أَبعدَ الخليطِ تَرى الأثل أثلا

أَبعدَ الخليطِ تَرى الأثل أثلا

كما كنتَ تعهد والرَّملَ رملا

كما كنتَ تعهد والرَّملَ رملا

After the companions have gone, do you see tamarisk as tamarisk,

Beyond the mixture you see the pure tribe purely

as you once knew it, and sand as sand?

As you used to promise, and the sand as sand

طلول تفّقٌ نزّالها

طلول تفّقٌ نزّالها

وما اِجتمعوا مدَّة العشر شملا

وما اِجتمعوا مدَّة العشر شملا

Ruins whose dwellers have scattered,

Tall, pouring down their locks

nor did they gather as one for a span of ten.

And they did not gather for ten days in one embrace

إِذا وعدوك النَوَى والرحي

إِذا وعدوك النَوَى والرحي

لَ هزلاً فلا تجعل الهزلَ هزلا

لَ هزلاً فلا تجعل الهزلَ هزلا

If they promise you separation and departure

If they promise you intimacy and closeness

in jest, do not treat their jest as jest.

Not jokingly, then do not take the joke as a joke

تَولّوا فسارَ على إثرهم

تَولّوا فسارَ على إثرهم

غداةَ التفرّق صبري وولّى

غداةَ التفرّق صبري وولّى

They turned away, and in their wake went

They turned away so I walked in their wake

my patience, on the morning of parting, and turned away.

The morning after parting, my patience left and turned away

أَلا اِرفق بمن لمتَ يا لائمي

أَلا اِرفق بمن لمتَ يا لائمي

وقلِّل من اللَّومِ فالصَّبر أقلى

وقلِّل من اللَّومِ فالصَّبر أقلى

Come, be gentle with the one you blamed, O my reproacher,

Oh, be gentle with those whom you blame, my critic

and lessen your blame, for I despise patience.

And lessen the blame, for patience is most fitting

عذابُ الهوى عندَ أهلِ الهَوى

عذابُ الهوى عندَ أهلِ الهَوى

فما كانَ أعذب طعماً وأحلا

فما كانَ أعذب طعماً وأحلا

Love's torment, to those who love—

The torment of love to the people of love

nothing was more delicious in taste, or sweeter.

Was never sweeter in taste nor more lawful

وكحلاء أضحى لأجفانها

وكحلاء أضحى لأجفانها

عن الكحلِ مستطرف السِّحرِ كحلا

عن الكحلِ مستطرف السِّحرِ كحلا

And a dark-eyed woman, whose eyelids came to wear

As kohl that came to adorn her eyelids

wondrous enchantment as kohl, in place of kohl.

Surpassing kohl in bewitching eyes with kohl

جراحاتُها في الحشا أصبحت

جراحاتُها في الحشا أصبحت

غداةَ العتاب من البخلِ بخلا

غداةَ العتاب من البخلِ بخلا

The wounds she dealt within my heart became,

Its wounds in ardor have become

on the morning of reproach, stinginess born of stinginess.

The morning after reproach, very miserly

تجلَّت فلاحت كشمسِ الضّحى

تجلَّت فلاحت كشمسِ الضّحى

أو البدرِ في الحُسنِ لمّا تجلِّى

أو البدرِ في الحُسنِ لمّا تجلِّى

She revealed herself and shone like the midmorning sun,

She appeared, shining like the sun at dawn

or the full moon in beauty when it shone forth.

Or the full moon in beauty when it shows itself

توشَّح من حجلها خصرها

توشَّح من حجلها خصرها

وتدني الوشاح على الساقِ خجلا

وتدني الوشاح على الساقِ خجلا

Her waist girded itself with her anklet,

She donned from her bodice her waist

and she lowers the sash over her calf in bashfulness.

And brought down her wrap upon her leg bashfully

أجودُ وأَهوَى ولم تقضني

أجودُ وأَهوَى ولم تقضني

على ذاكَ إلّا صدوداً وبخلا

على ذاكَ إلّا صدوداً وبخلا

I give generously and love, yet she has repaid me

Most generous am I, most passionate, and she did not finish me

for that with nothing but aversion and stinginess.

