يَزورُني القَومُ هَذا أَرضُهُ يَمَنٌ

يَزورُني القَومُ هَذا أَرضُهُ يَمَنٌ

مِنَ البِلادِ وَهَذا دارُهُ الطَبَسُ

مِنَ البِلادِ وَهَذا دارُهُ الطَبَسُ

People visit me: this one's land is Yemen,

The people come visiting, this is their Yemeni land

among the countries, and that one's home is Tabas.

From the countries, and this is their home, Tabas.

قالوا سَمِعنا حَديثاً عَنكَ قُلتُ لَهُم

قالوا سَمِعنا حَديثاً عَنكَ قُلتُ لَهُم

لايُبعِدُ اللَهُ إِلّا مَعشَراً لَبَسوا

لايُبعِدُ اللَهُ إِلّا مَعشَراً لَبَسوا

They said, "We heard a report about you." I told them,

They said, "We heard talk about you." I said to them,

"May God banish none but those who mislead."

"May God not banish except a group who wore abuse."

يَبغَونَ مبنىً مَبناً لَستُ أُحسِنُهُ

يَبغَونَ مبنىً مَبناً لَستُ أُحسِنُهُ

فَإِن صَدَقتُ عَرَتهُم رَوجُهٌ عُبُسُ

فَإِن صَدَقتُ عَرَتهُم رَوجُهٌ عُبُسُ

They seek a structure—a construction I cannot master;

They want a building I don't know how to build

but if I speak truth, grim [faces] come upon them.

So if I spoke truly, their faces scowled and frowned.

أَعانَنا اللَهُ كُلٌّ في مَعيشَتِهِ

أَعانَنا اللَهُ كُلٌّ في مَعيشَتِهِ

يَلقى العَناءَ فَدُرَّيُ فَوقَنا دُبَسُ

يَلقى العَناءَ فَدُرَّيُ فَوقَنا دُبَسُ

May God help us! Everyone, in making a living,

God has helped us, each in his livelihood,

meets hardship; the bright stars above us are dusky.

He faces hardship, so above us is folded coarse wool.

ماذا تُريدونَ لا مالٌ تَيَسَّرَ لي

ماذا تُريدونَ لا مالٌ تَيَسَّرَ لي

فَيُستَماحُ وَلا عِلمٌ فَيُقتَبَسُ

فَيُستَماحُ وَلا عِلمٌ فَيُقتَبَسُ

What do you want? No wealth has become available to me

What do you want? No money was made easy for me

to be begged for, nor knowledge to be gleaned.

To be borrowed, nor knowledge to be grasped.

أَتَسأَلونَ جَهولاً أَن يُفيدَكُمُ

أَتَسأَلونَ جَهولاً أَن يُفيدَكُمُ

وَتَحلُبونَ سَفيّاً ضَرعُها يَبَسُ

وَتَحلُبونَ سَفيّاً ضَرعُها يَبَسُ

Do you ask an ignoramus to benefit you,

Do you ask an ignorant one to benefit you,

and milk [a she-camel] whose udder is dry?

And milk a barren she-camel whose udder has dried?

ما يُعجِبُ الناسَ إِلّا قَولُ مُختَدِعٍ

ما يُعجِبُ الناسَ إِلّا قَولُ مُختَدِعٍ

كَأَنَّ قَوماً إِذا ما شُرَّيوا أُبِسوا

كَأَنَّ قَوماً إِذا ما شُرَّيوا أُبِسوا

Nothing pleases people but a deceiver's words,

Nothing pleases people except the words of a deceiver,

as though people, whenever [traded], were rebuked.

As if a people, when they are bought, are corroded.

قَد أَنفَدوا في ضِياعٍ كُلَّ ما عَمِروا

قَد أَنفَدوا في ضِياعٍ كُلَّ ما عَمِروا

فَكانَ مِثلَ جِلالِ البُدنِ ما لَبِسوا

فَكانَ مِثلَ جِلالِ البُدنِ ما لَبِسوا

They have spent their entire lives on estates,

They exhausted all they built in losses,

and what they wore was like sacrificial camels' blankets.

So their bodies were like their worn out clothes.

أَنّا الشَقيُّ بِأَنّي لا أُطيقُ لَكُم

أَنّا الشَقيُّ بِأَنّي لا أُطيقُ لَكُم

مَعونَةً وَصُروفُ الدَهرِ تَحتَبِسُ

مَعونَةً وَصُروفُ الدَهرِ تَحتَبِسُ

I am wretched because I cannot offer you

I am wretched in that I cannot help you,

any aid, while time's vicissitudes hold me captive.

And the turns of fate hold back.

مَن لِليَمانينَ أَن يُمسوا وَنارُهُمُ

مَن لِليَمانينَ أَن يُمسوا وَنارُهُمُ

شَبيبَةٌ وَسُهَيلٌ بَينَهُم قَبَسُ

شَبيبَةٌ وَسُهَيلٌ بَينَهُم قَبَسُ

Who can grant the Yemenis an evening when their fire

Who are the Yemenis that they spend the night, and their fire

is blazing, and Suhayl is a firebrand among them?

Is youthful, and Suhail is among them, kindled?

وَلِلبَداويِّ أَن يُبنى الخِباءُ لَهُ

وَلِلبَداويِّ أَن يُبنى الخِباءُ لَهُ

في ضاحِكاتٍ بِهِنَّ العَبسُ وَالعَبَسُ

في ضاحِكاتٍ بِهِنَّ العَبسُ وَالعَبَسُ

And the Bedouin a tent pitched for him

And for the Bedouin that tents be built for him

in smiling meadows, with frowns and caked dung in them?

Among laughing women, some frowning, some frowning?

كَأَنَّ أَسرارَ أَقوامٍ وَإِن كُتِمَت

كَأَنَّ أَسرارَ أَقوامٍ وَإِن كُتِمَت

أَنفاسُ وَلهانَ تُطَفّى حينَ تُحتَبَسُ

أَنفاسُ وَلهانَ تُطَفّى حينَ تُحتَبَسُ

As though people's secrets, even when concealed,

It is as if the secrets of people, even if hidden,

were a longing lover's breaths, quenched when held in.

The breaths and glances of eyes are extinguished when confined.

وَحَدَّثَت عَن خَباياهُم وُجوهُهُمُ

وَحَدَّثَت عَن خَباياهُم وُجوهُهُمُ

فَقَد أَتوكَ بِنَجواهُم وَما نَبَسوا

فَقَد أَتوكَ بِنَجواهُم وَما نَبَسوا

And their faces spoke of their hidden secrets;

Their faces have talked about their hidden depths,

for they brought you their confidences without uttering a word.

So they came to you with their whispers which they did not vocalize.

ساعاتُنا كَذِئابِ الخَتلِ إِن غَبَسَت

ساعاتُنا كَذِئابِ الخَتلِ إِن غَبَسَت

في اللَيلِ فَالذِئبُ في أَلوانِهِ الغَبَسُ

في اللَيلِ فَالذِئبُ في أَلوانِهِ الغَبَسُ

Our hours are like stealthy wolves: if they grow dusky

Our hours are like the hyenas of nightfall, if they become dusky

in the night, the wolf too is dusky gray in color.

At night, then the wolf in its colors is dusky.