أيروى في الهوى غيري وأظما

أيروى في الهوى غيري وأظما

وأقنع بالمنى كلا ولما

وأقنع بالمنى كلا ولما

Shall another be quenched in love while I thirst?

Another is sated with love while I yearn,

And shall I be content with wishes? No—not yet.

And am content with wishes, never to be fulfilled.

سأعطي النفس ما طلبت فأما

سأعطي النفس ما طلبت فأما

تهون فتحمل البلوى وأما

تهون فتحمل البلوى وأما

I shall give my soul what it asks; either

I will indulge my soul in its desires; then it will either

it is humbled and bears affliction, or else—

Endure hardships patiently or refuse and pine away.

الام تسومني هجرا فهجرا

الام تسومني هجرا فهجرا

وتجعل لي وما أجرمت جرما

وتجعل لي وما أجرمت جرما

how long will you impose estrangement after estrangement on me,

My days estrange me with their distance, though I have done

and charge me with a crime, though I have done no wrong?

No wrong, and render my exile lifelong.

صددت غرغرة بالشوق ترقى

صددت غرغرة بالشوق ترقى

عليك وصلة بالدمع تدمى

عليك وصلة بالدمع تدمى

You rebuffed a choking rattle rising with longing

I mutter my longing till it soars to you,

toward you, and a bond bleeding with tears [wording unclear].

And send you a greeting wet with tears.

أحاول ستر ما القى وتأبى

أحاول ستر ما القى وتأبى

دموع العين إلا أن تنما

دموع العين إلا أن تنما

I try to conceal what I suffer, but

I try to hide my torment but my eyes

the eye's tears insist on betraying it.

Refuse to restrain their tears from flowing.

أحب الوعد منك وأن تنادي

أحب الوعد منك وأن تنادي

واقنع بالخيال إذا ألما

واقنع بالخيال إذا ألما

I love your promise, and that you call,

Your promise is so dear, if you would just call me!

and am content with the phantom when it visits.

I would be content with dreams if they brought pain.

عسى الأيام تمسح لي بوصل

عسى الأيام تمسح لي بوصل

وتأخذ لمن الهجران سلما

وتأخذ لمن الهجران سلما

Perhaps the days will soothe me with reunion,

Maybe time with union will one day wipe me clean

and wrest peace from estrangement [wording unclear].

And take the hardship of estrangement away.

فأثني غدك الممشوق ضما

فأثني غدك الممشوق ضما

وأفني ريقك المسعول لثما

وأفني ريقك المسعول لثما

Then I would bend your slender [figure] in an embrace,

Then I will gather close your radiant morning

and drain your [honeyed] saliva with kisses.

And savor the wine of your lips with a kiss.

وكم ليل من التطوال بتنا

وكم ليل من التطوال بتنا

يقلب نجمه في الكأس نجما

يقلب نجمه في الكأس نجما

And how many a long, drawn-out night we spent,

How many long nights have I spent awake with you,

its star turning into a star within the cup.

The stars in my cup pass like stars in the sky.

يريني عطفا الغصن الرطيب ال

يريني عطفا الغصن الرطيب ال

قوام وطرف الرشا الأجما

قوام وطرف الرشا الأجما

It shows me the branch's two flanks, supple in

You show me the bend of the dewy branch, so straight and tall,

stature, and the gaze of the hornless fawn,

And the gaze of the fawn, so dark and tender.

إلى أن مدت الجوزاء كفا

إلى أن مدت الجوزاء كفا

وساقت من خيول الليل دهما

وساقت من خيول الليل دهما

until al-Jawza stretched out a hand

Until the Pleiades rose and stretched out

and drove on black steeds from among night's horses.

A palm from the horses of the night sky.

وقد رق العتاب ودق حتى

وقد رق العتاب ودق حتى

ظننا الأسماع وهما

ظننا الأسماع وهما

Reproach had grown so gentle and faint

Reproach grew loud and pounded till we thought

that we thought our hearing an illusion.

Our ears deceived us as they rang.

شربنا الراح بالأرواح طيبا

شربنا الراح بالأرواح طيبا

وبعنا الغم في حانات غما

وبعنا الغم في حانات غما

We drank wine with our souls, in delight,

We drank joy with the spirits' wine,

and sold grief for grief in taverns.

And sold our grief in the taverns of sorrow.

ومائرة الملاط إذا أهيجت

ومائرة الملاط إذا أهيجت

وسمت بوخدها البيداء وسما

وسمت بوخدها البيداء وسما

And a swaying-flanked she-camel: when roused,

When the wrinkled old crow stirs up trouble

she stamped the desert with her swift stride.

And flies over the white desert sands,

فليت بها الفلا والليل مرخ

فليت بها الفلا والليل مرخ

ملائته وطرف النجم أعمى

ملائته وطرف النجم أعمى

I scoured the wastes on her while night let down

Would that the east wind and night let down their hair

its mantle, and the star's eye was blind.

And the stars dim their gaze in my cup!

