فَرَّقتُ بينَ جفونه ورُقادِه

فَرَّقتُ بينَ جفونه ورُقادِه

وجمعْتُ بينَ غَرامِه وفُؤادِه

وجمعْتُ بينَ غَرامِه وفُؤادِه

I parted his eyelids from his sleep,

I separated his eyelids from his slumber

And brought his passion and his heart together.

And joined his passion with his heart

وأبثُّ في ثِنْيَيْ حَشاه صَبابةً

وأبثُّ في ثِنْيَيْ حَشاه صَبابةً

باتَت لها الأشجانُ بينَ وِسادِه

باتَت لها الأشجانُ بينَ وِسادِه

And I spread longing through the twin folds of his breast;

And I pour into my folds his youthful love

Its sorrows spent the night within his pillow.

That made the branches sleep amid his pillow

للهِ أيامُ الكثيبِ فقد مَضَتْ

للهِ أيامُ الكثيبِ فقد مَضَتْ

بمُرادِه الغضِّ الهَوى ومُرادِه

بمُرادِه الغضِّ الهَوى ومُرادِه

God bless the days of the dune! They have passed away,

By God, the days of the sand dune are gone

With his beloved, tender in love, and his heart's desire.

With the desire of the young and their desire

أيامَ للعُذَّالِ عِزُّ جِماحِه

أيامَ للعُذَّالِ عِزُّ جِماحِه

شَغَفاً وللأحبابِ ذِلُّ قِيادِه

شَغَفاً وللأحبابِ ذِلُّ قِيادِه

Days when reproachers faced his proud resistance,

Days when the black tent had the glory of its standard

Out of passion, while his loved ones met his meek surrender.

And the loved ones had the humiliation of their leader

غَفَلاتُ دَهْرٍ غَيُّهُ وضَلالُه

غَفَلاتُ دَهْرٍ غَيُّهُ وضَلالُه

أَولى بنا من هَدْيهِ ورَشَادِه

أَولى بنا من هَدْيهِ ورَشَادِه

Time's heedless moments—its error and its wandering—

The heedlessness of time, its going astray and its misguidance

Were better for us than its guidance and rectitude.

Are more fitting for us than its guidance and integrity

ودُجىً بذاتِ الطَّلْحِ يَبيَضُّ الهَوى

ودُجىً بذاتِ الطَّلْحِ يَبيَضُّ الهَوى

لأخي الصَّبابَةِ في ارتكامِ سَوادِه

لأخي الصَّبابَةِ في ارتكامِ سَوادِه

And darkness at Dhat al-Talh, where love turns white

A land at Al-Talh where love whitens

For longing's brother amid its heaped-up blackness.

For my brother amid the gloom of his blackness

وثَرىً كأنَّ رُباه تَنشُرُ حَلْيَها

وثَرىً كأنَّ رُباه تَنشُرُ حَلْيَها

ما بينَ حُرِّ تِلاعِه ووِهادِه

ما بينَ حُرِّ تِلاعِه ووِهادِه

And earth whose knolls seem to spread their finery

And a ground as if its shrubs spread their trinkets

Between its finest slopes and its hollows.

Between the heat of its ridges and its lowlands

عُطْرٌ تَمرُّ به الرِّياحُ فتنكسي

عُطْرٌ تَمرُّ به الرِّياحُ فتنكسي

عُطرَين من أجسادِها وجِسادِه

عُطرَين من أجسادِها وجِسادِه

A perfume through which the winds pass, then clothe themselves

A fragrance the winds pass by and fold

In two perfumes, from their bodies and its saffron dye.

Two fragrances from their bodies and remains

ما صانَ قُرْبَ العيشِ فيه مَدامعي

ما صانَ قُرْبَ العيشِ فيه مَدامعي

حتى أُزيلَ مَصُونُها لبِعادِه

حتى أُزيلَ مَصُونُها لبِعادِه

Life's nearness there had scarcely kept my tears in check

The nearness of life did not protect my tears

Before separation from it released their guarded store.

Until its protection was removed by its distance

وإذا الصَّبا أضحَى عِتادَ مُتيَّمٍ

وإذا الصَّبا أضحَى عِتادَ مُتيَّمٍ

فنَفادُها يَهواه عندَ نَفادِه

فنَفادُها يَهواه عندَ نَفادِه

And when the east wind becomes a lovesick man's provision,

And if the youth becomes the companion of a despairing man

Then he wishes its ending to coincide with his own.

Then their paucity pleases him in their paucity

والدَّهْرُ كالنَّشوانِ في إصلاحِه

والدَّهْرُ كالنَّشوانِ في إصلاحِه

ما راحَ يُصلِحُه وفي إفسادِه

ما راحَ يُصلِحُه وفي إفسادِه

And Time is like a drunkard in its mending

And time is like al-Nashwan in reforming it

Of whatever it sets about mending, and in its ruining.

