تَولَّى بتَهويمَةِ الهائِمِ

تَولَّى بتَهويمَةِ الهائِمِ

وما سَنَّ من سنَةِ النَّائِمِ

وما سَنَّ من سنَةِ النَّائِمِ

He turned away with a lovesick wanderer's brief doze,

With the bewilderment of the perplexed he turned,

and what he fashioned from a sleeper's drowsiness.

And did not live the year of the sleeper.

وألقَى حَوادِثَ ألقَيتُهنَّ

وألقَى حَوادِثَ ألقَيتُهنَّ

حَديثاً إِلى المَدمَع السَّاجمِ

حَديثاً إِلى المَدمَع السَّاجمِ

And he brought calamities, which I recounted

And he threw down the events I had thrown at him,

as a tale to my tear-streaming eye.

As fresh talk to the pouring tear.

كذي شَمَطٍ يَستَسر المَشيبَ

كذي شَمَطٍ يَستَسر المَشيبَ

إلى كَتمِ ما ليسَ بالكاتِمِ

إلى كَتمِ ما ليسَ بالكاتِمِ

Like a grizzled man entrusting his gray hair

Like the shame of an old man who hides his gray hair,

to katam dye, which keeps no secret.

To the concealment of what cannot be concealed.

وَصدَّ بِمُرهَفِ أجفانِهِ

وَصدَّ بِمُرهَفِ أجفانِهِ

فأَدماكَ بالصَّارِم الصَّارِمِ

فأَدماكَ بالصَّارِم الصَّارِمِ

And he turned away with the keen blade of his eyelids,

And he blocked with his frowning eyelids,

and bloodied you with a cutting, severing sword.

So you cut through with the sharp, sharp sword.

وكيفَ تَمنَّيتَهُ واصِلاً

وكيفَ تَمنَّيتَهُ واصِلاً

أما هذِه غِرَّةُ السَّالِمِ

أما هذِه غِرَّةُ السَّالِمِ

And how could you hope he would grant you union?

And how could you wish for him as a friend,

Is this not the complacency of one unharmed?

When this is the nature of the appeased?

وماذا يَضِيرُ الهَوى إن بَخِل

وماذا يَضِيرُ الهَوى إن بَخِل

تَ بسرِّ الهَوى خِيفَةَ اللائِمِ

تَ بسرِّ الهَوى خِيفَةَ اللائِمِ

And what harm comes to love if you withhold

What would desire hurt if you were stingy

love's secret for fear of the reproacher?

With the secret of desire, fearing the blamer?

وأَجفانُ عَينيك طائِيَّةٌ

وأَجفانُ عَينيك طائِيَّةٌ

لَها نَظَراتٌ إلى حاتِمِ

لَها نَظَراتٌ إلى حاتِمِ

Yet your eyes' lids are of Tayy,

And your eyelids are covering,

with glances turned toward Hatim.

They have glances to Hatem.

وناجِمةٍ أنذَرتني الغُرُو

وناجِمةٍ أنذَرتني الغُرُو

بَ فَليتَ الغُروبَ عَلى النَّاجِمِ

بَ فَليتَ الغُروبَ عَلى النَّاجِمِ

And a sprouting white hair warned me of sunset—

And a star that warned me of sunset,

would that sunset befall the sprouting one!

If only sunset were upon the stars!

تُضِيءُ وباطِنُها مُظلِمٌ

تُضِيءُ وباطِنُها مُظلِمٌ

كَما زُخرِفَت حُجَّةُ الظَّالِمِ

كَما زُخرِفَت حُجَّةُ الظَّالِمِ

It shines, though dark within,

It shines while its inside is dark,

like an oppressor's embellished argument.

As the argument of the unjust was adorned.

أقامَت عَلى ما مَضى مأتَماً

أقامَت عَلى ما مَضى مأتَماً

وما لَبِسَت لبسَةَ الماتِمِ

وما لَبِسَت لبسَةَ الماتِمِ

It held a mourning gathering for what had passed,

It held a funeral for the past,

yet did not wear the mourner's garb.

And did not wear the dress of the mourner.

ولا سَقَتِ البيضَ سودُ الغَما

ولا سَقَتِ البيضَ سودُ الغَما

مِ وبيضُ أيادي أبي القاسِمِ

مِ وبيضُ أيادي أبي القاسِمِ

And may dark clouds never water the white hairs,

Nor did the blacks of sorrow water the whites,

nor the white hands of Abu al-Qasim;

And the whites of the hands of Abul Qasim.

