أُلوthose endowed with الفَضلِmerit فيin أَوطانِهِمtheir homelands غُرَباءُstrangers
أُلو الفَضلِ في أَوطانِهِم غُرَباءُ
تَشِذُّturn aside وَتَنأىand keep far away عَنهُمُfrom them القُرَباءُkinsfolk
تَشِذُّ وَتَنأى عَنهُمُ القُرَباءُ
People of merit are strangers in their homelands;
Strangers excel in their homelands,
their kin turn aside and keep far from them.
While kin shun and keep away from them.
فَماfor not سَبَأواthey bought الراحَwine الكُمَيتَdark-red لِلَذَّةٍfor pleasure
فَما سَبَأوا الراحَ الكُمَيتَ لِلَذَّةٍ
وَلاnor كانَthere was مِنهُمfrom them لِلخِرادِof bashful maidens سِباءُcapture
وَلا كانَ مِنهُم لِلخِرادِ سِباءُ
For they have bought no dark-red wine for pleasure,
They never savored rest in the wine-skin's curve,
nor have they taken bashful maidens captive.
Nor did they own gowns threadbare from constant wear.
وَحَسبُand enough الفَتىthe young man مِنof ذِلَّةِhumiliation العَيشِliving
وَحَسبُ الفَتى مِن ذِلَّةِ العَيشِ
أَنَّهُthat he يَروحُreturns at evening بِأَدنىwith the barest القَوتِsustenance وَهوَand it is حِباءُa gift
أَنَّهُ يَروحُ بِأَدنى القَوتِ وَهوَ حِباءُ
It is humiliation enough in life for a young man
The ignominy of living for a man
that he returns with the barest sustenance—and that a gift.
Is that he lives off the barest means while still craving more.
إِذاwhen ما(emphatic particle) خَبَتdied down نارُfire الشَبيبَةِyouth ساءَنيgrieved me
إِذا ما خَبَت نارُ الشَبيبَةِ ساءَني
وَلَوand even if نُصَّwas pitched ليfor me بَينَamong النُجومِthe stars خِباءُa tent
وَلَو نُصَّ لي بَينَ النُجومِ خِباءُ
When the fire of youth dies down, it grieves me,
When the fires of my youth begin to wane, it saddens me,
even if a tent were pitched for me among the stars.
Even were a refuge built for me amongst the stars.
أُرابيكَI repay you with interest فيin الوِدِّaffection الَّذيwhich قَدalready بَذَلتَهُyou bestowed it
أُرابيكَ في الوِدِّ الَّذي قَد بَذَلتَهُ
فَأُضعِفُso I double إِنif أَجدىbenefited إِلَيكَto you رِباءُinterest
فَأُضعِفُ إِن أَجدى إِلَيكَ رِباءُ
I repay you with interest for the affection you have bestowed,
O she-camel of the valley, whom you granted me,
so I double it, if interest does you any good.
Though I call out to you, any echo I hear is faint.
وَماand no بَعدَafter مَرَpassing of الخَمسَthe five عَشرَةَten مِنof صِباًchildhood
وَما بَعدَ مَرَ الخَمسَ عَشرَةَ مِن صِباً
وَلاnor بَعدَafter مَرِّpassing of الأَربَعينَforty صَباءُyouthful passion
وَلا بَعدَ مَرِّ الأَربَعينَ صَباءُ
There is no childhood after fifteen years have passed,
What's after fifteen or forty springs of youth?
nor youthful passion after forty.
You're not pleased with a cloak for clothes,
أَجِدَّكَare you serious? لاتَرضىyou do not accept العَباءَةَthe woolen cloak مَلبَساًas clothing
أَجِدَّكَ لاتَرضى العَباءَةَ مَلبَساً
وَلَوand even if بانَbecame visible ماwhat تُسديهِyou weave it قيلَit was called عَباءُcoarse cloak-cloth
وَلَو بانَ ما تُسديهِ قيلَ عَباءُ
Do you truly reject the woolen cloak as clothing?
Though if what's underneath was seen, they'd call it a cloak.
Yet if what you weave were visible, it would be called coarse cloth.
In this stagnant land are blooms
وَفيand in هَذِهِthis الأَرضِearth الرَكودِmotionless مَنابِتٌplaces of growth
وَفي هَذِهِ الأَرضِ الرَكودِ مَنابِتٌ
فَمِنهاso from it عَلَندى‘alandā tree ساطِعٌrising high وَكِباءُand incense
فَمِنها عَلَندى ساطِعٌ وَكِباءُ
And this motionless earth has places of growth;
Among which some shine while others are insipid.
among them are towering ‘alandā trees and incense wood.
The line of progeny extends from Adam
تَواصَلَcontinued unbroken حَبلُcord النَسلِdescent ماwhat lies بَينَbetween آدَمٍAdam
تَواصَلَ حَبلُ النَسلِ ما بَينَ آدَمٍ
وَبَينيand between me وَلَمand not يوصِلَwas joined بِلامِيَto my lām باءُbāʾ
وَبَيني وَلَم يوصِلَ بِلامِيَ باءُ
The cord of descent stretches unbroken between Adam
to me, though it never connected with "Ba" of my name.
and me, yet no bāʾ has been joined to my lām.
Whenever Amr yawns, Khalid yawns contagiously,
تَثاءَبَyawned عَمروٌAmr إِذwhen تَثاءَبَyawned خالِدٌKhalid
تَثاءَبَ عَمروٌ إِذ تَثاءَبَ خالِدٌ
بِعَدوىby contagion فَماyet not أَعَدَتنِيَinfected me الثُؤباءُyawning
بِعَدوى فَما أَعَدَتنِيَ الثُؤباءُ
Amr yawned when Khalid yawned,
but it doesn't infect me with drowsiness.
by contagion; yet yawning has not infected me.
