أفي دارهمْ من بعدما اِرتحلوا تبكي

أفي دارهمْ من بعدما اِرتحلوا تبكي

وتشكو ولكن ليس تشكو إلى مشكِ

وتشكو ولكن ليس تشكو إلى مشكِ

Is it in their dwelling, after they journeyed away, that you weep—

Is it in their dwelling, after they have departed, that you weep

and lament? Yet you complain to no one who can redress your grief.

And complain, though you complain to none who can relieve you?

فيا دِمْنَة الحيّ الّذين تحمّلوا

فيا دِمْنَة الحيّ الّذين تحمّلوا

بوادي الغَضا ماذا ألمَّ بنا منك

بوادي الغَضا ماذا ألمَّ بنا منك

O abandoned campsite of the tribe who loaded up and departed

O ruins of the tribe who broke camp,

from the valley of ghada trees—what has befallen us because of you?

In Wadi al-Ghada—what has befallen us because of you!

خشعتِ فلا عينٌ تراكِ لناظرٍ

خشعتِ فلا عينٌ تراكِ لناظرٍ

دثوراً ولا نطقٌ يخبّرنا عنكِ

دثوراً ولا نطقٌ يخبّرنا عنكِ

You lie hushed: no beholder’s eye can see you,

You have sunk low: no beholder's eye can see you,

effaced, nor does any voice bring us news of you.

So utterly effaced, nor does any voice bring word of you.

وأذْكرتنِي والشّيبُ يضحك ثغرُه

وأذْكرتنِي والشّيبُ يضحك ثغرُه

بلمَّتِنا عهدَ الشّبيبةِ والفتكِ

بلمَّتِنا عهدَ الشّبيبةِ والفتكِ

You reminded me—while gray hair laughs, baring its teeth—

And you reminded me—while gray hair bares its teeth in a smile

of our locks in the days of youth and reckless daring:

Amid our locks—of the days of youth and reckless daring.

ليالِيَ لا حِلْمٌ لذي الحلمِ والنُّهي

ليالِيَ لا حِلْمٌ لذي الحلمِ والنُّهي

ولا نُسُكٌ فيها يصابُ لذي نُسكِ

ولا نُسُكٌ فيها يصابُ لذي نُسكِ

nights when even the forbearing and wise showed no restraint,

Nights when those of restraint and reason had no restraint,

and no devotion could be found in them even among the devout.

Nor could the devout find any devotion in them.

فللّه أفواهٌ لقينَ أُنوفَنا

فللّه أفواهٌ لقينَ أُنوفَنا

بأذكى وقد ودّعْن من عَبَقِ المسكِ

بأذكى وقد ودّعْن من عَبَقِ المسكِ

By God, what mouths once met our noses

God bless the mouths that met our noses,

with fragrance sweeter than musk’s redolence, though they had forsaken musk!

With a scent, as they bade farewell, more fragrant than musk!

وكم من سقيمٍ ليس نرجو شفاءَهُ

وكم من سقيمٍ ليس نرجو شفاءَهُ

بأجْراعكمْ أو من أسيرٍ بلا فكِّ

بأجْراعكمْ أو من أسيرٍ بلا فكِّ

How many a sick soul whose cure we had ceased to hope for

And how many a sick man, whose cure we cannot hope for,

lay in your sandy tracts—or a captive with no release!

Lies in your sandy tracts—or a captive with no release!

فقل للأُلى تاركتهمْ لاِحتقارهمْ

فقل للأُلى تاركتهمْ لاِحتقارهمْ

فأبصرهم كفّي وأَطمعهم تركي

فأبصرهم كفّي وأَطمعهم تركي

So tell those whom I left—not out of contempt for them:

So tell those I left alone out of contempt for them—

my holding back made them bold, and my departure raised their hopes.

My restraint opened their eyes, and my neglect emboldened them—

لَكَمْ مَرّةٍ محّصتكمْ وخَبرتُكمْ

لَكَمْ مَرّةٍ محّصتكمْ وخَبرتُكمْ

فبَهْرَجكمْ نقدي وزيّفكمْ سَبْكي

فبَهْرَجكمْ نقدي وزيّفكمْ سَبْكي

How many a time I assayed you and tested your true nature:

How often I have tested you and come to know you:

my assay declared you base coin, my smelting exposed you as false.

My assay exposed you as base, my smelting proved you counterfeit.

فلا يبعدَن مَن كنتُ بالأمس بينهمْ

فلا يبعدَن مَن كنتُ بالأمس بينهمْ

على هَضْبةِ الباني وفي ذُروَةِ السَّمْكِ

على هَضْبةِ الباني وفي ذُروَةِ السَّمْكِ

May those among whom I dwelt only yesterday never be far removed,

So may those among whom I dwelt but yesterday never be far,

upon the hill of al-Bani, at the very summit of loftiness.

