أَلا يا عَينِ وَيحَكِ أَسعِديني

أَلا يا عَينِ وَيحَكِ أَسعِديني

لِرَيبِ الدَهرِ وَالزَمَنِ العَضوضِ

لِرَيبِ الدَهرِ وَالزَمَنِ العَضوضِ

Ah, my eye, alas for you—help me mourn

Oh eye, spare me your grief

For the blows of fate and cruel, biting time.

From the vicissitudes of time and its bitterness

وَلا تُبقي دُموعاً بَعدَ صَخرٍ

وَلا تُبقي دُموعاً بَعدَ صَخرٍ

فَقَد كُلِّفتِ دَهرَكِ أَن تَفيضي

فَقَد كُلِّفتِ دَهرَكِ أَن تَفيضي

And spare no tears after Sakhr,

Do not let tears remain after enduring like stone

For you have been charged to overflow all your days.

For time has tasked you to overflow

فَفيضي بِالدُموعِ عَلى كَريمٍ

فَفيضي بِالدُموعِ عَلى كَريمٍ

رَمَتهُ الحادِثاتُ وَلا تَغيضي

رَمَتهُ الحادِثاتُ وَلا تَغيضي

So overflow with tears for a noble man

So overflow with tears for one so noble

Whom calamities struck—and do not run dry.

Whom events have tossed, do not stint

فَقَد أَصبَحتُ بَعدَ فَتى سُلَيمٍ

فَقَد أَصبَحتُ بَعدَ فَتى سُلَيمٍ

أُفَرِّجُ هَمَّ صَدري بِالقَريضِ

أُفَرِّجُ هَمَّ صَدري بِالقَريضِ

For, since the loss of Sulaym's young man, I now

For after a knight like Sulaym, I've become

Ease the sorrow in my breast with verse.

One who airs his heartache through verse

أُسائِلُ كُلَّ والِهَةٍ هَبولٍ

أُسائِلُ كُلَّ والِهَةٍ هَبولٍ

بَراها الدَهرُ كَالعَظمِ المَهيضِ

بَراها الدَهرُ كَالعَظمِ المَهيضِ

I question every grief-stricken, bereaved mother

I ask of every dissolved passion

Whom time has worn down like a bone broken anew.

Ruined by time like gnawed bone

وَأُصبِحُ لا أُعَدُّ صَحيحَ جِسمٍ

وَأُصبِحُ لا أُعَدُّ صَحيحَ جِسمٍ

وَلا دَنِفاً أُمَرَّضُ كَالمَريضِ

وَلا دَنِفاً أُمَرَّضُ كَالمَريضِ

And I wake, not reckoned sound of body,

I wake not sensing a whole body

Nor so ill as to be nursed like the sick.

Nor crooked, sickly and weak

وَلَكِنّي أَبيتُ لِذِكرِ صَخرٍ

وَلَكِنّي أَبيتُ لِذِكرِ صَخرٍ

أُغَصَّ بِسَلسَلِ الماءِ الغَضيضِ

أُغَصَّ بِسَلسَلِ الماءِ الغَضيضِ

But I spend the night remembering Sakhr,

But I stay up, remembering Sulaym

Choking on smooth, fresh water.

Choking on chains of rushing tears

وَأَذكُرُهُ إِذا ما الأَرضُ أَمسَت

وَأَذكُرُهُ إِذا ما الأَرضُ أَمسَت

هُجولاً لَم تُلَمَّع بِالوَميضِ

هُجولاً لَم تُلَمَّع بِالوَميضِ

And I remember him when the land at evening becomes

I recall him when the earth grows still

Wide, open wastes, unlit by lightning's flash.

No glimmer dancing, no sparks flashing

فَمَن لِلحَربِ إِذ صارَت كَلوحاً

فَمَن لِلحَربِ إِذ صارَت كَلوحاً

وَشَمَّرَ مُشعِلوها لِلنُهوضِ

وَشَمَّرَ مُشعِلوها لِلنُهوضِ

Who, then, will face war when it turns grim

So who can stand for war, when it's like a tablet

And its kindlers gird themselves for action?

And its inflamers rise up to unfurl?

وَخَيلٍ قَد دَلَفتَ لَها بِأُخرى

وَخَيلٍ قَد دَلَفتَ لَها بِأُخرى

كَأَنَّ زُهائَها سَنَدُ الحَضيضِ

كَأَنَّ زُهائَها سَنَدُ الحَضيضِ

And who will face cavalry you advanced against with another troop,

Horses immersed in each other

Whose mass seemed a slope rising from the mountain's foot?

Their beauty pillars holding aloft the valley

إِذا ما القَومُ أَحرَبَهُم تُبولٌ

إِذا ما القَومُ أَحرَبَهُم تُبولٌ

كَذاكَ التَبلُ يُطلَبُ كَالقُروضِ

كَذاكَ التَبلُ يُطلَبُ كَالقُروضِ

When blood-feuds have enraged the people,

When the people war, Tubal leads them

Thus a blood-debt is demanded, as loans are called in,

Thus frankincense is sought like debts

بِكُلِّ مُهَنَّدٍ عَضبٍ حُسامٍ

بِكُلِّ مُهَنَّدٍ عَضبٍ حُسامٍ

رَقيقِ الحَدِّ مَصقولٍ رَحيضِ

رَقيقِ الحَدِّ مَصقولٍ رَحيضِ

With every sword of Indian steel, keen and cleaving,

With each sharpened, blazing, straight sword

Fine-edged, burnished, washed clean.

Polished and keen, ready to slash