ذَرِ العَيْنَ تَسْفَحْ في الدِّيَارِ فلا أَرَى

ذَرِ العَيْنَ تَسْفَحْ في الدِّيَارِ فلا أَرَى

التَّعَزِّيَ يَشْفيها ولاَ تَرْكَها الجَهْلاَ

التَّعَزِّيَ يَشْفيها ولاَ تَرْكَها الجَهْلاَ

Let the eye shed tears among the dwellings, for I do not see

Let the eyes shed tears in the homes, yet I see no solace

consolation healing it, nor its abandoning folly.

That would heal them, nor does ignorance leave them be

وَلاَ يَسْتَطِيعُ القَلْبُ لَوْ تَعْذُرَانِهِ

وَلاَ يَسْتَطِيعُ القَلْبُ لَوْ تَعْذُرَانِهِ

صُحُوًّا ولاَ عَيْني بِعَبْرَتِهَا بُخْلاَ

صُحُوًّا ولاَ عَيْني بِعَبْرَتِهَا بُخْلاَ

Nor can the heart—even if you two excuse it—

Nor can the heart, even if they both blame it,

regain sobriety, nor can my eye be sparing of its tears.

Stay awake, nor can my eyes in their weeping be stingy

مَرَتْهَا فَلَمْ تُسْبِلْ طَوِيلاً ولَمْ تَكَدْ

مَرَتْهَا فَلَمْ تُسْبِلْ طَوِيلاً ولَمْ تَكَدْ

بِدِرَّةِ مَاءِ الشَّأْنِ تَسْفَحُهَا ضَهْلاَ

بِدِرَّةِ مَاءِ الشَّأْنِ تَسْفَحُهَا ضَهْلاَ

It was stirred to tears; it did not weep long, and seldom

They flowed a short time, nor for long did they spill

poured the tear-duct's gushing water in a scant trickle.

With beads of water fit for grandeur do they pour

تَذَكَّرْتُ إِخْوَانِي الَّذِينَ هَجَرْتُهُمْ

تَذَكَّرْتُ إِخْوَانِي الَّذِينَ هَجَرْتُهُمْ

كَأَنْ لَمْ يِكُنْ شَكْلِي لَهُمْ مَرَّةً شَكْلاَ

كَأَنْ لَمْ يِكُنْ شَكْلِي لَهُمْ مَرَّةً شَكْلاَ

I remembered my companions whom I had left,

I remembered my brothers whom I abandoned

as though my nature had never once been akin to theirs.

As if my image to them hadn’t once been an image

هَجَرْتُهُمُ مِنْ غَيْرِ بُغْضٍ ولا قِلىً

هَجَرْتُهُمُ مِنْ غَيْرِ بُغْضٍ ولا قِلىً

ولكِنَّ مَرَّ الدَّهْرِ كَانَ لَهُمْ شُغْلاَ

ولكِنَّ مَرَّ الدَّهْرِ كَانَ لَهُمْ شُغْلاَ

I left them without hatred or loathing,

Not out of hatred did I abandon them, nor rancor

but the passing of time kept them occupied.

But time passed by and it kept them busy

ونَحْنُ نُرَجِّي أَنْ نُلاَقِيَ عِزَّةً

ونَحْنُ نُرَجِّي أَنْ نُلاَقِيَ عِزَّةً

عَلَى أُخَرٍ لَمْ نَلْقَ قَبْلُ لَهُمْ عِدْلاَ

عَلَى أُخَرٍ لَمْ نَلْقَ قَبْلُ لَهُمْ عِدْلاَ

And we hope to meet with honor

While we hope to meet with honor

among others whose equal we have never met before.

Unlike anytime before we had met them with justice

وحَيٍّ كِرَامِ قَدْ تَلَغَّبْتُ سَيْرَهُمْ

وحَيٍّ كِرَامِ قَدْ تَلَغَّبْتُ سَيْرَهُمْ

بِمَرْبُوعَةٍ صَهْبَاءَ مَجْدُولَةٍ جَدْلاَ

بِمَرْبُوعَةٍ صَهْبَاءَ مَجْدُولَةٍ جَدْلاَ

And many a noble clan have I wearied on their march,

Noble, generous folk whose path I roamed

on a medium-built, tawny she-camel, tightly knit.