My knowledge of people disheartened me about people,
وَزَهَّدَنيand made me disenchanted فيwith الخَلقِpeople مَعرِفَتيmy knowledge بِهِمof them
وَزَهَّدَني في الخَلقِ مَعرِفَتي بِهِم
وَعِلميand my knowledge بِأَنَّof the fact that العالَمينَthe worlds هَباءُdust
وَعِلمي بِأَنَّ العالَمينَ هَباءُ
Knowing people has made me turn away from them,
Since I know that both worlds are vain.
as has knowing that the worlds are dust.
How does one recover what is lost after
وَكَيفَand how تَلافِيَّmy recovery of الَّذيwhat فاتَwas lost بَعدَماafter
وَكَيفَ تَلافِيَّ الَّذي فاتَ بَعدَما
تَلَفَّعَwrapped itself in نيرانَflames الحَريقِthe blaze أَباءُreeds
تَلَفَّعَ نيرانَ الحَريقِ أَباءُ
And how can I recover what is lost, after
the raging fires have consumed the fathers?
the reeds have wrapped themselves in the blaze's flames?
When fate descends, cats cannot pounce
إِذاwhen نَزَلَdescended المِقدارُfate لَمnot يَكُbe لِلقَطاfor the sandgrouse
إِذا نَزَلَ المِقدارُ لَم يَكُ لِلقَطا
نُهوضٌtaking flight وَلاnor لِلمُخَدِراتِfor secluded women إِباءُrefusal
نُهوضٌ وَلا لِلمُخَدِراتِ إِباءُ
When fate descends, the sandgrouse have no
Nor sedatives arouse.
power to take flight, nor secluded women any power to resist.
Spearheads lunged into the army, but Raddwa was not pierced,
وَقَدand indeed نُطِحَتwas rammed بِالجَيشِby the army رَضوىRadwa فَلَمyet not تُبَلcare
وَقَد نُطِحَت بِالجَيشِ رَضوى فَلَم تُبَل
وَلُزَّand was hemmed in بِراياتِby the banners of الخَميسِthe army قُباءُQuba
وَلُزَّ بِراياتِ الخَميسِ قُباءُ
And Radwa has been rammed by an army, yet took no heed,
And standards of the Khamis regiment stood tall.
and Quba was hemmed in by the host's banners.
A father reaps even if his sons
عَلىagainst الوُلدِthe children يَجنيwrongs والِدٌa father وَلَوand even if أَنَّهُمthat they
عَلى الوُلدِ يَجني والِدٌ وَلَو أَنَّهُم
وُلاةٌgovernors عَلىover أَمصارِهِمtheir cities خُطَباءُorators
وُلاةٌ عَلى أَمصارِهِم خُطَباءُ
A father wrongs his children, even if they
are governors over the lands and fine orators.
are governors of their cities and orators.
Your distance from your sons increases,
وَزادَكَand increased your بُعداًdistance مِنfrom بَنيكَyour sons وَزادَهُمand increased their
وَزادَكَ بُعداً مِن بَنيكَ وَزادَهُم
عَلَيكَagainst you حُقوداًgrudges أَنَّهُمthat they are نُجَباءُgifted
عَلَيكَ حُقوداً أَنَّهُم نُجَباءُ
And what has estranged you further from your sons, and increased their
as does their resentment since they're highborn.
resentment toward you, is that they are gifted.
They see a father who left them in a shrine
يَرَونَthey see أَباًa father أَلقاهُمُcast them فيinto مُؤَرَّبٍtightly bound
يَرَونَ أَباً أَلقاهُمُ في مُؤَرَّبٍ
مِنَof العَقدِbinding ضَلَّتfailed to find حَلَّهُits untying الأُرَباءُthe wise
مِنَ العَقدِ ضَلَّت حَلَّهُ الأُرَباءُ
They see a father who cast them into a tightly bound
when its prayer beads scattered all over.
knot, whose untying has eluded the wise.
Only the cultured disciplined each people in every land
وَماand none أَدَبَinvited الأَقوامِthe peoples فيin كُلِّevery بَلدَةٍtown
وَما أَدَبَ الأَقوامِ في كُلِّ بَلدَةٍ
إِلىto المَينِfalsehood إِلّاexcept مَعشَرٌa company أُدَباءُmen of letters
إِلى المَينِ إِلّا مَعشَرٌ أُدَباءُ
And none has invited the peoples in every town
and guided them away from villainy.
to falsehood but a company of men of letters.
In every mound and burrow we're pursued
تَتَبُّعُناpursuing us فيthrough كُلِّevery نَقبٍmountain pass وَمَخرَمٍand cleft
تَتَبُّعُنا في كُلِّ نَقبٍ وَمَخرَمٍ
مَناياdeaths لَهاthey have مِنof جِنسِهاtheir own kind نُقَباءُleaders
مَنايا لَها مِن جِنسِها نُقَباءُ
We are pursued through every mountain pass and cleft
by death and its executors of matching kind.
by deaths whose leaders are of their own kind.
When lionesses fear rabbits,
إِذاif خافَتfeared الأُسدُthe lions الخِماصُhungry مِنَof الظُبىsword-edges
إِذا خافَت الأُسدُ الخِماصُ مِنَ الظُبى
فَكَيفَthen how تَعَدّىescape حوكمَهُنَّtheir rule ظِباءُgazelles
فَكَيفَ تَعَدّى حوكمَهُنَّ ظِباءُ
If hungry lions fear sword-edges,
how can their cubs rule over gazelles?
then how can gazelles escape their rule?
Partial English translation: 39 of 40 Arabic lines translated.