طالَت لَيالِيَّ مُذ تَوَلّى

طالَت لَيالِيَّ مُذ تَوَلّى

وَضاقَ بي بَعدَهُ اللِحاظُ

وَضاقَ بي بَعدَهُ اللِحاظُ

My nights grew long since he departed,

Long have the nights been since you went away,

My nights have grown long since he departed,

And after him, my sight grew straitened.

And narrow the world to me after you.

And after him, the scope of my vision has narrowed.

ظَلّي أَرى رَوضَتي ذَوَت إِذ

ظَلّي أَرى رَوضَتي ذَوَت إِذ

نُزِّه في حُسنِها اللِحاظُ

نُزِّه في حُسنِها اللِحاظُ

My shade! I see my garden withered, just when

My own garden I see turned desolate, when

I continue to see my garden withered, just as

The eyes were delighted by its beauty.

Once your beauty made it an Eden.

The eye was meant to revel in its beauty.

ظفري يَدُ المَوتِ قَلَّمتَهُ

ظفري يَدُ المَوتِ قَلَّمتَهُ

آهاً وَإِن كانَ لي اِتِّعاظُ

آهاً وَإِن كانَ لي اِتِّعاظُ

My nail—the hand of death has clipped it.

Death's hand has torn you from me while I cried,

The hand of death has clipped my very nail;

Alas, even though there is a lesson for me.

Alas! though wisdom urges resignation.

Alas! Even though I possess the wisdom to accept.

ظَهري بِهِ مُنقَضٌ وَقَلبي

ظَهري بِهِ مُنقَضٌ وَقَلبي

مُحَرَّقٌ حَشوُهُ شُواظُ

مُحَرَّقٌ حَشوُهُ شُواظُ

My back is broken by it, and my heart

My back is burdened; my heart on fire;

My back is broken by his loss, and my heart

Is scorched, its depths a smokeless blaze.

Its store a heap of ashes.

Is scorched, its core filled with smokeless fire.

ظُرفُ أَبيهِ عَلَيهِ يَبدو

ظُرفُ أَبيهِ عَلَيهِ يَبدو

وَاللَفظُ وَالحِفظُ وَالحِفاظُ

وَاللَفظُ وَالحِفظُ وَالحِفاظُ

His father's refinement shows in him,

His charm still lives in his father's mansion,

His father’s charm was evident upon him,

And speech, memory, and fidelity.

His greeting, his speech, his glance.

As were his eloquence, his memory, and his honor.

ظَلَمتَني يا زَمانُ فيهِ

ظَلَمتَني يا زَمانُ فيهِ

بَل عدلُ اللَهِ لا أُعاظُ

بَل عدلُ اللَهِ لا أُعاظُ

You wronged me, O Time, over him—

Time has oppressed me, yet divine justice

You have wronged me regarding him, O Time—

No: it is God's justice; I am not angered.

I cannot accuse.

Nay, it is God’s justice, against which I have no voice.

ظَفرت بي وَاِتَّقَيتُ رَبّي

ظَفرت بي وَاِتَّقَيتُ رَبّي

فَلَم يَكُن بَينَنا مِظاظُ

فَلَم يَكُن بَينَنا مِظاظُ

You prevailed over me, and I feared my Lord,

I conquered you; I feared God; between us

You conquered me, yet I feared my Lord,

So there was no quarrel between us.

Was no rancour.

So there was no bitter contention between us.

ظَمِئت إِذ حالَ دونَ وِردي

ظَمِئت إِذ حالَ دونَ وِردي

صرفُ زَمانٍ لَهُ عِظاظُ

صرفُ زَمانٍ لَهُ عِظاظُ

I thirsted when my watering-place was barred

I thirsted when the stream was cut from my hope

I thirsted when there stood between me and the water

By a turn of Time with a bitter bite.

By the vicissitudes of a life full of danger.

The turning of a Time that possesses a cruel bite.

ظُبى المَنايا مغلباتٍ

ظُبى المَنايا مغلباتٍ

عَلى ظبىً سَلَّها الكِظاظُ

عَلى ظبىً سَلَّها الكِظاظُ

Death's blades are made victorious

Death's night-raiders galloped apace

The blades of doom are ever victorious

Over blades that strife has drawn.

To despoil a herd which the shepherds forsake.

Over the blades drawn by desperate struggle.

ظبي كِناسٍ وَلَيثُ غابٍ

ظبي كِناسٍ وَلَيثُ غابٍ

سيّان هَل يَنفَعُ اِحتِفاظُ

سيّان هَل يَنفَعُ اِحتِفاظُ

A gazelle in its covert and a lion in the forest

Like a wild goat set upon by lions

The gazelle of the covert and the lion of the thicket

Are alike—can vigilance avail?

On every side, how can prudence save it?

Are equal in death; does any caution avail?

ظَلامُ خَطبٍ عَلَيَّ داجٍ

ظَلامُ خَطبٍ عَلَيَّ داجٍ

لَم يَجلُهُ قَومي الفِظاظُ

لَم يَجلُهُ قَومي الفِظاظُ

Calamity's darkness lies thick upon me;

Gloom settled on my affairs because my people

The darkness of calamity hangs heavy upon me,

My harsh kinsmen have not dispelled it.

Would not be warned against violence.

A gloom my unfeeling people could not dispel.

ظَهَرت لكِن رَمَتكَ عَيني

ظَهَرت لكِن رَمَتكَ عَيني

بِأَسهُمٍ ما لَها دِلاظُ

بِأَسهُمٍ ما لَها دِلاظُ

You prevailed, but my eye shot at you

But for the glances towards you that drew my eyes

You appeared, but my own eye struck you

With arrows, none of them stout.

No arrows could have pierced so deep.

With arrows that could not be turned aside.

ظَنَنتُ نَفسي وَفهر هَلّا

ظَنَنتُ نَفسي وَفهر هَلّا

فِظتُ عَلَيهِ أَسىً وَفاظوا

فِظتُ عَلَيهِ أَسىً وَفاظوا

I thought of myself and Fihr: why did I not

I thought I could bear it and hide my secret;

I had relied on myself and my kin, yet

Die of grief for him, and they die too?

They spoke; and my pent-up passion overflowed.

I overflowed with sorrow for him, and they too broke.

ظَريُهُم خَرَّ حَيثُ شَتّوا

ظَريُهُم خَرَّ حَيثُ شَتّوا

فَقظتُ مِن زَفرَتي وَقاظوا

فَقظتُ مِن زَفرَتي وَقاظوا

Their ice fell where they wintered;

See them happy wherever they are,

Their striking-flint failed wherever they scattered,

So my sigh brought summer to me, and to them.

While I weep until my watchers wake.

And I burned with sighs while they burned with anguish.

ظَعنتُ يا اِبني فَذابَ قَلبي

ظَعنتُ يا اِبني فَذابَ قَلبي

وَرُبَّما رقَّتِ الغِلاظُ

وَرُبَّما رقَّتِ الغِلاظُ

I departed, my son, and my heart melted;

I suffered, my son, till my heart melted,

You departed, O my son, and my heart melted;

And sometimes even the hard-hearted soften.

And harshness itself might relent.

For even the hardest of stones might soften at such loss.