With a white, braided, plaited camel

رَجِيعَةِ أَسْفَارٍ سَرِيعٍ أبِيقُهَا

رَجِيعَةِ أَسْفَارٍ سَرِيعٍ أبِيقُهَا

إِذَا أَخْلَقَتْ نَعْلاً نُجِدُّ لَهَا نَعْلاَ

إِذَا أَخْلَقَتْ نَعْلاً نُجِدُّ لَهَا نَعْلاَ

Seasoned by journeys, her pace is swift;

The return of journeys, fast were their she-camels

whenever she wears out a sandal, we give her a new one.

That if she were to wear out her sandal, we’d find her a sandal

مَتَى تَأْتِهِمْ مِنْ حَافَةٍ تَلْقَ سَيِّداً

مَتَى تَأْتِهِمْ مِنْ حَافَةٍ تَلْقَ سَيِّداً

غُلاماً مُبِيناً عِنْدَهُ السَّرُْ أَوْ كَهْلاَ

غُلاماً مُبِيناً عِنْدَهُ السَّرُْ أَوْ كَهْلاَ

Whenever you approach them from any side, you meet a chief,

Whenever they come from an edge, they meet a chief

a youth whose noble birth is plain, or a mature man.

A clear lad with him the secret or an old man

يَقُودُونَ جُرْداً قَدْ طُوِينَ كَأَنَّهَا

يَقُودُونَ جُرْداً قَدْ طُوِينَ كَأَنَّهَا

خَطَاطِيفُ ظِلٍّ لَمْ يَدَعْنَ لَهُمْ تَبْلاَ

خَطَاطِيفُ ظِلٍّ لَمْ يَدَعْنَ لَهُمْ تَبْلاَ

They lead sleek horses, made lean, as though they were

They lead a regiment that looks as though it were

swallows in the shade, leaving them no blood-debt unavenged.

Phantoms of shade that left them no mirage

لَهُمْ ظُعُنٌ سَطْرٌ تَخَالُ زُهَاءَهَا

لَهُمْ ظُعُنٌ سَطْرٌ تَخَالُ زُهَاءَهَا

إِذَا مَا حَزَاهَا الآلُ مِنْ سَاعَةٍ نَخْلاَ

إِذَا مَا حَزَاهَا الآلُ مِنْ سَاعَةٍ نَخْلاَ

Their women ride in rows of litters; you would take their multitude,

For them are spears, a line their height makes seem

when the mirage lifts them for a moment, for palm trees

As if the family of an hour had picked them as palm trees

بِوَادٍ حِجَازيٍّ تَغَوَّلَ طُولُهُ

بِوَادٍ حِجَازيٍّ تَغَوَّلَ طُولُهُ

مَزَارِعُ في شُطْئَانِهِ نُجِلَتْ نَجْلاَ

مَزَارِعُ في شُطْئَانِهِ نُجِلَتْ نَجْلاَ

in a dauntingly long valley of the Hijaz,

In a Hijazi valley lengthened, its plantations on its banks

with fields along its banks, cut into broad furrows.

Were tilled, they did not leave them fallow

لَهُمْ سَلَفٌ شُمٌّ طِوَالٌ رِمَاحُهُمْ

لَهُمْ سَلَفٌ شُمٌّ طِوَالٌ رِمَاحُهُمْ

يَسِيرُونَ لاَ مِيلَ الرُّكُوبِ ولاَ عُزْلاَ

يَسِيرُونَ لاَ مِيلَ الرُّكُوبِ ولاَ عُزْلاَ

They have a proud vanguard whose spears are long,

Theirs is a noble ancestry, tall are their lances

traveling neither unsteady in the saddle nor unarmed.

