رحَلوا فالسَقامُ عندي مُقيمُ

رحَلوا فالسَقامُ عندي مُقيمُ

ولقلبي من الغرامِ غريمُ

ولقلبي من الغرامِ غريمُ

They departed, so sickness abides with me.

They left, and sickness stays with me,

And love has become my heart's creditor.

And my heart is lovesick and pained.

وبطَرْفي نظرتُ لمّا استقلّوا

وبطَرْفي نظرتُ لمّا استقلّوا

في نُجومِ الحُمولِ إنّي سَقيمُ

في نُجومِ الحُمولِ إنّي سَقيمُ

With my gaze, when they set out, I looked

I glanced with my eyes when they departed,

at the stars of the camel litters: “I am sick.”

Indeed I am sick in the stars of transportation.

يا رسومَ الديارِ علّ شفاءً

يا رسومَ الديارِ علّ شفاءً

لفؤادٍ لم يبْقَ منهُ رُسوم

لفؤادٍ لم يبْقَ منهُ رُسوم

O traces of the dwellings, perhaps a cure

O shapes of the abode give me healing,

for a heart of which no traces remain,

For a heart that has no shapes left of it.

بين غيثِ الدموعِ وهيَ أُجاجٌ

بين غيثِ الدموعِ وهيَ أُجاجٌ

ورياحِ الزفيرِ وهي سُمومُ

ورياحِ الزفيرِ وهي سُمومُ

between the rain of tears, bitterly briny,

Between the rain of tears which is turbulent,

and the winds of sighing, scorching blasts.

And the winds of sighing which are poisons.

لم يدعْ منه موقفُ البينِ إلا

لم يدعْ منه موقفُ البينِ إلا

كبِداً يستكنّ فيها الهُمومُ

كبِداً يستكنّ فيها الهُمومُ

The moment of separation left nothing of it

The standing of separation did not leave of it

but a liver in which sorrows lie concealed.

Except a liver in which sorrows settle.

فهو مُثْرٍ من الصبابةِ والوجْ

فهو مُثْرٍ من الصبابةِ والوجْ

دِ ولكنْ من السُلوّ عَديمُ

دِ ولكنْ من السُلوّ عَديمُ

It is rich in yearning and passion,

It is fresh with youth and passion but

but destitute of consolation.

Deprived of intimacy and tranquility.

أينَ ذاكَ الكِناسُ يفتِكُ منهُ

أينَ ذاكَ الكِناسُ يفتِكُ منهُ

عبثاً بالأُسودِ ذاك الريمُ

عبثاً بالأُسودِ ذاك الريمُ

Where is that covert from which he slays,

Where is that hunter who protects himself

in sport, the lions—that white gazelle?

In vain from the black, that ostrich.

رشأٌ عندَه حُشاشةُ نفسِ

رشأٌ عندَه حُشاشةُ نفسِ

يرتَعيها لا الشيحُ والقيصومُ

يرتَعيها لا الشيحُ والقيصومُ

A fawn, in whose keeping lies a soul's last breath,

Who has the audacity of a reckless soul

which he grazes on, not wormwood and yarrow.

That neither dignified nor vile can deter.

من ظباءِ الصريمِ حبلُ وِصالي

من ظباءِ الصريمِ حبلُ وِصالي

أبداً من حبالِه مَصْرومُ

أبداً من حبالِه مَصْرومُ

One of the gazelles of the sands; the cord of my union

The rope of my connection from the does of Subairim

is forever severed from his cords.

Is eternally unraveled from his ropes.

ما أقلّ انتصارَ مَنْ ظلمَتْهُ

ما أقلّ انتصارَ مَنْ ظلمَتْهُ

ولها شافعُ الجَمالِ ظَلومُ

ولها شافعُ الجَمالِ ظَلومُ

How little redress can one she wrongs obtain,

How little is the victory of one oppressed

when Beauty, her intercessor, is itself unjust!

While the beauty itself argues unjustly.

دعْ رماحَ الشَذا تمنّعَ عنها

دعْ رماحَ الشَذا تمنّعَ عنها

فرضي أنّني بها مَكلومُ

فرضي أنّني بها مَكلومُ

Give up resisting the spears of fragrance;

Let the thorns of glory refuse it

for I am content to be wounded by them.

