لِهِندٍ بِحِزّانِ الشَريفِ طُلولُ

لِهِندٍ بِحِزّانِ الشَريفِ طُلولُ

تَلوحُ وَأَدنى عَهدِهِنَّ مُحيلُ

تَلوحُ وَأَدنى عَهدِهِنَّ مُحيلُ

Hind's ruins lie in the rugged uplands of al-Sharīf;

For Hind in sorrow's noble vest arrayed,

they gleam, though a year has passed since I last saw them.

Appear the signs of parting and decay;

وَبِالسَفحِ آياتٌ كَأَنَّ رُسومَها

وَبِالسَفحِ آياتٌ كَأَنَّ رُسومَها

يَمانُ وَشَتهُ رَيدَةٌ وَسَحولُ

يَمانُ وَشَتهُ رَيدَةٌ وَسَحولُ

And on the lower slope are traces, whose markings resemble

And o'er the plain are traced memorials

a Yemeni cloth embroidered by Rayda and Saḥūl.

That fill the mind with thoughts of yesterday:

أَرَبَّت بِها نَآجَةٌ تَزدَهي الحَصى

أَرَبَّت بِها نَآجَةٌ تَزدَهي الحَصى

وَأَسحَمُ وَكّافُ العَشِيِّ هَطولُ

وَأَسحَمُ وَكّافُ العَشِيِّ هَطولُ

A blustering wind lingered there, tossing the pebbles,

Amid them Najah's stones are steeped in tears,

and a black cloud pouring evening rain in torrents.

And summer tracks and winter torrents stray.

فَغَيَّرنَ آياتِ الدِيارِ مَعَ البِلى

فَغَيَّرنَ آياتِ الدِيارِ مَعَ البِلى

وَلَيسَ عَلى رَيبِ الزَمانِ كَفيلُ

وَلَيسَ عَلى رَيبِ الزَمانِ كَفيلُ

So, together with decay, they changed the traces of the dwellings;

Changed are the very marks that told of home;

and no one can stand surety against time's reversals.

Nor witness now remains of friend or foe,

بِما قَد أَرى الحَيَّ الجَميعَ بِغِبطَةٍ

بِما قَد أَرى الحَيَّ الجَميعَ بِغِبطَةٍ

إِذا الحَيُّ حَيٌّ وَالحُلولُ حُلولُ

إِذا الحَيُّ حَيٌّ وَالحُلولُ حُلولُ

Where once I saw the whole clan in prosperity,

Save that I see all living men rejoice;

when the clan was truly a clan, and the campfolk truly settled.

For life itself is joy, and being so,

أَلا أَبلِغا عَبدَ الضَلالِ رِسالَةً

أَلا أَبلِغا عَبدَ الضَلالِ رِسالَةً

وَقَد يُبلِغُ الأَنباءَ عَنكَ رَسولُ

وَقَد يُبلِغُ الأَنباءَ عَنكَ رَسولُ

Hear me, you two: take a message to ʿAbd al-Ḍalāl;

Joy still remains though joys themselves depart.

and a messenger may carry the news on your behalf.

Shall I not send to Abdud Dhilâl news

دَبَبتَ بِسِرّي بَعدَما قَد عَلِمتَهُ

دَبَبتَ بِسِرّي بَعدَما قَد عَلِمتَهُ

وَأَنتَ بِأَسرارِ الكِرامِ نَسولُ

وَأَنتَ بِأَسرارِ الكِرامِ نَسولُ

You went about spreading my secret after you had learned it,

Of thee, although a messenger can tell?

and you are swift to spread noble men's secrets.

Thou hast betrayed my secret, known full well,

وَكَيفَ تَضِلُّ القَصدَ وَالحَقُّ واضِحٌ

وَكَيفَ تَضِلُّ القَصدَ وَالحَقُّ واضِحٌ

وَلِلحَقِّ بَينَ الصالِحينَ سَبيلُ

وَلِلحَقِّ بَينَ الصالِحينَ سَبيلُ

And how do you stray from the straight course when truth is clear,

Yet art thyself of nobler souls the soul.

and truth has a path among the upright?

How can the right direction fail, when clear

وَفَرَّقَ عَن بَيتَيكَ سَعدَ بنَ مالِكٍ

وَفَرَّقَ عَن بَيتَيكَ سَعدَ بنَ مالِكٍ

وَعَوفاً وَعَمرواً ما تَشي وَتَقولُ

وَعَوفاً وَعَمرواً ما تَشي وَتَقولُ

And Saʿd son of Mālik has been driven from your two households,

The truth, and plain to all right-judging men

along with ʿAwf and ʿAmr, by the slander you spread and utter.

