رعى اللهُ عهدَ حبيبٍ ظَعنْ

رعى اللهُ عهدَ حبيبٍ ظَعنْ

وحيّا مساكنَ ذاك السّكَنْ

وحيّا مساكنَ ذاك السّكَنْ

May God preserve the covenant of a beloved who departed,

May God protect the covenant of a beloved friend

and bless the dwellings of that beloved solace.

And enliven the dwellings of that settlement

فإنِّي مُذ أضمرتْهُ البلادُ

فإنِّي مُذ أضمرتْهُ البلادُ

مُعَنّىً بأشواقِهِ مُمْتَحَنْ

مُعَنّىً بأشواقِهِ مُمْتَحَنْ

For since the lands concealed him,

For since the lands have harbored him

I have been tormented and tried by yearning for him.

I have been tested by yearning for him

وقلبي على صدقِ إيمانِهِ

وقلبي على صدقِ إيمانِهِ

يُحبُّ عبادةَ ذاكَ الوثَنْ

يُحبُّ عبادةَ ذاكَ الوثَنْ

And my heart, despite the sincerity of its faith,

And my heart is true in its faith in him

loves to worship that idol.

It loves the worship of that idol

أروحُ وفي الحَلْقِ منِّي شَجىً

أروحُ وفي الحَلْقِ منِّي شَجىً

وأَغدو في القَلبِ مِنِّي شجَنْ

وأَغدو في القَلبِ مِنِّي شجَنْ

I go at evening, with choking grief in my throat,

I walk with grief in my throat from me

and I go at dawn, with sorrow in my heart.

And I start the day with sorrow in my heart from me

وأَبكي ولا طوقَ لي بالفراقِ

وأَبكي ولا طوقَ لي بالفراقِ

إذا ذاتُ طَوقٍ بكتْ في فَنَنْ

إذا ذاتُ طَوقٍ بكتْ في فَنَنْ

And I weep, with no strength to bear separation,

And I cry though I have no neck-ring to cry for

when a collared dove weeps upon a bough.

When a neck-ringed one cried during trials

فللماءِ من مُقلتي ما بَدا

فللماءِ من مُقلتي ما بَدا

وللنّارِ من مُهجتي ما كمَنْ

وللنّارِ من مُهجتي ما كمَنْ

To water belongs what shows from my eye,

So my tears openly flow

and to fire what lies hidden in my heart's blood.

And my passion hides within

وأسهرُ مُنتصباً في الفراش

وأسهرُ مُنتصباً في الفراش

كما انتصبَ الفِعلُ من بعدِ أَنْ

كما انتصبَ الفِعلُ من بعدِ أَنْ

And I stay awake, upright in bed,

And I stay up erect in bed

as a verb stands in the subjunctive after an.

As the verb stood after the subject

ومَن لجُفوني بشيءٍ نسيتُ

ومَن لجُفوني بشيءٍ نسيتُ

وأحسبُهُ كان يُدعى الوسَنْ

وأحسبُهُ كان يُدعى الوسَنْ

And who can bring my eyelids something I have forgotten,

And who can lend me something I forgot

and which I think was called drowsiness?

Which I think was called sleep

ومهما تلسّنَ برقُ الحِمى

ومهما تلسّنَ برقُ الحِمى

فإنيِّ في ذكرهِ ذو لَسَنْ

فإنيِّ في ذكرهِ ذو لَسَنْ

And whenever the lightning of the protected grounds finds a tongue,

And no matter how eloquently the fever's lightning flashes

I am eloquent in recalling it.

I remember him with an agile tongue

أَقولُ لنفسي عسى أو لعلَّ

أَقولُ لنفسي عسى أو لعلَّ

وذلك من خِدَعِ العِشقِ فَنْ

وذلك من خِدَعِ العِشقِ فَنْ

I say to myself, 'Perhaps,' or 'maybe'—

I say to myself perhaps or maybe

and that is one art of love's deceptions.

And that is a trick of love

كأنِّي في حبّه تاجرٌ

كأنِّي في حبّه تاجرٌ

وما رأس ماليَ إلاَ الثَمَنْ

وما رأس ماليَ إلاَ الثَمَنْ

It is as though I were a merchant in loving him,

It's as if in loving him I am a merchant

with no capital but the price.

