ومَهمهٍ يَتَراءى آلهُ لُجَجاً

ومَهمهٍ يَتَراءى آلهُ لُجَجاً

يستغرقُ الوخْدَ والتّقْريبَ والخَببا

يستغرقُ الوخْدَ والتّقْريبَ والخَببا

And a trackless waste whose mirage appears as deep seas,

A task appears as turbulent seas

swallowing up swift strides, the canter, and the trot.

Consuming affection, drawing near, and love

كم فيهِ حافرُ طِرفٍ يحتذي وَقَعاً

كم فيهِ حافرُ طِرفٍ يحتذي وَقَعاً

من فوقِ خفِّ بَعيرٍ يَشتكي نَقَبا

من فوقِ خفِّ بَعيرٍ يَشتكي نَقَبا

Many a noble steed's hoof there wears soreness as its shoe,

How many hoofbeats of a gentle-gaited camel

above a camel's pad that complains of abrasions.

From atop the sole of a camel complaining of sores

تَصاحبَ فيه الرِّيحُ والغَيمُ لم يَنِيا

تَصاحبَ فيه الرِّيحُ والغَيمُ لم يَنِيا

أَنْ يَشرَكَا في كلا خطَّيهِما عَقِبا

أَنْ يَشرَكَا في كلا خطَّيهِما عَقِبا

The wind and cloud kept company there, never tiring

The wind and clouds have accompanied each other

of taking turns along their two paths.

Sharing both their trails, following behind

فالريحُ ترضعُ دُرَّ الغيمِ إنْ عطشَتْ

فالريحُ ترضعُ دُرَّ الغيمِ إنْ عطشَتْ

والغَيمُ يركبُ ظهرَ الرِّيح إن لَغِبا

والغَيمُ يركبُ ظهرَ الرِّيح إن لَغِبا

So the wind suckles the cloud's milk when thirsty,

So the wind suckles the pearls of the clouds when thirsty

and the cloud rides the wind's back when weary.

And the clouds ride the wind’s back when desirous

أَنكَحتُه ذاتَ خلخالٍ مُقرَّطَةً

أَنكَحتُه ذاتَ خلخالٍ مُقرَّطَةً

والركبُ كانوا شهوداً والصّدى خُطبا

والركبُ كانوا شهوداً والصّدى خُطبا

I wed it to an ankleted bride adorned with earrings,

I married her, she of the tinkling anklet

and the riders were witnesses, the echo supplying the wedding speeches.

With the caravan as our witness, and the echo our ceremony

وسرتُ فيهِ على اسم اللهِ مُصطحباً

وسرتُ فيهِ على اسم اللهِ مُصطحباً

للعزمِ لا عدمتْهُ النفسُ مُصطَحبَا

للعزمِ لا عدمتْهُ النفسُ مُصطَحبَا

I journeyed through it in God's name, taking as my companion

And I journeyed with resolve as my companion

resolve—may the soul never lack it as a companion—

The soul did not fail me as a companion

إلى أبي البحرِ إني لست أنسُبُه

إلى أبي البحرِ إني لست أنسُبُه

لجعفرٍ إن حساهُ شاربٌ نضَبا

لجعفرٍ إن حساهُ شاربٌ نضَبا

toward Abu al-Bahr; I do not liken him

To Abu al-Bahr, I trace not his lineage

to Ja'far, a stream that runs dry if a drinker sips it.

To Ja'far, though a drinker found him quenched

يومَ الوغى من بني العبّاس عِتْرتُهُ

يومَ الوغى من بني العبّاس عِتْرتُهُ

لكنّهُ غيرُ عباسٍ إذا وَهَبَا

لكنّهُ غيرُ عباسٍ إذا وَهَبَا

On battle's day, his lineage is of the sons of al-Abbas;

The day of the battle, his family from the Abbasids

but he is no Abbas—no scowler—when he gives.

But he is other than Abbas if bestowed

لعزّهِ جعلَ الرحمنُ مَلبسَهُ

لعزّهِ جعلَ الرحمنُ مَلبسَهُ

من الشبابِ ونورِ العَينِ مُسْتَلبَا

من الشبابِ ونورِ العَينِ مُسْتَلبَا

For his glory, the All-Merciful made his robe

For his dignity, the Merciful made his garb

stolen from youth and the light of the eye.

Of youth and light of the eye, freely given

وجهٌ ولا كهلالِ الفطرِ مُطّلِعاً

وجهٌ ولا كهلالِ الفطرِ مُطّلِعاً

بدرٌ ولا كانْهلالِ القَطر مُنسكِبا

بدرٌ ولا كانْهلالِ القَطر مُنسكِبا

A face—no rising crescent of Eid al-Fitr can compare;

A face without the new moons of daybreak rising

a full moon—no falling rain can match its outpouring.

A full moon without the crescents of rainfall spilling

وعمّةٌ عمّتِ الأبصارَ هيبتُها

وعمّةٌ عمّتِ الأبصارَ هيبتُها

برغمِ مَن لبسَ التيجانَ واغْتَصبا

برغمِ مَن لبسَ التيجانَ واغْتَصبا

And a turban whose majesty overwhelmed all eyes,

And a loftiness that dazzled all sights

to the chagrin of those who wore crowns and usurped power.

Despite those who wore crowns and seized them

لهُ القضيبانِ هذا حدُّه خَشَب

لهُ القضيبانِ هذا حدُّه خَشَب

وذَاكَ لا يتعدَّى حَدُّه الخَشبَا

وذَاكَ لا يتعدَّى حَدُّه الخَشبَا

His are the two rods: this one's edge is wood,

For him are the two rods, such is his limit of wood

and that one's edge goes no farther than wood.

