دمع تحدّر في انسيابه

دمع تحدّر في انسيابه

من جفن مكتئب لما به

من جفن مكتئب لما به

Tears streamed down in their flow

Tears streamed down

from the eyelid of one dejected by his plight.

From a gloomy eyelid because of what it contains

يبكي أسى لنوائب

يبكي أسى لنوائب

نزلت فغرّد عن ثقابه

نزلت فغرّد عن ثقابه

He weeps in sorrow for calamities

Crying the sorrow of tribulations

that befell him, so he sang of his fire.

That descended, so it chirped from its ridges

أنساه أيام الشبا

أنساه أيام الشبا

ب وما تقضّى من خطابه

ب وما تقضّى من خطابه

He was made to forget the days of youth

It forgot the days of youth

and his bygone discourse

And what was fulfilled of its discourse

خطب ألمّ فأقبلت

خطب ألمّ فأقبلت

نوب المنايا في جنابه

نوب المنايا في جنابه

by a calamity that struck; then came

It proposed pain, so the cycles of death approached in its sides

death's visitations to his side.

The curls of my twisting hair whitened

شابت ذوائب لمّتي

شابت ذوائب لمّتي

والفقر يمرح في شبابه

والفقر يمرح في شبابه

The tresses of my hair have turned gray,

And poverty frolicked in its youth

while poverty frolics in its youth.

Constant poverty, a persistent knocker

فقر مقيم طارق

فقر مقيم طارق

أصبحت أبكي من عذابه

أصبحت أبكي من عذابه

Abiding poverty, a visitor at night—

I began to cry from its torment

I have come to weep from its torment.

And the expensive price of living

وغلاء سعر قاتل

وغلاء سعر قاتل

في كل يوم بانقلابه

في كل يوم بانقلابه

And a deadly rise in prices,

Is deadly every day in its ups and downs

with their fluctuations every day.

And its time has shortened

وزمانه قد قصّرت

وزمانه قد قصّرت

أملي فقصّر عن طلابه

أملي فقصّر عن طلابه

And chronic infirmity has curtailed

My hope, so it shortened from reaching it

my hope, so it falls short of its quest.

And earning has weakened me

وتكسب قد شفني

وتكسب قد شفني

ما فيه من ذل اكتسابه

ما فيه من ذل اكتسابه

And seeking a livelihood has wasted me,

From the humiliation of acquiring it

with the humiliation involved in earning it.

And rain pours constantly

والغيث يهطل دائبا

والغيث يهطل دائبا

عن غيمه وحيا ضبابه

عن غيمه وحيا ضبابه

And the rain pours incessantly

From its clouds and the life of its mist

from its clouds and the showers of its mists.

Afflictions have gathered upon

محن قد اجتمعت على

محن قد اجتمعت على

حر تحيّر في اغترابه

حر تحيّر في اغترابه

Trials have gathered upon

A free man confused in his estrangement

a freeborn man bewildered in his exile.

If they landed upon

لو أنها حطت على

لو أنها حطت على

أحد لعاثت في هضابه

أحد لعاثت في هضابه

Had they descended upon

Anyone, they would wreak havoc on his hills

Uhud, they would have ravaged its heights.

So time betrayed me, and bit me angrily with its fangs

فغر الزمان علي فا

فغر الزمان علي فا

ه وعضّني حنقا بنابه

ه وعضّني حنقا بنابه

Time opened its mouth against me

Then it drew an arrow at me

and angrily bit me with its fang.

For it was firmly in its feet

ثمّ انتضى سهما عليّ

ثمّ انتضى سهما عليّ

فقد تمكن في ركابه

فقد تمكن في ركابه

Then it drew an arrow against me,

So I fled from it to a young man

for it had braced itself firmly in its stirrups.

Who never fails those who seek his door

ففررت منه إلى فتى

ففررت منه إلى فتى

ما خاب معتصم ببابه

ما خاب معتصم ببابه

So I fled from it to a young man

At times, the young man

at whose door no seeker of refuge is disappointed.

