أَلَم تَربَع عَلى الطَلَلِ الطِماسِ

أَلَم تَربَع عَلى الطَلَلِ الطِماسِ

عَفاهُ كُلُّ أَسحَمَ ذي اِرتِجاسِ

عَفاهُ كُلُّ أَسحَمَ ذي اِرتِجاسِ

Did you not halt at the effaced ruins?

Did you not see him sitting on the ruined abode

Did you not halt at the ruins, effaced and worn,

Every black cloud, rumbling with thunder, has erased them,

Whose every desolate place the winds have smoothed?

Erased by every dark cloud, thundering and torn?

وَذاري التُربِ مِرتَكِمٌ حَصاهُ

وَذاري التُربِ مِرتَكِمٌ حَصاهُ

نَسيجُ المَيثِ مِعنَقَةُ الدَهاسِ

نَسيجُ المَيثِ مِعنَقَةُ الدَهاسِ

and a dust-scattering wind, its gravel heaped,

And the dusty soil clings to it accumulated,

And the wind scattering dust, piling pebbles in mounds,

weaving over soft ground, racing across loose sand—

The warp of fate and the woof of calamities.

Woven by soft rains, embracing the sandy grounds?

سِوى سُفعٍ أَعارَتها اللَيالي

سِوى سُفعٍ أَعارَتها اللَيالي

سَوادَ اللَيلِ مِن بَعدِ اِغبِساسِ

سَوادَ اللَيلِ مِن بَعدِ اِغبِساسِ

save blackened hearthstones to which the nights lent

Save some adobe bricks spared by the nights

Save for black hearth-stones the nights have lent,

night's blackness after their former grayness,

From the darkness of night after it had gloomed,

Dark as the night when the twilight is spent.

وَأَورَقَ حالِفَ المَثواةِ هابٍ

وَأَورَقَ حالِفَ المَثواةِ هابٍ

كَضاوِيِّ الفِراخِ مِنَ الهُلاسِ

كَضاوِيِّ الفِراخِ مِنَ الهُلاسِ

and gray ash, bound to its resting place, powdery,

And the companion of the abandoned abode growing

And an ashen dove, ally of the dwelling, dust-grey,

like a scrawny fledgling wasted by sickness.

Like the plumage of a young bird from the nest removed.

Like scrawny chicks, withering in decay.

مَنازِلُ مِن عُفَيرَةَ أَو سُلَيمى

مَنازِلُ مِن عُفَيرَةَ أَو سُلَيمى

أَوِ الدَهماءِ أُختِ بَني الحِماسِ

أَوِ الدَهماءِ أُختِ بَني الحِماسِ

Abodes of ʿUfayra, or Sulayma,

Abodes from Ufayra or Sulayma,

The dwellings of ‘Ufayrah, or perhaps Sulayma’s place,

or al-Dahma', sister of Banu al-Himas.

Or Duhma, sister of the clan of Himaas.

Or Al-Dahma’, sister of the Banu al-Himas race.

كَأَنَّ مَعاقِدَ الأَوضاحِ مِنها

كَأَنَّ مَعاقِدَ الأَوضاحِ مِنها

بِجيدِ أَغَنَّ نُوِّمَ في الكِناسِ

بِجيدِ أَغَنَّ نُوِّمَ في الكِناسِ

As though the fastening places of her silver ornaments

As if the plaited locks upon it

As if the clasps where her white ornaments hung

were on the neck of a soft-voiced gazelle, lulled asleep in its covert.

Were the dark tresses of one sleeping in the tomb.

Were on the neck of a gazelle, in the thicket sleeping young.

وَتَبسِمُ عَن أَغَرَّ كَأَنَّ فيهِ

وَتَبسِمُ عَن أَغَرَّ كَأَنَّ فيهِ

مُجاجَ سُلافَةٍ مِن بَيتِ راسِ

مُجاجَ سُلافَةٍ مِن بَيتِ راسِ

And she smiles, revealing a dazzling mouth, as though it held

And it smiles with the most wondrous of smiles

She smiles to reveal a brightness, as if it bore

the expressed juice of first-pressed wine from Bayt Ras.

As if, within it, is the flashing of a cheek finely groomed,

The sip of choice wine from Bayt Ras’s store.

فَمَن ذا مُبلِغٌ عَمرواً رَسولاً

فَمَن ذا مُبلِغٌ عَمرواً رَسولاً

فَقَد ذَكَّرتَ وُدَّكَ غَيرَ ناسِ

فَقَد ذَكَّرتَ وُدَّكَ غَيرَ ناسِ

Who, then, will convey a message to ʿAmr?

So who is there to convey to Amr a message

Who then will carry a message to ‘Amr for me?

For you have reminded me of your affection, though I had not forgotten.

When you have reminded him of loves no more boom?

For you have stirred memories of love, unforgotten and free.

فَلَم أَهجُركَ هَجرَ قِلىً وَلَكِن

فَلَم أَهجُركَ هَجرَ قِلىً وَلَكِن

نَوائِبُ لا نَزالُ لَها نُقاسي

نَوائِبُ لا نَزالُ لَها نُقاسي

So I did not forsake you out of hatred, but

Not out of disdain have I deserted you, but

I did not shun you from loathing or disdain,

because of misfortunes we never cease to endure.