It does not stop ruining it and corrupting it

راعٍ لنا يَجتاحُ دَثْرَ سَوامِه

راعٍ لنا يَجتاحُ دَثْرَ سَوامِه

وأبٌ لنا يسطو على أولادِه

وأبٌ لنا يسطو على أولادِه

A shepherd for us, ravaging his teeming flocks,

A shepherd who attacks the summit of its heights

And a father for us, assailing his children.

And a father who transgresses upon his children

فَفَعالُهُ المحمودُ عند بخيلهِ

فَفَعالُهُ المحمودُ عند بخيلهِ

وفَعالُه المَذْمومُ عندَ جَوادِه

وفَعالُه المَذْمومُ عندَ جَوادِه

So its praiseworthy deeds go to its miser,

So his praiseworthy deed is with the stingy

And its blameworthy deeds to its generous man.

And his blameworthy deed is with the generous

ولو اقتَدى فينا بأحمدَ لارتَدَى

ولو اقتَدى فينا بأحمدَ لارتَدَى

بُردَيْنِ من تَوقيفِه وسَدادِه

بُردَيْنِ من تَوقيفِه وسَدادِه

And if it followed Ahmad's example with us, it would don

If he followed Ahmad in us, he would wear

Two mantles of his guidance and his sound judgment.

Two robes of his appointment and integrity

خِرْقٌ تَخرَّقَ في سَماحٍ لم يَزَلْ

خِرْقٌ تَخرَّقَ في سَماحٍ لم يَزَلْ

غَمْرُ السَّماحِ يَقلُّ عندَ ثِمادِه

غَمْرُ السَّماحِ يَقلُّ عندَ ثِمادِه

A discerning man, unbounded in generosity; ever

A hole that tore in generosity has not ceased

The flood of generosity is small beside his scant pools.

The flood of generosity decreases during its constriction

مُرتادُ حَمْدٍ لا تَزالُ خوافقاً

مُرتادُ حَمْدٍ لا تَزالُ خوافقاً

راياتُ أنعُمِه على مُرتادِه

راياتُ أنعُمِه على مُرتادِه

A seeker of praise; ever fluttering

A frequenter of praise, your banners will always agree

Are the banners of his favors over the one who seeks him.

With the banners of His blessings upon its frequenter

إن كنتَ مُطَّرَدَ الجِوارِ فَعُذْ بِهِ

إن كنتَ مُطَّرَدَ الجِوارِ فَعُذْ بِهِ

أو كنتَ مُمتحَنَ الزَّمانِ فَنادِه

أو كنتَ مُمتحَنَ الزَّمانِ فَنادِه

If you are driven from shelter, seek refuge in him,

If you are expelled from the neighborhood, then complain to Him about it

Or if you are afflicted by Time, call upon him.

Or if you are tried by time, then call upon Him

يُعْطِيكَ ما يُعطيه غَرْبُ حُسامِه

يُعْطِيكَ ما يُعطيه غَرْبُ حُسامِه

وشَبا أسنَّتِه وكرُّ جَوادِه

وشَبا أسنَّتِه وكرُّ جَوادِه

He gives you what the edge of his keen sword gives him,

He will give you what the setting of his swords gives

And the points of his spearheads and the charge of his steed.

And the flames of its sharp edges and the attack of its steed

ما زالَ يَصعَدُ بينَ بيضِ سُيوفِه

ما زالَ يَصعَدُ بينَ بيضِ سُيوفِه

قُلَلَ الفَخارِ وبينَ سُمْرِ صِعَادِه

قُلَلَ الفَخارِ وبينَ سُمْرِ صِعَادِه

He has never ceased ascending, amid his white swords,

He continuously climbs between the summits of its white swords

The peaks of glory, and amid his brown lances.

And the peaks of glory and the elevation of its highlands

تَعِبَ الجَوانحِ يَشتري قَضَضَ العُلى

تَعِبَ الجَوانحِ يَشتري قَضَضَ العُلى

أبداً براحتِه ولينِ مِهادِه

أبداً براحتِه ولينِ مِهادِه

Weary in his breast, he buys glory's rough gravel

It tired wings to buy the conquest of heights

Always with his ease and the softness of his bed.

Forever with its ease and soft pillow

قد قلتُ للجاري على آثارِه

قد قلتُ للجاري على آثارِه

أنتَ الجَوادُ ولستَ من أندادِه

أنتَ الجَوادُ ولستَ من أندادِه

I have said to one racing in his footsteps:

I said to the active in his footsteps

You are a noble steed, yet not among his equals.

