أَغَرَّ أَيّامِيَ مِنّي ذا الطَلَل

أَغَرَّ أَيّامِيَ مِنّي ذا الطَلَل

وَأَنَّها ما حَمَّلَتني أَحتَمِل

وَأَنَّها ما حَمَّلَتني أَحتَمِل

Have my days been deceived by this ruined remnant of me,

The ruins have beguiled me away from myself

And by my bearing whatever they burden me with,

And that they have not burdened me to endure

وَأَنَّني بَقِيَّةُ البُزلِ الأُوَل

وَأَنَّني بَقِيَّةُ البُزلِ الأُوَل

قَد يَجسُرُ العَودُ عَلى طولِ العَمَل

قَد يَجسُرُ العَودُ عَلى طولِ العَمَل

And by my being a remnant of the mature camels of old?

And that I am but a remnant of the first adventurers

An old camel may brave prolonged toil.

Perchance the tent-pole may prevail upon the toil of pitching

شَيبٌ وَما جُزتُ الثَلاثينَ نَزَل

شَيبٌ وَما جُزتُ الثَلاثينَ نَزَل

نُزولَ ضَيفٍ بِبَخيلٍ ذي عِلَل

نُزولَ ضَيفٍ بِبَخيلٍ ذي عِلَل

Gray hair descended before I had passed thirty,

Grey hairs, and I have not yet reached thirty

Like a guest alighting with a miser full of excuses,

The coming of a guest to a niggardly host of ills

يَصرِفُ عَنهُ السَمعَ إِن رَغا الجَمَل

يَصرِفُ عَنهُ السَمعَ إِن رَغا الجَمَل

وَلا يَقولُ إِن أَناخَ حَيَّ هَل

وَلا يَقولُ إِن أَناخَ حَيَّ هَل

Who turns his ear away if the camel bellows,

Who turns his hearing away if the camel brays,

And, if it kneels, does not say, 'Come, hurry in!'

And says not, though the live coal fall: "Care!"

كَأَنَّهُ لَمّا طَرا عَلى عَجَل

كَأَنَّهُ لَمّا طَرا عَلى عَجَل

سَوادُ نَبتٍ عَمَّهُ بَياضُ طَل

سَوادُ نَبتٍ عَمَّهُ بَياضُ طَل

As though, when it appeared in haste,

As though when he alighted in haste

It were dark growth blanketed by the whiteness of dew.

Black growth that hoariness has entirely overgrown

يَجيءُ بِالهَمِّ وَيَمضي بِالأَجَل

يَجيءُ بِالهَمِّ وَيَمضي بِالأَجَل

فَأوهِ إِن حَلَّ وَواهاً إِن رَحَل

فَأوهِ إِن حَلَّ وَواهاً إِن رَحَل

It comes with sorrow and departs with death.

He brings anxiety and departs with death

So, alas if it alights, and woe if it departs!

So alas if he tarries and woe if he departs

أَبَدَلٌ مِنَ الشَبابِ لا بَدَل

أَبَدَلٌ مِنَ الشَبابِ لا بَدَل

سِرعانَ ما رَقَّ الأَديمُ وَنَغِل

سِرعانَ ما رَقَّ الأَديمُ وَنَغِل

A substitute for youth? No substitute!

A substitute for youth but no substitute

How swiftly the hide grew thin and rotted!

Swiftly the hide was incised and thickened

هَل يَنفَعَنّي في الوِهادِ وَالقُلَل

هَل يَنفَعَنّي في الوِهادِ وَالقُلَل

مَدُّ العَلابِيِّ مِنَ النوقِ الذُلُل

مَدُّ العَلابِيِّ مِنَ النوقِ الذُلُل

Will it benefit me, in valleys and on peaks,

Will it avail me in the valleys and hills

To stretch the neck-sinews of docile she-camels,

To extend the water-skins of the docile camels

في فِتيَةٍ عَوَّدَهُم جَوبُ السُبُل

في فِتيَةٍ عَوَّدَهُم جَوبُ السُبُل

أَن يَشرَبوا ماءَهُم عَلى المَقَل

أَن يَشرَبوا ماءَهُم عَلى المَقَل

Among young men whom traversing roads has accustomed

For lads whom open spaces have inured

To drinking their water in pebble-measured shares?

