أَيَرجِعُ عَصرٌ بالجَزيرة رائِقُ

أَيَرجِعُ عَصرٌ بالجَزيرة رائِقُ

تَقَضّى وَأَبقى حسرةً ما تُفارِقُ

تَقَضّى وَأَبقى حسرةً ما تُفارِقُ

Will a serene time in al-Jazira return,

Will an era return to the peninsula, serene,

one that passed and left a sorrow that never departs?

That has passed, leaving behind endless regret?

لَياليَ أَبكارُ السُرورِ وَعونُهُ

لَياليَ أَبكارُ السُرورِ وَعونُهُ

هَدايا وَأَمّاتُ الهُموم طَوالق

هَدايا وَأَمّاتُ الهُموم طَوالق

Nights when joy's virgins and its matrons

Nights of maidenly joy and its aid,

were gifts, and the mothers of sorrow were divorced.

Gifts, and mothers of enduring sorrows, divorcees.

إِذ قُلتُ يَصحو القَلبُ مِن فَرطِ ذكره

إِذ قُلتُ يَصحو القَلبُ مِن فَرطِ ذكره

دَعا هاتِفٌ في الأَيك أَو لاح بارِقُ

دَعا هاتِفٌ في الأَيك أَو لاح بارِقُ

When I said, ‘The heart will sober from remembering it so intensely,’

When I said, “The heart awakens from the intensity of remembering it,”

a caller cried in the grove, or lightning flashed.

A caller in the thicket called out, “Or did a flashing light appear?”

تَرَكنا التَشاكي ساعة البَينِ ضلَّه

تَرَكنا التَشاكي ساعة البَينِ ضلَّه

وَلا غَروَ يَومَ البَين إِن ضَلَّ عاشِقُ

وَلا غَروَ يَومَ البَين إِن ضَلَّ عاشِقُ

We abandoned shared lament at parting's hour, in bewilderment;

We abandoned complaining during the hour of separation's error,

and no wonder if a lover goes astray on parting's day.

And there’s no wonder if the separated one erred, if the lover erred.

فَلا لذة الشَكوى قَضَينا وَلا الَّذي

فَلا لذة الشَكوى قَضَينا وَلا الَّذي

سَتَرناهُ أَخفَته الدُموعُ السَوابقَ

سَتَرناهُ أَخفَته الدُموعُ السَوابقَ

Thus neither did we savor the pleasure of lament, nor was what

So we finished neither the pleasure of complaining, nor what

we had hidden concealed by the racing tears.

We concealed, hidden by preceding tears.

فَمِن لؤلؤٍ شَقَّ الشَقيقَ مُبدَّداً

فَمِن لؤلؤٍ شَقَّ الشَقيقَ مُبدَّداً

وَورسٍ جَرَت سَحّاً عليهِ الشَقائِقُ

وَورسٍ جَرَت سَحّاً عليهِ الشَقائِقُ

There were scattered pearls cleaving the anemone,

So some scattered pearls broke apart,

and yellow dye over which anemones streamed in torrents.

And anemones flowed down it copiously.

إِذا نَحنُ حاوَلنا التَعانُقَ خُلسَةٌ

إِذا نَحنُ حاوَلنا التَعانُقَ خُلسَةٌ

عَلاناً الزَفيرُ وَالقُلوبُ خَوافِقُ

عَلاناً الزَفيرُ وَالقُلوبُ خَوافِقُ

When we tried to embrace in secret,

When we tried to secretly embrace, furtively,

sighing overcame us, and our hearts fluttered.

Openly, there was sighing, and the hearts corresponded.

وَزائِرَةٍ بعد الهُدوءِ وَبَينَنا

وَزائِرَةٍ بعد الهُدوءِ وَبَينَنا

مَهامِهُ تُنضي رَكبَها وَسمالِقُ

مَهامِهُ تُنضي رَكبَها وَسمالِقُ

And a woman visited after stillness fell, though between us

And after tranquility, a visitor between us

lay deserts that exhausted their riders, and barren plains.