You are the steed, and you are not of its matched

ذهَبتْ سِجالُكَ عند جَرْيِ جَوادِه

ذهَبتْ سِجالُكَ عند جَرْيِ جَوادِه

وخَبا ضِرامُكَ عندَ وَرْيِ زِنادِه

وخَبا ضِرامُكَ عندَ وَرْيِ زِنادِه

Your rivalry came to nothing when his steed ran,

Your contending disappeared at the running of its steed

And your blaze died down when his fire-sticks kindled.

And your glories vanished at the striking of its flints

وإذا امرؤٌ أعيَتْ عليكَ سُهولُه

وإذا امرؤٌ أعيَتْ عليكَ سُهولُه

فاغضُضْ جفونَك عن ذُرَى أطوادِه

فاغضُضْ جفونَك عن ذُرَى أطوادِه

And if a man's plains have proved too much for you,

And if a man tires you with his smoothness

Then lower your eyes from the peaks of his mountains.

Then close your eyelids from the sight of its milestones

شَرَفٌ إذا ما اختالَ فيه رأيتَه

شَرَفٌ إذا ما اختالَ فيه رأيتَه

في تاجِ تُبَّعِه وحُلَّةِ عادِه

في تاجِ تُبَّعِه وحُلَّةِ عادِه

Nobility in which, whenever he strides proudly, you see him

A nobility, if it is imbalanced you see it

In the crown of his Tubbaʿ and the robe of his ʿAd.

In the crown of Tubba and the garb of `Ad

بيتٌ لتُبَّعَ تلتقي عَمَدُ العُلى

بيتٌ لتُبَّعَ تلتقي عَمَدُ العُلى

في ملتقى أطنابه وعِمادِه

في ملتقى أطنابه وعِمادِه

A house of Tubbaʿ, where the pillars of high honor meet

A house for Tubba whose pillars of glory meet

At the meeting of its tent-ropes and its tent-pole.

In the conjunction of its corners and its columns

هذا ومُعتَرَكٌ إذا عَرَكَ القَنا

هذا ومُعتَرَكٌ إذا عَرَكَ القَنا

فيه الشُّجاعُ مضى طريدَ طِرادِه

فيه الشُّجاعُ مضى طريدَ طِرادِه

This—and a battlefield where, when a brave man plies the spears

And this is a battlefield, if spears scrape

Within it, he goes away driven before his charge.

The valiant goes driven by the driving of its driver

خلَطَ العَجاجةَ بالدِّماءِ كأنَّما

خلَطَ العَجاجةَ بالدِّماءِ كأنَّما

نُشِرَتْ مَجاسِدُه خِلالَ جِيادِه

نُشِرَتْ مَجاسِدُه خِلالَ جِيادِه

He mixed the dust-cloud with blood, as though

It mixed blood with tumult as if

His saffron-dyed robes had been spread among his steeds.

Its corpses were spread amid its steeds

أوفى عليَّ فما انجلَتْ غَمَراتُه

أوفى عليَّ فما انجلَتْ غَمَراتُه

إلا بصِدْقِ كِفاحِه وجِلادِه

إلا بصِدْقِ كِفاحِه وجِلادِه

It loomed over me; its engulfing waves did not recede

He fulfilled it for me, so its darkness did not disperse

Except through his steadfast close combat and swordplay.

Except by the sincerity of his struggle and determination

رحلَ الصِّيامُ وقد أعدَّ من التُّقى

رحلَ الصِّيامُ وقد أعدَّ من التُّقى

والنُّسْكِ فيهِ عُدّةً لمَعادِه

والنُّسْكِ فيهِ عُدّةً لمَعادِه

Fasting has departed, and he has laid up from piety

The fast left while having prepared from piety

And worship during it provisions for his final return.

And devotion in it equipment for its consequence

متمسِّكاً بالصِّدقِ في مَوعودِه

متمسِّكاً بالصِّدقِ في مَوعودِه

متمسِّكاً بالعَفوِ في إيعادِه

متمسِّكاً بالعَفوِ في إيعادِه

Holding fast to truthfulness in his promises,

Adhering to truthfulness in its promise

Holding fast to pardon in his threats.

Adhering to forgiveness in its threat

قَبِلَ الإلهُ صيامَه في شَهْرِهِ

قَبِلَ الإلهُ صيامَه في شَهْرِهِ

وأعادَ ما يَهواه من أعيادِه

وأعادَ ما يَهواه من أعيادِه

May God accept his fasting in its month,

God accepted its fasting in His month

And bring back the festivals he loves.

And renewed what He desires of its holidays