ترحَّل من هوِيت وكل شمسِ

ترحَّل من هوِيت وكل شمسِ

ستكْسِفُ أو ستغرب حين تُمسي

ستكْسِفُ أو ستغرب حين تُمسي

The one I loved has departed, and every sun

I bid farewell to my identity as each sun

Will be eclipsed or set when evening falls.

Will rise or set as dusk approaches

وما ألهاك عن ذكرى حبيبٍ

وما ألهاك عن ذكرى حبيبٍ

كعدِّك أمسَ يومٍ بعد أمس

كعدِّك أمسَ يومٍ بعد أمس

And nothing distracts you from a beloved's memory

And nothing distracts you from the memory of a lover

Like counting days gone by, yesterday after yesterday.

Like your absence yesterday after the day before

رأيتُ الدهر يجرح ثم يأسو

رأيتُ الدهر يجرح ثم يأسو

يؤسِّي أو يعوِّضُ أو يُنَسِّي

يؤسِّي أو يعوِّضُ أو يُنَسِّي

I saw Time wound, then heal—

I saw time wound then despair

Consoling, compensating, or making one forget.

Despair or compensate or make me forget

أبت نفسي الهُلاع لرزء شيءٍ

أبت نفسي الهُلاع لرزء شيءٍ

كفى شجواً لنفسي رزءُ نفسي

كفى شجواً لنفسي رزءُ نفسي

My soul refused panic at the loss of anything;

My soul refused to yearn for the loss of anything

The loss of my own self is grief enough for my soul.

Enough anguish for my soul is the agony of my soul

أتهلعُ وحشةً لفراقِ إلفٍ

أتهلعُ وحشةً لفراقِ إلفٍ

وقد وطنتُها لحلول رَمْس

وقد وطنتُها لحلول رَمْس

Would it panic in loneliness at parting from a companion,

I yearn in longing for the loss of intimacy

When I have prepared it to dwell in a grave?

And I had accustomed it to the arrival of sunset

سأتخذ الزَّماعَ خليل صدقٍ

سأتخذ الزَّماعَ خليل صدقٍ

يرادفني على وجناءَ عَنس

يرادفني على وجناءَ عَنس

I shall take resolve as a true companion,

I will take happiness as a sincere friend

Riding behind me on a broad-cheeked, sturdy she-camel,

Who accompanies me in the barren wilderness

إلى ملك يَهشُّ إلى المعالي

إلى ملك يَهشُّ إلى المعالي

ولا يبتاع مكرمةً ببخس

ولا يبتاع مكرمةً ببخس

Toward a king who delights in lofty deeds,

To a king who aspires to greatness

And never buys a noble deed at a paltry price:

And does not buy honor at a loss

أبي أيوبَ قرم بني زُريقٍ

أبي أيوبَ قرم بني زُريقٍ

وكل قبيلة تسمو برأس

وكل قبيلة تسمو برأس

Abu Ayyub, chieftain of Banu Zurayq—

My father Ayyub, the perfection of Bani Zuraiq

And every tribe rises high through a chief.

And every tribe prides itself on its leader

بَدا فبدت مَخايلُ من كريمٍ

بَدا فبدت مَخايلُ من كريمٍ

طويل الباع أروعَ غير نكس

طويل الباع أروعَ غير نكس

He appeared, and the signs of a noble man appeared:

So it appeared the thoughts of a generous one

Long of reach, imposing, no base weakling.

Tall in stature, more graceful, never dejected

كأن عَجاج موكبه تجلَّى

كأن عَجاج موكبه تجلَّى

هناك بوجهه عن قَرنِ شمس

هناك بوجهه عن قَرنِ شمس

As though his procession's dust had cleared

As if the procession of his cavalry materialized

There, revealing in his face the rim of a sun.

There through his face from the horn of the sun

يحفُّ بشخصه من أقربِيه

يحفُّ بشخصه من أقربِيه

غيوثُ مَفاقرٍ وليوثُ بأس

غيوثُ مَفاقرٍ وليوثُ بأس

Around his person stand, from among his kin,

Protected by his closest relatives

Rains relieving poverty, and lions of battle.

Rescuers of adversities and lions of might

مَرَوا دِرَرَ الحروب دماً وقاسوا

مَرَوا دِرَرَ الحروب دماً وقاسوا

من الهيجاء ضِرساً بعد ضرس

من الهيجاء ضِرساً بعد ضرس

They milked the wars till blood flowed, and endured

They tasted the pearls of wars as blood and endured

From battle, one biting tooth after another.

From clamor, molars after molars

فما نيلتْ أنوفهُمُ بذمٍّ

فما نيلتْ أنوفهُمُ بذمٍّ

ولا رِيمت رؤوسهُمُ بعَكس

ولا رِيمت رؤوسهُمُ بعَكس

So their noses were never touched by reproach,

So their noses were not tainted with blame

Nor were their heads targeted for abasement.

Nor were their heads tossed with rejection

تراهم في النديِّ إذا نَدَوه

تراهم في النديِّ إذا نَدَوه

كأن حلومهم هضباتُ حَرْس

كأن حلومهم هضباتُ حَرْس

You see them in the assembly, when they gather there,

You see them in glory when it calls them

As though their sober judgment were the hills of Hars.

