غَمَضَ الحَديدُ بِصاحِبَيكَ فَغَمَّضا

غَمَضَ الحَديدُ بِصاحِبَيكَ فَغَمَّضا

وَبَقيتَ تَطلُبُ في الحِبالَةِ مَنهَضا

وَبَقيتَ تَطلُبُ في الحِبالَةِ مَنهَضا

The steel sank into your two companions, and they closed their eyes;

The iron closed around your two companions, so they closed their eyes,

And you remained, seeking a way to rise within the snare.

While you remained seeking someone to lift you up in your pregnancy,

وَكَأَنَّ قَلبي عِندَ كُلِّ مُصيبَةٍ

وَكَأَنَّ قَلبي عِندَ كُلِّ مُصيبَةٍ

عَظمٌ تَكَرَّرَ صَدعُهُ فَتَهَيَّضا

عَظمٌ تَكَرَّرَ صَدعُهُ فَتَهَيَّضا

And at every calamity my heart seems

And it is as if, at every calamity, my heart

A bone whose fracture keeps returning, till it breaks anew.

Is a bone whose break got repeated, so it crumbled.

وَأَخٌ سَلَوتُ لَهُ فَأَذكَرَهُ أَخٌ

وَأَخٌ سَلَوتُ لَهُ فَأَذكَرَهُ أَخٌ

فَمَضى وَتُذكِرُكَ الحَوادِثُ ما مَضى

فَمَضى وَتُذكِرُكَ الحَوادِثُ ما مَضى

And a brother I had ceased to mourn—another brother recalled him;

I had a brother, I distracted him, so another brother reminded him,

Then he too passed away; calamities remind you of what has passed.

So he left, and events remind you of what has passed,

فَاِشرَب عَلى تَلَفِ الأَحِبَّةِ إِنَّنا

فَاِشرَب عَلى تَلَفِ الأَحِبَّةِ إِنَّنا

جُزُرُ المَنِيَّةِ طاعِنينَ وَخُفَّضا

جُزُرُ المَنِيَّةِ طاعِنينَ وَخُفَّضا

So drink despite the loss of loved ones, for we are

So drink at the loss of loved ones, we

Death's slaughter-beasts, whether journeying or at ease.

Are islands of death, obedient and submissive.

وَلَقَد جَرَيتُ مَعَ الصِبا طَلقَ الصَبا

وَلَقَد جَرَيتُ مَعَ الصِبا طَلقَ الصَبا

ثُمَّ اِرعَوَيتُ فَلَم أَجِد لي مَركَضا

ثُمَّ اِرعَوَيتُ فَلَم أَجِد لي مَركَضا

And indeed I ran with youth, free as the east wind;

And I have roamed with the morning breeze at dawn,

Then I came to my senses and found no course left for me to run.

Then I raced, but found no place for me to race.

وَعَلِمتُ ما عَلِمَ اِمرؤٌ في دَهرِهِ

وَعَلِمتُ ما عَلِمَ اِمرؤٌ في دَهرِهِ

فَأَطَعتُ عُذّالي وَأَعطَيتُ الرِضا

فَأَطَعتُ عُذّالي وَأَعطَيتُ الرِضا

And I learned what a man learns in his lifetime;

And I knew what a man in his time knew,

So I obeyed my reproachers and gave my assent.

So I obeyed my tormentors and gave consent.

وَصَحوتُ مِن سُكرٍ وَكُنتُ مُوَكَّلاً

وَصَحوتُ مِن سُكرٍ وَكُنتُ مُوَكَّلاً

أَرعى الحَمامَةَ وَالغُرابَ الأَبيَضا

أَرعى الحَمامَةَ وَالغُرابَ الأَبيَضا

And I sobered from drunkenness, though I had been devoted

And I woke from intoxication, and I was assigned

To watching over the dove and the white raven.

To shepherd the dove and the white crow.