As I am satisfied to be wounded by it.

وسُروري منها إذا أهضَمَتْني

وسُروري منها إذا أهضَمَتْني

أنّني مثلُ خَصْرِها مهضومُ

أنّني مثلُ خَصْرِها مهضومُ

And my joy in her, when she wrongs me,

And my happiness if it disregards me

is that, like her waist, I am diminished.

Is that I am like its waist destroyed.

آمري بالمُقامِ وهو مُماتٌ

آمري بالمُقامِ وهو مُماتٌ

يُخلِقُ العرضُ دونَه والأديمُ

يُخلِقُ العرضُ دونَه والأديمُ

You who command me to remain, though remaining is death,

I command settlement while it is death

before which honor and skin alike wear out,

The ground creates it without tents or shelter.

قائل إنما المعالي حظوظٌ

قائل إنما المعالي حظوظٌ

والفَتى كلُّ رِزْقِه مقْسومُ

والفَتى كلُّ رِزْقِه مقْسومُ

saying, “Lofty attainments are merely luck,

Saying that glories are only luck

and a man's entire sustenance is allotted”—

And the youth, all his sustenance is destined.

القِلاصُ القِلاصُ يلطُمُ منها

القِلاصُ القِلاصُ يلطُمُ منها

وجنةَ البيدِ منسمٌ مرْثومُ

وجنةَ البيدِ منسمٌ مرْثومُ

The young she-camels! The she-camels! From them comes a slap

The wood grouse, the wood grouse complains of it

to the desert's cheek, from a battered hoof.

And the gardens of permanence are forbidden and barred.

نصّ رسمَ العُلى لعينِك فاطلبْ

نصّ رسمَ العُلى لعينِك فاطلبْ

هُ تجدْ حيثُ نصُّها والرُسومُ

هُ تجدْ حيثُ نصُّها والرُسومُ

Set glory's image before your eyes, and seek

Copy the inscription of glory for your eye and seek it

it: you will find it where their swift pace and tracks lie.

You will find it where its inscription and depictions are.

لستَ بالمُقْتِرِ القديمِ ولكنّ

لستَ بالمُقْتِرِ القديمِ ولكنّ

زماناً أقْترْتَ فيهِ العديمُ

زماناً أقْترْتَ فيهِ العديمُ

You are no age-old pauper; rather,

You are not the old destitute but

the age in which you grew poor is itself destitute.

For a time you were deprived and poor.

ما أرى لي عندي الليالي انتِصاراً

ما أرى لي عندي الليالي انتِصاراً

أترجّاهُ والليالي خَصومُ

أترجّاهُ والليالي خَصومُ

I see no redress for myself from the nights

I do not see for myself victory in the nights

that I might hope for, while the nights are adversaries.

Which I long for while the nights are opponents.

قد أراني نقصَ القبائلِ منهنّ

قد أراني نقصَ القبائلِ منهنّ

تمامٌ توارثَتْهُ تَميمُ

تمامٌ توارثَتْهُ تَميمُ

The tribes' shortcomings have been shown to me

I see the lack of perfection of the tribes in them

by a perfection among them, inherited by Tamim.

It is a completeness Tamim has inherited.

قلنَ لمّا قامَ الأثيرُ دليلاً

قلنَ لمّا قامَ الأثيرُ دليلاً

ليس إلا الإقرارُ والتسليمُ

ليس إلا الإقرارُ والتسليمُ

They said, when al-Athir stood forth as proof,

They said, when the brilliant one stood as evidence,

“There is nothing but acknowledgment and submission.”

There is nothing but admission and surrender.

من بني الأغلبِ الكرامِ وما خلّ

من بني الأغلبِ الكرامِ وما خلّ

فَ ذاك الكريمَ إلا كريمُ

فَ ذاك الكريمَ إلا كريمُ

Of the noble Banu al-Aghlab; no one left behind

From the generous honorable members but

that noble man but a noble man.

That generous one did not lack generosity.

نسبٌ ما رأتْهُ عينُك إلا

نسبٌ ما رأتْهُ عينُك إلا

قلتَ لا شكّ جوهرٌ منظومُ

قلتَ لا شكّ جوهرٌ منظومُ

A lineage your eye has never seen without

A lineage that your eye has not seen

your saying, “Surely these are gems strung together.”