As if their flesh were the hills of Al-Hars

وإن لاقيتَهم في يوم روعٍ

وإن لاقيتَهم في يوم روعٍ

لقيت الجن في أشباح إنس

لقيت الجن في أشباح إنس

And if you meet them on a day of terror,

And if you meet them on a day of calamity

You meet jinn in the forms of men.

You meet jinn in human ghosts

همُ الجبل الذي لو زال يوماً

همُ الجبل الذي لو زال يوماً

لأضحى الملكُ لا يُرسيه مُرْسي

لأضحى الملكُ لا يُرسيه مُرْسي

They are the mountain that, if ever it moved,

They are the mountain which if fallen one day

Would leave the kingdom with no one to anchor it.

The kingdom would become without anyone to establish it

ألم يَرني الأمير حبستُ شعري

ألم يَرني الأمير حبستُ شعري

عليه ولم أُذِله بمدح جِبس

عليه ولم أُذِله بمدح جِبس

Has the emir not seen me reserve my poetry

Did the prince not see me? I contained my poetry

For him, never debasing it by praising a vile man?

To him and did not disgrace him with rigid praise

ولم أكُ شارباً إلا بعذب

ولم أكُ شارباً إلا بعذب

وإن أعطِشت خمساً بعد خمس

وإن أعطِشت خمساً بعد خمس

And I would drink nothing but sweet water,

And I was not a drinker except of the sweetest

Even if kept thirsty through five days after five.

And if I thirsted five after five

فداه معاشرٌ نكَّبتُ عنهمْ

فداه معاشرٌ نكَّبتُ عنهمْ

وما أفديه بالعرَض الأخس

وما أفديه بالعرَض الأخس

May those people I shunned be his ransom—

He is ransomed by a group I turned away from

Yet I would not ransom him with the basest goods.

And I do not ransom him with the vilest honor

إذا امتُدِحوا وإن لم يُستثابوا

إذا امتُدِحوا وإن لم يُستثابوا

حسبتَ وجوهَهم طُليت بوَرْس

حسبتَ وجوهَهم طُليت بوَرْس

When they are praised, even if no reward is asked of them,

When they are praised even if not rewarded

You would think their faces were daubed with yellow wars-dye.

You would think their faces were painted with yellow orpiment

وما جَربتُهم إلا بغيري

وما جَربتُهم إلا بغيري

وما استخشنتُ جانبهم بلمسي

وما استخشنتُ جانبهم بلمسي

And I tested them only through others,

And I have not tested them except by others

Nor found their side rough with my own touch.

And I did not rub against their side with my touch

إليه بعثتها ترمي بشخصي

إليه بعثتها ترمي بشخصي

ولم أكُ قبل ذاك لها بحِلس

ولم أكُ قبل ذاك لها بحِلس

To him I sent her, hurling me onward,

To him I sent it to cast my person

Though before then I had not clung to her like a saddlecloth,

And I was not for it before a councilor

على ثقةٍ بأن لها لديه

على ثقةٍ بأن لها لديه

مُناخاً بالسعادة غير شأس

مُناخاً بالسعادة غير شأس

Confident that, with him, she would find

With confidence that with him it has

A resting-place in good fortune, not remote,

A climate of happiness not dire

وأن سَيريش ما أبريه منها

وأن سَيريش ما أبريه منها

بشحم مثل هُدَّاب الدِمَقس

بشحم مثل هُدَّاب الدِمَقس

And that he would flesh out what I wear thin in her

And that it will inform him of what I absolve him of

With fat like the fringes of fine silk.

With fat like the hump of a young camel

وكان إذا عَراه الحق أعطى

وكان إذا عَراه الحق أعطى

بخمس من أنامله وخمس

بخمس من أنامله وخمس

And whenever a rightful claim came to him, he gave

And if the truth stripped him he would give

With five of his fingers, and another five:

With five of his fingers and five

عطايا بين بشر واعتذارٍ

عطايا بين بشر واعتذارٍ

وليست بين إذلالٍ وعبس

وليست بين إذلالٍ وعبس

Gifts amid cheerfulness and apology,

Gifts between people and apology

And not amid humiliation and scowls.

And not between humiliation and frowning

أهابت بالرجاء لُهَى يديه

أهابت بالرجاء لُهَى يديه

إليَّ إليَّ لات أوانَ يأس

إليَّ إليَّ لات أوانَ يأس

The gifts of his two hands called out to hope:

They approached hoping the charms of his hands

'Come to me, come to me! This is no time for despair.'

To me, to me the times of despair called out

لعَمْرُ محامد حُمِلت إليه

لعَمْرُ محامد حُمِلت إليه

لمَا بيعت بضائعُها بوكْس

لمَا بيعت بضائعُها بوكْس

By the life of the praises carried to him,

By the life of praises carried to him

Their wares were surely not sold at a loss.

When its goods were sold with distress

جعلتُ على ملوك الأرض طُراً

جعلتُ على ملوك الأرض طُراً

مجازَ مطيتي وعليه حَبْسي

مجازَ مطيتي وعليه حَبْسي

I made all the kings of the earth, every one,

I made the kings of earth seem low

Places for my mount to pass by; with him I stay.

The range of my steed and on it my imprisonment