُسبِلينَ الرَيطَ لَذٍّ كَأَنَّما

تَشَرَّبَ ضاحي جِلدِهِ لَونَ مُذهَبِ

The surface of his skin had taken on the color of gold,

And helpless whose shackles I’ve removed, and a bucket

وَعانٍ فَكَكتُ الكَبلَ عَنهُ وَسُدفَةٍ

سَرَيتُ وَأَصحابي هَدَيتُ بِكَوكَبِ

I took by night, my friends and I, guiding with a star,

I traveled with them until their star disappeared,

سَرَيتُ بِهِم حَتّى تَغَيَّبَ نَجمُهُم

وَقالَ النَعوسُ نَوَّرَ الصُبحُ فَاِذهَبِ

And the sleepy said, “Dawn has illuminated, so be off!”

So I didn’t close off what I shepherded, and lost property I returned,

فَلَم أُسدِ ما أَرعى وَتَبلٍ رَدَدتُهُ

وَأَنجَحتُ بَعدَ اللَهِ مِن خَيرِ مَطلَبِ

And by God’s help succeeded in the best pursuit,

And answered the prayer of one struck with terror, and lifted

وَدَعوَةِ مَرهوبٍ أَجَبتُ وَطَعنَةٍ

رَفَعتُ بِها أَصواتَ نَوحٍ مُسَلَّبِ

Voices of lament for those hamstrung and crucified,

And rain whose pouring adorned the plains,

وَغَيثٍ بِدَكداكٍ يَزينُ وَهادَهُ

نَباتٌ كَوَشيِ العَبقَرِيِّ المُخَلَّبِ

With plants like etched embellishment on parchment,

Wild cows dripped upon it whenever sap flows from it,

أَرَبَّت عَلَيهِ كُلُّ وَطفاءَ جَونَةٍ

هَتوفٍ مَتى يُنزِف لَها الوَبلُ تَسكُبِ

With one of delight, gazelles inclined toward him,

And sprouts adorned him with interwoven leaves,

بِذي بَهجَةٍ كَنَّ المَقانِبُ صَوبَهُ

وَزَيَّنَهُ أَطرافُ نَبتٍ مُشَرَّبِ

Dawn's rise unveiled him when I descended above a watchtower,

And a fasting crescent between Sama and Rijlah,

جَلاهُ طُلوعُ الشَمسِ لَمّا هَبَطتُهُ

وَأَشرَفتُ مِن قُضفانِهِ فَوقَ مَرقَبِ

And white Tawam between Maysar and Mijnan,

I enjoyed his call - the beasts did not frighten him

وَصُحمٍ صِيامٍ بَينَ صَمدٍ وَرَجلَةٍ

وَبَيضٍ تُؤامٍ بَينَ مَيثٍ وَمِذنَبِ

With aversion, like the trimmed trunk of a Hajari palm,

With a steady trot whose gait is a way,

بَسَرتُ نَداهُ لَم تَسَرَّب وُحوشُهُ

بِغَربٍ كَجِذعِ الهاجِرِيِّ المُشَذَّبِ

For salted fish displayed but not arranged,

If a distance came between us I’d shake it off,

بِمُطَّرِدٍ جَلسٍ عَلَتهُ طَريقَةٌ

لِسَمكِ عِظامٍ عُرِّضَت لَم تُنَصَّبِ

And if the unseen drew near I’d confront it and mount it,

Of high purpose, his restraint assured,

إِذا ما نَأى مِنّي بَراحٌ نَفَضتُهُ

وَإِن يَدنُ مِنّي الغَيبُ أُلجِم فَأَركَبِ

On the cheek of a soft-lipped gazelle, chained,

So when darkness shrouded every cheek,

رَفيعَ اللَبانِ مُطمَئِنّاً عِذارُهُ

عَلى خَدِّ مَنخوضِ الغَرارَينِ صُلَّبِ

And nightfall cast hands against each infidel west,

I turned away from him and his reins prevented me,

فَلَمّا تَغَشّى كُلَّ ثَغرٍ ظَلامُهُ

وَأَلقَت يَداً في كافِرٍ مُسيَ مَغرِبِ

With force, hastening hot breaths,

Your approval, so if you strike when his side passes,

