وَمُذ خَيَّمتُ بِالخَضراءِ دارا

وَمُذ خَيَّمتُ بِالخَضراءِ دارا

وَزَنتُ بِشِسعِ نَعلي تاجَ دارا

وَزَنتُ بِشِسعِ نَعلي تاجَ دارا

Ever since I pitched my dwelling at al-Khaḍrāʾ,

And since I made camp in al-Khadra as my home,

I have valued Darius’s crown at no more than my sandal-thong.

I weighed Dara's crown against the thong of my sandal.

تَوَهَّمتُ السَّماءَ بِها مَحَلِّي

تَوَهَّمتُ السَّماءَ بِها مَحَلِّي

لأَنّي لِلنُّجومِ أَقَمتُ جارا

لأَنّي لِلنُّجومِ أَقَمتُ جارا

I imagined heaven itself to be my station there,

I fancied the sky my dwelling there,

for I had settled beside the stars as their neighbor.

for I had settled as a neighbor to the stars—

لإِخوانٍ إِذا فَكَّرتُ فيهِم

لإِخوانٍ إِذا فَكَّرتُ فيهِم

رَأَيتُ كِبارَ إِخواني صِغارا

رَأَيتُ كِبارَ إِخواني صِغارا

Whenever I reflected upon my peers,

to brothers: whenever I thought of them,

I saw the greatest among them dwindle into insignificance.

I saw the great ones among my brothers as small.

كَأَنَّ اللَّهَ قَد سَبَكَ المَعالي

كَأَنَّ اللَّهَ قَد سَبَكَ المَعالي

فَخَلَّصَ مَجدَهُم مِنها نُضارا

فَخَلَّصَ مَجدَهُم مِنها نُضارا

It was as though God had cast all lofty virtues in a mold,

As though God had smelted noble qualities,

then refined from them their glory as pure gold.

then refined their glory from them into pure gold.

وَما قالوا لَها الخَضراءَ إِلا

وَما قالوا لَها الخَضراءَ إِلا

لأَن كانَت لأَنجُمِهِم مَدارا

لأَن كانَت لأَنجُمِهِم مَدارا

They named it al-Khaḍrāʾ—“the Green”—only

And they called it al-Khadra only

because it was an orbit for their stars.

because it was the orbit of their stars.

وَمَنزِلُنا بِأَزرَقَ كَوثَرِيٍّ

وَمَنزِلُنا بِأَزرَقَ كَوثَرِيٍّ

بِمَنزِلِ أَزرَقٍ ما إِن يُجارى

بِمَنزِلِ أَزرَقٍ ما إِن يُجارى

Our dwelling lay beside an azure, Kawthar-like stream,

And our lodging, beside an azure, Kawthar-like stream,

within an azure abode beyond all rivalry.

was in a blue-eyed man's abode, beyond compare.

لَبِسنا لِلغَديرِ بِهِ دُروعاً

لَبِسنا لِلغَديرِ بِهِ دُروعاً

وَجَرَّدنا جَداوِلَهُ شِفارا

وَجَرَّدنا جَداوِلَهُ شِفارا

For its pool we donned coats of mail,

There we donned the pool's coats of mail,

and unsheathed its rivulets as blades.

and unsheathed its rivulets as blades,

بِيَومٍ لَو يَكونُ أَبُو فِراسٍ

بِيَومٍ لَو يَكونُ أَبُو فِراسٍ

مُشاهِدَ أُنسِهِ نَسِيَ النَّوارا

مُشاهِدَ أُنسِهِ نَسِيَ النَّوارا

On a day—had Abū Firās been there

on a day when, had Abu Firas

to witness it, its delight would have made him forget al-Nawwār.

witnessed its delight, he would have forgotten al-Nawar;

وَلَيلٍ لَو رَمى الكُسَعِيُّ فيهِ

وَلَيلٍ لَو رَمى الكُسَعِيُّ فيهِ

رَأَى مِن قَوسِهِ سِرّاً تَوارى

رَأَى مِن قَوسِهِ سِرّاً تَوارى

And on a night—had al-Kusaʿī shot there,

and on a night when, had al-Kusa‘i shot within it,

he would have seen from his bow a long-hidden secret.

he would have seen a hidden secret of his bow;

وَرَوضٍ راقَ مَنظَرُهُ وَإِلا

وَرَوضٍ راقَ مَنظَرُهُ وَإِلا

فَلِم خَلَعَ الحَمامُ بِهِ العِذارا

فَلِم خَلَعَ الحَمامُ بِهِ العِذارا

And a garden whose prospect brought delight—or else

and in a garden whose sight delighted—otherwise,

why did the doves cast off their bridles there?

why did the doves cast off their bridles there,

وَقامَ عَلى مَنابِرِهِ خَطيباً

وَقامَ عَلى مَنابِرِهِ خَطيباً

فَحَرَّكَ لِلغُصونِ بِهِ حِوارا

فَحَرَّكَ لِلغُصونِ بِهِ حِوارا

The dove rose upon its pulpits like an orator

and stand upon its pulpits, preaching,

and stirred a dialogue among the boughs.

stirring a dialogue with the branches there?

