يَطوفُ العُفاةُ بِأَبوابِهِ

يَطوفُ العُفاةُ بِأَبوابِهِ

كَطَوفِ الحَجيجِ بِبَيتِ الحَرَم

كَطَوفِ الحَجيجِ بِبَيتِ الحَرَم

Seekers of bounty circle his doors,

The barefoot ones circle around his doors

as pilgrims circle the Sacred House.

Like the circling of pilgrims around the Sacred House

أَبى طَلَلٌ بِالجِزعِ أَن يَتَكَلَّما

أَبى طَلَلٌ بِالجِزعِ أَن يَتَكَلَّما

وَماذا عَلَيهِ لَو أَجابَ مُتَيَّما

وَماذا عَلَيهِ لَو أَجابَ مُتَيَّما

A ruined campsite at al-Jizʿ refused to speak;

Talal refused to speak out of sadness

and what would it cost it to answer a love-stricken man?

Why should he care if he were to answer gloomily?

وَبِالفِرعِ آثارٌ بَقينَ وَباللِوى

وَبِالفِرعِ آثارٌ بَقينَ وَباللِوى

مَلاعِبُ لا يُعرَفنَ إِلاّ تَوَهُّما

مَلاعِبُ لا يُعرَفنَ إِلاّ تَوَهُّما

And at al-Firʿ traces have endured, and at al-Liwā

And on the branch are traces that remain

playgrounds recognized only by conjecture.

Games that cannot be known except in imagination

إِذا ما غَضِبنا غَضبَةً مُضَرِيَّةً

إِذا ما غَضِبنا غَضبَةً مُضَرِيَّةً

هَتَكنا حِجابَ الشَمسِ أَو تُمطِرَ الدَما

هَتَكنا حِجابَ الشَمسِ أَو تُمطِرَ الدَما

Whenever we rage with the fury of Mudar,

When we get angry with a hurtful anger

we rend the sun's veil until it rains blood.

We tear away the veil of the sun or rain blood

إِذا ما أَعَرنا سَيِّداً مِن قَبيلَةٍ

إِذا ما أَعَرنا سَيِّداً مِن قَبيلَةٍ

ذُرى مِنبَرٍ صَلّى عَلَينا وَسَلَّما

ذُرى مِنبَرٍ صَلّى عَلَينا وَسَلَّما

Whenever we lend a chief from a tribe

Whenever we honor a chief of a tribe

the heights of a pulpit, he invokes blessings and peace upon us.

A progeny of a pulpit who prayed for us and bid farewell

وَإِنّا لَقَومٌ ما تَزالُ جِيادُنا

وَإِنّا لَقَومٌ ما تَزالُ جِيادُنا

تُساوِرُ مَلكاً أَو تُناهِبُ مَغنَما

تُساوِرُ مَلكاً أَو تُناهِبُ مَغنَما

And we are indeed a people whose steeds never cease

We are a people whose steeds still

assailing a king or vying to seize spoils.

Accompany a king or seize war booty

خَلَقنا سَماءً فَوقَنا بِنُجومِها

خَلَقنا سَماءً فَوقَنا بِنُجومِها

سُيوفاً وَنَقعاً يَقبِضُ الطَرفَ أَقنَما

سُيوفاً وَنَقعاً يَقبِضُ الطَرفَ أَقنَما

We fashioned a sky above us with its stars,

We created a sky above us with its stars

of swords and pitch-black dust that shuts the eye.

Swords and spears that make the glance close painfully

وَمَحبِسِ يَومٍ جَرَّتِ الحَربُ ضَنكَهُ

وَمَحبِسِ يَومٍ جَرَّتِ الحَربُ ضَنكَهُ

دَنا ظِلُّهُ وَاِحمَرَّ حَتّى تَحَمَّما

دَنا ظِلُّهُ وَاِحمَرَّ حَتّى تَحَمَّما

And many a day's confinement, whose hardship war brought on—

And the prison of a day whose hardship the war dragged out

its shadow drew near and reddened until it grew coal-black.

Its shadow drew near and reddened until it took on heat

تَفَوَّقتُ أَخلافَ الصِبا وَتَقَدَّمَت

تَفَوَّقتُ أَخلافَ الصِبا وَتَقَدَّمَت

هُمومِيَ حَتّى لَم أَجِد مُتَقَدَّما

هُمومِيَ حَتّى لَم أَجِد مُتَقَدَّما

I sipped from youth's teats, and onward went

I surpassed the progeny of youth and my worries advanced

my cares, until I found no further way ahead.

Until I could find no one more advanced

فَهَذا أَوانَ اِستَحيَتِ النَفسُ وَاِرعَوى

فَهَذا أَوانَ اِستَحيَتِ النَفسُ وَاِرعَوى

لِداتي وَراجَعتُ الَّذي كانَ أَقوَما

لِداتي وَراجَعتُ الَّذي كانَ أَقوَما

So now is the time: my soul feels shame, and good sense has come to

So this is the time when the soul felt shame and trembled

my age-mates; I have returned to what was more upright.

For my audacity, and I returned to what was more upright

وَيَومٍ كَتَنّورِ الإِماءِ سَجَرنَهُ

وَيَومٍ كَتَنّورِ الإِماءِ سَجَرنَهُ

وَأَوقَدنَ فيهِ الجَزلَ حَتّى تَضَرَّما

وَأَوقَدنَ فيهِ الجَزلَ حَتّى تَضَرَّما

And many a day like the slave women's oven, which they stoked,

And a day like the oven of slave girls they kindled

and kindled thick firewood in it until it blazed.

And in it they lit the embers until it reddened

رَمَيتُ بِنَفسي في أَجيجِ سَمومِهِ

رَمَيتُ بِنَفسي في أَجيجِ سَمومِهِ

وَبِالعيسِ حَتّى بَضَّ مِنخَرُها دَما

وَبِالعيسِ حَتّى بَضَّ مِنخَرُها دَما

I hurled myself into the blaze of its scorching wind,

I flung myself into the tumult of its poisons

and the pale camels, until their nostrils oozed blood.

And with the molten iron until its vein burst blood