تَجافَيتُ عَنهُ وَاِتَّقاني عِنانُهُ

بِشَدٍّ مِنَ التَقريبِ عَجلانَ مُلهَبِ

It increases you, and if you’re content with that, he persists,

Passionate, stirred by his south winds,

رِضاكَ فَإِن تَضرِب إِذا مارَ عِطفُهُ

يَزِدكَ وَإِن تَقنَع بِذَلِكَ يَدأَبِ

Hastening to the wild cows of Mount Tilah to drink,

So he made me flee at dawn when I roused him,

هَوِيَّ غُدافٍ هَيَّجَتهُ جَنوبُهُ

حَثيثٍ إِلى أَذراءِ طَلحٍ وَتَنضُبِ

With pairs of buckets from the water wheel, drawing water,

And a day when I rested from his affair on the left,

فَأَصبَحَ يُذريني إِذا ما اِحتَثَثتُهُ

بِأَزواجِ مَعلولٍ مِنَ الدَلوِ مُعشِبِ

He tore the fringes of the embroidered hem,

He eased the birthing camel and the living sun,

وَيَومٍ هَوادي أَمرِهِ لِشَمالِهِ

يُهَتِّكُ أَخطالَ الطِرافِ المُطَنَّبِ

When its fires were kindled did not blaze,

The snow drifts panicked in his shade,

يُنيخُ المَخاضَ البُركَ وَالشَمسُ حَيَّةٌ

إِذا ذُكِّيَت نيرانُها لَم تَلَهَّبِ

With hands joined and knees bent,

And a she-camel I shod and exhausted,

ذَعَرتُ قِلاصَ الثَلجِ تَحتَ ظِلالِهِ

بِمَثنى الأَيادي وَالمَنيحِ المُعَقَّبِ

When the family stayed up late every night,

So I tasked her and she became calm,

وَناجِيَةٍ أَنعَلتُها وَاِبتَذَلتُها

إِذا ما اِسجَهَرَّ الآلُ في كُلِّ سَبسَبِ

Docile as planks from a worn-out rooftop,

Whenever I wished I could hear bleating in the wasteland

فَكَلَّفتُها وَهماً فَآبَت رَكِيَّةً

طَليحاً كَأَلواحِ الغَبيطِ المُذَأَأَبِ

Answering the flute like a perforated tambourine,

And disputants standing in the bare land as though they

مَتى ما أَشَأ أَسمَع عِراراً بِقَفرَةٍ

تُجيبُ زِماراً كَاليَراعِ المُثَقَّبِ

Were foreign cranes, and every flowered meadow taxed,

Musk and brocade atop their chests

وَخَصمٍ قِيامٍ بِالعَراءِ كَأَنَّهُم

قُرومٌ غَيارى كُلَّ أَزهَرَ مُصعَبِ

Like the quilts of Christ, intricately stitched,

Barking of healthy wolves every night

عَلا المِسكَ وَالديباجَ فَوقَ نُحورِهِم

فَراشُ المَسيحِ كَالجُمانِ المُثَقَّبِ

In the crooked path by a screened doorway,

I witnessed and their lies did not succeed before me,

نَشينُ صِحاحَ البيدِ كُلَّ عَشِيَّةٍ

بِعوجِ السَراءِ عِندَ بابٍ مُحَجَّبِ

And I did not heed the praise of any troublemaker,

I dismissed them scattered, as though their rigidity

شَهِدتُ فَلَم تَنجَح كَواذِبُ قَولُهُم

لَدَيَّ وَلَم أَحفِل ثَنا كُلِّ مِشغَبِ

Were fallen horns, intertwined,

If they make things easy, the easy is my share and path,

أَصدَرتُهُم شَتّى كَأَنَّ قِسِيَّهُم

قُرونُ صِوارٍ ساقِطٍ مُتَلَغِّبِ

And if they grieve me, I mount them all,

Of high resolve, his restraint assured,

فَإِن يُسهِلوا فَالسَهلُ حَظّي وَطُرقَتي

وَإِن يُحزِنوا أَركَب بِهِم كُلَّ مَركَبِ

On the cheek of a soft-lipped gazelle, chained,