They travel, no bend or swerve

وحَوْمٌ حَوَتْ آبَاؤُهُمْ أُمَّهَاتِهَا

وحَوْمٌ حَوَتْ آبَاؤُهُمْ أُمَّهَاتِهَا

نَجَائِبُ نُعْطِيهَا ونَعْقِلُهَا عَقْلاَ

نَجَائِبُ نُعْطِيهَا ونَعْقِلُهَا عَقْلاَ

And great camel herds whose dams their fathers owned—

And a sanctuary their fathers roamed, we tend its mothers

noble camels we give away and tender as blood-money.

Veiled-ones we give them and hobble them

ونَنْحَرُهَا مَثنىً إِذَا الرِّيحُ أَعْصَفَتْ

ونَنْحَرُهَا مَثنىً إِذَا الرِّيحُ أَعْصَفَتْ

وخِلْتَ بُيُوتَ الحَيِّ مَنْزِلَةً مَحْلاَ

وخِلْتَ بُيُوتَ الحَيِّ مَنْزِلَةً مَحْلاَ

And we slaughter them in pairs when the wind rages,

And slaughter them two by two when the wind grew violent

and you would think the tribe's tents a barren encampment.

And the tribe’s homes became a temporary abode

ونُلْصِقُ بالكُوم الجِلاَدِ وقَدْ رَغَتْ

ونُلْصِقُ بالكُوم الجِلاَدِ وقَدْ رَغَتْ

أَجِنَّتُهَا ولَمْ تُنَضِّجْ لَهَا حَمْلاَ

أَجِنَّتُهَا ولَمْ تُنَضِّجْ لَهَا حَمْلاَ

And we set the blade to stout, high-humped camels, though cries have already come

And we paste the hides by the heap when she brays

from their unborn calves, their pregnancies not yet brought to term.

Her fetus not yet ripened into a burden for her

وبِيضٍ مَبَاهِيجٍ كَأَنَّ خُدُودَهَا

وبِيضٍ مَبَاهِيجٍ كَأَنَّ خُدُودَهَا

خُدُودُ مَهاً آلفْنَ مِنْ عَالِجٍ هَجْلاَ

خُدُودُ مَهاً آلفْنَ مِنْ عَالِجٍ هَجْلاَ

And fair, delightful women, whose cheeks are like

And white camels that seem as though their cheeks

the cheeks of oryxes at home in a hollow of ʿĀlij,

Were the cheeks of a loved one, cured of mange

ثِقَالِ الخُطَى غِيدِ السَّوَالِفِ لَمْ تُقِمْ

ثِقَالِ الخُطَى غِيدِ السَّوَالِفِ لَمْ تُقِمْ

عَلى الخَسْفِ يَمْلأْنَ الدَّمِالِيجَ والحَجْلاَ

عَلى الخَسْفِ يَمْلأْنَ الدَّمِالِيجَ والحَجْلاَ

heavy of step and supple-necked, never remaining

Heavy of step, loud of jewelry, they did not stand

under humiliation, filling their armlets and anklets.

On quicksand, filling the hollows and mud

تَبَاهَى بِصَوْغٍ مِنْ كُرُومٍ وفِضَّةٍ

تَبَاهَى بِصَوْغٍ مِنْ كُرُومٍ وفِضَّةٍ

مُعَطَّفِةٍ يَكْسُونَهَا قَصَباً خَدْلاَ

مُعَطَّفِةٍ يَكْسُونَهَا قَصَباً خَدْلاَ

They flaunt jewelry wrought of gold and silver,

They pride themselves on crafting by guilds and silver

bent into curves, which they place upon plump limbs.

Worn over reed mantles as garments

لَهَوْتُ بِهَا والدَّهْرُ ضَافٍ قِنَاعُهُ

لَهَوْتُ بِهَا والدَّهْرُ ضَافٍ قِنَاعُهُ

عَلَيْنَا ولَمْ يَقْطَعْ لَنَا كَاشِحٌ حَبْلاَ

عَلَيْنَا ولَمْ يَقْطَعْ لَنَا كَاشِحٌ حَبْلاَ

I dallied with her while Time's veil spread wide

I toyed with them while time dons its mask over us

over us, and no ill-wisher had cut a cord of ours.

And no conqueror has cut for us a rope