وجانَبَهنَّ النَّدى من يَدَي

وجانَبَهنَّ النَّدى من يَدَي

هِ ومِن صَوبِ ديمَتِهِ الدَّائِمِ

هِ ومِن صَوبِ ديمَتِهِ الدَّائِمِ

and may the dew from his hands shun them,

Dew avoided their hands,

and that from the ceaseless fall of his steady rain.

And the side of his lasting abode.

بَنى المَجدَ والنَّاسُ في هَدمهِ

بَنى المَجدَ والنَّاسُ في هَدمهِ

وصيَّةَ ماضٍ إلى قادِمِ

وصيَّةَ ماضٍ إلى قادِمِ

He built glory while people were tearing it down,

He built glory while people destroyed it,

a bequest from one gone before to one yet to come.

A legacy of the past to the future.

فإِن كانَ مَسكنُه ما بَنَى

فإِن كانَ مَسكنُه ما بَنَى

فأينَ نَرى مَسكنَ الهادِمِ

فأينَ نَرى مَسكنَ الهادِمِ

If his dwelling is what he built,

If his dwelling is what he built,

where, then, can we see the destroyer's dwelling?

Then where do we see the destroyer’s dwelling?

ولما سَمِعتُ بهِ حازِماً

ولما سَمِعتُ بهِ حازِماً

أتَيتُ بِها فُرصَةَ الحازِمِ

أتَيتُ بِها فُرصَةَ الحازِمِ

And when I heard he was a man of resolve,

And when I heard of him as resolute,

I brought it—a prudent man's opportunity.

I came to it an opportunity for the resolute,

لَها شُعَبٌ في بَني مُرَّةٍ

لَها شُعَبٌ في بَني مُرَّةٍ

يَقومُ بِحقِّهمُ اللازِمِ

يَقومُ بِحقِّهمُ اللازِمِ

It has branches among Banu Murra;

It has branches in the tribe of Murrah,

he fulfills their binding, rightful claim.

Fulfilling their rights is imperative.

وحالٍ رَجَوتُ لها مِثلَ ما

وحالٍ رَجَوتُ لها مِثلَ ما

يُرجَّى من الماءِ لِلحائِمِ

يُرجَّى من الماءِ لِلحائِمِ

And for a plight I hoped for the same relief

And a state I hoped for it the like of

as one circling in thirst expects from water.

What is hoped from water for the thirsty.

وقَد لاحَ ذلكَ في وَجهِها

وقَد لاحَ ذلكَ في وَجهِها

فجاءَتكَ في عابسٍ باسِمِ

فجاءَتكَ في عابسٍ باسِمِ

And that hope had already shown upon its face,

And that gleamed on its face,

so it came to you in a face both frowning and smiling.

So it came to you frowning and smiling.

وما أبينَ اليَقَقَ المُستَنِي

وما أبينَ اليَقَقَ المُستَنِي

رَ عَلى الحانِكِ الحالِكِ الفاحِمِ

رَ عَلى الحانِكِ الحالِكِ الفاحِمِ

And how distinct the radiant whiteness

How evident is the sparkling sword

against the deep-black, the pitch-dark, the coal-black!

On the fallen, ruined, overwhelming one!

وقد زَعمَ النَّاسُ أن قَد غَنُوا

وقد زَعمَ النَّاسُ أن قَد غَنُوا

بِما خَيَّلَ البُخلُ لِلزَّاعِمِ

بِما خَيَّلَ البُخلُ لِلزَّاعِمِ

And people have claimed they have become self-sufficient,

And the people claimed they had enough

because of what miserliness made the claimant imagine.

Of what stinginess imagined for the claimant.

هَبِ الدُرَّ من نَثرِ أفعالِهم

هَبِ الدُرَّ من نَثرِ أفعالِهم

فكيفَ الغناء عَن الناظِمِ

فكيفَ الغناء عَن الناظِمِ

Grant that their scattered deeds are pearls—

Give the pearls from the scattering of their deeds,

how, then, can they do without the stringer?

For how is there singing without the composer?

وما كُنتُ أعرِفُ سَيفاً يَكو

وما كُنتُ أعرِفُ سَيفاً يَكو

نُ غَنِيّاً عَن اليَدِ والقائِمِ

نُ غَنِيّاً عَن اليَدِ والقائِمِ

Nor have I ever known a sword to be

And I did not know a sword that would be

independent of the hand and the hilt.

Sufficient without the hand and the erect one.