يُبايِنُ شَكلٌ غَيرَهُ في حَياتِهِ

يُبايِنُ شَكلٌ غَيرَهُ في حَياتِهِ

فَإِن هَلَكا لَم تُلفِ بَينَهُما فَرقا

فَإِن هَلَكا لَم تُلفِ بَينَهُما فَرقا

One being differs from another while alive;

One's form differs from another's in life

but if both perish, you find no difference between them.

Yet if both perish, no difference lies between the two

وَمَن يَفتَقِد حالَ الزَمانِ وَأَهلِه

وَمَن يَفتَقِد حالَ الزَمانِ وَأَهلِه

يَذُمُّ بِهِم غَرباً مِنَ الأَرضِ أَو شَرقا

يَذُمُّ بِهِم غَرباً مِنَ الأَرضِ أَو شَرقا

Whoever examines the state of the age and its people

And he who is disconnected from his time and its people

condemns, because of them, earth's west or east.

Finds fault with them whether in the west or east of the world

يَجِد قَولَهُم مَيناً وَوِدَّهُمُ قِلىً

يَجِد قَولَهُم مَيناً وَوِدَّهُمُ قِلىً

وَخَيرَهُم شَرّاً وَصَنعَتَهُم خُرقا

وَخَيرَهُم شَرّاً وَصَنعَتَهُم خُرقا

He finds their speech falsehood and their affection hatred,

He finds their words weak and their love little

their goodness evil, and their workmanship ineptitude,

Their good evil and their deeds ragged

وَبِشرَهُمُ خَدَعاً وَفَقرَهُم غِنىً

وَبِشرَهُمُ خَدَعاً وَفَقرَهُم غِنىً

وَعِلَمَهُم جَهلاً وَحِكمَتَهُم زَرقا

وَعِلَمَهُم جَهلاً وَحِكمَتَهُم زَرقا

their cheerful welcome deceit, and their poverty wealth,

And their glad tidings deception and their poverty riches

their knowledge ignorance, and their wisdom fraud.

Their knowledge ignorance and their wisdom motley

أَحَيَّ كِلابٍ كَم رَعى النَبتَ قَبلَكُم

أَحَيَّ كِلابٍ كَم رَعى النَبتَ قَبلَكُم

فَريقٌ وَشاموا في حَنادِسِهِم بَرقا

فَريقٌ وَشاموا في حَنادِسِهِم بَرقا

O clan of Kilab, how many grazed the pasture before you—

O dogs, how many plants have you shepherded before them

companies that watched for lightning in their pitch-black nights!

A band who in their dens saw lightning

وَصابوا عَلى عافٍ وَآبوا إِلى رِضىً

وَصابوا عَلى عافٍ وَآبوا إِلى رِضىً

وَجابوا إِلى عَلياءَ نازِحَةٍ خَرقا

وَجابوا إِلى عَلياءَ نازِحَةٍ خَرقا

They showered bounty on a supplicant and returned content;

And endured in plenty and turned to consent

they crossed a vast wilderness to a distant height,

And resorted to lofty ruins

وَلَيلاً طَلى قاراً بِقارٍ وَأُكمُهُ

وَلَيلاً طَلى قاراً بِقارٍ وَأُكمُهُ

مُراقِبَةٌ مِن شُهبِهِ حَدَقاً زُرقا

مُراقِبَةٌ مِن شُهبِهِ حَدَقاً زُرقا

and a night that coated pitch with pitch, while its hills

And the night extended darkness unto darkness

watched blue eyes among its shooting stars.

While it watched with its blue, twinkling stars

إِذا نَشَأَت فيهِ الغَمامَةُ خِلتَها

إِذا نَشَأَت فيهِ الغَمامَةُ خِلتَها

بِإيماضِها زِنجِيَّةً فَصَدَت عِرقا

بِإيماضِها زِنجِيَّةً فَصَدَت عِرقا

When a cloud arose in it, you would think it,

When a cloud rises in it, it vanishes

by its flashing, a Zanj woman who had opened a vein.

With its passing like a black maid, it sweats

وَمَرّوا بِمَقصودِ الحِمامِ فَغادَروا

وَمَرّوا بِمَقصودِ الحِمامِ فَغادَروا

خَوالِدَ ضَمَّت فيهِ أَفرُخَها الوُرقا

خَوالِدَ ضَمَّت فيهِ أَفرُخَها الوُرقا

They passed through death's chosen place and left behind

And they passed by the goal of the dove and left

enduring rocks, where gray doves gathered their chicks.

Young doves gathered in it, tender leaves

رَأَينا شُؤونَ الدَهرِ خَفضاً وَرِفعَةً

رَأَينا شُؤونَ الدَهرِ خَفضاً وَرِفعَةً

وَنَحنُ أُسارى في الحَوادِثِ أَو غَرقى

وَنَحنُ أُسارى في الحَوادِثِ أَو غَرقى

We have seen time's affairs: abasement and exaltation,

We have seen the affairs of fate lowered and raised

while we are captives amid calamities, or drowning.

