طَرَحْنَا فوقَ غارِبِها الزِّمانا

طَرَحْنَا فوقَ غارِبِها الزِّمانا

فأَسْلَمَها العَرَارُ إِلى الخُزَامَى

فأَسْلَمَها العَرَارُ إِلى الخُزَامَى

We cast Time upon their withers,

We pitched it above the setting of time

And the oxeye handed them over to the lavender.

So the bare land surrendered it to the protectors

رَعَتْ بالجِزْعِ أَسْنِمَةَ الرَّوابي

رَعَتْ بالجِزْعِ أَسْنِمَةَ الرَّوابي

فجاءَتْ وَهْيَ تحمِلُها سَنَاما

فجاءَتْ وَهْيَ تحمِلُها سَنَاما

They grazed the hills’ humps at the valley bend,

It grazed with separation the pastures of the hilltops

And returned carrying them as humps.

So it came carrying them high

وما بَرِحَتْ تراوحُ أَو تُغادِي

وما بَرِحَتْ تراوحُ أَو تُغادِي

جَمِيماً في أَو جِمَاما

جَمِيماً في أَو جِمَاما

They never ceased to seek, at evening or at dawn,

It didn’t stop pacing back and forth or wandering

Fresh herbage in ... or rest.

Silently or speaking

تَحُطُّ به النّعائِمُ مُتْأَقَاتٍ

تَحُطُّ به النّعائِمُ مُتْأَقَاتٍ

تَرَجْرَجُ فوقَ أَعناقِ النُّعامى

تَرَجْرَجُ فوقَ أَعناقِ النُّعامى

There the Ostrich stars descend, filled to the brim,

The pleasures descend upon it qualified

Swaying above the necks of the south wind.

Bubbling over the necks of the ostriches

إِلى أَن عارضَتْنَا فاسْتَرَبْنَا

إِلى أَن عارضَتْنَا فاسْتَرَبْنَا

أَكُوماً نحنُ ننظرُ أَمْ إِكاما

أَكُوماً نحنُ ننظرُ أَمْ إِكاما

Until they came into view, and we wondered:

Until we encountered and were on the lookout

Were we looking at great-humped camels, or hillocks?

A heap - were we gazing or blind?

وقالَتْ والخيامُ صَبَاحُ عَشْرٍ

وقالَتْ والخيامُ صَبَاحُ عَشْرٍ

لِلَيْلَتِها أَلاَ حَيِّ الخياما

لِلَيْلَتِها أَلاَ حَيِّ الخياما

And they said—the tents there on the morning after ten nights—

And she said, while the tents were morning drink

To their night: “Come, greet the tents!”

For her night, behold the life of the tents!

فعُجْنَا بالأَراكِ على أَرَاكٍ

فعُجْنَا بالأَراكِ على أَرَاكٍ

صَدَحْنَا في ذوائبِهِ حَماما

صَدَحْنَا في ذوائبِهِ حَماما

So at al-Arak we turned aside beside an arak tree,

So we kneaded with the boxes upon boxes

Singing as doves among its topmost boughs.

As we clamored through its strands like doves

ومِلْنا للعقيقِ فقام جِسْمِي

ومِلْنا للعقيقِ فقام جِسْمِي

به يَقْرَا على قَلْبِي السَّلاما

به يَقْرَا على قَلْبِي السَّلاما

And we turned toward al-Aqiq; my body rose

And we were done with trinkets, so my body stood

There to recite a greeting of peace to my heart.

Reciting peace upon my heart

طرحنا العَجْزَ عن أَعجازِ عَيْشٍ

طرحنا العَجْزَ عن أَعجازِ عَيْشٍ

نُوَشِّحُها على الحَزْمِ الحِزاما

نُوَشِّحُها على الحَزْمِ الحِزاما

We cast off weakness from the hindquarters of life,

We pitched aside the inability from the wonders of life

Girding them with a belt of firm resolve.

That we tighten around the belt of resolve

ونُوسِعُها بأَيدِي الوَخْدِ مَخْضاً

ونُوسِعُها بأَيدِي الوَخْدِ مَخْضاً

تُطيرُ الريح زُبْدَتَهُ لُغَاما

تُطيرُ الريح زُبْدَتَهُ لُغَاما

And churn them thoroughly with the hands of the swift trot;

And we widen it with the hands of affection withdrawn

The wind sends its butter flying as foam.

So the wind scatters its foam into wisps

وندفَعُ بالسُّرَي منها قِسِيّاً

وندفَعُ بالسُّرَي منها قِسِيّاً

فتقذفُ بالنَّوى مِنَّا سِهاما

فتقذفُ بالنَّوى مِنَّا سِهاما

And with night travel we drive bows forth from among them,

And we push away the sourness from it forcefully

So they shoot us as arrows across the distance.

So it casts with the seeds from us arrows

ونُعْمِلُ كالأَهِلَّةِ ضامراتٍ

ونُعْمِلُ كالأَهِلَّةِ ضامراتٍ

لنبلُغَ فوقها القَمَرَ التَّماما

لنبلُغَ فوقها القَمَرَ التَّماما

And we urge on lean camels like crescent moons,

And we work like crescent moons waning

To reach, upon them, the moon in its fullness.

To reach over it the fullness of the moon

ببابِ الفاضلِ المِفْضالِ حَطَّتْ

ببابِ الفاضلِ المِفْضالِ حَطَّتْ

فأَطلَقَها وَأَقْعَدَنَا وقاما

فأَطلَقَها وَأَقْعَدَنَا وقاما

They halted at the gate of al-Fadil, the bountiful;

At the door of the virtuous Excellency it halted

He released them, seated us, and rose.

