اِرتَعتُ لِلزَّورِ إِذ حَيّا وَأَرَّقَني

اِرتَعتُ لِلزَّورِ إِذ حَيّا وَأَرَّقَني

وَلَم يُكُن دانِيا مِنّا وَلا صَدَدا

وَلَم يُكُن دانِيا مِنّا وَلا صَدَدا

I was startled by the visitor when he greeted me and kept me awake,

I set out to visit him when he bid me welcome, and made me restless,

though he was neither near us nor close at hand.

Yet he was not intimate with me, nor firmly rooted.

وَدونَهُ سَبسَبٌ تُنضى المَطُّي بِهِ

وَدونَهُ سَبسَبٌ تُنضى المَطُّي بِهِ

حَتّى تَرى العَنسَ تُلقي رَحلَها الأَجُدا

حَتّى تَرى العَنسَ تُلقي رَحلَها الأَجُدا

Between us and him lies a vast waste where riding camels are worn out,

Below him a smooth plain where riders race their mounts,

until you see the mature, strong-backed she-camel cast off her saddle.

Until you see the she-goats cast off their burdens.

إِذا ذَكَرتُكَ فاضَت عَبرَتي دِرَراً

إِذا ذَكَرتُكَ فاضَت عَبرَتي دِرَراً

وَكادَ مَكتومُ قَلبي يَصدَعُ الكَبِدا

وَكادَ مَكتومُ قَلبي يَصدَعُ الكَبِدا

Whenever I remember you, my tears overflow in torrents,

When I remember you, my tears flow like pearls,

and what my heart conceals almost rends my liver.

And my heart's secret almost bursts my liver.

وَذاكَ مِني هَوىً قَد كانَ أَضمَرَهُ

وَذاكَ مِني هَوىً قَد كانَ أَضمَرَهُ

قَلبي فَما اِزدادَ مِن نَقصٍ وَلا نَفِدا

قَلبي فَما اِزدادَ مِن نَقصٍ وَلا نَفِدا

And that is love within me, which had been concealed

That love for you my heart had hidden

by my heart; it has neither diminished nor run dry.

Did not decrease or run out.

وَقَد أَرانا وَحالُ الناسِ صالِحَةٌ

وَقَد أَرانا وَحالُ الناسِ صالِحَةٌ

نَحتَلُّ مَربوعَةً أَدمانَ أَو بَرَدى

نَحتَلُّ مَربوعَةً أَدمانَ أَو بَرَدى

And I remember us, when people's fortunes were good,

We saw people's situation was good

settled in the spring pastures of Adman or Barada.

For us to meet for a day or two.

لَيتَ الشَبابَ وَذاكَ العَصرِ راجعَنا

لَيتَ الشَبابَ وَذاكَ العَصرِ راجعَنا

فَلَم نَزَل كَالَّذي كُنّا بِهِ أَبَدا

فَلَم نَزَل كَالَّذي كُنّا بِهِ أَبَدا

If only youth and that age would return to us,

Would that we could regain our youth and that time -

so we might remain forever as we once were.

We'd never change as we were before.

أَيامَ أَعلَمُ كَم أَعمَلتُ نَحوِكُمُ

أَيامَ أَعلَمُ كَم أَعمَلتُ نَحوِكُمُ

مِن عِرمِسٍ عاقِدٍ لَم تَرأَمِ الوَلَدا

مِن عِرمِسٍ عاقِدٍ لَم تَرأَمِ الوَلَدا

In those days—I know how many I drove hard toward you—

O days, I know how much I acted for you

each a sturdy, pregnant she-camel that had never tended a calf,

With a strong pact that bore no children.

تُصيخُ عِندَ السُرى في البيدِ سامِيَةً

تُصيخُ عِندَ السُرى في البيدِ سامِيَةً

سَطعاءَ تَنهَضُ في مِيتائِها صُعُدا

سَطعاءَ تَنهَضُ في مِيتائِها صُعُدا

listening on night journeys through the wastes, her head held high,

My she-camel strides in the desert, lofty,

long-necked, striding upward along her well-trodden track.

Rising up in her deadliness, climbing the hills.