Supports his brother in his affliction

في ساعة يحفو الفتى

في ساعة يحفو الفتى

فيها أخاه على مصابه

فيها أخاه على مصابه

At an hour when a man withholds aid

And reprimands the questioner

from his brother amid his misfortune,

Even if with a cup of his drink

ويضنّ مسؤول النوا

ويضنّ مسؤول النوا

ل ولو بكوز من شرابه

ل ولو بكوز من شرابه

and one asked for bounty begrudges

I found him targeted

even a mugful of his own drink.

To me, I felt safe from his withdrawal

فوجدته مستهدفا

فوجدته مستهدفا

لي قد أمنت من احتجابه

لي قد أمنت من احتجابه

I found him openly accessible

Offering to the needs of the

to me—I had no fear of his shutting me out—

Brothers, continuing in his reckoning

متعرّضا لحوائج ال

متعرّضا لحوائج ال

إخوان ماض في احتسابه

إخوان ماض في احتسابه

offering himself to meet the needs of the

Listen, Abu Abdullah

brothers, steadfast in seeking divine reward.

To a fair saying in its correctness

اسمع أبا عبد الإل

اسمع أبا عبد الإل

ه مقال مثن في صوابه

ه مقال مثن في صوابه

Listen, Abu Abd al-Ilah,

Your generosity is more beneficial than abundant

to the words of one whose praise is true.

Rain pouring in its flows

جدواك أنفع من جدا

جدواك أنفع من جدا

غيث تحادر في انسيابه

غيث تحادر في انسيابه

Your bounty is more beneficial than the bounty

For the rain continuously harmed me

of rain cascading in its flow.

With its permanence, and the life of its clouds

لما أضرّ الغيث بي

لما أضرّ الغيث بي

بدوامه وحيا سحابه

بدوامه وحيا سحابه

When the rain harmed me

Al-Ghiyath wrote it for me to

with its persistence and its clouds' showers,

Unite my matter in its divergence

كتب الغياث عليه لي

كتب الغياث عليه لي

ولأمت أمري في انشعابه

ولأمت أمري في انشعابه

relief against it was decreed for me,

And you sufficed me from the garment of time

and you mended my affairs amid their disarray.

While standing up to its dogs

وكفيتني ثوب الزما

وكفيتني ثوب الزما

ن مع الوقوف على كلابه

ن مع الوقوف على كلابه

And you spared me the garment of Time,

So I gained lasting gratitude

as well as standing before its dogs.

And collected your reward in its reward

فملكت شكر ملدّد

فملكت شكر ملدّد

وجمعت أجرك في ثوابه

وجمعت أجرك في ثوابه

Thus you won a harried man's gratitude

You issued it, turning away

and secured your recompense in the reward for it.

From its arrival, not from its return

أصدرته متنكبا

أصدرته متنكبا

بوروده لا من إيابه

بوروده لا من إيابه

You sent him away safe from harm

Rejoicing, its joy

through his coming, not through his return,

Almost wetting the dress on its clothes

فرحا يكاد مشاشه

فرحا يكاد مشاشه

يبتلّ رشحا في ثيابه

يبتلّ رشحا في ثيابه

so joyful that his very joints almost

My soul is ransom for you from a

grew moist with sweat beneath his clothes.

Jealous one who envies his companions

نفسي فداؤك من أخ

نفسي فداؤك من أخ

حدب يغار على صحابه

حدب يغار على صحابه

My soul be your ransom—what a brother,

I do not ask your pardon

tenderhearted and protective of his companions!

For what the rain borrowed of its departure

ما استميحك برّما

ما استميحك برّما

أقرضت من غيث ذهابه

أقرضت من غيث ذهابه

I do not ask you for the gift of what

Rather, I ask your pardon in it as

you lent, or for the rain's departure [syntax unclear];

Payment for its accommodation

بل استميحك فيه تأ

بل استميحك فيه تأ

جيرا على استصعابه

جيرا على استصعابه

rather, I ask you for recompense concerning it

for its stubborn resistance.