So he unleashed it, seated us, and stood up

تُجَنِّبُها الخوافِيَ والذَُّنَابَي

تُجَنِّبُها الخوافِيَ والذَُّنَابَي

وَتُورِدُها القوداِمَ والقُدَامَى

وَتُورِدُها القوداِمَ والقُدَامَى

You keep them clear of the secondary wing-feathers and the tail-feathers,

It avoids the sly and the talebearers

And lead them to the primary wing-feathers and the foremost feathers.

And it leads the leaders and the chaste

كَأَنَّا إِذْ قطعناهم إِليهِ

كَأَنَّا إِذْ قطعناهم إِليهِ

تَعَسَّفْنَا إِلى الصُّبْحِ الظَّلاما

تَعَسَّفْنَا إِلى الصُّبْحِ الظَّلاما

As though, when we passed those others by to reach him,

It's as if when we cut them off to him

We had forced our way through darkness toward the dawn.

We imposed upon the dawn the darkness

يَحُطُّ لِثامَ نائِلِهِ فيبدُو

يَحُطُّ لِثامَ نائِلِهِ فيبدُو

وقد عَقَدَ الحياءُ له لِثاما

وقد عَقَدَ الحياءُ له لِثاما

He lowers the veil of his bounty and comes into view,

He undoes the wrap of his attainer, so appears

Though modesty has tied a veil about him.

As bashfulness has tied for him a wrap

ومِنْ أَحكامِهِ أَنْ ليسَ يُبْقَي

ومِنْ أَحكامِهِ أَنْ ليسَ يُبْقَي

على الأَحرارِ للدهرِ احْتِكاما

على الأَحرارِ للدهرِ احْتِكاما

And among his rulings is that he does not leave

And of his rulings, that he does not maintain

Time any dominion over freeborn men.

Over the free for fate judgment

شَفَتْ وكَفَتْ فصائِلُهُ فلولا

شَفَتْ وكَفَتْ فصائِلُهُ فلولا

جفونُ الحُورِ أُعْدِمَتِ السَّقَاما

جفونُ الحُورِ أُعْدِمَتِ السَّقَاما

His kindred healed and sufficed; were it not for

His dangling strands cured and sufficed so if not for

The eyelids of the fair-eyed beauties, they would have banished sickness.

The eyelids of the maidens, illness would be eradicated

وأَسْكَرَنَا بَيَاناً دامَ حَتَّى

وأَسْكَرَنَا بَيَاناً دامَ حَتَّى

عَجِبْنَا كيفَ خَدَّرْنا المُدَاما

عَجِبْنَا كيفَ خَدَّرْنا المُدَاما

And he intoxicated us with eloquence that endured, until

And blessed is he who saw the bodies idle

We marveled at how we had stupefied the wine.

So he collared them with his mighty hands

معانٍ تجلسُ الفُصَحاءُ عنها

معانٍ تجلسُ الفُصَحاءُ عنها

وتسمَعُها خواطِرُهُمْ قِياما

وتسمَعُها خواطِرُهُمْ قِياما

Meanings before which the eloquent can only sit,

I say to him as his hands revived

While their minds listen to them standing.

Bones from its first bones

يتيماتٌ تُصَدِّقُ في عُلاهُ

يتيماتٌ تُصَدِّقُ في عُلاهُ

مَقَالَةَ مَنْ دعاهُ أَبا اليتامى

مَقَالَةَ مَنْ دعاهُ أَبا اليتامى

Matchless orphans that, in his eminence, confirm

The attributes of glory refused that I gather

The words of one who called him “Father of Orphans.”

Except through your generosity, to be gathered

ونُعْمَى مَنْ رَأَى الأَجسامَ عُطْلاً

ونُعْمَى مَنْ رَأَى الأَجسامَ عُطْلاً

فَقَلَّدَها أَيادِيَهُ الجِساما

فَقَلَّدَها أَيادِيَهُ الجِساما

And the bounty of one who saw bodies unadorned,

And your celebration in me leaves no worry

So he made his mighty favors their necklaces.

Nor in what concerns me, any concern

أَقولُ له وقد أَحْيَتْ يَدَاهُ

أَقولُ له وقد أَحْيَتْ يَدَاهُ

عِظاماً من أَوائله عِظاما

عِظاماً من أَوائله عِظاما

I say to him, now that his two hands have revived

But you have begun with it a nectar

The bones of his great forebears:

I compete to add for it the seal

أَبَتْ لِيَ أَنْ أُضامَ صفاتُ مَجْدٍ

أَبَتْ لِيَ أَنْ أُضامَ صفاتُ مَجْدٍ

أَبيَ لولا سَمَاحُكَ أَنْ يُضَاما

أَبيَ لولا سَمَاحُكَ أَنْ يُضَاما

The qualities of glory refused to let me be wronged—

A glory that, but for your generosity, would refuse to suffer wrong.

وما أَبقي احتفالُكَ فيَّ هَمّاً

وما أَبقي احتفالُكَ فيَّ هَمّاً

ولا فيما يخصُّنِيَ اهتماما

ولا فيما يخصُّنِيَ اهتماما

And your attentive care left no worry in me,

Nor concern about anything that pertains to me.

ولكنْ قد بَدَأْتَ به رَحِيقاً

ولكنْ قد بَدَأْتَ به رَحِيقاً

أُنَافِسُ أَنْ تُضِيفَ له الخِتاما

أُنَافِسُ أَنْ تُضِيفَ له الخِتاما

But you have begun it as pure wine;

I vie to have you add to it the final seal.