While we are captives to events or drowned

هَوى مُعتَلٍّ كَالغَيثِ مِنَ المُزنِ وَاِعتَلى

هَوى مُعتَلٍّ كَالغَيثِ مِنَ المُزنِ وَاِعتَلى

خَفيضٌ كَنَقعٍ مِن لَدُن حافِرٍ يَرقى

خَفيضٌ كَنَقعٍ مِن لَدُن حافِرٍ يَرقى

One on high fell like rain from the clouds, and there rose

The desire of the invalid falls like rain from the clouds and rises

a lowly one, like dust rising from a hoof.

Depressed like the bray of a hoof stomping

فَلا تَأمَنوا شامِيَّةً يَمَنِيَّةً

فَلا تَأمَنوا شامِيَّةً يَمَنِيَّةً

تُعادي فَلا تُبقي خِباءً وَلا فِرقا

تُعادي فَلا تُبقي خِباءً وَلا فِرقا

So do not feel safe from a Syrian-Yemeni host:

So do not feel secure with a treacherous left or right

it wages war, leaving neither tent nor flock.

That makes enemies and leaves no tent or distinction

يُخَرِّقُ دِرعَ المَرءِ سُمرُ رِماحِها

يُخَرِّقُ دِرعَ المَرءِ سُمرُ رِماحِها

وَإِن كانَ مُرّاً في مَذاقَتِهِ خَرقا

وَإِن كانَ مُرّاً في مَذاقَتِهِ خَرقا

The brown shafts of its spears pierce a man's coat of mail,

It pierces the coat of armor with its spear points

even if he is bitter to taste—a valiant man.

Even if it tastes bitter when swallowed

إِذا طَلَبوا أَقصى العُلا اِتَّخَذوا لَهُ

إِذا طَلَبوا أَقصى العُلا اِتَّخَذوا لَهُ

بِصُمِّ العَوالي في تَرائِبِكُم طُرقا

بِصُمِّ العَوالي في تَرائِبِكُم طُرقا

When they seek the highest glory, they open toward it,

When they seek the heights, they make

with solid spears, paths through your breastbones.

With the summits in your grounds, roads

إِذا كُنتُمُ أَوراقَ أَثلٍ زَهَوا لَكُم

إِذا كُنتُمُ أَوراقَ أَثلٍ زَهَوا لَكُم

جَرادَ نِبالٍ كَي تُبيدَكُم وَرقا

جَرادَ نِبالٍ كَي تُبيدَكُم وَرقا

Were you tamarisk leaves, they would send against you

If you are leaves of tamarisk, locusts of arrows come to you

locusts of arrows, to annihilate you as foliage.

To destroy you leaf by leaf

أَطارِقَ هَمٍّ ضافَ هَل أَنتَ عاذِرٌ

أَطارِقَ هَمٍّ ضافَ هَل أَنتَ عاذِرٌ

مَتّى لَم تَجِد بي عِندَ مُرتَحَلٍ طِرقا

مَتّى لَم تَجِد بي عِندَ مُرتَحَلٍ طِرقا

O night-visiting grief that has come as a guest, will you excuse me

Visitor of worries, did you find me to be excusing

when, at departure, you find no fat left on me?

When you do not find me near a camp, paths

وَأَعوَزَني ماءٌ أُزيلُ بِهِ الصَدى

وَأَعوَزَني ماءٌ أُزيلُ بِهِ الصَدى

فَلا عَيشَ إِن لَم أَشرَبَ الكَدِرَ الطَرقا

فَلا عَيشَ إِن لَم أَشرَبَ الكَدِرَ الطَرقا

And I lack water with which to quench thirst;

And thirst has made me incapable, with which I remove sedation

there is no life unless I drink the turbid, befouled water.

There is no life if I do not drink the turbid road

هُمُ الناسُ أَجبالٌ شَوامِخُ في الذُرى

هُمُ الناسُ أَجبالٌ شَوامِخُ في الذُرى

وَأَودِيَةٌ لا تَبلُغُ الأُكمَ وَالبُرقا

وَأَودِيَةٌ لا تَبلُغُ الأُكمَ وَالبُرقا

Such are people: mountains with towering peaks,

People are mountains, lofty peaks in the earth

and valleys that cannot reach the hillocks and rocky knolls.

And valleys that do not reach the heights and lightning

فَسَكرانُ يُستَرقى وَيَبذُلُ بُسلَةً

فَسَكرانُ يُستَرقى وَيَبذُلُ بُسلَةً

وَآخَرُ صاحي اللُبِّ يَغضَبُ أَن يُرقى

وَآخَرُ صاحي اللُبِّ يَغضَبُ أَن يُرقى

So one drunkard is treated with charms and pays a fee,

One drunk creeps and gives away a cloak

while another, sober of mind, grows angry at being charmed.

While another sober minded becomes angry if he climbs