أَمّا وَقَد أَلحَقتَني بِالمَوكِبِ

أَمّا وَقَد أَلحَقتَني بِالمَوكِبِ

وَمَدَدتَ مِن ضَبعي إِلَيكَ وَمَنكِبي

وَمَدَدتَ مِن ضَبعي إِلَيكَ وَمَنكِبي

Now that you have admitted me to the retinue,

Now that you have joined me to the caravan

and drawn my upper arm and shoulder toward you,

And stretched out to me your arm and shoulder

فَلَأُعرِضَنَّ عَنِ الخُطوبِ وَجَورِها

فَلَأُعرِضَنَّ عَنِ الخُطوبِ وَجَورِها

وَلَأَصفَحَنَّ عَنِ الزَمانِ المُذنِبِ

وَلَأَصفَحَنَّ عَنِ الزَمانِ المُذنِبِ

so I shall surely turn away from calamities and their injustice,

I will turn away from troubles and their tyranny

and surely pardon guilty Time.

And pardon the times of sin

وَلَأُلبِسَنَّكَ كُلَّ بَيتٍ مُعلَمٍ

وَلَأُلبِسَنَّكَ كُلَّ بَيتٍ مُعلَمٍ

يُسدى وَيُلحَمُ بِالثَناءِ المُعجَبِ

يُسدى وَيُلحَمُ بِالثَناءِ المُعجَبِ

And I shall surely clothe you in every emblazoned verse,

And dress you in each verse, adorned

woven in warp and weft with admired praise,

That flows and joins with wondrous praise

مِن بِزَّةِ المَدحِ الَّتي مَشهورُها

مِن بِزَّةِ المَدحِ الَّتي مَشهورُها

مُتَمَكِّنٌ في كُلِّ قَلبٍ قُلَّبِ

مُتَمَكِّنٌ في كُلِّ قَلبٍ قُلَّبِ

from the raiment of praise, whose renowned verse

With the fabric of eulogy, famed

is firmly lodged in every changeful heart.

Deep-rooted in each heart turned over

نَوّارُ أَهلِ المَشرِقِ الغَضِّ الَّذي

نَوّارُ أَهلِ المَشرِقِ الغَضِّ الَّذي

يَجنونَهُ رَيحانُ أَهلِ المَغرِبِ

يَجنونَهُ رَيحانُ أَهلِ المَغرِبِ

The tender bloom of the people of the East, which

Dazzler of the verdant East’s people

they gather, is the sweet basil of the people of the West.

Who crave the basil of the Maghreb’s people

أَبدَيتَ لي عَن جِلدَةِ الماءِ الَّذي

أَبدَيتَ لي عَن جِلدَةِ الماءِ الَّذي

قَد كُنتُ أَعهَدُهُ كَثيرَ الطُحلُبِ

قَد كُنتُ أَعهَدُهُ كَثيرَ الطُحلُبِ

You bared for me the water's skin, which

You revealed to me beyond the skin of water

I had known to be thick with algae.

Which I was used to, very mossy

وَوَرَدتَ بي بُحبوحَةَ الوادي وَلَو

وَوَرَدتَ بي بُحبوحَةَ الوادي وَلَو

خَلَّيتَني لَوَقَفتُ عِندَ المِذنَبِ

خَلَّيتَني لَوَقَفتُ عِندَ المِذنَبِ

And you led me to the valley's broad heart; had

And brought me to the valley’s lushness, even if

you left me, I would have stopped at its lower end.

You had left me, I'd have stopped at sin

وَبَرَقتَ لي بَرقَ اليَقينِ وَطالَما

وَبَرَقتَ لي بَرقَ اليَقينِ وَطالَما

أَمسَيتُ مُرتَقِباً لِبَرقِ الخُلَّبِ

أَمسَيتُ مُرتَقِباً لِبَرقِ الخُلَّبِ

And you flashed for me the lightning of certainty; so often

And flashed to me the lightning of certainty, while

I had spent the evening awaiting deceptive, rainless lightning.

I awaited the lightning of delusion

وَجَعَلتَ لي مَندوحَةً مِن بَعدِ ما

وَجَعَلتَ لي مَندوحَةً مِن بَعدِ ما

أَكدى عَلَيَّ تَصَرُّفي وَتَقَلُّبي

أَكدى عَلَيَّ تَصَرُّفي وَتَقَلُّبي

And you gave me room to move, after

And made for me solace after

my endeavors and my wanderings had failed me.

My disposition and turning distressed me

وَالحُرُّ يَسلُبُهُ جَميلَ عَزائِهِ

وَالحُرُّ يَسلُبُهُ جَميلَ عَزائِهِ

ضيقُ المَحَلِّ فَكَيفَ ضيقُ المَذهَبِ

ضيقُ المَحَلِّ فَكَيفَ ضيقُ المَذهَبِ

And a noble man is robbed of his fine fortitude

And the freeman is deprived of his consolation’s beauty

by narrow quarters—what then of a narrow path?

By the narrowness of principles, so how narrow the doctrine!

هَيهاتَ يَأبى أَن يَضِلَّ بِيَ السُرى

هَيهاتَ يَأبى أَن يَضِلَّ بِيَ السُرى

في بَلدَةٍ وَسَناكَ فيها كَوكبي

في بَلدَةٍ وَسَناكَ فيها كَوكبي

Far from it! No night journey can lead me astray

Never! The journey refuses to lead me astray

in a town where your radiance is my star.

In a land where you are its planet

وَلَقَد خَشيتُ بِأَن تَكونَ غَنيمَتي

وَلَقَد خَشيتُ بِأَن تَكونَ غَنيمَتي

حَرَّ الزَمانِ بِها وَبَردَ المَطلَبِ

حَرَّ الزَمانِ بِها وَبَردَ المَطلَبِ

And indeed I feared that my spoils would be

And I feared that my prize would be

Time's heat there and the chill of the quest.

Spoiled by time and cooled of fervor

أَمّا وَأَنتَ وَراءَ ظَهري مَعقِلٌ

أَمّا وَأَنتَ وَراءَ ظَهري مَعقِلٌ

فَلَأَنهَضَن بِفَقارِ صُلبٍ صُلَّبِ

فَلَأَنهَضَن بِفَقارِ صُلبٍ صُلَّبِ

Now that you are a fortress behind my back,

But with you behind my back, a refuge

I shall surely rise with the vertebrae of an unyielding spine.

I will rise up straight-backed and crucified

وَكَذاكَ كانوا لا يَحِشّونَ الوَغا

وَكَذاكَ كانوا لا يَحِشّونَ الوَغا

إِلّا إِذا عَرَفوا طَريقَ المَهرَبِ

إِلّا إِذا عَرَفوا طَريقَ المَهرَبِ

And likewise they would not kindle battle

That’s how they were, not bolting the vale

unless they knew the path of escape.

Unless they knew the way of escape