The path of duty lies? But envy's ban

فَأَنتَ عَلى الأَدنى شَمالٌ عَرِيَّةٌ

فَأَنتَ عَلى الأَدنى شَمالٌ عَرِيَّةٌ

شَآمِيَّةٌ تَزوي الوُجوهَ بَليلُ

شَآمِيَّةٌ تَزوي الوُجوهَ بَليلُ

So to those nearest you, you are a bitter north wind,

Cleaves to thy home, and parts thee from thy peers,

from Syria, pinching faces, cold and damp.

From Sa'd and Owf and Amr, whose converse cheers.

وَأَنتَ عَلى الأَقصى صَباً غَيرُ قَرَّةٍ

وَأَنتَ عَلى الأَقصى صَباً غَيرُ قَرَّةٍ

تَذاءَبَ مِنها مُرزِغٌ وَمُسيلُ

تَذاءَبَ مِنها مُرزِغٌ وَمُسيلُ

Yet to those farthest away you are an east wind, never cold,

On this hand barren northern blasts prevail,

from which mud-making showers and streaming rains come by turns.

On that the teeming south winds murmuring blow,

وَأَنتَ اِمرُؤٌ مِنّا وَلَستَ بِخَيرِنا

وَأَنتَ اِمرُؤٌ مِنّا وَلَستَ بِخَيرِنا

جَواداً عَلى الأَقصى وَأَنتَ بَخيلُ

جَواداً عَلى الأَقصى وَأَنتَ بَخيلُ

And you are a man of our own, but not the best of us,

And thou, that should be free from all self-will,

generous to the distant, yet you are miserly.

Art shrunk with parching thirst, and niggard thrift;

فَأَصبَحتَ فَقعاً نابِتاً بِقَرارَةٍ

فَأَصبَحتَ فَقعاً نابِتاً بِقَرارَةٍ

تَصَوَّحُ عَنهُ وَالذَليلُ ذَليلُ

تَصَوَّحُ عَنهُ وَالذَليلُ ذَليلُ

So you have become a truffle growing in a low hollow,

So livest thou in bitter self-disdain,

whose soil dries and cracks away from it; the abject remain abject.

While still the abject souls their vileness show;

وَأَعلَمُ عِلماً لَيسَ بِالظَنِّ أَنَّهُ

وَأَعلَمُ عِلماً لَيسَ بِالظَنِّ أَنَّهُ

إِذا ذَلَّ مَولى المَرءِ فَهوَ ذَليلُ

إِذا ذَلَّ مَولى المَرءِ فَهوَ ذَليلُ

And I know for certain, not by conjecture, that

I know this truth, - not idly dreaming so, -

when a man's ally is abased, he too is abased.

That whomsoe'er his lord degrades, is vile.

وَإِنَّ لِسانَ المَرءِ ما لَم تَكُن لَهُ

وَإِنَّ لِسانَ المَرءِ ما لَم تَكُن لَهُ

حَصاةٌ عَلى عَوراتِهِ لَدَليلُ

حَصاةٌ عَلى عَوراتِهِ لَدَليلُ

And a man's tongue, unless he has

Unless his ready wit and watchful care

sound judgment, surely points to his hidden faults.

Guard a man's tongue, it proves his chief betrayer

وَإِنَّ اِمرَأً لَم يَعفُ يَوماً فُكاهَةً

وَإِنَّ اِمرَأً لَم يَعفُ يَوماً فُكاهَةً

لِمَن لَم يُرِد سوءً بِها لَجَهولُ

لِمَن لَم يُرِد سوءً بِها لَجَهولُ

And a man who never forgives a jest

Nor let a man, whose will is rightly set,

from one who meant no harm by it is surely foolish.

With those who wish him ill in jest be met;

تَعارَفُ أَرواحُ الرِجالِ إِذا اِلتَقَوا

تَعارَفُ أَرواحُ الرِجالِ إِذا اِلتَقَوا

فَمِنهُم عَدُوٌّ يُتَّقى وَخَليلُ

فَمِنهُم عَدُوٌّ يُتَّقى وَخَليلُ

Men's souls recognize one another when they meet;

Souls by their nature may each other know,

so among them are foes to beware of, and close friends.

And some be found congenial, some be foes.