Urged on her camel, and it climbed nimbly.

تعجَّبُ مِن شَيبٍ رَأَت بمفارِقي

تعجَّبُ مِن شَيبٍ رَأَت بمفارِقي

وَهَل عَجَبٌ مِن أَن تَشيب المفارِقُ

وَهَل عَجَبٌ مِن أَن تَشيب المفارِقُ

She marveled at the gray she saw along my hair's partings;

She wondered at seeing some gray hairs in my hair,

and is it strange that hair partings should turn gray?

And is it any wonder if the separated one grows gray?

وَقالَت وَفرط الضَمِّ قَد هَدَّ مِرطَها

وَقالَت وَفرط الضَمِّ قَد هَدَّ مِرطَها

وَلُزَّت ثُديٌّ تَحتها وَمخانِقُ

وَلُزَّت ثُديٌّ تَحتها وَمخانِقُ

And she said—the force of the embrace had torn her cloak,

And she said, “The intensity of pressing has destroyed its compactness,”

and breasts and necklaces were pressed together beneath it—

And a breast beneath it was squeezed and strangled.

أَتُسليك عَنّا كاذِباتٌ مِن المُنى

أَتُسليك عَنّا كاذِباتٌ مِن المُنى

وَما خلتُ تُسليك الأَماني الصَوادق

وَما خلتُ تُسليك الأَماني الصَوادق

“Do false hopes console you for our absence?

Do lies give you solace about us,

I never thought even true hopes could console you.

When sincere wishes have not given you solace?

مَتى نَلتَقي في غير نَومٍ وَيَشتَكي

مَتى نَلتَقي في غير نَومٍ وَيَشتَكي

مَشوقٌ وَيَشكي مِن جَوى البين شائِقُ

مَشوقٌ وَيَشكي مِن جَوى البين شائِقُ

When shall we meet outside sleep, and complaints be voiced

When will we meet in other than a dream, and a passionate one complain,

by a yearning lover, and parting's anguish soothed by the beloved?”

And one suffering from the heat of separation complain?

ثِقي بايابي عَن قَريبٍ فإِنَّني

ثِقي بايابي عَن قَريبٍ فإِنَّني

بجود ابنِ رُزِّيكٍ عَلى القُربِ واثِقُ

بجود ابنِ رُزِّيكٍ عَلى القُربِ واثِقُ

“Trust in my return before long, for I

Trust my return soon, for I

am confident of reunion through Ibn Ruzzik's generosity.”

Am confident in being near, thanks to your father’s generosity,

هُوَ البَحر فيهِ دُرُّهُ وَعُبابه

هُوَ البَحر فيهِ دُرُّهُ وَعُبابه

وَصَوبُ الحَيا فيهِ النَدى وَالصَواعِقُ

وَصَوبُ الحَيا فيهِ النَدى وَالصَواعِقُ

He is the sea, with its pearls and its surging waters,

He is the sea in which are its pearls and foam,

and the downpour of rain, with dew and thunderbolts.

And the striking places of serpents, dew, and lightning.

أَخو الحرب ربُّ المكرماتِ أَبو النَدى

أَخو الحرب ربُّ المكرماتِ أَبو النَدى

حَليفُ العُلى صَبُّ إِلى العُرف تائِقُ

حَليفُ العُلى صَبُّ إِلى العُرف تائِقُ

A brother to war, lord of noble deeds, father of bounty,

Brother of war, lord of gifts, father of dew,

an ally of glory, a lover yearning for beneficence.

Ally of the eminent, pouring to proper conduct eagerly.

يُنالُ الحَيا مِن بَحرِهِ وَهوَ نازِحٌ

يُنالُ الحَيا مِن بَحرِهِ وَهوَ نازِحٌ

وَيَدنو الجنى مِن فرعِهِ وَهوَ باسِقُ

وَيَدنو الجنى مِن فرعِهِ وَهوَ باسِقُ

Rain is drawn from his sea, though it lies far away,

Life is obtained from his sea while it surges,

and fruit from his branch comes within reach, though it towers high.

