ألقت عليك الليالي ثوبها البالي

ألقت عليك الليالي ثوبها البالي

وضعت ما بين تجوال وتسآل

وضعت ما بين تجوال وتسآل

The nights cast their threadbare garment over you.

The nights have cast their worn-out robes upon you,

And you were lost between wandering and begging.

And placed between wandering and questioning.

أيامك السود عقد ضلّ ناظمه

أيامك السود عقد ضلّ ناظمه

وجيد عمرك مذبوح كآمالي

وجيد عمرك مذبوح كآمالي

Your dark days are a necklace whose stringer has gone astray,

Your dark days, their weaver went astray,

And your life's throat is slit, like my hopes.

And the neck of your lifetime was slaughtered like my hopes.

ويحيى عليك هشيما ضمه كفن

ويحيى عليك هشيما ضمه كفن

ودرّة غيبت في قبر أوحال

ودرّة غيبت في قبر أوحال

Woe is me for you, brittle stubble enfolded in a shroud,

And over you is revived debris wrapped in a shroud,

And a pearl hidden away in a grave of mire.

And a pearl that was lost in the mud of graves.

ويحيى عليك وويحي منك ما وهنت

ويحيى عليك وويحي منك ما وهنت

من نار بلواك أصلابي وأوصالي

من نار بلواك أصلابي وأوصالي

Woe is me for you, and woe is me because of you, as long as they weaken—

And over you, and alas from you, revived what was weakened

My spine and limbs—from the fire of your affliction.

By the fire of your trials, my ribs and limbs.

أنا الذي ضاقت الدنيا بفرحته

أنا الذي ضاقت الدنيا بفرحته

ولم تضق بجراحاتي وإعوالي

ولم تضق بجراحاتي وإعوالي

I am the one for whose joy the world had no room,

I am the one whose joy the world was too narrow for,

Yet it had room for my wounds and wailing.

Yet not too narrow for my wounds and tribulations.

يا بن الطريق خلَت إلا من الظلم

يا بن الطريق خلَت إلا من الظلم

وعاصف ليس يدري رحمة النسم

وعاصف ليس يدري رحمة النسم

O son of the road, deserted save for darkness,

O son of the road left except for injustice,

And a gale that knows nothing of the breezes' mercy,

And a storm not knowing the mercy of the breeze.

وشاعر جزع كانت ملاحنه

وشاعر جزع كانت ملاحنه

برء الطليح فأمست علة السقم

برء الطليح فأمست علة السقم

And a distraught poet whose melodies once were

And a grieving poet whose melodies

A cure for the weary, but became the cause of sickness.

Were the cure for heartsickness, so they became the illness.

رآك فاهتز خفّاقٌ بأضلعه

رآك فاهتز خفّاقٌ بأضلعه

ورتلت شفتاه سورة الألم

ورتلت شفتاه سورة الألم

He saw you, and a beating heart quivered within his ribs,

He saw you and a flutter shook his ribs,

And his lips chanted the surah of pain.

And his lips recited the surah of pain.

وأجهش الناي في كفيه مرتعشا

وأجهش الناي في كفيه مرتعشا

ولم يرو البكا ما فيه من ضرم

ولم يرو البكا ما فيه من ضرم

And the reed flute burst into sobs, trembling in his palms,

The flute quivered in his hands, trembling,

But weeping did not quench the fire within it.

And did not show weeping what bitterness it contains.

الليل ليلك يا بن الليل أخيلة

الليل ليلك يا بن الليل أخيلة

وقسمة ولشعري دامع الكلم

وقسمة ولشعري دامع الكلم

The night is your night, O son of night—phantoms

The night is your night, O son of the night, O most wondrous,

And an allotted share; my verse has tearful words.

Apportioner, and for my poetry the tearful words.

أخي وقد ضمنا من آدم نسب

أخي وقد ضمنا من آدم نسب

ومن مقاديرنا الآلام والنوَبُ

ومن مقاديرنا الآلام والنوَبُ

My brother, kinship from Adam has joined us,

My brother, we both descended from Adam,

And pain and calamities are among our destined lots.

And our destinies are sorrows and adversities.

تبيع للناس حظ المال مضطربا

تبيع للناس حظ المال مضطربا

ودمعة اليتيم في عينيك تضطرب

ودمعة اليتيم في عينيك تضطرب

You sell people a chance at wealth, trembling,

You sell the people their share of money, perturbed,

And the orphan's tear trembles in your eyes.

While the orphan's teardrop in your eye is perturbed.