Except with aloofness and stinginess

مموَّهة الوعدِ في وعدها

مموَّهة الوعدِ في وعدها

فلا الهجر هجراً ولا الوصل وصلا

فلا الهجر هجراً ولا الوصل وصلا

Her pledge is gilded over in her promising;

Deceiving in her promise, her promise

neither estrangement is estrangement, nor union union.

Neither estrangement truly nor union united

ولمّا رمتني أكفُّ الزمانِ

ولمّا رمتني أكفُّ الزمانِ

بسهمِ الحوادثِ جهراً وختلا

بسهمِ الحوادثِ جهراً وختلا

And when the hands of time shot at me

And when she spurned me, the times

with the arrow of calamities, openly and by stealth,

Struck me with the arrows of events openly and treacherously

رحلتُ من العيس عيديّة

رحلتُ من العيس عيديّة

إلى العيد تنسب فرعاً وأصلا

إلى العيد تنسب فرعاً وأصلا

I saddled an ʿIdiyya from among the pale camels,

I traveled from sadness, festively

traced to al-ʿId in branch and root.

To the feast, a branch tracing back to origin

وأشحذت عزماً لحدّ السرى

وأشحذت عزماً لحدّ السرى

وودَّعت داراً وجاراً وأهلا

وودَّعت داراً وجاراً وأهلا

And I whetted my resolve for the edge of night travel,

And I sharpened a resolve up to the highest horizon

and bade farewell to home, neighbor, and kin.

And bid farewell to a house, neighbor, and family

وقلتُ لها يمِّمي واِقصدي

وقلتُ لها يمِّمي واِقصدي

وجدّي المسير لأرض بهلا

وجدّي المسير لأرض بهلا

And I told her: Set your course and make for it,

And I said to her lead straight

and press your journey toward the land of Bahla.

And hurry the journey to a desolate land

عسى من فلاحٍ أرى غُرَّةً

عسى من فلاحٍ أرى غُرَّةً

بعيني وألثم كمّاً ونعلا

بعيني وألثم كمّاً ونعلا

Perhaps I shall see Falah's radiant brow

Hopefully I will see from the country

with my own eyes, and kiss a sleeve and a sandal.

With my eyes a joy and press on feet and sandals

وأقضي هنالك من واجب الز

وأقضي هنالك من واجب الز

زياراتِ والوصلِ فرضاً ونفلا

زياراتِ والوصلِ فرضاً ونفلا

And there perform, among the duties of

And I will fulfill there the duty of ties

visiting and fellowship, obligatory and voluntary acts.

Of visitations and connections as obligation and voluntary

وَأكرعُ في حوضِ نعماه لي

وَأكرعُ في حوضِ نعماه لي

بحسب الإرادة نهلاً وعلّا

بحسب الإرادة نهلاً وعلّا

And drink from the pool of his bounty to me,

And I will hurry to his basin of bounty

as I desire, a first draught and another.

For me in proportion to will, drawing and raising high

فتىً كم أفاد وأسدى وكم

فتىً كم أفاد وأسدى وكم

تحمَّل من معظم الأمرِ ثقلا

تحمَّل من معظم الأمرِ ثقلا

A young man—how often he has given and bestowed, and how often

A youth who has benefitted and given and borne

he has borne the burden of momentous affairs!

The heaviest of matters and the most difficult

وألحَقني عنده نعمةً

وألحَقني عنده نعمةً

وقلّدني منه مَنّاً وفضلا

وقلّدني منه مَنّاً وفضلا

And he brought me into his company as a favor,

And join me in his bounty

and garlanded me with his beneficence and bounty.

And honor me with his gifts and preference

وقرَّبني بين جلّاسهِ

وقرَّبني بين جلّاسهِ

وأجلسني في المعالي محلّا

وأجلسني في المعالي محلّا

And he drew me close among those seated with him,

And bring me close among his intimates

and seated me in a place of high honor.

