لِمَن طَلَلٌ عاري المَحَلَّ دَفينُ

لِمَن طَلَلٌ عاري المَحَلَّ دَفينُ

عَفا آيُهُ إِلّا خَوالِدُ جونُ

عَفا آيُهُ إِلّا خَوالِدُ جونُ

Whose is this buried ruin, its site laid bare?

For whom is an abandoned, dilapidated abode

Whose are these ruins, their grounds laid bare and buried deep?

Its traces have faded, save enduring dark stones,

Its traces obliterated, save those of Khawlid's tribe

Its signs are wiped away, save for the dark, enduring traces.

كَما اِقتَرَنَت عِندَ المَبيتِ حَمائِمٌ

كَما اِقتَرَنَت عِندَ المَبيتِ حَمائِمٌ

غَريباتُ مُمسىً ما لَهُنَّ وُكونُ

غَريباتُ مُمسىً ما لَهُنَّ وُكونُ

Like doves that clustered at roosting time,

As doves gathered together for the night

Huddled like doves paired close when roosting time draws near,

Strangers at dusk, with no nests of their own.

Strangers at dusk, having no permanent nest

Strangers at evenfall, for whom no nesting place remains.

دِيارُ الَّتي أَمّا جَنى رَشَفاتِها

دِيارُ الَّتي أَمّا جَنى رَشَفاتِها

فَيَحلو وَأَمّا مَسُّها فَيَلينُ

فَيَحلو وَأَمّا مَسُّها فَيَلينُ

The dwellings of her whose kisses' fruit

The abode whose surroundings once yielded pleasure

The dwelling of her whose harvest of kisses is sweet to taste,

Is sweet, and whose touch is soft.

Now touching it is soft, tasting it sweet

Growing ever sweeter, and whose touch is soft and tender.

وَما أَنصَفَت أَمّا الشُحوبُ فَبَيِّنٌ

وَما أَنصَفَت أَمّا الشُحوبُ فَبَيِّنٌ

بِوَجهي وَأَمّا وَجهُها فَمَصونُ

بِوَجهي وَأَمّا وَجهُها فَمَصونُ

She has not been fair: the pallor is plain

While pallor has not favored my complexion

She was not just; for while the pallor is plain upon my face,

On my face, while her face remains untouched.

Hers remains flawless and unblemished

Her lovely face remains preserved, untouched by misery.

وَدَوِّيَّةٍ لِلريحِ بَينَ فُروجِها

وَدَوِّيَّةٍ لِلريحِ بَينَ فُروجِها

فُنونُ لُغاتٍ مُشكِلٌ وَمُبينُ

فُنونُ لُغاتٍ مُشكِلٌ وَمُبينُ

And a wilderness, where the wind, between its clefts,

With a resonance for the wind among its rooms

And many a barren waste, where the wind through every crevice

Has many tongues, obscure and clear.

Its languages have ambiguous and explicit subtleties

Speaks in a myriad of tongues, some cryptic, some distinct.

رَمَيتُ بِها العيدِيِّ حَتّى تَحَجَّلَت

رَمَيتُ بِها العيدِيِّ حَتّى تَحَجَّلَت

نَواظِرُ مِنها وَانطَوَينَ بُطونُ

نَواظِرُ مِنها وَانطَوَينَ بُطونُ

I drove the ‘Īdī camels through it, till white-rimmed grew

I pelted her with pebbles until she unveiled

I cast my noble camels into its depths until their legs grew hollow,

Their eyes, and their bellies drew tight.

Her gazing eyes and hidden forms withdrew

Their eyes sunk deep, and their bellies folded in from hunger.

وَذي حِلِفٍ بِالراحِ قُلتُ لَهُ اصطَبِح

وَذي حِلِفٍ بِالراحِ قُلتُ لَهُ اصطَبِح

فَلَيسَ عَلى أَمثالِ تِلكَ يَمينُ

فَلَيسَ عَلى أَمثالِ تِلكَ يَمينُ

And to one sworn off wine I said, ‘Take a morning draught—

And one who swore by the winds, I bid good morning

And to one bound by solemn oath against the wine, I said, "Drink at dawn!

For no oath holds against the likes of that—

For oaths like those are without substance

For against a vintage such as this, no oath can validly stand."