To drink their water from the bowl

يَنضونَ بِاللَيلِ غُلالاتِ الكَسَل

يَنضونَ بِاللَيلِ غُلالاتِ الكَسَل

وَيَستَسِلّونَ الكَرى مِنَ المُقَل

وَيَستَسِلّونَ الكَرى مِنَ المُقَل

At night they strip off the thin garments of sloth,

They wrap themselves in coverings of sloth at night

And draw slumber out of their eyes.

And flash their shanks bare of entangling robes

إِذا دُعوا لِلطَعنِ وَالخَطبُ جَلَل

إِذا دُعوا لِلطَعنِ وَالخَطبُ جَلَل

حَسِبتَ أَيديهِم مِنَ القَنا الذُبُل

حَسِبتَ أَيديهِم مِنَ القَنا الذُبُل

When summoned to spear-thrusts, with the peril grave,

If they are summoned to the raiding and the sublime words

You would think their hands were made of slender spear-shafts.

You would think their arms were rotten palm-fiber

يُبقونَ آثاراً مِنَ الطَعنِ نَجَل

يُبقونَ آثاراً مِنَ الطَعنِ نَجَل

مِن كُلِّ فَوهاءَ كَما ضَغَّ الوَعِل

مِن كُلِّ فَوهاءَ كَما ضَغَّ الوَعِل

They leave wide, gaping marks from their spear-thrusts,

They leave behind traces of raids uneffaced

Each gaping wound like an ibex's mouth as it bleats.

From every spittle-lathering mouth, as the hyena mumbled

يَطمَعُ في حامِلِها السِمعُ الأَزَل

يَطمَعُ في حامِلِها السِمعُ الأَزَل

يَقولُ مَن عايَنَها مِنَ الوَجَل

يَقولُ مَن عايَنَها مِنَ الوَجَل

The lean-hipped wolf-hyena covets its bearer.

Hoping in her who bore them hearing without end

Whoever has seen it says in terror,

"Thus," says he who beheld them in fright, "the raider neither blind nor lame!"

كَذا الطِعانُ لا عَمىً وَلا شَلَل

كَذا الطِعانُ لا عَمىً وَلا شَلَل

في كُلِّ يَومٍ أَنا مِخماصُ الأُصُل

في كُلِّ يَومٍ أَنا مِخماصُ الأُصُل

'Such is spear-work—not blindness or paralysis!'