كَأَنَّ رَحلي عَلى حُمشٍ قَوائِمُهُ

كَأَنَّ رَحلي عَلى حُمشٍ قَوائِمُهُ

بِرَملِ عِرنانَ أَمسى طاوِياً وَحِدا

بِرَملِ عِرنانَ أَمسى طاوِياً وَحِدا

As though my saddle were on a slender-legged beast,

As if my camel, with its upright supports,

in the sands of Irnan, hungry and alone at evening.

In the sands of Arnān, bent over alone.

هاجَت عَلَيه مِن الجَوزاءِ سارِيَةٌ

هاجَت عَلَيه مِن الجَوزاءِ سارِيَةٌ

وَطفاءُ تَحمِلُ جَوناً مُردَفاً نَضَدا

وَطفاءُ تَحمِلُ جَوناً مُردَفاً نَضَدا

A night-rain cloud rose over him from al-Jawza,

The rain poured down on it from Al-Jawzā’

thick-fringed, bearing dark cloud-masses piled in successive layers.

And the Pleiades carrying abundant rear provisions.

فَأَلجأَتهُ إِلى أَرطاةِ عاتِكَةٍ

فَأَلجأَتهُ إِلى أَرطاةِ عاتِكَةٍ

فَيحاءَ يَنهالُ مِنها تُربُ ما التَبَدا

فَيحاءَ يَنهالُ مِنها تُربُ ما التَبَدا

It drove him to a tall, thick-grown arta shrub,

So it led him to the shelter of a rain-soaked ruin

broad-spreading, from which loose, uncrusted dust poured down.

Where rain flows and does not cease.

تَخالُ عِطفَيهِ مِن جَولِ الرَذاذِ بِهِ

تَخالُ عِطفَيهِ مِن جَولِ الرَذاذِ بِهِ

مُنَظَّماً بِيَدَي دارِيَّةٍ فَرَدا

مُنَظَّماً بِيَدَي دارِيَّةٍ فَرَدا

You would think his flanks, with the drizzle swirling over him,

The wetting from the rain on its shoulders

were peerless pearls strung by the hands of a woman of Darin.

Looks like hands of a Darīyah gown pleated.

حَتّى إِذا ما اِنجَلَت عَنهُ دُجُنَّتُهُ

حَتّى إِذا ما اِنجَلَت عَنهُ دُجُنَّتُهُ

وَكَشَّفَ الصُبحُ عَنهُ اللَيلَ فَاِطُرِدا

وَكَشَّفَ الصُبحُ عَنهُ اللَيلَ فَاِطُرِدا

Until, when the gloom around him had cleared,

Until when its darkness lifted from it

and dawn stripped the night from him and drove it away,

And dawn uncovered the night and drive it away,

غَدا كَذي التاجِ حُلَّتُهُ أَساوِرَةٌ

غَدا كَذي التاجِ حُلَّتُهُ أَساوِرَةٌ

كَأَنَّما اِجتابَ في حَرِّ الضُحى سَنَدا

كَأَنَّما اِجتابَ في حَرِّ الضُحى سَنَدا

he went forth like a crowned king, robed by Persian nobles,

It moved like a royal mantle, its trappings

as though he had donned a striped robe in the heat of the forenoon.

As if it were donning armor in the heat of late morning,

لا يُبعِدُ اللَهُ إِذ وَدَّعَت أَرضَهُمُ

لا يُبعِدُ اللَهُ إِذ وَدَّعَت أَرضَهُمُ

أَخي بَغيضاً وَلَكِن غَيرُهُ بَعُدا

أَخي بَغيضاً وَلَكِن غَيرُهُ بَعُدا

May God not banish—when I bade farewell to their land—

May God not make remote someone who left their land

my brother Baghid; but let others be far away.

Hateful, but make others remote.

لا يُبعِدُ اللَهُ مَن يُعطي الجَزيلَ وَمَن

لا يُبعِدُ اللَهُ مَن يُعطي الجَزيلَ وَمَن

يَحبو الخَليلَ وَما أَكدى وَما صَلَدا

يَحبو الخَليلَ وَما أَكدى وَما صَلَدا

May God not banish one who gives lavishly, and who

May God not make remote one who gives generously and loves

favors his friend with gifts, never running dry or turning barren.