ما كُلُّ بارِقَةٍ تَجودُ بِمائِها

ما كُلُّ بارِقَةٍ تَجودُ بِمائِها

وَلَرُبَّما صَدَقَ الرَبيعُ فَرَوَّضا

وَلَرُبَّما صَدَقَ الرَبيعُ فَرَوَّضا

Not every lightning-lit cloud is generous with its rain;

Not every flash of lightning is generous with its water,

Yet often spring keeps its promise and brings forth meadows.

And perhaps spring was truthful, so it blossomed.

وَمُنيفَةٍ شَرَفاً جَعَلتُ لَها الهَوى

وَمُنيفَةٍ شَرَفاً جَعَلتُ لَها الهَوى

إِمّا مُكافَأَةً وَإِمّا مُقرَضا

إِمّا مُكافَأَةً وَإِمّا مُقرَضا

And to many a woman of lofty honor I gave my love,

And I made desire for Munifah an honor,

Either in recompense or as a loan,

Either reciprocating or lending.

حَتّى إِذا شَرِبَت بِماءِ مَوَدَّتي

حَتّى إِذا شَرِبَت بِماءِ مَوَدَّتي

وَشَرِبتُ بَردَ رُضابِها مُتَبَرِّضا

وَشَرِبتُ بَردَ رُضابِها مُتَبَرِّضا

Until, when she had drunk the water of my affection

Until when she drank the water of my affection,

And I had drunk her cool saliva, sip by sip,

And I drank the coldness of her rejection, frustrated,

قالَت لِتِربيَها اِذهَبا فَتَحَسَّسا

قالَت لِتِربيَها اِذهَبا فَتَحَسَّسا

ما بالُهُ تَرَكَ السَلامَ وَأَعرَضا

ما بالُهُ تَرَكَ السَلامَ وَأَعرَضا

She said to her two age-mates, “Go and find out:

She said to her keeper, "Go, and find out

What ails him, that he has abandoned greetings and turned away?

Why did he neglect greeting and turned away?"

قَد ذُقتُ أُلفَتَهُ وَذُقتُ فِراقَهُ

قَد ذُقتُ أُلفَتَهُ وَذُقتُ فِراقَهُ

فَوَجَدتُ ذا عَسَلاً وَذا جَمر الغَضا

فَوَجَدتُ ذا عَسَلاً وَذا جَمر الغَضا

I have tasted his companionship and tasted parting from him;

I have tasted his friendship and tasted his separation,

So I found the one honey, the other embers of ghada wood.

So I found it honey and burning embers.

يا لَيتَ شِعري فيمَ كانَ صُدودُهُ

يا لَيتَ شِعري فيمَ كانَ صُدودُهُ

أَأَسَأتُ أَم رَعَدَ السَحابُ وَأَومَضا

أَأَسَأتُ أَم رَعَدَ السَحابُ وَأَومَضا

Oh, would that I knew why he turned away!

Oh, I wish I knew why he shunned me,

Did I do wrong, or did the cloud thunder and flash?

Did I do wrong or did the clouds rumble and flash?

وَيلي عَلَيهِ وَوَيلَتي مِن بَينِهِ

وَيلي عَلَيهِ وَوَيلَتي مِن بَينِهِ

ما كانَ إِلاّ كَالخِضابِ فَقَد نَضا

ما كانَ إِلاّ كَالخِضابِ فَقَد نَضا

Woe is me over him, and woe is me at parting from him!

Woe to me because of him, and my woe is between us,

He was only like dye, and now it has worn away.”

It was nothing but dye, so it faded.

سُبحانَ مَن كَتَبَ الشَقاءَ لِذي الهَوى

سُبحانَ مَن كَتَبَ الشَقاءَ لِذي الهَوى

كانَ الَّذي قَد كانَ حُكماً فَاِنقَضى

كانَ الَّذي قَد كانَ حُكماً فَاِنقَضى

Glory be to Him who decreed misery for the lover.

Glory to Him who decreed adversity for the lovestruck one,

What came to pass was a decree, and it has run its course.

What had happened was destined, so it passed.