أَحبابُنا بقلوبِنا شطُّوا

أَحبابُنا بقلوبِنا شطُّوا

وتحكَّموا فيهنَّ فاشتطُّوا

وتحكَّموا فيهنَّ فاشتطُّوا

Our loved ones went far away with our hearts,

Our loved ones set out,

and ruled over them, exceeding all bounds.

And took control of our hearts, so they triumphed,

أما ترَحُّلُهُم فأقتُلُهُ

أما ترَحُّلُهُم فأقتُلُهُ

علماً فأين تراهمُ حطُّوا

علماً فأين تراهمُ حطُّوا

As for their departure, I know it

If they move I'll kill him -

fully; but where do you suppose they alighted?

My knowledge, so where do you see they alighted?

ساروا ولم أُوَذَنْ بسيرهمُ

ساروا ولم أُوَذَنْ بسيرهمُ

حتى رأيتُ جمالهم تَمْطو

حتى رأيتُ جمالهم تَمْطو

They set out, and I was not told of their departure

They travelled and I wasn't told of their journey

until I saw their camels striding away.

Until I saw their beauty has been folded up,

وغدتْ بهم تخطو وأحسبها

وغدتْ بهم تخطو وأحسبها

أَسفاً على أكبادنا تَخطو

أَسفاً على أكبادنا تَخطو

At morning they strode off with them; I imagined them

And the next morning it walked away with them

treading, in my grief, upon our livers.

In sorrow, I reckon, for our livers it walks,

كم في هوادجهنَّ من قمَرٍ

كم في هوادجهنَّ من قمَرٍ

يعدو على الألباب أو يسطو

يعدو على الألباب أو يسطو

How many a moon within their howdahs

How many moons in their chambers,

assails minds or takes them by force!

Galloping over hearts or tyrannizing!

ومُقَبَّلٍ تبدو مَضاحِكُهُ

ومُقَبَّلٍ تبدو مَضاحِكُهُ

فكأنما يَبدو بها سِمطُ

فكأنما يَبدو بها سِمطُ

And a kissable mouth whose smiling teeth appear,

And a kissing mouth appears its smiles

as though a necklace were revealed among them;

As though through it dawns were showing,

ومرجَّلٍ بالمسكِ يعبقُ مِنْ

ومرجَّلٍ بالمسكِ يعبقُ مِنْ

ريَّاهُ حين يمَسُّه المُشْط

ريَّاهُ حين يمَسُّه المُشْط

And combed locks: the comb is fragrant with musk

And a perfumed ankle with musk

from their scent whenever it touches them;

From its banner when a comb touches it,

ومثقَّلِ الأرداف يشخصُ عن

ومثقَّلِ الأرداف يشخصُ عن

أردافه ونهودِهِ المِرْط

أردافه ونهودِهِ المِرْط

And one with ample buttocks, whose mantle stands out

And large-bottomed it looks away

from his buttocks and breasts.

From its buttocks and breasts held high,

وتضمَّنت أستارها لُعَباً

وتضمَّنت أستارها لُعَباً

بيضاً زهاها الحسنُ لا الخَرط

بيضاً زهاها الحسنُ لا الخَرط

And their curtains enclosed dolls,

And their veils included white flashes

white, adorned by beauty, not by carving.

Beautified by grace not by ochre,

فيهن آنسةٌ كلفتُ بها

فيهن آنسةٌ كلفتُ بها

كالظبيةِ الأدماء إِذ تَعطُو

كالظبيةِ الأدماء إِذ تَعطُو

Among them is a maiden I am enamored of,

In them a gentle companion I was encumbered with

like a white gazelle as it reaches up.

Like a roe deer when she bounds,

تلوي أناملها على هَزجٍ

تلوي أناملها على هَزجٍ

وتحثُّهُ أَطرافها السُّبط

وتحثُّهُ أَطرافها السُّبط

She curls her fingers around a tuneful instrument,

She twists her fingers over stirring

and her supple fingertips urge it on.

And her nimble fingertips provoke it

فيظلُّ منها باليسارِ له

فيظلُّ منها باليسارِ له

قبْضٌ وباليمنى له بَسط

قبْضٌ وباليمنى له بَسط

So her left hand keeps it

So by her left for him remains

clasped, while her right hand stretches open.

A fist while by her right for him extends

ضدَّان منثورٌ وملتقطٌ

ضدَّان منثورٌ وملتقطٌ

والنثر يجمع شملُه اللقط

والنثر يجمع شملُه اللقط

Two opposites: what is scattered and what is gathered;

Scattered, picked up,

and gathering reunites what scattering has dispersed.

And the scattered its collection brings together,

كان المشيبُ وهم على عدةٍ

كان المشيبُ وهم على عدةٍ

فترحلوا وتَنزَّلَ الوخْط

فترحلوا وتَنزَّلَ الوخْط

Gray hair and they had a pact:

Grey hair came and they in number

they departed, and the first gray flecks descended.

So they left and old age descended,

أخذوا العزاءَ وزوَّدوك أَسىً

أخذوا العزاءَ وزوَّدوك أَسىً

شتان ما أَخذوا وما أعطوا

شتان ما أَخذوا وما أعطوا

They took away solace and provisioned you with grief;

They took solace and supplied you with sorrow -

how different what they took and what they gave!

