أكرم بهِ شاعراً في الشام قد ظَهَرَا

أكرم بهِ شاعراً في الشام قد ظَهَرَا

يُبدِي دقاقَ معانٍ تفتنُ الشعرا

يُبدِي دقاقَ معانٍ تفتنُ الشعرا

How noble he is—a poet who has appeared in the Levant!

Honor with it a poet in Damascus who has appeared

He reveals fine shades of meaning that enchant poets.

Who shows subtle meanings that captivate poetry

نعمَ التجارة إذ أهديتهُ صَدَفاً

نعمَ التجارة إذ أهديتهُ صَدَفاً

من بعد ما صاغَ لي من نظمهِ دُرَرا

من بعد ما صاغَ لي من نظمهِ دُرَرا

A fine bargain indeed: I gave him shells,

What a good trade when I gifted him a seashell

after he had fashioned pearls for me from his verse.

After he composed for me from his poems pearls

جُزيا نسيم على وادي النقا سَحَرا

جُزيا نسيم على وادي النقا سَحَرا

وَسَل عن الصحب هل تلقى لهم خَبرَا

وَسَل عن الصحب هل تلقى لهم خَبرَا

Pass, O breeze, over Wadi al-Naqa before dawn,

Reward the breeze in the valley of an-Naqa with magic

and ask after the companions: can you find any news of them?

And ask about friends, did it find any news of them

وحيّهم عن محبٍّ لا يزالُ على

وحيّهم عن محبٍّ لا يزالُ على

عهد المودَّة طَال البعدُ أم قصُرَا

عهد المودَّة طَال البعدُ أم قصُرَا

And greet them from one who loves them and still holds to

And inform them about a lover who still

the pledge of affection, whether separation be long or short.

Keeps to the promise of affection, was the separation long or short

واشرح لهم سوءَ حالي بعد فرقتهم

واشرح لهم سوءَ حالي بعد فرقتهم

لعلَّهم يعطفُوا أو يُلفتوا النَظَرا

لعلَّهم يعطفُوا أو يُلفتوا النَظَرا

And tell them of my wretched state since parting from them,

And explain to them my bad state after their separation

perhaps they will take pity or turn their gaze toward me.

Perhaps they may show kindness or turn their gaze

كنا وكانوا وكان الأُنسُ يجمعَنا

كنا وكانوا وكان الأُنسُ يجمعَنا

فصيَّر لدهر ذاكَ الجمعَ مُنتثرا

فصيَّر لدهر ذاكَ الجمعَ مُنتثرا

We and they were once together, bound by companionship;

We were, and they were, and intimacy gathered us

then time scattered that gathering.

So time made that gathering scattered

مَن لي برؤيتهِم يوماً ويسعفُني

مَن لي برؤيتهِم يوماً ويسعفُني

حظي وتبلغ عيني منهمُ الوَطَرا

حظي وتبلغ عيني منهمُ الوَطَرا

Who will grant me sight of them one day? May I be aided

Who can make me see them one day and my luck helps me

by my fortune, and may my eye attain its desire in them.

And my eye reaches solace in them

مضَىَ زمانُ الصفا ما كان أَقصرَهُ

مضَىَ زمانُ الصفا ما كان أَقصرَهُ

وعوَّض الدهرُ عن ذاك الصَّفا كدَرَا

وعوَّض الدهرُ عن ذاك الصَّفا كدَرَا

The time of serenity has passed—how brief it was!

The time of purity that was so short has passed

And time replaced that serenity with gloom.

And time compensated that purity with turbidity

يا جيرة الحيِّ هل عودٌ نؤَملهُ

يا جيرة الحيِّ هل عودٌ نؤَملهُ

ويا ليالي الهنا هل ترجَعين ترَى

ويا ليالي الهنا هل ترجَعين ترَى

O neighbors of the quarter, is there a return we may hope for?

O neighbor of the alive one, is there a twig we hope for

And O nights of happiness, will you return, I wonder?

And O nights of bliss, will you return, I wonder

أَحبابنا ما أَمرَّ العيش بعدكُم

أَحبابنا ما أَمرَّ العيش بعدكُم

وهل يطيبُ لقلبٍ بات مُنفَطرا

وهل يطيبُ لقلبٍ بات مُنفَطرا

Our loved ones, how bitter life is without you!

Our loved ones, how bitter life is after you

And can it be sweet to a heart left shattered?

And can a heart that broke find comfort

فيا سَقَى الله أياماً لنا سَلفَت

فيا سَقَى الله أياماً لنا سَلفَت

كنا بانسكُم لا نعرف الضَجَرا

كنا بانسكُم لا نعرف الضَجَرا

Ah, may God water those bygone days of ours,

So O He who granted us days that passed

when, in your company, we knew no tedium.

With your company we did not know boredom

فكدَّر الدهرُ ذاك العيش واأسغى

فكدَّر الدهرُ ذاك العيش واأسغى

من بعد ما كان فيكم زاهياً نضِرا

من بعد ما كان فيكم زاهياً نضِرا

Then time clouded that life—[alas?]—

Time made that life turbid and gloomy

after it had been radiant and fresh among you.

After it was blooming and verdant in you