And that one does not exceed its limit of wood

كِلاهُما منهُ في شُغْلٍ يُديرُهما

كِلاهُما منهُ في شُغْلٍ يُديرُهما

بينَ البنَانِ رضىً يَختارُ أم غَضبَا

بينَ البنَانِ رضىً يَختارُ أم غَضبَا

Both are kept at work by him; he turns them

Both of them from Him in a task He controls

between his fingers, choosing favor or wrath.

Between the two fingers, choosing contentment or anger

قلْ للفراتِ ألَم تَستحي راحتَهُ

قلْ للفراتِ ألَم تَستحي راحتَهُ

حتى اقتديتَ بهِ أنّى ولا كَربَا

حتى اقتديتَ بهِ أنّى ولا كَربَا

Say to the Euphrates: 'Had you no shame before his palm,

Say to the Euphrates, are you not ashamed, it carried him

that you imitated him? How could you, without even coming close?'

Until you emulated it, how, and what burden

إخالُ أنملَ حادي عيسِهم جَذبَت

إخالُ أنملَ حادي عيسِهم جَذبَت

معَ الزِّمامِ فؤادَ الصبِّ فانْجَذبا

معَ الزِّمامِ فؤادَ الصبِّ فانْجَذبا

I think the fingers of the driver of their pale camels drew,

When the guide pulled the reins of his steed

along with the reins, the lover's heart—and it was drawn along.

With the bridle, it drew the youth's heart pulling him

لم ترضَ مني في وادي الغَضا سَببي

لم ترضَ مني في وادي الغَضا سَببي

حتى جعلتُ إلى رُحي لها سَببا

حتى جعلتُ إلى رُحي لها سَببا

She was not content with my bond in Wadi al-Ghada

You were not pleased with me in the valley of sedges

until I made for her a path to my soul.

Until I made a path to her pasture for it

غيداءُ أَغوى وأَزوى حبُّها

غيداءُ أَغوى وأَزوى حبُّها

وكذا الغَيداءُ غيٌّ وداءٌ لُفِّقا لَقبَا

وكذا الغَيداءُ غيٌّ وداءٌ لُفِّقا لَقبَا

A supple beauty—her love led me astray and made me waste away;

Ghayda allured and tempted with her love

and so 'ghaydāʾ' is 'ghayy' and 'dāʾ'—error and illness—joined as an epithet.

Thus Ghayda is allure and sickness artfully named

وخيّم الحسنُ في أكنافِ وَجنْتِها

وخيّم الحسنُ في أكنافِ وَجنْتِها

والصدغ مدَّ لهُ من مِسْكِهِ طَنَبا

والصدغ مدَّ لهُ من مِسْكِهِ طَنَبا

And beauty pitched its tent upon the sides of her cheek,

Beauty camps in the valleys of her cheek

and her temple-lock stretched for it a tent-rope of its musk.

As musk trails its scent for it

إذا رَنا طرفُها لم يدرِ رامقُها

إذا رَنا طرفُها لم يدرِ رامقُها

أتلكَ أجفانُ ظَبيٍ أم جفونُ ظُبى

أتلكَ أجفانُ ظَبيٍ أم جفونُ ظُبى

When her gaze lingered, her watcher could not tell:

When her glance is soft, her onlooker knows not

were those a gazelle's eyelids, or sheaths of sword-blades?

Are those the eyelids of a gazelle or the glances of a wild cow

أقولُ للغصنِ لا ألقاكَ مَنثَنياً

أقولُ للغصنِ لا ألقاكَ مَنثَنياً

من ذاتِ نفسكَ إلاّ أن تَهُبَّ صبَا

من ذاتِ نفسكَ إلاّ أن تَهُبَّ صبَا

I say to the bough: 'I never find you swaying

I say to the bough, I will not find you bent

of your own accord—only when an east wind blows.

Of your own accord, unless the zephyrs blow

تَعبتَ كي تَتَثنّى مثلَ قامتِها

تَعبتَ كي تَتَثنّى مثلَ قامتِها

إسْتغفرِ اللهَ منهُ واربحِ التّعبَا

إسْتغفرِ اللهَ منهُ واربحِ التّعبَا

You wearied yourself trying to sway like her stature;

You toil just to bend like her shapely figure

ask God's forgiveness for it and spare yourself the toil.'

Ask God's forgiveness for it, and gain from the toil

خريدة لاعبتْ أطرافُ صورَتِها

خريدة لاعبتْ أطرافُ صورَتِها

جلداً تَرَوّى بماءَي نعمةٍ وصبا

جلداً تَرَوّى بماءَي نعمةٍ وصبا

A shy maiden, the contours of whose form played upon

The lovely one sported, the edges of her form

skin drenched in the twin waters of ease and youth.

Quenched by the water of blessings and zephyrs

تقرُّ منها عيونُ الماءِ إن شربتْ

تقرُّ منها عيونُ الماءِ إن شربتْ

طوبى لذي عطشٍ من ريقِها شَرِبا

طوبى لذي عطشٍ من ريقِها شَرِبا

Water's eyes—its springs—are gladdened by her when she drinks;

Eyes of water are delighted if she drinks

blessed is the thirsty one who has drunk her saliva.

Blessed is the thirsty one who from her saliva drinks

وتشرئبُّ غصونُ الوَردِ طامِعَةً

وتشرئبُّ غصونُ الوَردِ طامِعَةً

في أن تكونَ لمَرعى نوقها عُشبا

في أن تكونَ لمَرعى نوقها عُشبا

And rose branches stretch upward, longing

The branches of roses incline with longing

to become grass for her she-camels to graze upon.

To be the pasture land browsed by her mount