The friend, no matter how severe or strong.

وَمَن تُلاقيهِ بِالمَعروفِ مُعتَرِفاً

وَمَن تُلاقيهِ بِالمَعروفِ مُعتَرِفاً

إِذا اِجرَهَدَّ صَفا المَذمومُ أَوصلَدا

إِذا اِجرَهَدَّ صَفا المَذمومُ أَوصلَدا

And whom you find appreciative of kindness,

One whom you meet with kindness, accepting

when the blameworthy man's rock lies bare or proves barren.

When the blameworthy are exhausted or twisted.

لاقيتُهُ مُفضِلاً تَندى أَنامِلُهُ

لاقيتُهُ مُفضِلاً تَندى أَنامِلُهُ

إِن يُعطِكَ اليَومَ لا يَمنَعكَ ذاكَ غَدا

إِن يُعطِكَ اليَومَ لا يَمنَعكَ ذاكَ غَدا

I met him bestowing favors, his fingertips moist with bounty;

I met him preferring - his fingers dripping bounty -

if he gives you today, he will not deny you the same tomorrow.

If he gives you today, that does not prevent tomorrow.

تَجِىءُ عَفواً إِذا جاءَت عَطِيَّتُهُ

تَجِىءُ عَفواً إِذا جاءَت عَطِيَّتُهُ

وَلا تُخالِطُ تَرنيقاً وَلا زَهَدا

وَلا تُخالِطُ تَرنيقاً وَلا زَهَدا

His gift comes freely whenever it comes,

His gift comes freely when it comes,

and mingles with neither murkiness nor meagerness.

Not mixed with hypocrisy or asceticism.

أَولاهُ بِالمَفخَرِ الأَعلى وَأَعظَمُهُ

أَولاهُ بِالمَفخَرِ الأَعلى وَأَعظَمُهُ

خُلُقاً وَأَوسَعُهُ خَيراً وَمُنتَفَدا

خُلُقاً وَأَوسَعُهُ خَيراً وَمُنتَفَدا

He is most deserving of the highest glory, and greatest

I put him above, the highest and greatest

in character, and most abundant in goodness and bounty to draw upon.

In character, most generous and unstinting.

إِذا تَكَلَّفَ أَقوامٌ صَنائِعَهُ

إِذا تَكَلَّفَ أَقوامٌ صَنائِعَهُ

لاقَوا وَلَم يُظلَموا مِن دونِها صَعَدا

لاقَوا وَلَم يُظلَموا مِن دونِها صَعَدا

When people strain to match his acts of kindness,

When some people affect his qualities

they meet, without being wronged, a steep climb before attaining them.

They fall short, and are not wronged by falling short.

بَحرٌ إِذا نَكَسَ الأَقوامُ أَو ضَجِروا

بَحرٌ إِذا نَكَسَ الأَقوامُ أَو ضَجِروا

لاقيتَ خَيرَ يَدَيهِ دائِماً رَغَدا

لاقيتَ خَيرَ يَدَيهِ دائِماً رَغَدا

He is a sea: when others lower their heads or grow weary,

A sea - when people are in trouble or bored -

you find his hands' bounty constant and plentiful.

You will always find the goodness of his hands.

لا يَحسِبُ المَدحَ خَدعاً حينَ تَمدَحَهُ

لا يَحسِبُ المَدحَ خَدعاً حينَ تَمدَحَهُ

وَلا يَرى البُخلَ مَنهاةً لَهُ أَبَدا

وَلا يَرى البُخلَ مَنهاةً لَهُ أَبَدا

He does not deem praise deceit when you praise him,

He does not think praise is deceit when you praise him,

nor does he ever regard stinginess as a restraint upon himself.

Nor does he see stinginess as ever stopping him.

إِنّي لَرافِدُهُ وُدّي وَمَنصَرَتي

إِنّي لَرافِدُهُ وُدّي وَمَنصَرَتي

وَحافِظٌ غَيبَهُ إِن غابَ أَو شَهِدا

وَحافِظٌ غَيبَهُ إِن غابَ أَو شَهِدا

Indeed, I support him with my affection and aid,

I am his helper, loving him, supporting him,

and guard his good name, whether he is absent or present.

Protecting him whether absent or present.