And I have no capital except the price

فخلِّ الهَوى إنّهُ والهَوانَ

فخلِّ الهَوى إنّهُ والهَوانَ

شريكانِ لُزّا معاً في قَرَنْ

شريكانِ لُزّا معاً في قَرَنْ

So abandon passion: it and humiliation

So leave passion, for it and disgrace

are partners bound together in one tether.

Are partners, equally yoked

وإنِّي جُهينةُ أخبارِهِ

وإنِّي جُهينةُ أخبارِهِ

وعِنْدي اليَقينُ بِها فاسألَنْ

وعِنْدي اليَقينُ بِها فاسألَنْ

And I am the Juhaynah of its tidings,

And I am the storehouse of his news

and I have certain knowledge of them, so do ask.

And I have certain knowledge of it, so ask

أأَرعى السّفوح ولي همّةٌ

أأَرعى السّفوح ولي همّةٌ

مُطنِّبةٌ في نَواصي القُنَنْ

مُطنِّبةٌ في نَواصي القُنَنْ

Should I graze the foothills, when my ambition

Shall I herd the hillsides, and I have a will

has stretched its tent-ropes over the forelocks of the peaks?

Roaming the tips of spears?

وآسى وفي الأرضِ مثلُ العميدِ

وآسى وفي الأرضِ مثلُ العميدِ

أبي طاهرٍ خلفِ بنِ الحسَنْ

أبي طاهرٍ خلفِ بنِ الحسَنْ

And should I grieve, when on earth is one like the chief,

And I despair though the land has the likes of

Abu Tahir Khalaf ibn al-Hasan,

My father Tahir son of al-Hasan

جهيرِ النِّداءِ كثيرِ النّدى

جهيرِ النِّداءِ كثيرِ النّدى

جزيلِ العَطاءِ رحيبِ العَطَنْ

جزيلِ العَطاءِ رحيبِ العَطَنْ

resounding in his call, abundant in generosity,

Loud of call, fresh with dew

lavish in gifts, spacious in his watering-ground?

Abundant in giving, welcoming in hospitality

ونِيطَتْ عُرا الملك من رائِهِ

ونِيطَتْ عُرا الملك من رائِهِ

بِبعض الدَّهاءِ مِعَنٍّ مِفَنْ

بِبعض الدَّهاءِ مِعَنٍّ مِفَنْ

The bonds of kingship are fastened through his counsel,

The nakedness of the kingdom was covered through him

with a measure of cunning—bold in contest, master of many arts.

With some cleverness, an accomplished art

إذا بعُدَ الماءُ مِن ماتِحٍ

إذا بعُدَ الماءُ مِن ماتِحٍ

فمن عندِهِ دَلوُهُ والشّطن

فمن عندِهِ دَلوُهُ والشّطن

When water lies far from a water-drawer,

When water is far from one who seeks it

from him come the man's bucket and well-rope.

It is from him that his bucket and drinking-horn come

وإنْ تاهَ في الناسِ آمالُنا

وإنْ تاهَ في الناسِ آمالُنا

تَداركَنا منهُ سَلوى ومَنْ

تَداركَنا منهُ سَلوى ومَنْ

And if our hopes wander lost among people,

And if hopes have been lost among people

quails and manna from him come to our rescue.

He recovers for us consolation and grace

فسلوى وفيهِ لنا سَلوةٌ

فسلوى وفيهِ لنا سَلوةٌ

وَمنٌّ لوم يتنغّصْ بمَنْ

وَمنٌّ لوم يتنغّصْ بمَنْ

Quails—and in him we find consolation;

So he is consolation, and in him is solace for us,

and manna, unspoiled by reminders of favors.

And grace - would that blame be choked in grace!

يُهينُ كرائمَ أموالِهِ

يُهينُ كرائمَ أموالِهِ

ويَشْري الثّناءَ بأغلى ثمَنْ

ويَشْري الثّناءَ بأغلى ثمَنْ

He treats his choicest wealth as little worth,

He makes precious his generous acts

and buys praise at the dearest price.