إذا بلغت بنا عمرا ولانت

إذا بلغت بنا عمرا ولانت

حميما من ندى كفيه جما

حميما من ندى كفيه جما

If she brings us to Amr and [receives]

If we outlive youth and no longer taste

copious warm water from the bounty of his palms,

The sweet dew of youth in the palms of his hands,

فلاحكت لها الأقتاب ظهرا

فلاحكت لها الأقتاب ظهرا

ولا وردت بها الأخطار حزما

ولا وردت بها الأخطار حزما

then may no pack-saddles chafe her back,

If the voyagers turn from him and resolve no longer sets

nor may dangers lead her onto rugged ground.

The course of events according to his reins,

أبرميمٍ قولا وفعلاً

أبرميمٍ قولا وفعلاً

وأكرم منتمٍ خالا وعما

وأكرم منتمٍ خالا وعما

[Most righteous], in word and deed,

I will be true in word and deed,

and noblest in lineage through maternal and paternal uncles.

Honoring the noble and blind alike.

له لحظيريه القرب بعدا

له لحظيريه القرب بعدا

ولفنا يخرق السمع الأصما

ولفنا يخرق السمع الأصما

He has a [gaze that shows him] nearness as distance,

For him my enclosure is sanctuary though miles away,

and [speech] that pierces the deaf ear.

My hearing pierces even through the deaf.

وسيم ماسما الأمبيدا

وسيم ماسما الأمبيدا

عداه ولا رمى إلا وأعما

عداه ولا رمى إلا وأعما

Handsome, he never rose [except to destroy]

He shoots his arrow of good looks - none can match

his enemies, and never shot without blinding them.

His throw unless their aim be blindness itself.

مضي العزم ذو رأي جلي

مضي العزم ذو رأي جلي

إذا ما حادث الدهر أدلهما

إذا ما حادث الدهر أدلهما

Resolute in purpose, possessed of clear judgment,

Resolute his judgment, if fate should sow dissension,

when a calamity of time grows dark.

He leads them; warring with him is warring with a lion.

إذا حاربته حاربت ليثا

إذا حاربته حاربت ليثا

وإن جاريته جاريت يمّا

وإن جاريته جاريت يمّا

If you fight him, you fight a lion;

Yield to him and you have yielded to a towering peak.

and if you vie with him, you vie with a sea.

His renown grows with his generosity. How can musk conceal

له بشر ينم على العطايا

له بشر ينم على العطايا

وكيف سترت نشر المسك نما

وكيف سترت نشر المسك نما

His cheerful countenance foretells his gifts;

Its scent when it spreads?

and however you conceal musk's fragrance, it betrays itself.

Fierce in war, yet gentle in peace,

أغريريك يوم الحرب طيشا

أغريريك يوم الحرب طيشا

إذا أبلى ويوم السلم حلما

إذا أبلى ويوم السلم حلما

Bright-faced, he shows you impetuosity on the day of war,

With your munificence faith in good is restored.

when he proves his valor, and forbearance on the day of peace.

Need has been driven so far from us

بجودك يا أمين الدين صحَّت

بجودك يا أمين الدين صحَّت

أماني الظنون وكن رجما

أماني الظنون وكن رجما

Through your generosity, O Amin al-Din, came true

It is as though the Merciful never created it.

the hopes born of conjecture, once mere guesses.

And you have perfected virtuous conduct until you have made

لقد شردت عنا العدم حتى

لقد شردت عنا العدم حتى

كأن لم يخلق الرحمان عدما

كأن لم يخلق الرحمان عدما

Indeed, you have driven want away from us so completely

High principles a binding obligation.

it is as though the All-Merciful never created poverty.

Your ransom, O pillar of faith, is too great

وتمت بسنة المعروف حتى

وتمت بسنة المعروف حتى

جعلت عني العفاة عليا حتما

جعلت عني العفاة عليا حتما

And it was fulfilled through the custom of kindness, until

For thanks when I praise, though I try my best.

you made the supplicants' [prosperity] a binding duty [wording unclear].

When I ask him for bounty, it is as if

فداؤك يا كما لالدين عار

فداؤك يا كما لالدين عار

من النعمة إذ مدح استذما

من النعمة إذ مدح استذما

Let your ransom, O Kamal al-Din, be one bereft

I asked a man who grinds aloes for sweetness.

of bounty, who when praised invited blame.

Greetings to you, for you are a towering mountain peak,

كأني حين أسأله نوالا

كأني حين أسأله نوالا

أًُسائل من لوى تيماء رسما

أًُسائل من لوى تيماء رسما

It is as though, when I ask him for a gift,

Beyond it lofty summits fall short.

I were questioning a ruined trace at the sand-bend of Tayma.

سلمت على الزمان فأنت طود

سلمت على الزمان فأنت طود

تقاصر دونه أجما وسلمى

تقاصر دونه أجما وسلمى

May you endure unscathed through time, for you are a mountain

beside which [Aja] and Salma fall short.