أما اشتَفى كاشحٌ ولا حاسد

أما اشتَفى كاشحٌ ولا حاسد

من دنفٍ بات ليلَه ساهِد

من دنفٍ بات ليلَه ساهِد

Has neither a spiteful foe nor an envier found satisfaction

Neither yearning nor envious of the slain of Dunf,

in a lovesick man who spent his night awake?

Who spent the night wakeful and vigilant,

كأنما النومُ حين جانَبه

كأنما النومُ حين جانَبه

غضبان من طولِ وجدِه واجِد

غضبان من طولِ وجدِه واجِد

As though sleep, when it shunned him,

As if sleep had shunned him in anger

were angry and resentful at his prolonged yearning.

At his prolonged passion and ardor,

يحلفُ لا عادَ أو يعود إلى

يحلفُ لا عادَ أو يعود إلى

حال التَّسلي وليس بالعائِد

حال التَّسلي وليس بالعائِد

It swears never to return unless he returns to

Swearing never to return or lapse

a state of consolation—but he will not return.

Into the habit of tranquility, not to recur,

إن التي أصبحَت تودِّعُني

إن التي أصبحَت تودِّعُني

ودمع عينيَّ فيهما جامِد

ودمع عينيَّ فيهما جامِد

Indeed, she began that morning to bid me farewell,

She who bid me farewell at dawn,

while the tears of my eyes lay frozen within them.

With tears congealed in my eyes,

لم يُحبَسِ الدمع في جُفونهما

لم يُحبَسِ الدمع في جُفونهما

إلا ليبقى الهوى بلا شاهِد

إلا ليبقى الهوى بلا شاهِد

The tears were held back within their lids

My tears were dammed in their lids

only so that love would remain without a witness.

Only to leave love without a witness,

ما أدَّعي بعدَ ذابها كَلفاً

ما أدَّعي بعدَ ذابها كَلفاً

نمَّت على الخَلق حيلة الجاحِد

نمَّت على الخَلق حيلة الجاحِد

I claim no infatuation with her after this;

After her loss, I feign no more coyness,

the denier's ruse has betrayed him before all.

Deceit blossomed over people like the disavower,

قمتُ بقلبٍ قد قام يُقلقُه

قمتُ بقلبٍ قد قام يُقلقُه

وداعُها فهو قائمٌ قاعِد

وداعُها فهو قائمٌ قاعِد

I rose with a heart already being troubled

I rose with a heart anxious and distressed

by her farewell—now standing, now sitting.

By her farewell, thus it rose seated,

يسعى إلى موقفِ الفِراق وما

يسعى إلى موقفِ الفِراق وما

أحسنَ صيدٌ يسعى إلى صائِد

أحسنَ صيدٌ يسعى إلى صائِد

It hastens to the place of parting; no

Seeking the stance of parting, and what

prey does well to hasten to a hunter.

Fine game seeks its own hunter,

أضلَلتُ قلبي روحتُ أنشدُه

أضلَلتُ قلبي روحتُ أنشدُه

وليتَ شعري من ينشد الناشِد

وليتَ شعري من ينشد الناشِد

I lost my heart and set off to seek it;

I led my heart astray, reciting verses to it,

and would that I knew who seeks the seeker.

Would that I knew who recites to the reciter!

وقد تبيَّنتُ أن مسلكَنا

وقد تبيَّنتُ أن مسلكَنا

وإن تناءت ديارُنا واحِد

وإن تناءت ديارُنا واحِد

And I have seen clearly that our path,

And I realized that our paths,

though our homes lie far apart, is one.

Though our abodes differed, were one,

كأنَّنا والفراقُ خيلُ وغىً

كأنَّنا والفراقُ خيلُ وغىً

تخالفَت سربةً على حامِد

تخالفَت سربةً على حامِد

As though we and parting were battle-steeds,

As though we and parting were destrier horses

a troop standing opposed to Hamid.

Scattered in a herd on barren land,

تزرع شرّاً ولن ترى عَجباً

تزرع شرّاً ولن ترى عَجباً

كزارعٍ زرعُه له حاصِد

كزارعٍ زرعُه له حاصِد

It sows evil; you will see nothing so strange

You plant evil and will not behold wonder,

as a sower whose crop reaps him.