Every day I hamstring the hyena

Every day I am hollow-bellied at evening,

And eat with the fox the entrails of camels

آكُلُ بِالمَيسِ غَوارِبَ الإِبِل

آكُلُ بِالمَيسِ غَوارِبَ الإِبِل

أَهدُمُ ما يَبني السَنامُ وَالكَفَل

أَهدُمُ ما يَبني السَنامُ وَالكَفَل

With a mays-wood saddle I devour the camels' withers,

I demolish what the brindled lizard and jerboa build

I tear down what hump and rump build up,

Among the tracks of the grouse and the sand

بَينَ عَجاريفِ العَنيقِ وَالرَمَل

بَينَ عَجاريفِ العَنيقِ وَالرَمَل

مُشتَمِلاً بُردَ الجَنوجَبِ وَالشَمَل

مُشتَمِلاً بُردَ الجَنوجَبِ وَالشَمَل

Amid the rough jolts of swift striding and trotting,

Wrapped in the cloak of striped Yemen cloth and the mantle

Wrapped in the cloak of the south and north winds,

Viewing with the jackal of flaming tail

وَطالِعاً مَعَ الشَميطِ ذي الشُعَل

وَطالِعاً مَعَ الشَميطِ ذي الشُعَل

وَغارِباً مَعَ الظَلامِ وَالطَفَل

وَغارِباً مَعَ الظَلامِ وَالطَفَل

And rising with the streaked dawn, bright with flames,

And vanishing with the darkness and the whelp

And setting with darkness and twilight,

Exposing myself to livelihood while earning a living is harder

تَعَرُّضاً لِلرِزقِ وَالرِزقُ أَشَل

تَعَرُّضاً لِلرِزقِ وَالرِزقُ أَشَل

وَشَنجِ الكَفِّ إِذا قيلَ بَذَل

وَشَنجِ الكَفِّ إِذا قيلَ بَذَل

Seeking sustenance, though sustenance is palsied,

And tight-fistedness if it be said "Give!"

And tight-fisted, even when said to be generous.

Restore what the days have given you pure and limpid

رِد ما سَقاكَ الدَهرُ عَلّاً وَنَهَل

رِد ما سَقاكَ الدَهرُ عَلّاً وَنَهَل

وَما حَذَتكَ النائِباتُ فِاِنتَعِل

وَما حَذَتكَ النائِباتُ فِاِنتَعِل

Drink what Time has poured you, second draught and first,

And what disasters have stripped you, discard

And wear as sandals whatever calamities have given you,

While you remain squatting upon the saddle-skins of camels

ما دُمتَ جَثّاماً عَلى نِضوِ الإِبِل

ما دُمتَ جَثّاماً عَلى نِضوِ الإِبِل

مُسَوَّفاً في كُلِّ يَومٍ بِالرِحَل

مُسَوَّفاً في كُلِّ يَومٍ بِالرِحَل

As long as you sit hunched on a worn-out camel,

Lingering each day over departing

Kept waiting every day with promises of departure.

Whoever shuns raiding will not be given largesse

مَن لَم يُعانِ الغَزوَ لَم يُعطَ النَفَل

مَن لَم يُعانِ الغَزوَ لَم يُعطَ النَفَل

قَدِ اِنقَضى العُمرُ وَأَنتَ في شَغَل

قَدِ اِنقَضى العُمرُ وَأَنتَ في شَغَل

Whoever does not endure warfare is given no spoils.

Your life has passed while you are occupied

Life has passed away while you remain busy.

Venture upon the terrors if you are a man

فَاِجسُر عَلى الأَهوالِ إِن كُنتَ رَجُل

فَاِجسُر عَلى الأَهوالِ إِن كُنتَ رَجُل

وَنَل بِأَطرافِ القَنا ما لَم يُنَل

وَنَل بِأَطرافِ القَنا ما لَم يُنَل

So brave the terrors, if you are a man,

And attain with the points of spears what none attained

And gain with spear-points what has not been gained.

Whoever seeks glory without the sword earns shame

مَن طَلَبَ العِزَّ بِغَيرِ السَيفِ ذَل

مَن طَلَبَ العِزَّ بِغَيرِ السَيفِ ذَل

وَاِمشِ إِلى المَجدِ وَلَو عَلى الأَسَل

وَاِمشِ إِلى المَجدِ وَلَو عَلى الأَسَل

Whoever seeks honor without the sword is humbled.

Press on toward glory, even if on all fours

And walk toward glory, even over spears,

And escape disgrace as the hero escapes

وَاِنجُ مِنَ الهَونِ كَما يَنجو البَطَل

وَاِنجُ مِنَ الهَونِ كَما يَنجو البَطَل

مَن لَم يَئِل مِن بَعدِها فَلا وَأَل

مَن لَم يَئِل مِن بَعدِها فَلا وَأَل

And escape abasement as a champion escapes.

He who does not weaken after it, no anguish for him!

Whoever does not escape after that—may he never escape!