And fruits are obtained from its branches while it climbs high.

وَلَمّا رأى عَبّاسُ لِلغَدر مَذهَباً

وَلَمّا رأى عَبّاسُ لِلغَدر مَذهَباً

وَأَظهر ما قَد كانَ عنهُ يُنافِقُ

وَأَظهر ما قَد كانَ عنهُ يُنافِقُ

And when Abbas saw a path to treachery,

And when Al-‘Abbas saw the path to betrayal,

and revealed what he had been dissembling about,

And showed what he had been hypocritical about,

وَأَنفق مِن اِنعاهم في هلاكهم

وَأَنفق مِن اِنعاهم في هلاكهم

جَزاءً بِهِ عَمري خَليقٌ وَلائِق

جَزاءً بِهِ عَمري خَليقٌ وَلائِق

and spent their bounty on their destruction—

And spent their supplies against them in their destruction

a repayment, by my life, worthy of him and fitting—

As a reward through which my life would be fitting and proper,

وَمَدَّ يَداً هم طَوَّلوها اليهمُ

وَمَدَّ يَداً هم طَوَّلوها اليهمُ

وَحَلَّت بِأَهلِ القصر منه البَوائق

وَحَلَّت بِأَهلِ القصر منه البَوائق

and stretched toward them a hand whose reach they had extended,

And extended a hand they made long toward them

and calamities from him befell the palace's people,

And calamities from it befell the people of the palace,

دَعَوكَ فَلبَّيت الدُعاءَ مُسارِعاً

دَعَوكَ فَلبَّيت الدُعاءَ مُسارِعاً

وَفرَّجتَ عنهم كربَهم وَهوَ خانِقُ

وَفرَّجتَ عنهم كربَهم وَهوَ خانِقُ

they called upon you, so you hastened to answer their call,

You called and hastily responded to the call,

and relieved them of their distress as it choked them.

And relieved them of their distress while it strangled,

وَجاوَبتهم عَن كُتبهم بِكَتائِبٍ

وَجاوَبتهم عَن كُتبهم بِكَتائِبٍ

تَمُرُّ بِها مَرَّ السَحابِ السَوابِقُ

تَمُرُّ بِها مَرَّ السَحابِ السَوابِقُ

And you answered their letters with battalions,

And responded to their messages with regiments

whose swift steeds swept past like clouds.

Through which the preceding clouds flow,

وَفَرَّ رَجاءً أَن يَفوت شَبا الظُبى

وَفَرَّ رَجاءً أَن يَفوت شَبا الظُبى

فَعاجَلَهُ حَينٌ اليهنَّ سائِقُ

فَعاجَلَهُ حَينٌ اليهنَّ سائِقُ

And he fled, hoping to escape the blades' sharp points,

And hoped to evade the youth of fate,

but doom overtook him, driving him toward them.

But time led him inevitably to it,

وَقَدَّر أَن قَد خَلّفَ الحتفَ خَلفَهُ

وَقَدَّر أَن قَد خَلّفَ الحتفَ خَلفَهُ

وَقُدّامَه الحَتفُ المُوافي المُوافِقُ

وَقُدّامَه الحَتفُ المُوافي المُوافِقُ

And he thought he had left death behind him,

And judged that fate had left its aftermath behind,

but ahead of him was death, coming to meet him at the fitting time.

While ahead of him was fate, meeting and concurring.

سَقى رَبَّهُ كأسَ المَنايا وَما اِنقَضى

سَقى رَبَّهُ كأسَ المَنايا وَما اِنقَضى

لَه الشَهرُ إِلّا وَهوَ لِلكأسِ ذائِقُ

لَه الشَهرُ إِلّا وَهوَ لِلكأسِ ذائِقُ

He made his master drink death's cup, and there had not passed

He quaffed the cup of death for his Lord, and before

a month for him before he too tasted the cup.

The month was over, he was tasting the cup.