لقد هاجني طيفٌ لداوودَ بعدَما

لقد هاجني طيفٌ لداوودَ بعدَما

دَنَتْ فَاسْتَقَلّتْ تالياتُ الكواكب

دَنَتْ فَاسْتَقَلّتْ تالياتُ الكواكب

Indeed, a vision of Dawud stirred me, after

Indeed, a dream-vision of Dawud stirred me, after

the following stars drew near, then moved on.

the trailing stars had drawn near, then risen.

وما في ذُهول اليأسِ عن غير سَلوةٍ

وما في ذُهول اليأسِ عن غير سَلوةٍ

رَواحٌ من السُّقم الذي هو غالبي

رَواحٌ من السُّقم الذي هو غالبي

And in despair’s oblivion to all but consolation there is no

And in despair's stupor, without consolation, there is no

respite from the affliction that overmasters me.

relief from the sickness that overpowers me.

وعندَكَ لو يحيا صَداكَ فنَلْتقي

وعندَكَ لو يحيا صَداكَ فنَلْتقي

شِفاءٌ لمن غادَرْت يومَ التناضب

شِفاءٌ لمن غادَرْت يومَ التناضب

And with you—if your shade could live again and we could meet—

And with you—if your remains could revive and we could meet—

is healing for the one you left on the day of al-Tanāḍub.

lies healing for the one you left behind on the day of al-Tanadib.

فهل لك طِبّ نافعي من عَلاقة

فهل لك طِبّ نافعي من عَلاقة

تُهَيّمُني بين الحَشاء والترائب

تُهَيّمُني بين الحَشاء والترائب

Have you, then, an effective cure for a passion

Have you, then, a remedy to relieve me of a love

that maddens me between my innermost flesh and breastbones?

that maddens me between my entrails and breastbones?

ولولا يَقيني إنما الموتُ عزمةٌ

ولولا يَقيني إنما الموتُ عزمةٌ

من الله حتّى يُبعثوا للمحسب

من الله حتّى يُبعثوا للمحسب

Were it not for my certainty that death is but a decree

And were it not for my certainty that death is only a firm decree

from God, until the dead are raised before the Reckoner,

from God, until they are raised for the reckoning,

لقلت له فيما ألِمّ برمْسِهِ

لقلت له فيما ألِمّ برمْسِهِ

هَلَ أنتَ غداً معي فمصاحبي

هَلَ أنتَ غداً معي فمصاحبي

I would have said to Death, when it descended upon his grave,

I would have said to him, as I visited his grave:

“Why not be with me tomorrow, then, and be my companion?”

"Will you be with me tomorrow, and thus my companion?"

سألتُ مليكي إذ بَلاني بفَقْدِه

سألتُ مليكي إذ بَلاني بفَقْدِه

وفاةً بأيدي الروم بين المقانب

وفاةً بأيدي الروم بين المقانب

I asked my Sovereign, when He tried me through losing him,

I asked my Sovereign, when He tried me with losing him,

for death at Byzantine hands amid the cavalry squadrons.

for death at Roman hands among the cavalry squadrons.

ثَنَوْني وقد قدّمتُ ثأري بَطَعْنة

ثَنَوْني وقد قدّمتُ ثأري بَطَعْنة

تَجيشُ بِمَوّارٍ من الموت ناعب

تَجيشُ بِمَوّارٍ من الموت ناعب

They turned me back, though I had advanced my blood vengeance with a spear-thrust

They turned me back, though I had already taken my vengeance with a thrust

welling with a churning flood of death that croaks like a raven.

that seethes with a surging, cawing torrent of death.

وقد خِفتُ أن ألقى المنايا وإنّني

وقد خِفتُ أن ألقى المنايا وإنّني

لَتابِعُ من وافى حِمامَ الجوالب

لَتابِعُ من وافى حِمامَ الجوالب

I had feared that I might meet the deadly fates; yet surely I

And I had feared meeting death—though I

shall follow whoever has met his appointed death—the death-bringing ones.

am sure to follow whoever met the death its bearers bring—

ولمّا أطاعنْ في العَدُوِّ تَنَفُّلاً

ولمّا أطاعنْ في العَدُوِّ تَنَفُّلاً

إلى الله أبغي فضلّه وأضارب

إلى الله أبغي فضلّه وأضارب

And whenever I exchange spear-thrusts with the enemy as a voluntary offering

before I had yet fought the enemy with spears in voluntary devotion

to God, I seek His bounty and exchange sword-blows.

to God, seeking His bounty, or exchanged blows.