And buys praise at the highest price

هو الرُوحُ في بدنِ المكرُماتِ

هو الرُوحُ في بدنِ المكرُماتِ

وبالرُّوحِ يُرجى بقاءُ البدَنْ

وبالرُّوحِ يُرجى بقاءُ البدَنْ

He is the spirit in the body of noble deeds,

He is the spirit in the body of noble deeds

and through the spirit the body's survival is hoped for.

And through the spirit survival of the body is hoped for

فما فاتَهُ في الشبابِ الوقارُ

فما فاتَهُ في الشبابِ الوقارُ

ولم يُنسِهِ الشّيبُ عهدَ الدَّدَنْ

ولم يُنسِهِ الشّيبُ عهدَ الدَّدَنْ

Dignity did not elude him in youth,

He did not miss dignity in youth

nor did gray hair make him forget the days of merriment.

Nor did old age make him forget the way of intimacy

شَجاياهُ مثلُ رياضِ الحزونِ

شَجاياهُ مثلُ رياضِ الحزونِ

تَسرُّ الحزينَ وتَسرو الحَزَن

تَسرُّ الحزينَ وتَسرو الحَزَن

His traits are like gardens on rugged heights,

His playful ways are like the gardens of the grieved

gladdening the sorrowful and dispelling sorrow.

They please the grieved and increase grief

فعِلمٌ يفنِّدُ فيهِ الحليمُ

فعِلمٌ يفنِّدُ فيهِ الحليمُ

وحِلمٌ يُزلزَلُ منهُ حَضَنْ

وحِلمٌ يُزلزَلُ منهُ حَضَنْ

Knowledge before which even the wise are made to seem foolish,

A knowledge in which the forbearing prove ignorant

and forbearance that makes Mount Hadan quake.

And a forbearance that shakes even the nest

به نفرةٌ من دَنايا الأمورِ

به نفرةٌ من دَنايا الأمورِ

كما ذَعَر السربَ نَبعٌ أرَنْ

كما ذَعَر السربَ نَبعٌ أرَنْ

He has an aversion to base affairs,

Through him there is an aversion to the affairs of baseness

as a ringing nabʿ-wood bow startles the herd.

As the flock was startled by a howling wolf

تجرُّ أعاديهِ من بأسِهِ

تجرُّ أعاديهِ من بأسِهِ

على الأخشنينِ السّفا والسّفَن

على الأخشنينِ السّفا والسّفَن

His enemies, from dread of his might, drag

I headed for his abode, and my assumption of him

their hair and hides over the two rough surfaces.

Was beautiful, and he made every assumption true

قَصدتُ ذَراهُ وظنِّي بهِ

قَصدتُ ذَراهُ وظنِّي بهِ

جميلٌ فحقّقَ لي كلَّ ظَنْ

جميلٌ فحقّقَ لي كلَّ ظَنْ

I sought his shelter, and my expectation of him

I toured the wastelands and roamed the lands

was favorable; he fulfilled my every expectation.

But did not see a freeman except him

وجبتُ القِفارَ وطفتُ البلادَ

وجبتُ القِفارَ وطفتُ البلادَ

فلم أرَ حُرّا سِواهُ ولَنْ

فلم أرَ حُرّا سِواهُ ولَنْ

And I crossed the wastelands and roamed the lands,

Neither has my praise of the chosen one digressed from him

yet saw no noble man but him, nor ever shall.

Nor has his gift to the covetous one digressed

ولا مدحِيَ المُجْتبى شذَّ عنْهُ

ولا مدحِيَ المُجْتبى شذَّ عنْهُ

ولا مَنحُهُ المُجْتنى شذَّ عَنْ

ولا مَنحُهُ المُجْتنى شذَّ عَنْ

Nor did my carefully chosen praise stray from him,

So he remains in a blessing that does not cease

nor did his harvested bounty stray from me.

And a new passion that renews throughout time

فلا زالَ في نعمةٍ لا تَزولُ

فلا زالَ في نعمةٍ لا تَزولُ

وجدٍّ يجدَّدُ طولَ الزَّمنْ

وجدٍّ يجدَّدُ طولَ الزَّمنْ

So may he ever remain in blessings that never fade,

and in good fortune renewed through all time.