إذا أنت لم ترعَ البروقَ اللوامحا

إذا أنت لم ترعَ البروقَ اللوامحا

ونمتَ جرى من تحتِكَ الماء طافِحا

ونمتَ جرى من تحتِكَ الماء طافِحا

If you do not heed the flashing lightning,

If you do not heed the flashing lightning,

And sleep, the water will flow beneath you, brimming over.

and sleep, the water flows beneath you, overflowing.

غرستَ الهوى بالوصل ثم احتقرتَه

غرستَ الهوى بالوصل ثم احتقرتَه

فأهملته مستأنساً ومُسامِحا

فأهملته مستأنساً ومُسامِحا

You planted love through union, then held it cheap;

You planted love through union, then made light of it,

You neglected it, complacent and indulgent.

so you neglected it, feeling secure and lax.

ولم تدرِ حتى أينعَت ثمراتُه

ولم تدرِ حتى أينعَت ثمراتُه

وهبَّت رياح الهجر فيه لواقِحا

وهبَّت رياح الهجر فيه لواقِحا

You did not know until its fruits had ripened,

You did not know until its fruits had ripened,

And the winds of estrangement blew through it, bearing pollen.

and the winds of separation blew through it, pollinating.

وأمسيتَ تستدعي من الوصلِ عازِباً

وأمسيتَ تستدعي من الوصلِ عازِباً

عليك وتَستكري من النوم نازِحا

عليك وتَستكري من النوم نازِحا

Now at evening you summon a union absent

And by evening you were summoning union that had strayed

From you, and seek to hire sleep, though it too is far away.

from you, and seeking to hire sleep that had gone far away.

فأما حديثي كيف قضَّيتُ ليلتي

فأما حديثي كيف قضَّيتُ ليلتي

فإني وجدت الدهرَ سكرانَ طافِحا

فإني وجدت الدهرَ سكرانَ طافِحا

As for my tale—how I lost my night—

As for my account of how I spent my night,

I found Time drunken, brimming over.

I found Time drunk to overflowing.

فقابلتُ إنساناً بإنسانِ مُقلتي

فقابلتُ إنساناً بإنسانِ مُقلتي

فألفيتُه في ماءِ خديه سابِحا

فألفيتُه في ماءِ خديه سابِحا

I brought a man face-to-face with the little man of my eye,

So I faced a man with the pupil of my eye,

And found him swimming in the water of his cheeks.

and found him swimming in the water of his cheeks.

فبرح بي لون التباريح واقفاً

فبرح بي لون التباريح واقفاً

على خدِّه من خدِّه ليسَ بارِحا

على خدِّه من خدِّه ليسَ بارِحا

A form of torment sorely afflicted me, standing

The hue of anguish tormented me, lingering

Upon his cheek—from my cheek—never departing.

on his cheek, never departing from his cheek.

وفي العذر ما يلقاك أسود حالكاً

وفي العذر ما يلقاك أسود حالكاً

يقوم عليه أبيضُ اللون واضِحا

يقوم عليه أبيضُ اللون واضِحا

There is an excuse: what meets you is pitch-black,

And among excuses is one that meets you pitch-black;

With manifest white rising over it.

upon it stands one white in hue and clear.

وولَّى وطال الشوق والليل بعده

وولَّى وطال الشوق والليل بعده

ووكل طرفي بالطويلين ماسِحا

ووكل طرفي بالطويلين ماسِحا

He turned away; after him, longing and night both lengthened,

He departed, and longing and the night grew long after him,

Leaving my gaze to sweep across those two long reaches.

and my gaze was tasked with measuring both long spans.

وماذا على المهموم من طولِ ليله

وماذا على المهموم من طولِ ليله

إذا اعترضَ الهمُّ المُماسي مُصابِحا

إذا اعترضَ الهمُّ المُماسي مُصابِحا

What does the troubled man care how long his night may be,

What does the length of his night matter to a careworn man,

When grief assails him at evening and again at morning?

when the sorrow that comes at evening confronts him at dawn?

وأين يكون المستجدُّ من الضَّنى

وأين يكون المستجدُّ من الضَّنى

وقد شَغلَ الماضي الحشا والجَوانِحا

وقد شَغلَ الماضي الحشا والجَوانِحا

And where could newly arising sorrow find a place,

And where can fresh affliction find room,

When the old has filled the heart and ribs?

when past suffering has occupied the heart and ribs?

نوائب لو كانت توالت صروفها

نوائب لو كانت توالت صروفها

بحيث يراها صالحٌ كنت صالِحا

بحيث يراها صالحٌ كنت صالِحا

Calamities—their turns came one upon another;

Misfortunes—had their changing blows followed one another

Had a righteous man seen them, I would have been made whole.

where Salih could see them, I would have fared well.