Far between what they took and what they gave!

ومذكّرات الزيِّ هُنّ لنا

ومذكّرات الزيِّ هُنّ لنا

في المعنيينِ كليهما شَرطُ

في المعنيينِ كليهما شَرطُ

And women in masculine dress are, for us,

And memories of the farewell visit are for us

guards in both senses of the word.

In both meanings all condition,

فسقى ديارهمُ محلَّلة ال

فسقى ديارهمُ محلَّلة ال

أخلافِ ليسف لحلِّها رَبْط

أخلافِ ليسف لحلِّها رَبْط

So may their homes be watered by clouds with loosened

So their abodes did we water, dissolved,

udders, whose release no binding can restrain.

No legacy, unleashed is its binding,

لي من أبي بكرٍ أخو ثقةٍ

لي من أبي بكرٍ أخو ثقةٍ

لم أسْترِبْ بإِخائِه قَط

لم أسْترِبْ بإِخائِه قَط

In Abu Bakr I have a trustworthy brother,

From Abu Bakr I have a brother, trusted one,

whose brotherhood I have never doubted.

I never doubted his fraternity,

ما حال في قُربٍ ولا بُعُدٍ

ما حال في قُربٍ ولا بُعُدٍ

سيانِ منه القُرْبُ والشَّحْط

سيانِ منه القُرْبُ والشَّحْط

He has not changed in nearness or in distance;

Same close or far,

with him, nearness and remoteness are alike.

Both nearness and distance from him,

جسمان والروحان واحدة

جسمان والروحان واحدة

كالنقطتين حَواهما خط

كالنقطتين حَواهما خط

Two bodies, and the two souls are one,

Bodies yet spirits one,

like two points held within a line.

Like two dots enclosing them a line,

فإذا افتقرتُ فلي به جِدَةٌ

فإذا افتقرتُ فلي به جِدَةٌ

وإذا اغتربتُ فلي به رَهْط

وإذا اغتربتُ فلي به رَهْط

So if I become poor, through him I have wealth;

So when needy I have through him family,

and if I live abroad, through him I have a clan.

And when abroad I have through him clan,

ذاكرْهُ أو جاورْهُ مختبراً

ذاكرْهُ أو جاورْهُ مختبراً

ترَ منه بحراً ما له شَط

ترَ منه بحراً ما له شَط

Converse with him or be his neighbor, testing him:

Recalling him or visiting, examining,

you will find in him a sea without a shore.

You see in him a sea with no shore,

كم نعمةٍ منه حَلِيْتُ بها

كم نعمةٍ منه حَلِيْتُ بها

لا الشِّنفُ يبلغها ولا القُرْط

لا الشِّنفُ يبلغها ولا القُرْط

How many a favor from him has adorned me—

How many gifts from him did I pride myself

neither upper-ear ornament nor earlobe pendant can match it.

Not necklaces or earrings attain them!

متذلِّلٌ سَهْلٌ خلائقُهُ

متذلِّلٌ سَهْلٌ خلائقُهُ

وعلى عدوِّ صديقِه سَلْط

وعلى عدوِّ صديقِه سَلْط

Humble, gentle in character,

Humble, easy his manners

and fierce against his friend's enemy.

And to enemy of his friend violent,

مِدَحٌ يفيدُ بهنّ منقَبَةً

مِدَحٌ يفيدُ بهنّ منقَبَةً

فإذا هجا فهجاؤه عَلْط

فإذا هجا فهجاؤه عَلْط

Panegyrics through which he bestows honor;

Praise profits through them a merit

and when he satirizes, his satire is a brand.

But if dispraised his dispraise is plain,

ونتاجُ معناهُ يُتَمّمُهُ

ونتاجُ معناهُ يُتَمّمُهُ

ونتاجُ معنى غيرِهِ سقط

ونتاجُ معنى غيرِهِ سقط

And he brings his thought's offspring to full term;

And fruits of his meaning perfect it

while the offspring of another's thought is stillborn.

While fruits of another's meaning fall,

وجنانُ آدابٍ مثمرة

وجنانُ آدابٍ مثمرة

ما شابها أَثلٌ ولا خَمط

ما شابها أَثلٌ ولا خَمط

And fruitful gardens of learning,

And gardens of manners, fertile,

with no tamarisk or bitter-fruited trees mixed in;

No blight or mildew blemished them,

وتواضعٌ يزدادُ فيه عَلىً

وتواضعٌ يزدادُ فيه عَلىً

والحسنُ يعلو حينَ يَنحَط

والحسنُ يعلو حينَ يَنحَط

and humility through which he grows more exalted;

And humility wherein aloofness heightens

and beauty rises when it descends.

And beauty excels when it lowers,

وإذا امرؤ شيبَتْ خلائقه

وإذا امرؤ شيبَتْ خلائقه

غدراً فما في وُدِّهِ خَلْط

غدراً فما في وُدِّهِ خَلْط

Though another man's character may be mingled

And when a man greyed, treacherously,

with treachery, this man's affection is unalloyed.

Then no sincerity in his affection!