أقول لصحبي وقد هوّموا

أقول لصحبي وقد هوّموا

أصُبحٌ بدا لكُمُ أمْ ضَرَمْ

أصُبحٌ بدا لكُمُ أمْ ضَرَمْ

I say to my companions, after they had fallen asleep:

I say to my companions, as they doze:

“Is it dawn that has appeared to you, or a blazing fire?”

Is it dawn that has appeared to you, or a blaze?

أضاء الظّلامَ ولم يُدْنِهِ

أضاء الظّلامَ ولم يُدْنِهِ

صباحٌ وأنَّى تضيءُ الظُّلَمْ

صباحٌ وأنَّى تضيءُ الظُّلَمْ

The cloudbank shone, though there had drawn near it no

It lit the darkness, yet had not been drawn near

dawn—and how could darkness shine?

by dawn—and how can darkness shine?

بريقٌ يعرّفني بالعقيق

بريقٌ يعرّفني بالعقيق

ولو لم يَلُحْ لَمْعُهُ لم أنَمْ

ولو لم يَلُحْ لَمْعُهُ لم أنَمْ

A lightning-flash points out al-ʿAqīq to me;

A gleam acquaints me with al-‘Aqiq;

had its gleam not appeared, I would not have slept.

and even had its gleam not shone, I would not have slept.

كأنّ تخاطيطَه في السّواد

كأنّ تخاطيطَه في السّواد

تخاطيطُ وارِسَةٍ أوْ عَنَمْ

تخاطيطُ وارِسَةٍ أوْ عَنَمْ

As though its tracings across the blackness

As though its tracings in the blackness

were lines of yellow wars-dye or red ʿanam;

were tracings of wars-yellow or red ‘anam.

كأنّ الرّياحَ شَنَنّ النُّضار

كأنّ الرّياحَ شَنَنّ النُّضار

وإمّا نَضَحْنَ سماءً بدَمْ

وإمّا نَضَحْنَ سماءً بدَمْ

as though the winds had scattered fine gold,

As though the winds had sprinkled gold,

or else spattered the sky with blood;

or else had spattered the sky with blood;

أوِ الصّبحُ يقلُصُ ظلّ الظّلامِ

أوِ الصّبحُ يقلُصُ ظلّ الظّلامِ

أو النّارُ ساريةٌ في فَحَمْ

أو النّارُ ساريةٌ في فَحَمْ

or dawn were drawing back the cloudbank’s shadow,

or dawn were shrinking darkness's shadow,

or fire were coursing through charcoal;

or fire coursing through charcoal;

وإمّا جوادٌ بهيمٌ بَدَتْ

وإمّا جوادٌ بهيمٌ بَدَتْ

لمُبصرِهِ غُرَّةٌ أو رَثَمْ

لمُبصرِهِ غُرَّةٌ أو رَثَمْ

or else a jet-black steed, upon which there appeared

or else a jet-black steed, on which appeared

to its beholder a white blaze or muzzle-mark.

to its beholder a forehead-blaze or a white upper-lip mark.

فيا حبّذا وَمْضُهُ لو أراك

فيا حبّذا وَمْضُهُ لو أراك

وأنتَ بيَبْرين أهلَ العَلَمْ

وأنتَ بيَبْرين أهلَ العَلَمْ

How welcome its flashing would be, if only I saw you

Ah, how lovely its flash, if only it could show you—

while you are in Yabrīn! The folk of al-ʿAlam are

while you are in Yabrin—the people of al-‘Alam:

أُناساً يدارون سُقْمَ السّقيم

أُناساً يدارون سُقْمَ السّقيم

ومن أجلِهِمْ دَبَّ ذاك السَّقَمْ

ومن أجلِهِمْ دَبَّ ذاك السَّقَمْ

a people who gently humor the sick man’s sickness,

people who gently tend the ailing one's sickness,

and yet because of them that very sickness crept in.

yet for their sake that sickness crept in.

وكم ضِيمَ وسْطَ مغانِيهِمُ

وكم ضِيمَ وسْطَ مغانِيهِمُ

فتىً قبل حبّهِمُ لم يُضَمْ

فتىً قبل حبّهِمُ لم يُضَمْ

How often, amid their dwellings, was wronged

And how many were wronged amid their dwellings—

a youth who, before loving them, had never suffered wrong.

youths who, before loving them, had never been wronged!

ولا خيرَ في بارقٍ لم يكنْ

ولا خيرَ في بارقٍ لم يكنْ

رسولَ الحَيا وبشيرَ الدِّيَمْ

رسولَ الحَيا وبشيرَ الدِّيَمْ

There is no good in a lightning-flash unless it is

There is no good in lightning that is not

the messenger of life-giving rain and herald of steady showers.

rain's messenger and the herald of steady showers.