ولكن خَلت بي حيثُ لا يَبطش الندى

ولكن خَلت بي حيثُ لا يَبطش الندى

فيُخشى ولا يُصغي إذا قمتُ مادِحا

فيُخشى ولا يُصغي إذا قمتُ مادِحا

But they singled me out where generosity neither strikes so as to be feared,

But they had me to themselves where bounty could not strike

Nor listens when I rise to offer praise.

and so be feared, nor listen when I stood to praise,

إلى أن دَعاني جودُه فاستَجرها

إلى أن دَعاني جودُه فاستَجرها

ولم أدر من ألقى إليه النصائِحا

ولم أدر من ألقى إليه النصائِحا

Until his generosity summoned me, and I sought its protection from them;

until his generosity called me and drew them away.

I had not known to whom I should address my sincere words.

I did not know who had offered him counsel.

فأقبل بي راجٍ من العُرف غادِياً

فأقبل بي راجٍ من العُرف غادِياً

وولَّى بها ناجٍ من الخوفِ رائِحا

وولَّى بها ناجٍ من الخوفِ رائِحا

At dawn, hope of favor brought me to him;

One hopeful of kindness brought me along in the morning,

At dusk, escape from fear bore me away.

and one delivered from fear went away with them in the evening.

فتىً ينظر الأقوالَ من غير فعلِه

فتىً ينظر الأقوالَ من غير فعلِه

فيُبصر فيها من نداهُ ملامِحا

فيُبصر فيها من نداهُ ملامِحا

A noble youth who considers words apart from his own deeds,

A youth who considers words apart from his own deeds,

And sees within them the features of his largesse.

and perceives in them glimpses of his generosity.

فمجدٌ يحثُّ القول من كلِّ قائلٍ

فمجدٌ يحثُّ القول من كلِّ قائلٍ

إليه وجودٌ يستحثُّ القَرائِحا

إليه وجودٌ يستحثُّ القَرائِحا

Glory urges the words of every speaker

His glory urges every speaker's words

Toward him, while generosity quickens poetic gifts.

toward him, and his generosity rouses poetic gifts.

وإن أشرقَت ألفاظُه فطروسُه

وإن أشرقَت ألفاظُه فطروسُه

دجى الليل ما بين النهارين جانِحا

دجى الليل ما بين النهارين جانِحا

Though his words shine, his pages are

And though his words shine, his pages

The darkness of night inclining between two daylights,

are night's darkness, descending between two days,

بأرقشَ ماضٍ ما يداوي جريحه

بأرقشَ ماضٍ ما يداوي جريحه

وقد ينشر الموتى ويأسو الجرائِحا

وقد ينشر الموتى ويأسو الجرائِحا

Inscribed by a speckled, keen point: none can heal the one it wounds,

with a speckled, keen pen that does not heal those it wounds,

Yet it may revive the dead and mend injuries.

yet may raise the dead and heal wounds.

إذا أنا قلت الشعر فيك وجدته

إذا أنا قلت الشعر فيك وجدته

من الشعر ممدوحاً وإن كان مادِحا

من الشعر ممدوحاً وإن كان مادِحا

Whenever I speak poetry of you, I find it

When I compose poetry about you, I find it

Praised among poems, though it is itself a poem of praise.

praised among poems, though it is itself praising.

فألفيتُهم يستعرضونَ حوائجي

فألفيتُهم يستعرضونَ حوائجي

إليهم ولو كانَت عليهم جوانِحا

إليهم ولو كانَت عليهم جوانِحا

I found them considering the needs I brought

So I found them considering my requests

Before them, though those needs might weigh heavily upon them.

to them, even if these bore heavily upon them.

تحمل لي الثقلَ الذي يستخفُّه

تحمل لي الثقلَ الذي يستخفُّه

نداك وإن ألقاه غيركَ طارِحا

نداك وإن ألقاه غيركَ طارِحا

Bear for me the burden that your bounty counts light,

Bear for me the burden which

Though anyone else, encountering it, would cast it down.

your generosity finds light, even if another casts it aside.

وكيف وهل يستنهضُ البحرُ للندى

وكيف وهل يستنهضُ البحرُ للندى

أقلني فإني قلتُ ما قلتُ مازِحا

أقلني فإني قلتُ ما قلتُ مازِحا

But how could the sea be roused to give freely?

But how? Is the sea urged to generosity?

Forgive me—I said what I said in jest.

Pardon me, for I said what I said in jest.