Unless you said there is no doubt a composed jewel.

جمعَ الفضلَ مُلتَقى طرَفَيْهِ

جمعَ الفضلَ مُلتَقى طرَفَيْهِ

فتساوى حديثُه والقَديمُ

فتساوى حديثُه والقَديمُ

The meeting of its two ends gathered excellence,

It collected virtue the meeting point of its two edges

so its recent and ancient generations were equal.

So its speech became equal to the ancient.

خوّلَتْ كفُّه خُصوصَ مَعالٍ

خوّلَتْ كفُّه خُصوصَ مَعالٍ

في جميعِ الملوكِ منها العُمومُ

في جميعِ الملوكِ منها العُمومُ

His hand has won him exceptional glories,

His palm authorized the exclusivity of glorious deeds

of which all kings possess only the common kind.

So for all kings it became general.

قام من دونها ببذْلِ عطايا

قام من دونها ببذْلِ عطايا

هُ فصِينَتْ كما يُصانُ الحريمُ

هُ فصِينَتْ كما يُصانُ الحريمُ

He stood guard over them by lavishing his gifts,

He stood without it to give away gifts

so they were protected as a sanctuary is protected.

So it was protected as the inviolable ones are protected.

كرمٌ لو تقسّمَتْهُ بنو الدنْيا

كرمٌ لو تقسّمَتْهُ بنو الدنْيا

جميعاً ما كان فيها لئيمُ

جميعاً ما كان فيها لئيمُ

A generosity which, were the world's people to share it,

Generosity, if the people of the world,

all together, would leave no base soul in the world.

All shared it, there would not be an ignoble one among them.

وأيادٍ تفجّرَ الجودُ منها

وأيادٍ تفجّرَ الجودُ منها

ما شكَكْنا في أنهنّ غُيومُ

ما شكَكْنا في أنهنّ غُيومُ

And hands from which generosity has burst forth—

And hands that generosity gushes from

we never doubted that they were clouds.

We never doubted they were rain clouds.

آمرٌ تأمُرُ السماحةُ منهُ

آمرٌ تأمُرُ السماحةُ منهُ

عادلُ الحكمِ في العطاءِ ظَلومُ

عادلُ الحكمِ في العطاءِ ظَلومُ

A commander through whom generosity commands,

One who commands nobility from him,

just in judgment, unjust in giving.

The just one in judgment in giving injustice.

فهو من ألسنِ المَفاخِرِ محمو

فهو من ألسنِ المَفاخِرِ محمو

دٌ ولكنْ من مالِهِ مذْمومُ

دٌ ولكنْ من مالِهِ مذْمومُ

Thus the tongues of glorious deeds praise him,

He is from the tongues of pride erased

but his own wealth blames him.

But from his money he is dispraised.

وله مَفخَرانِ حِيزا إليه

وله مَفخَرانِ حِيزا إليه

نسبٌ طاعنٌ ومجدٌ مُقيمُ

نسبٌ طاعنٌ ومجدٌ مُقيمُ

And he has two glories gathered to him:

And two matters of pride he owns

a far-reaching lineage and abiding glory.

A lineage that makes one despair and steady glory.

وشَبا عزمةٍ يردُّ بها الخط

وشَبا عزمةٍ يردُّ بها الخط

بَ وفيه من شفرتَيْها كُلومُ

بَ وفيه من شفرتَيْها كُلومُ

And the keen edge of a resolve with which he repels calamity,

And the determination of youth with which

leaving it wounded by its two blades.

He repels adversity, and in its two edges are Indian swords.

يصطَلي حاجِمُ الخُطوبِ وما بي

يصطَلي حاجِمُ الخُطوبِ وما بي

نَ عِطافَيْ بُردَيْهِ ابراهيمُ

نَ عِطافَيْ بُردَيْهِ ابراهيمُ

He who confronts calamities faces the fire, yet between

The attacker of misfortunes takes precautions, and not between

the folds of his two cloaks is Ibrahim.

The flying ends of his coats is Abraham.

ربَّ ريحينِ بين شدٍّ وليْنٍ

ربَّ ريحينِ بين شدٍّ وليْنٍ

ذي سُمومٍ تُرْدي وتلك نَسيمُ

ذي سُمومٍ تُرْدي وتلك نَسيمُ

Master of two winds, stern and gentle:

Lord of the scent, between intensity and gentleness,

this one a deadly scorching blast, that one a soft breeze.

