شكايةُ الصبَّ إلى الأربُعِ

شكايةُ الصبَّ إلى الأربُعِ

ضلالةٌ في الوجدِ لم تنفعِ

ضلالةٌ في الوجدِ لم تنفعِ

The lovesick lover's complaint to the dwelling-places

The complaint of love's anguish to the four friends

Is folly in passion, bringing no relief.

Lost in passion with no benefit

وكيف يشكو فَعِلاتِ الهوى

وكيف يشكو فَعِلاتِ الهوى

فيهنَّ والأطلالُ لم تسمعِ

فيهنَّ والأطلالُ لم تسمعِ

And how can he complain of love's deeds

And how can one complain of the acts of love

Among them, when the ruins do not hear?

When the ruins did not listen

فهل لذاكَ الوصلِ مِن عودةٍ

فهل لذاكَ الوصلِ مِن عودةٍ

أم هل لماضي العيش من مَرجِعِ

أم هل لماضي العيش من مَرجِعِ

So can that union ever return,

So will that union return?

Or can bygone life come back?

Or will the past life recur?

أم هل لمَنْ روَّعني صوتُه

أم هل لمَنْ روَّعني صوتُه

بالصبحِ والاِصباحُ لم يَطلُعِ

بالصبحِ والاِصباحُ لم يَطلُعِ

Or is there, concerning him whose voice startled me

Or will the one whose voice startled me

At dawn, though daybreak had not yet risen—

At dawn when the dawn did not rise

أذانهُ شَتَّتَ شملَ الهوى

أذانهُ شَتَّتَ شملَ الهوى

ليت المنادي بالنوى قد نُعي

ليت المنادي بالنوى قد نُعي

His call to prayer tore love's union apart;

His call scattered the gathering of love

Would that the herald of separation had been reported dead—

If only the caller to departure had been lamented

مِن غفلةٍ عنه واِلاّ فيا

مِن غفلةٍ عنه واِلاّ فيا

ليت أذانَ الصبحِ لم يُسمَعِ

ليت أذانَ الصبحِ لم يُسمَعِ

Any forgetting of him? Otherwise, ah,

Out of neglect of him, otherwise oh

Would that the dawn call to prayer had not been heard!

If only the dawn call was not heard

فأيُّ دمعٍ لم يَفِضْ حُرْقَةً

فأيُّ دمعٍ لم يَفِضْ حُرْقَةً

وأيُّ قلبٍ منه لم يُصْدَعِ

وأيُّ قلبٍ منه لم يُصْدَعِ

So what tears did not overflow with burning grief,

What tears did not spill ardently?

And what heart was not split by it?

What heart was it that did not split?

يا دارُ سقّاكِ مُلِثُّ الحيا

يا دارُ سقّاكِ مُلِثُّ الحيا

مِن دِيمةٍ وطفاءَ لم تُقلِعِ

مِن دِيمةٍ وطفاءَ لم تُقلِعِ

O dwelling, may unceasing, life-giving rain water you,

Oh home whose showers soaked

From a dense cloud of steady rain that does not cease.

The abode continuously and did not stop

كأنَّها في الدارِ بعدَ النوى

كأنَّها في الدارِ بعدَ النوى

وبعدَ جيرانِ النقا أدمعي

وبعدَ جيرانِ النقا أدمعي

As though it, in the dwelling after separation,

As if it remains in the home after the beloveds

And after the dune's neighbors left, were my tears.

And after the neighbors have departed, my tears

للهِ مِن نارِ هوًى بعدّهمْ

للهِ مِن نارِ هوًى بعدّهمْ

تُحنى على زفرتِها أضلعي

تُحنى على زفرتِها أضلعي

God! What a fire of love since their departure,

By God, from a fire of passion after them

My ribs are bent around its sigh!

My ribs moan from its sighs

ومِن مقامٍ قمتُ فيه على

ومِن مقامٍ قمتُ فيه على

حُكْمِ وَدَاعٍ لهمُ مُفظِعِ

حُكْمِ وَدَاعٍ لهمُ مُفظِعِ

And what a stand I took, under

And from a place I stood in which I bid

The decree of a dreadful farewell to them;

Them a painful farewell

ومِن نوًى قد بَسَطَتْ شقَّةً

ومِن نوًى قد بَسَطَتْ شقَّةً

طالتْ على أينقنا الظلَّعِ

طالتْ على أينقنا الظلَّعِ

And what a separation that stretched out a journey

And from a beloved who has spread misery

Long for our limping she-camels!

Across our grieving encampments

وليلةٍ قلتُ وقد أطنبتْ

وليلةٍ قلتُ وقد أطنبتْ

عاذلتي في عذلِها

عاذلتي في عذلِها

And a night when I said, as she spoke at length—

And a night I said, while my reproacher prolonged

My reproacher—in her reproach,

Her blame in painful reproach

الموجِعِ

الموجِعِ

لومي على فرطِ غرامي بهم

لومي على فرطِ غرامي بهم

So painful:

Blame me for my excessive love of them

Blame me for my excessive love for them,

If you wish, O reproacher, or leave me be

اِنْ شئتِ يا لائمتي أو دعي

اِنْ شئتِ يا لائمتي أو دعي

فلستُ بالقابلِ عذلاً وهل

فلستُ بالقابلِ عذلاً وهل

If you wish, O my reproacher, or desist.

For I do not accept blame, and does

For I am not one to accept blame; and would

A lad unaware accept it from you?

يقبلُه منكِ فتًى لا يعي

يقبلُه منكِ فتًى لا يعي

هذا فؤادٌ بعدَهمْ خافقٌ

هذا فؤادٌ بعدَهمْ خافقٌ

A youth who cannot comprehend accept it from you?