شُمولاً تَخَطَّتها المَنونُ فَقَد أَتَت

شُمولاً تَخَطَّتها المَنونُ فَقَد أَتَت

سِنونٌ لَها في دَنِّها وَسِنونُ

سِنونٌ لَها في دَنِّها وَسِنونُ

Wine that Death passed over, for it has spent

It encompassed decrepitude, so time has brought

A chilled vintage bypassed by the hand of Fate; indeed,

Years in its jar, and years again.

Years of lowliness and years of loftiness

Long years upon long years have passed it by within its jar.

تُراثُ أُناسٍ عَن أُناسٍ تُخَرَّموا

تُراثُ أُناسٍ عَن أُناسٍ تُخَرَّموا

تَوارَثَها بَعدَ البَنينِ بَنونُ

تَوارَثَها بَعدَ البَنينِ بَنونُ

A people's legacy from others swept away;

Inherited from people by people who decayed

The heritage of folk passed down from those now cut away,

Sons inherited it after sons.

Then inherited by their children's children

Inherited by sons who followed sons in long succession.

فَأَدرَكَ مِنها الغابِرونَ حُشاشَةً

فَأَدرَكَ مِنها الغابِرونَ حُشاشَةً

لَها هَيَجانٌ مَرَّةً وَسُكونُ

لَها هَيَجانٌ مَرَّةً وَسُكونُ

So the survivors obtained a last remnant of it,

Those who passed attained from it excitement

So those who remain have seized from it a lingering spark of life,

At times stirring, at times at rest.

Agitation at times, and tranquility at others

Possessing a spirit that stirs to frenzy, then settles into calm.

كَأَنَّ سُطوراً فَوقَها فارِسِيَّةً

كَأَنَّ سُطوراً فَوقَها فارِسِيَّةً

تَكادُ وَإِن طالَ الزَمانُ تَبينُ

تَكادُ وَإِن طالَ الزَمانُ تَبينُ

As though Persian lines of script upon it

As if lines above in Persian

As if inscriptions of Persian script were traced upon its surface,

Were almost legible, though a long time had passed.

Nearly legible, though ages have elapsed

Which well-nigh become legible, though the span of time be long.

لَدى نَرجِسٍ غَضِّ القِطافِ كَأَنَّهُ

لَدى نَرجِسٍ غَضِّ القِطافِ كَأَنَّهُ

إِذا ما مَنَحناهُ العُيونَ عُيونُ

إِذا ما مَنَحناهُ العُيونَ عُيونُ

Beside freshly plucked narcissus, as though it,

Near a narcissus blossom plucked early

Beside fresh-gathered narcissus flowers, which appear—

When we lend it our gaze, were eyes,

As if, when eyes look upon it, it has eyes

When we bestow our gaze upon them—to be living eyes themselves,

مُخالِفَةٍ في شَكلِهِنَّ فَصَفرَةٌ

مُخالِفَةٍ في شَكلِهِنَّ فَصَفرَةٌ

مَكانُ سَوادٍ وَالبَياضُ جُفونُ

مَكانُ سَوادٍ وَالبَياضُ جُفونُ

Different in their form: a yellow hue

Differing in their hues – yellowness

Divergent in their forms: for there is yellow in the center

Takes the place of black, and white forms the eyelids.’

In place of black, while the whites are petals

Where black should be, while white petals serve as eyelids.

فَلَمّا رَأى نَعتي ارعَوى وَاستَعادَني

فَلَمّا رَأى نَعتي ارعَوى وَاستَعادَني

فَقُلتُ خَليلٌ عَزَّ ثُمَّ يَهونُ

فَقُلتُ خَليلٌ عَزَّ ثُمَّ يَهونُ

When he took in my description, he relented and asked me to repeat it,

When she saw my portrayal, she shuddered and recalled me

And when he heard my description, he relented and sought me out,

So I said, ‘A friend who held firm, then gives way.’

I said, “An intimate friend is rare, then common”

And I said: "A friend who acted harsh, but now grows soft and mild."

فَصَدَّقَ ظَنّي صَدَّقَ اللَهُ ظَنُّهُ

فَصَدَّقَ ظَنّي صَدَّقَ اللَهُ ظَنُّهُ

إِذا ظَنَّ خَيراً وَالظُنونُ فُنونُ

إِذا ظَنَّ خَيراً وَالظُنونُ فُنونُ

He proved my expectation true—may God prove his true,

She confirmed my opinion – may Allah confirm hers

He proved my conjecture true—may God prove his conjecture true,

When he expects good; expectations are of many kinds.

When she expects good, for expectations are diverse skills

If he thinks well of us; for thoughts, indeed, are of many kinds.