That has poisons that destroy and this is a soft breeze.

ومحلّيْنِ بين سِلْمٍ وحربٍ

ومحلّيْنِ بين سِلْمٍ وحربٍ

ذا نعيمٌ وذا عذابٌ أليمُ

ذا نعيمٌ وذا عذابٌ أليمُ

And of two abodes, in peace and war:

And two places, between peace and war,

this one bliss, that one painful torment.

This is bliss and that is painful torment.

يفرَقُ المُقدِمونَ منهُ إذا ما

يفرَقُ المُقدِمونَ منهُ إذا ما

صالَ فيهم ويأمنُ المهزومُ

صالَ فيهم ويأمنُ المهزومُ

The advancing warriors fear him whenever

The advancing from it separate when he

he charges among them, while the defeated man is safe.

Infiltrates them while the defeated feels safe.

حفظَ المسلمونَ عنهُ أحادي

حفظَ المسلمونَ عنهُ أحادي

ثَ أبَتْ أن يرضى بهنّ الرومُ

ثَ أبَتْ أن يرضى بهنّ الرومُ

The Muslims have preserved accounts of him

The Muslims have preserved from him

with which the Romans could never be pleased.

Reports that the Christians have refused to accept.

ذو صفاتٍ لما تقسَّمها الشعْ

ذو صفاتٍ لما تقسَّمها الشعْ

رُ أتاهُ التجْنيسُ والتقْسيمُ

رُ أتاهُ التجْنيسُ والتقْسيمُ

His qualities, when poetry distributes them,

Of qualities, when the poetry divided them,

supply it with wordplay and division.

The approach of simile and division came to it.

يا هلالَ السرورِ لُحْ إنّ قلبي

يا هلالَ السرورِ لُحْ إنّ قلبي

ليسَ ينفكّ أو يراكَ تصومُ

ليسَ ينفكّ أو يراكَ تصومُ

O crescent of joy, appear! My heart

O crescent of joy, shine, indeed my heart,

will not cease fasting until it sees you.

Does not cease unless it sees you become slim.

كيف لا أعتَبُ الزمانَ وأشْكو

كيف لا أعتَبُ الزمانَ وأشْكو

لك أني يا خيرَهُ محْرومُ

لك أني يا خيرَهُ محْرومُ

How can I not reproach the age and complain

How can I not blame time and complain to you?

to you, O best within it, that I am deprived?

That I, its best am deprived.

قطّبَ الدهرُ لي مُحيّا فهلْ يَقْ

قطّبَ الدهرُ لي مُحيّا فهلْ يَقْ

رُبُ مني ذاك المُحيّا الوَسيمُ

رُبُ مني ذاك المُحيّا الوَسيمُ

Time has turned a frowning face on me; will

Time has adversities for me frequently, so will

that handsome face draw near to me?

That frequent handsome one come close to me?

فألاقي عيدَيْنِ يضحكُ عن شا

فألاقي عيدَيْنِ يضحكُ عن شا

رقِ نورَيْهِما الزمانُ البَهيمُ

رقِ نورَيْهِما الزمانُ البَهيمُ

Then I would greet two feasts, whose dawning

And so I meet two holidays laughing

twin lights make the pitch-dark age smile.

From the shining light of both the brutal time laughs.

ولَعَمْري لولا محمدُ المح

ولَعَمْري لولا محمدُ المح

مودُ قُلْنا هذا زمانٌ أليمُ

مودُ قُلْنا هذا زمانٌ أليمُ

By my life, were it not for Muhammad the Praiseworthy,

By my life if not for praiseworthy Muhammad

we would have said, “This is a painful age.”

We would have said this time is painful.

خلَفٌ نابَ عنك لي وعن الأق

خلَفٌ نابَ عنك لي وعن الأق

مارِ للمُهتَدي تَنوبُ النُجومُ

مارِ للمُهتَدي تَنوبُ النُجومُ

A successor who took your place for me; in place of moons,

A successor acted for you and for me instead of the planets

the stars stand in for one seeking the way.

For the guided one, the stars take turns.