Misfortunes, from which we cannot hide nor flee,

But for calamities we suffer again and again.

نَوائِبُ تَعجَزُ الأُدَباءُ عَنها

نَوائِبُ تَعجَزُ الأُدَباءُ عَنها

وَيَعيا دونَها اللَقِنُ النِطاسي

وَيَعيا دونَها اللَقِنُ النِطاسي

Misfortunes against which learned men are helpless,

Misfortunes which baffle the literati,

Disasters the learned are helpless to abate,

and before which the quick-witted, expert physician is baffled.

And because of which the eloquent are struck dumb.

And the skilled physician fails to alleviate.

وَقَد نافَحتُ عَن أَحسابِ قَومٍ

وَقَد نافَحتُ عَن أَحسابِ قَومٍ

هُمُ وَرِثوا مَكارِمَ ذي نُواسِ

هُمُ وَرِثوا مَكارِمَ ذي نُواسِ

And I have defended the ancestral honors of a people

I have protected a people's reputation,

Yet I have defended the honor of a clan,

who inherited the noble virtues of Dhu Nuwas.

They who inherited the nobility of No'maan.

Heirs to Dhu Nuwas, where noble deeds began.

فَإِن تَكُ أوقِدَت لِلحَربِ نارٌ

فَإِن تَكُ أوقِدَت لِلحَربِ نارٌ

فَما غَطَّيتُ خَوفَ الحَربِ راسي

فَما غَطَّيتُ خَوفَ الحَربِ راسي

So if a fire has been kindled for war,

And if the fires of war are kindled,

And if the fires of war are set alight,

then I have not covered my head for fear of war.

I do not conceal my fear of war's harms.

I veil not my head in fear of the fight.

سَأُبلي خَيرَ ما أَبلى مُحامٍ

سَأُبلي خَيرَ ما أَبلى مُحامٍ

إِذا ما النَبلُ أُلجِمَ بِالقِياسِ

إِذا ما النَبلُ أُلجِمَ بِالقِياسِ

I shall give the finest account any defender has given,

I will expend the best of what an orator expends

I shall strike as the truest defender knows how,

when arrows are bridled with bows.

Whenever discourse is silenced by the sword.

When the arrow is bridled tight to the bow.

وَسَمتُ الوائِلينَ بِفاقِراتٍ

وَسَمتُ الوائِلينَ بِفاقِراتٍ

بِهِنَّ وَسَمتُ رَهطَ أَبي فِراسِ

بِهِنَّ وَسَمتُ رَهطَ أَبي فِراسِ

I branded the two Wa'il tribes with back-breaking satires;

And I have pierced the wailers with long spears -

I branded the fugitives with spine-breaking blows,

with them I branded the clan of Abu Firas.

With them I pierced the band of Abu Firas.

With them I branded Abu Firas’s line of foes.

وَما أَبقَيتُ مِن عَيلانَ إِلّا

وَما أَبقَيتُ مِن عَيلانَ إِلّا

كَما أَبقى مِنَ البَظرِ المَواسي

كَما أَبقى مِنَ البَظرِ المَواسي

And of ʿAylan I left only

Of the house of Ailan I left none remaining

And I left of the tribe of ‘Aylan nothing there,

what razors leave of a clitoris.

Save those I left like the cuticles and fluff.

Just as the razor leaves the excision bare.

وَقالَت كاهِلٌ وَبَنو قُعَينٍ

وَقالَت كاهِلٌ وَبَنو قُعَينٍ

حَنانَكَ إِنَّنا لَسنا بِناسِ

حَنانَكَ إِنَّنا لَسنا بِناسِ

And Kahil and Banu Quʿayn said,

And Kaheel said, and the clan of Qu'ain:

Until Kahil and Banu Qu’ayn cried in plea:

"Have mercy on us: we are not men!"

"Your tenderness! We are not people deserving of it."

"Have mercy! We are not men to rival thee!"

فَما بالُ النِعاجِ ثَغَت بِشَتمي

فَما بالُ النِعاجِ ثَغَت بِشَتمي

وَفي زَمعاتِهِنَّ دَمُ الغِراسِ

وَفي زَمعاتِهِنَّ دَمُ الغِراسِ

So why have the ewes bleated insults at me,

So why do the sheep bleat insulting me

Why then do these ewes bleat insults at my name,

while afterbirth blood is on their dewclaws?

While in their bleating is the blood of plants?

While on their hooves is the blood of the garden's shame?

وَما حامَت عَنِ الأَحسابِ إِلّا

وَما حامَت عَنِ الأَحسابِ إِلّا

لِتَرفَعَ ذِكرَها بِأَبي نُواسِ

لِتَرفَعَ ذِكرَها بِأَبي نُواسِ

And they defended ancestral honors only

And they have not protected the reputations

They only defended their honor, it seems, at last,

to raise their own renown through Abu Nuwas.

Save to elevate their names alongside Abu Nuwas.

To rise in fame through the shadow Abu Nuwas cast.