ليسَ التجلُّدُ شِيمَةَ العُشَّاقِ

ليسَ التجلُّدُ شِيمَةَ العُشَّاقِ

إلا إذا شِيبَ الهَوى بنِفاقِ

إلا إذا شِيبَ الهَوى بنِفاقِ

Stoic endurance is not the lovers' way,

The pretense is not the quality of lovers

unless love is mingled with hypocrisy.

Except when love grows old with hypocrisy

سفحت رقى العذال يوم محجر

سفحت رقى العذال يوم محجر

دمعا على الخدين ليس براقي

دمعا على الخدين ليس براقي

The reproacher's spells poured forth, on the day of Muhajjar,

The morning of separation shed tears

tears upon both cheeks that would not cease.

On the cheeks that were not shiny

فكأننا في الحب أهل ديانة

فكأننا في الحب أهل ديانة

وكأنه في العذل أهل شقاق

وكأنه في العذل أهل شقاق

So in love we seem a people of faith,

So it is as if in love we are religious people

and he, in reproach, one of the people of discord.

And as if in separation we are adversaries

عُدْ بالمُدامِ على سَليمِ زَمانِه

عُدْ بالمُدامِ على سَليمِ زَمانِه

إن المُدامَ له من الدِّرياقِ

إن المُدامَ له من الدِّرياقِ

Bring wine to aid the man bitten by his times;

Return with wine to the good old days

for wine is an antidote for him.

Wine for it has the remedy

بكراً أضافَ إلى مَحاسِنِ خَلقِها

بكراً أضافَ إلى مَحاسِنِ خَلقِها

قَرعُ المِزاجِ مَحاسِنَ الأَخلاقِ

قَرعُ المِزاجِ مَحاسِنَ الأَخلاقِ

A virgin wine—to the beauties of her form were added,

In addition to the beauty of her creation

by mixing's touch, the beauties of character.

The brightness of her mood is the beauty of morals

وإذا سقاني الدهر سم خطوبه

وإذا سقاني الدهر سم خطوبه

داويته بمدامة أو ساقي

داويته بمدامة أو ساقي

And when Time gives me its calamities' poison to drink,

And if life made me drink the poison of its sorrows

I treat it with wine or a cupbearer.

I healed it with wine or a cupbearer

إنا إذا المرزوق فاز برزقه

إنا إذا المرزوق فاز برزقه

مثل الدبى خلقت بلا أرزاق

مثل الدبى خلقت بلا أرزاق

We, when the fortunate man has won his provision,

We, when the destined one won his sustenance

are like young locusts, created without sustenance.

Were created like the hyena without sustenance

أزجي إلى الآفاق حلي مدائح

أزجي إلى الآفاق حلي مدائح

كسدت غرائبهن في الآفاق

كسدت غرائبهن في الآفاق

I send toward the horizons the jewels of praise-poems;

I roamed the horizons with necklaces of praise poems

their rare wonders have found no market in those horizons.

Their wonders dazzled the horizons

وأعوذُ من شَرْقِ البلادِ بِغَرْبِها

وأعوذُ من شَرْقِ البلادِ بِغَرْبِها

فأؤُوبُ من وَصَبٍ إلى إخفاقِ

فأؤُوبُ من وَصَبٍ إلى إخفاقِ

And I seek refuge from the lands' east in their west,

And I seek refuge from the evils of the east in its west

only to return from weariness to failure.

So I retreat from humiliation to defeat

مثلَ الهِلالِ أغَذَّ شَهْراً كامِلاً

مثلَ الهِلالِ أغَذَّ شَهْراً كامِلاً

فرَماه آخرُ شَهْرِه بمَحاقِ

فرَماه آخرُ شَهْرِه بمَحاقِ

Like the crescent moon that hastened through a whole month,

Like the crescent it lived a full month

then its month's end struck it with extinction.

Then the last of its month threw it away with erasure

سَفَرٌ رَجَوْتُ به النَّهايةَ في الغِنَى

سَفَرٌ رَجَوْتُ به النَّهايةَ في الغِنَى

فبلغتُ منه نِهايةَ الإملاقِ

فبلغتُ منه نِهايةَ الإملاقِ

A journey through which I hoped for the utmost wealth;

A journey I hoped would make me rich

yet through it I reached the utmost destitution.