And seat me in the heights in an honored place

متى تسألن عنه مُستخبراً

متى تسألن عنه مُستخبراً

تجده المليكَ الأعزَّ الأجلّا

تجده المليكَ الأعزَّ الأجلّا

Whenever you ask about him, seeking to learn,

When you ask about him inquisitively

you find him the mightiest, most august sovereign.

You will find him the most glorious and noble king

تحيط الأقاليمَ أقلامُه

تحيط الأقاليمَ أقلامُه

وتوضح آفاقها منه عدلا

وتوضح آفاقها منه عدلا

His pens encompass the provinces

His pens encompass the regions

and illumine their horizons with his justice.

And his justice illuminates their horizons

وكم للضلالة من خيمةٍ

وكم للضلالة من خيمةٍ

طواها كطيِّ السِّجلِّ السِّجلَّا

طواها كطيِّ السِّجلِّ السِّجلَّا

And how many a tent of error

And how many tents of misguidance

he folded up, as al-Sijill folds the scroll!

He has folded up like the folding of scrolls

فمن في الأنامِ اِصطفى غيرَهُ

فمن في الأنامِ اِصطفى غيرَهُ

فلا غرو فيمن عن الرُّشدِ ضلَّا

فلا غرو فيمن عن الرُّشدِ ضلَّا

So whoever among mankind chooses someone other than him—

So who among the people has been chosen but him

it is no wonder that he has strayed from right guidance.

No wonder that those far from the path have strayed

فأصحابُ موسى لَدى السَّامري

فأصحابُ موسى لَدى السَّامري

ي قَد عبدوا في الضلالةِ عجلا

ي قَد عبدوا في الضلالةِ عجلا

For Moses' companions, in al-Samiri's presence,

So the companions of Moses with the Samaritan

had indeed worshipped a calf in their error.

Worshipped in misguidance a calf

أيا أرحبَ الناسِ بحبوحةً

أيا أرحبَ الناسِ بحبوحةً

ويا أحمدَ الناسِ قولاً وفعلا

ويا أحمدَ الناسِ قولاً وفعلا

O you whose domain is the most spacious among men,

O most hospitable of people in refuge

and most praiseworthy of men in word and deed,

And most praiseworthy of people in word and deed

نسخت بعدلكَ جورَ العدَا

نسخت بعدلكَ جورَ العدَا

فأضحى بهم شربهم مضمحلَّا

فأضحى بهم شربهم مضمحلَّا

you annulled with your justice the enemies' oppression,

You have overwritten with your justice the injustice of enemies

so their allotted drink dwindled away among them.

So their drinking of it has withered

وأنش فيهم غداةَ اللقى

وأنش فيهم غداةَ اللقى

سحائب يمطرنَ خيلاً ورجلا

سحائب يمطرنَ خيلاً ورجلا

And you raised against them, on the morning of encounter,

And you inspired in them the morning of meeting

clouds raining horsemen and foot soldiers.

Clouds that rain horses and men

فلمَّا اِرجحنّت همى ودقها

فلمَّا اِرجحنّت همى ودقها

فأضحت تسحُّ الأسيّة وبلا

فأضحت تسحُّ الأسيّة وبلا

When they grew heavy, their rain streamed down,

So when the resolve in her firmed and its timing exact

and they poured distress in torrents.

She came pouring down the misfortunes and afflictions

فكنتَ سليمانَ في جندِه

فكنتَ سليمانَ في جندِه

وكانوا لمجتمع النّمل نملا

وكانوا لمجتمع النّمل نملا

So you were Solomon amid his army,

You were Solomon in his troops

and they were ants in a gathering of ants.

And they were to the gathering of ants as ants

فألبست شامسهم بعدما

فألبست شامسهم بعدما

اِستحقُّوا من الذلِّ قيداً وغلَّا

اِستحقُّوا من الذلِّ قيداً وغلَّا

So you clothed their defiant one—after

So you clothed their chieftain after

they had earned it—with humiliation's fetter and neck-shackle.

They deserved from humiliation shackles and chains