On the builder's hill, at the loftiest summit.

بلغتُ بهمْ ما لم تَنَلْهُ يدُ المُنى

بلغتُ بهمْ ما لم تَنَلْهُ يدُ المُنى

وحُكِّمتُ حتّى صرتُ أحكمُ في الملكِ

وحُكِّمتُ حتّى صرتُ أحكمُ في الملكِ

Through them I attained what the hand of wishes could never reach,

Through them I reached what the hand of wishes could not attain,

and held sway until I came to pass judgment on the king himself.

And I was given authority, till I held sway in the realm.

وجاورتُهمْ شُمَّ العرانين كلّما

وجاورتُهمْ شُمَّ العرانين كلّما

مَعَكْتُ بهمْ جارَوْا سبيلي في المَعْكِ

مَعَكْتُ بهمْ جارَوْا سبيلي في المَعْكِ

I dwelt beside them—proud men of noble bearing; whenever

And I dwelt beside them, men of lofty noses; whenever

I strove stubbornly with them, they matched me in stubborn contention.

I grappled with them, they matched my manner of grappling.

كرامٌ فلا أموالهمْ لعُبابهمْ

كرامٌ فلا أموالهمْ لعُبابهمْ

ولا دَرُّهمْ للحَقْنِ لُؤْماً وللحَشْكِ

ولا دَرُّهمْ للحَقْنِ لُؤْماً وللحَشْكِ

Noble men—their riches were not kept to swell their own abundance,

Generous men: their wealth is not for their own guzzling,

nor was a single dirham withheld through meanness or hoarding.

Nor is their milk meanly withheld and left to swell the udder.

وأفنيةٌ لا يُعرَفُ الضّيمُ بينها

وأفنيةٌ لا يُعرَفُ الضّيمُ بينها

وَلا الفقرُ مرهوبٌ ولا العيش بالضَّنْكِ

وَلا الفقرُ مرهوبٌ ولا العيش بالضَّنْكِ

And courtyards where humiliation was unknown among them,

And theirs are courtyards where oppression is unknown,

where poverty was not feared, nor life lived in straitness.

Where poverty is not feared, nor life beset by hardship.

هُمُ أخرجوا مِن ضيقِ سخطٍ إلى رضىً

هُمُ أخرجوا مِن ضيقِ سخطٍ إلى رضىً

وهمْ أبدلوا قلبي اليقين من الشكِّ

وهمْ أبدلوا قلبي اليقين من الشكِّ

It was they who brought me out of the straits of displeasure into favor,

They brought me from the straits of discontent to contentment,

and they who gave my heart certainty in place of doubt.

And they gave my heart certainty in place of doubt.

وهمْ نزّهوني أنْ أذِلَّ لمطمعٍ

وهمْ نزّهوني أنْ أذِلَّ لمطمعٍ

وهمْ حقنوا لِي ماءَ وجهي من السَّفْكِ

وهمْ حقنوا لِي ماءَ وجهي من السَّفْكِ

They kept me above abasing myself for anything coveted,

And they kept me from abasing myself for gain,

and preserved the water of my face—my honor—from being spilled.

And they kept the water of my face from being spilled.

وهمْ ملّكونِي بعدما كنتُ ثاوياً

وهمْ ملّكونِي بعدما كنتُ ثاوياً

مَدى الدّهرِ وَاِستعلَوْا بنجمِي على الفُلكِ

مَدى الدّهرِ وَاِستعلَوْا بنجمِي على الفُلكِ

They made me master after I had been merely a sojourner

And they made me a king, after I had languished

for an age, and bore my star above the firmament.

All my life, and raised my star above the celestial spheres.

وكنتُ وكانوا إلْفَةً وتجاوراً

وكنتُ وكانوا إلْفَةً وتجاوراً

مكان سُرودِ العِقْدِ من مسلك السِّلْكِ

مكان سُرودِ العِقْدِ من مسلك السِّلْكِ

They and I were bound in intimacy and neighborly closeness,

And I and they, in affection and in neighborliness, were

like the ordered beads of a necklace along the course of its thread.

Like a necklace's strung beads along the course of its thread.

مضوا لا بديلٌ لِي ولا عوضٌ بهمْ

مضوا لا بديلٌ لِي ولا عوضٌ بهمْ

فها أنا ذا دهري على فقدهمْ أبكي

فها أنا ذا دهري على فقدهمْ أبكي

They departed: I have no substitute, no recompense for them.

They are gone; I have no substitute, no recompense for them;

And here I am, weeping all my life over their loss.

So here I am, all my days, weeping over their loss.