But I reached in it the utmost poverty

ولكَمْ طَلَعْتُ على الشآمِ فنفَّسَتْ

ولكَمْ طَلَعْتُ على الشآمِ فنفَّسَتْ

شِيَمُ الأميرِ التغلبيِّ خنِاقي

شِيَمُ الأميرِ التغلبيِّ خنِاقي

And how often I came to al-Sham and found relief,

And how often did I come upon Damascus and it breathed

the Taghlibi prince's virtues loosening the noose at my throat.

The quality of the prince of Taghlib very thinly

نثني عليه وجوده أطواقنا

نثني عليه وجوده أطواقنا

مثل الحمام سجعن في الأطواق

مثل الحمام سجعن في الأطواق

We praise him, his bounty our neck-rings,

We wrap our existence around him like rings

like doves cooing within their neck-rings.

Like pigeons cooing in the rings

جَدَّدْتَ أخلاقَ المَكارِمِ بعدَما

جَدَّدْتَ أخلاقَ المَكارِمِ بعدَما

أشفَتْ خَلائِقُها على الإخلاقِ

أشفَتْ خَلائِقُها على الإخلاقِ

You renewed the ways of noble deeds, after

You renewed the morals of generosity after

their qualities had come to the brink of wearing out.

Its traits had become worthless in morals

وفَعَلْتَ في نُوْبِ الحَوادِثِ مثلَ ما

وفَعَلْتَ في نُوْبِ الحَوادِثِ مثلَ ما

فَعَلَتْ ظُباكَ بمَعْشَرٍ مُزَّاقِ

فَعَلَتْ ظُباكَ بمَعْشَرٍ مُزَّاقِ

And you dealt with calamities' turns just as

And you acted in times of affliction as

your sword-edges dealt with a company torn to shreds.

Your prey acted towards a torn flock

وملَكْتَ بالمِنَنِ الرِّقابَ وإنَّما

وملَكْتَ بالمِنَنِ الرِّقابَ وإنَّما

مِنَنُ المُلوكِ جَوامِعُ الأعناقِ

مِنَنُ المُلوكِ جَوامِعُ الأعناقِ

And through favors you mastered necks; indeed,

And you owned the necks with favors for indeed

kings' favors are nothing but shackles for necks.

The favors of kings are the collectors of necks

المجدُ ما سَلِمَتْ خِلالُكَ سالِمٌ

المجدُ ما سَلِمَتْ خِلالُكَ سالِمٌ

والجُودُ ما بَقِيَتْ يَمينُكَ بَاقي

والجُودُ ما بَقِيَتْ يَمينُكَ بَاقي

Glory is safe as long as your virtues are sound,

Glory is what your qualities remain unharmed

and generosity endures as long as your right hand remains.

And generosity is what your hand remains generous

علَّمْتَني النَّظرَ المديدَ إلى العُلى

علَّمْتَني النَّظرَ المديدَ إلى العُلى

من بَعْدِ ما أَلِفَ العِدا إطراقي

من بَعْدِ ما أَلِفَ العِدا إطراقي

You taught me to cast a far-reaching gaze toward the heights,

You taught me the far-sighted vision of highness

after my foes had grown accustomed to my bowed head.

After being accustomed to the enemies' blinking

فكأنَّما أسطو لشَزْرِ لواحظي

فكأنَّما أسطو لشَزْرِ لواحظي

بِظُباً على كَيْدِ العَدُوِّ رِقاقِ

بِظُباً على كَيْدِ العَدُوِّ رِقاقِ

So it is as though, through my eyes' sidelong glare, I strike

So it is as if I appointed a gazelle to counter

with slender sword-edges at the enemy's schemes.

The cunning of the enemy with its thinness

فَلأجلِبَنَّ إليكَ كلَّ غَريبَةٍ

فَلأجلِبَنَّ إليكَ كلَّ غَريبَةٍ

تُضْحى الكِرامُ لها من العُشَّاقِ

تُضْحى الكِرامُ لها من العُشَّاقِ

So I shall surely bring you every rare marvel,

So I will bring to you every rarity

for which the noble will become lovers.

For which the generous sacrifice their souls