وَطارَحَها فَأَصغَت سامِعاتٍ

وَطارَحَها فَأَصغَت سامِعاتٍ

وَهَزَّت مِن مَعاطِفِها حَيارى

وَهَزَّت مِن مَعاطِفِها حَيارى

He traded songs with them; they listened intently,

And they conversed with them; the branches leaned in, listening,

then swayed their bending forms, bewildered.

and swayed their flanks, bewildered.

فَإِن مَرَّ النَّسيمُ بِهِ عَليلاً

فَإِن مَرَّ النَّسيمُ بِهِ عَليلاً

تَكَلَّفَتِ القِيامَ لَهُ سُكارى

تَكَلَّفَتِ القِيامَ لَهُ سُكارى

And if the breeze passed through it gently,

Then if the breeze passed through it, ailing,

its drunken boughs strained to rise in greeting.

they struggled to rise for it, drunken.

وَطَودٍ لَو تُزاحِمُ مَنكِباهُ

وَطَودٍ لَو تُزاحِمُ مَنكِباهُ

نِظامَ النَّجمِ لانتَثَرَ اِنتِثارا

نِظامَ النَّجمِ لانتَثَرَ اِنتِثارا

And a mountain—if its two shoulders jostled

And a mountain: were its shoulders to jostle

the ordered chain of stars, that chain would scatter utterly.

the string of stars, it would scatter utterly.

سَما فَتَشَوَّقَت زُهرُ الدَّراري

سَما فَتَشَوَّقَت زُهرُ الدَّراري

إِلَيهِ فَنَكَّسَ الرَأسَ اِحتِقارا

إِلَيهِ فَنَكَّسَ الرَأسَ اِحتِقارا

It towered, and the radiant stars yearned toward it,

It soared, and the radiant stars yearned

but it lowered its head in scorn.

for it; it lowered its head in disdain.

وَقَد شَمَخَ الوَقارُ بِهِ وَلَكِن

وَقَد شَمَخَ الوَقارُ بِهِ وَلَكِن

وَقارُ ذَويهِ عَلَّمَهُ الوَقارا

وَقارُ ذَويهِ عَلَّمَهُ الوَقارا

Majesty itself rose proudly within it; yet

And dignity rose proudly with it, yet

the dignity of its people taught it dignity.

the dignity of its people taught it dignity.

أولئِكَ مَعشَرٌ قَهَروا اللَّيالي

أولئِكَ مَعشَرٌ قَهَروا اللَّيالي

وَرَدُّوها لِحُكمِهِمِ اِضطِرارا

وَرَدُّوها لِحُكمِهِمِ اِضطِرارا

Those are a clan who conquered the nights

Those are a people who subdued the nights

and compelled them, unwilling, beneath their rule.

and brought them under their rule by force.

وَقامَ بِعبءِ مَجدِهِمُ اِضطِلاعاً

وَقامَ بِعبءِ مَجدِهِمُ اِضطِلاعاً

فَأَنجَدَ في العَلاءِ كَما أَغارا

فَأَنجَدَ في العَلاءِ كَما أَغارا

And there rose, fully equal to the burden of their glory,

And he bore the burden of their glory with strength,

one who scaled the heights as thoroughly as he swept the lowlands:

then ranged through glory's highlands and lowlands alike:

أَبو عَمرِو بنِ حَسُّونَ الَّذي لا

أَبو عَمرِو بنِ حَسُّونَ الَّذي لا

تَشُقُّ النَّيِّراتُ لَهُ غُبارا

تَشُقُّ النَّيِّراتُ لَهُ غُبارا

Abū ʿAmr ibn Ḥassūn—the man before whom

Abu Amr ibn Hassun, whom not even

even the radiant stars cannot keep pace through his dust.

the radiant stars can overtake through the dust he raises.

فَتىً في السِنِّ كَهلٌ في المَعالي

فَتىً في السِنِّ كَهلٌ في المَعالي

صَغيرٌ زَيَّفَ الناسَ الكِبارا

صَغيرٌ زَيَّفَ الناسَ الكِبارا

Young in years, yet an elder in lofty deeds—

Young in years, mature in noble qualities,

a youth who exposed the supposedly great as counterfeit.

a youth who proved great men counterfeit.

وَلا عَجَبٌ بِسُؤدَدِهِ صَغيراً

وَلا عَجَبٌ بِسُؤدَدِهِ صَغيراً

فَإِنَّ الخَيلَ أَنجَبَتِ المِهارا

فَإِنَّ الخَيلَ أَنجَبَتِ المِهارا

No wonder at his lordly eminence while still young:

And his preeminence while young is no wonder,

for mares bring forth noble foals.

for horses have borne noble foals.

وَإِنَّ السَّهمَ وَهوَ أَدَقُّ شَيءٍ

وَإِنَّ السَّهمَ وَهوَ أَدَقُّ شَيءٍ

يَفوتُ الرُّمحَ سَبقاً وَاِبتِدارا

يَفوتُ الرُّمحَ سَبقاً وَاِبتِدارا

And indeed the arrow, though the slenderest of things,

And the arrow, though it is the slenderest thing,

outstrips the spear in speed and the first rush.

outstrips the spear in speed and swift advance.