This is a heart, after them, throbbing

Here is a heart throbbing since they left,

And an eye, from the separation, did not sleep

ومقلةٌ للبينِ لم تَهجَعِ

ومقلةٌ للبينِ لم تَهجَعِ

ومغرمٍ قالَ لأيامِه

ومغرمٍ قالَ لأيامِه

And an eye that has not slept because of separation.

And from a passion that said to his days

And a love-stricken man who said to his days,

After the beloveds, do with me as you wish

بعدَ النوىما شئتِ بي فاصنعي

بعدَ النوىما شئتِ بي فاصنعي

فليس لي مِن راحةٍ بعدَهمْ

فليس لي مِن راحةٍ بعدَهمْ

After separation: do with me whatever you wish.

For I have no comfort after them

For I have no rest since they left,

No, and no hope in life

كلاّ ولا في العيشِ مِن مطمعِ

كلاّ ولا في العيشِ مِن مطمعِ

يقلقُني البرقُ إذا ما بدا

يقلقُني البرقُ إذا ما بدا

No indeed, nor any hope in life.

Lightning startles me when it flashes

Lightning unsettles me whenever it appears,

Like an unsheathed sword upon the blades

كالسيفِ مسلولاً على لَعْلَعِ

كالسيفِ مسلولاً على لَعْلَعِ

فَيَنْفِرُ النومُ لأيماضِه

فَيَنْفِرُ النومُ لأيماضِه

Like a sword unsheathed above Laʿlaʿ.

So sleep is disturbed by its flashes

Then sleep flees at its flashing,

And the eyelids are averted from the bed

ويَصدِفُ العاني عنِ المضجعِ

ويَصدِفُ العاني عنِ المضجعِ

ويطَّبيهِ فوقَ بانِ الحِمى

ويطَّبيهِ فوقَ بانِ الحِمى

And the captive turns away from his bed.

And it sings to him above the cooking pots

And, above the bān trees of the preserve, he is lured

The cooing of doves sobbing sadly

نوحُ حمامٍ بالغَضا سُجَّعِ

نوحُ حمامٍ بالغَضا سُجَّعِ

يَنُحْنَ في الأيكِ فيُبدي أسًى

يَنُحْنَ في الأيكِ فيُبدي أسًى

By the lament of cooing doves among the ghaḍā trees.

Moaning in the nests, displaying a grief

They lament in the thickets, and sorrow is revealed

The secret passion stored within

مِن نوحِها سرُّ الهوى المودَعِ

مِن نوحِها سرُّ الهوى المودَعِ

ويذكرُ العهدَ فيخشى على

ويذكرُ العهدَ فيخشى على

By love's stored-up secret, at their lament.

And it recalls the covenant, fearing for

He remembers the old bond and fears for

The compartments of a heart infatuated with them

أعشارِ قلبٍ بهمُ مولَعِ

أعشارِ قلبٍ بهمُ مولَعِ

مالي وللآثارِ ابكي على

مالي وللآثارِ ابكي على

The fragments of a heart enamored of them.

What is mine, and for the ruins I weep

What have I to do with the traces? I weep over

Over the traces of their crumbling encampments

رسومِ أطلالهمُ البلقعِ

رسومِ أطلالهمُ البلقعِ

وأُنشدُ الأشعارَ في أربُعٍ

وأُنشدُ الأشعارَ في أربُعٍ

The outlines of their desolate ruins.

And I recite poems in quatrains

And I recite poems among dwelling-places,

I quench their thirst for longing with drink

للشوقِ أسقيهنَّ بالأربَعِ

للشوقِ أسقيهنَّ بالأربَعِ

شعراً غدا كالماءِ مِن رقَّةٍ

شعراً غدا كالماءِ مِن رقَّةٍ

Out of longing, watering them with copious tears:

Poetry tomorrow like soft water

Verse grown waterlike in delicacy,

Without it, sorrow did not flow

بغيرِه الغُلَّةُ لم تَنقَعِ

بغيرِه الغُلَّةُ لم تَنقَعِ

أنظِمُ منه كلَّ سيارةٍ

أنظِمُ منه كلَّ سيارةٍ

By nothing else can burning thirst be quenched.

From it I compose every caravan song

From it I compose each far-traveling poem,

Recited in an abode and an assembly

تُنشَدُ في نادٍ وفي مجمعِ

تُنشَدُ في نادٍ وفي مجمعِ

اِذا حدا الحادي بها نجبَهُ

اِذا حدا الحادي بها نجبَهُ

Recited in a gathering and in an assembly.

When the reciter intones it, it folds

When the camel-driver chants it to his noble camels,

The divergence of the desert with the forearms

طوتْ شِقاقَ البيدِ بالأذرعِ

طوتْ شِقاقَ البيدِ بالأذرعِ

بحملِها وهي على أينها

بحملِها وهي على أينها

They fold up the desert's expanses with their forelegs,

Bearing it while it is delicate

Carrying it, though in their exhaustion

Of step yet swift of foot

دامية الأخفاف والأنسع

دامية الأخفاف والأنسع

جوهرُ لفظٍ قد أشارَ النهى

جوهرُ لفظٍ قد أشارَ النهى

Their hoof-pads and girth-straps are bloodied.

Essence of diction the prohibition

A jewel of diction: reason has pointed

Indicated towards it with the finger

اليه في النضيدِ بالاصبَعِ

اليه في النضيدِ بالاصبَعِ

فأيُّ لفظٍ فيه لا يُشتهى

فأيُّ لفظٍ فيه لا يُشتهى

To it, amid the strung array, with a finger.

What word in it is not coveted

So what word in it is not desired,

And what merit in it was not attained?

وأيُّ فضلِ فيه لم يُجمَعُ

وأيُّ فضلِ فيه لم يُجمَعُ

And what excellence has not been gathered within it?