Like a planter whose harvest is his reaper,

عاقدةً رأيها على قدرٍ

عاقدةً رأيها على قدرٍ

من شأنِه حلُّ عقدةِ العاقِد

من شأنِه حلُّ عقدةِ العاقِد

Binding its resolve to a fate

Resolute in her view of a decree,

whose nature is to undo the binder's knot.

That would undo the knots of the binder,

ثم انثنَت إذ رأته خائبةً

ثم انثنَت إذ رأته خائبةً

طريدةً يستحثُّها الطارِد

طريدةً يستحثُّها الطارِد

Then it turned back, thwarted, when it saw him,

Then she turned away, disappointed,

a hunted quarry driven on by the pursuer.

Hounded, driven by the driver,

يسقطُ مرَّانُها فيحطمُه

يسقطُ مرَّانُها فيحطمُه

بالطعن فيها شيطانُها المارِد

بالطعن فيها شيطانُها المارِد

Its ash-wood spears fall, and are shattered

Her boughs fall, so he breaks them

by its rebellious demon's thrusts into it.

With blades, her defiant devil,

من يردِ الماء حيث كان إذا

من يردِ الماء حيث كان إذا

كان عليه ما يمنعُ الوارِد

كان عليه ما يمنعُ الوارِد

Whoever comes to water, wherever it may be, if

Who would dam water where it had flowed

something there bars the one who comes to drink,

If barriers prevented the flow?

يروِ عليه قبلَ الرِّواء به

يروِ عليه قبلَ الرِّواء به

صَوارماً ليسَ تشربُ البارِد

صَوارماً ليسَ تشربُ البارِد

first slakes there, before drinking his fill of it,

He rains upon it, before overflowing,

keen swords that do not drink cold water.

Swords that do not drink the cold,

ما بالُها أثبت القلوب لها

ما بالُها أثبت القلوب لها

يظل عند اهتزازِها شارِد

يظل عند اهتزازِها شارِد

Why does the firmest of hearts before them

Why did she fix hearts to her

remain in flight whenever they are brandished?

To wander at her slightest stir?

هل هيَ إلا من السيوفِ وهل

هل هيَ إلا من السيوفِ وهل

يُسعدُها غير ذلك الساعِد

يُسعدُها غير ذلك الساعِد

Are they anything but swords? And does

Is she anything but a sword? And who

any arm but that one aid them?

Could bring her joy but the armed?

أبدى أبو الجيش يومَ طاعَن عن

أبدى أبو الجيش يومَ طاعَن عن

حاميةِ الجيشِ حنة الوالِد

حاميةِ الجيشِ حنة الوالِد

Abu al-Jaysh showed, on the day he fought with spears for

Abu al-Jaysh once showed, when protecting

the army's defenders, a father's tenderness.

The brave from harm, a father’s warmth,

تستجلبُ المستميحَ راحتُه

تستجلبُ المستميحَ راحتُه

إلى نَداها فيقصدُ القاصِد

إلى نَداها فيقصدُ القاصِد

His palm draws the seeker of bounty

He draws the cowardly wretch

toward its generosity, and the seeker comes.

To his help, so the seeker finds his goal,

يا قائلاً فاعلاً لساعتِه

يا قائلاً فاعلاً لساعتِه

ما غيرُه ما طلٌ به واعِد

ما غيرُه ما طلٌ به واعِد

O you who say and do at once

Saying, acting in his hour

what another promises and puts off,

Nothing but what makes it promising,

وماجداً كدتُ أن أكونَ بما

وماجداً كدتُ أن أكونَ بما

وصفتُه من خلالِه ماجِد

وصفتُه من خلالِه ماجِد

and noble one, I almost became, through what

And, Majid, I almost became, by what

I described of his virtues, noble myself.

I described of his mettle, myself praiseworthy,

مضى السحابُ الذي تجاودُه

مضى السحابُ الذي تجاودُه

فامسِك وإن عاد جودُه عاوِد

فامسِك وإن عاد جودُه عاوِد

The cloud you rival in generosity has passed;

The rain cloud that you disputed has passed,

so hold back—and if its bounty returns, resume.

So refrain, though its rain should recur.