يا أيها القفر رفت فوق راحته

يا أيها القفر رفت فوق راحته

ريحانة من شذاها الجاه والحسب

ريحانة من شذاها الجاه والحسب

O wasteland, above whose palm fluttered

O you wasteland, the breeze blew above his comfort,

A sprig of basil, whose fragrance bears prestige and ancestral honor.

A basil plant whose nobility and lineage it scattered.

يا أيها الكاس يروى الناس من ظمإ

يا أيها الكاس يروى الناس من ظمإ

وجوفه مرمَضُ الأحشاء ملتهب

وجوفه مرمَضُ الأحشاء ملتهب

O cup that quenches people's thirst,

O you cup, people quench their thirst,

Yet its hollow is aflame, its entrails scorched.

While its interior aches, inflamed.

فإذا جنبت فما ترعاك والدة

فإذا جنبت فما ترعاك والدة

ولم يفض من حناياه عليك أب

ولم يفض من حناياه عليك أب

So when you are cast aside, no mother tends you,

So if you turn away, no mother tends to you,

Nor has a father poured tenderness from his heart upon you.

Nor a father poured affection on you.

أخي أناديك فارحم شاعرا نادى

أخي أناديك فارحم شاعرا نادى

لما يجد غير باكي شعره زادا

لما يجد غير باكي شعره زادا

My brother, I call to you; pity a poet who cried out,

My brother, I call you, so have mercy on a poet who called out

Having found no sustenance yet but his weeping verse.

When he found none but his own weeping as provision.

هذي القصور التي تاهت بساكنها

هذي القصور التي تاهت بساكنها

عادت إلى صمتها الساجي وما عادا

عادت إلى صمتها الساجي وما عادا

These palaces that boasted of their inhabitant

These palaces that their dwellers went astray in

Returned to their tranquil silence, but he did not return.

Returned to their forlorn silence and did not return.

لم يكفه المال دفاقا بعيلمه

لم يكفه المال دفاقا بعيلمه

فشاد من ماله في الأرض أطوادا

فشاد من ماله في الأرض أطوادا

The wealth gushing in his vast sea did not suffice him,

Wealth was not enough for him to lavish on his family,

So he raised mountains on the earth out of his wealth.

So he built with his money in the earth high columns.

أنسته آماله آلام إخوته

أنسته آماله آلام إخوته

فعاث في الأرض إعداما وإفسادا

فعاث في الأرض إعداما وإفسادا

His hopes made him forget his brothers' suffering,

His hopes made him forget the pains of his brothers,

So he ravaged the earth with annihilation and corruption.

So he wreaked in the earth havoc and corruption.

وملء هذي الدنى أشلاء مذبحة

وملء هذي الدنى أشلاء مذبحة

كان القضاء بها سوطا وجلادا

كان القضاء بها سوطا وجلادا

And these worlds are full of a massacre's dismembered remains,

And he filled this base world with slaughtered limbs,

Where judgment was both a whip and an executioner.

With destiny over them a whip and executioner.

تكفيك مني دموعا ليس تكفيني

تكفيك مني دموعا ليس تكفيني

والدمع ينقع أكباد المساكين

والدمع ينقع أكباد المساكين

Tears from me suffice you, but do not suffice me,

My tears for you suffice, though they do not suffice me,

And tears slake the livers of the poor.

And tears seep into the livers of the destitute.

أبكيك طفل الأماني قام هيكله

أبكيك طفل الأماني قام هيكله

على عماد كذاوى الزهر مؤهون

على عماد كذاوى الزهر مؤهون

I weep for you, child of hopes, whose frame stands

I weep for you, child of wishes, your edifice erected

On an enfeebled pillar, like a withered blossom.

On the pillar of pretentious flowers, deceived.

أبكيك دون وداد غير أن دمي

أبكيك دون وداد غير أن دمي

تعيث فيه المنايا عيث مجنون

تعيث فيه المنايا عيث مجنون

I weep for you without a bond of affection, yet my blood

I weep for you without affection, except that my blood

Is ravaged by death with a madman's frenzy.

Ravages within it the death throes of madness.

وأنت يا أيها القاضي الذي عصفت

وأنت يا أيها القاضي الذي عصفت

أحكامه بضحايا الماء والطين

أحكامه بضحايا الماء والطين

And you, O judge, whose tempestuous

And you, O judge, whose judgments

Rulings ravaged the victims of water and clay,

Were storms upon the victims of water and clay.

رحماك إن الضحايا غاب كوكبهم

رحماك إن الضحايا غاب كوكبهم

وحرموا سمعهم عذب الأرانين

وحرموا سمعهم عذب الأرانين

Have mercy, for the victims' star has vanished,

Have mercy, for the victims, their star has vanished

And their ears have been denied sweet ringing tones.

And they were deprived of the sweet melodies.