أَماوِيُّ قَد طالَ التَجَنُّبُ وَالهَجرُ

أَماوِيُّ قَد طالَ التَجَنُّبُ وَالهَجرُ

وَقَد عَذَرَتني مِن طِلابِكُمُ العُذرُ

وَقَد عَذَرَتني مِن طِلابِكُمُ العُذرُ

O Mawiyya, avoidance and estrangement have lasted long.

Amawi, estrangement and avoidance have lasted long

And excuses have absolved me from seeking you.

And my excuses to those seeking you are enough

أَماوِيُّ إِنَّ المالَ غادٍ وَرائحٌ

أَماوِيُّ إِنَّ المالَ غادٍ وَرائحٌ

وَيَبقى مِنَ المالِ الأَحاديثُ وَالذِكرُ

وَيَبقى مِنَ المالِ الأَحاديثُ وَالذِكرُ

O Mawiyya, wealth departs and returns,

Amawi, wealth passes away

And of wealth, tales and remembrance remain.

Only tales and memories of wealth remain

أَماوِيُّ إِنّي لا أَقولُ لِسائِلٍ

أَماوِيُّ إِنّي لا أَقولُ لِسائِلٍ

إِذا جاءَ يَوماً حَلَّ في مالِنا نَزرُ

إِذا جاءَ يَوماً حَلَّ في مالِنا نَزرُ

O Mawiyya, I do not say to a beggar,

Amawi, I never say to one who asks

When he comes one day, 'Scarcity has befallen our wealth.'

When he comes one day, and little remains of our wealth

أَماوِيُّ إِمّا مانِعٌ فَمُبَيَّنٌ

أَماوِيُّ إِمّا مانِعٌ فَمُبَيَّنٌ

وَإِمّا عَطاءٌ لا يُنَهنِهُهُ الزَجرُ

وَإِمّا عَطاءٌ لا يُنَهنِهُهُ الزَجرُ

O Mawiyya, either I withhold, and my refusal is plain,

Amawi, either there is a clear refusal

Or I give a gift no rebuke can restrain.

Or giving that cannot be deterred by rebuke

أَماوِيُّ ما يُغني الثَراءُ عَنِ الفَتى

أَماوِيُّ ما يُغني الثَراءُ عَنِ الفَتى

إِذا حَشرَجَت نَفسٌ وَضاقَ بِها الصَدرُ

إِذا حَشرَجَت نَفسٌ وَضاقَ بِها الصَدرُ

O Mawiyya, what use is wealth to a young man

Amawi, wealth does not avail a man

When a soul rattles in death and the chest tightens around it?

When his soul tightens and his chest contracts

إِذا أَنا دَلّاني الَّذينَ أُحِبُّهُم

إِذا أَنا دَلّاني الَّذينَ أُحِبُّهُم

لِمَلحودَةٍ زُلجٌ جَوانِبُها غُبرُ

لِمَلحودَةٍ زُلجٌ جَوانِبُها غُبرُ

When those I love lower me

When those I love guide me

Into a burial niche with slippery, dust-grey sides,

To a slippery slope, its sides covered in dust

وَراحوا عِجالاً يَنفُضونَ أَكُفَّهُم

وَراحوا عِجالاً يَنفُضونَ أَكُفَّهُم

يَقولونَ قَد دَمّى أَنامِلَنا الحَفرُ

يَقولونَ قَد دَمّى أَنامِلَنا الحَفرُ

And hurry away, dusting off their palms,

And they hastily shake their palms

Saying, 'The digging has bloodied our fingertips.'

Saying, “Our fingers have been bloodied by the digging”

أَماوِيُّ إِن يُصبِح صَدايَ بِقَفرَةٍ

أَماوِيُّ إِن يُصبِح صَدايَ بِقَفرَةٍ

مِنَ الأَرضِ لا ماءٌ هُناكَ وَلا خَمرُ

مِنَ الأَرضِ لا ماءٌ هُناكَ وَلا خَمرُ

O Mawiyya, if my remains come to lie in a wasteland

Amawi, if my companions awake at a waterless wasteland

Of the earth, with neither water there nor wine,

With no water or wine there

تَري أَنَّ ما أَهلَكتُ لَم يَكُ ضَرَّني

تَري أَنَّ ما أَهلَكتُ لَم يَكُ ضَرَّني

وَأَنَّ يَدي مِمّا بَخِلتُ بِهِ صَفرُ

وَأَنَّ يَدي مِمّا بَخِلتُ بِهِ صَفرُ

You will see that what I spent did me no harm,

You would see that what I have destroyed did not harm me

And that my hand is empty of what I hoarded.

And that my hands that were stingy with it are empty

أَماوِيُّ إِنّي رُبَّ واحِدِ أُمِّهِ

أَماوِيُّ إِنّي رُبَّ واحِدِ أُمِّهِ

أَجَرتُ فَلا قَتلٌ عَلَيهِ وَلا أَسرُ

أَجَرتُ فَلا قَتلٌ عَلَيهِ وَلا أَسرُ

O Mawiyya, indeed, many a mother's only son

Amawi, I am the lord of a mother’s only son

Have I sheltered, so neither killing nor captivity befell him.

Whom I have set free, no killing or capturing him

وَقَد عَلِمَ الأَقوامُ لَو أَنَّ حاتِماً

وَقَد عَلِمَ الأَقوامُ لَو أَنَّ حاتِماً

أَرادَ ثَراءَ المالِ كانَ لَهُ وَفرُ

أَرادَ ثَراءَ المالِ كانَ لَهُ وَفرُ

And the peoples know that, had Hatim

And people knew that if Hatem had wanted

Desired great wealth, he would have had abundance.

Wealth of money, he would have had abundance

وَإِنِّيَ لا آلو بِمالٍ صَنيعَةٍ

وَإِنِّيَ لا آلو بِمالٍ صَنيعَةٍ

فَأَوَّلُهُ زادٌ وَآخِرُهُ ذُخرُ

فَأَوَّلُهُ زادٌ وَآخِرُهُ ذُخرُ

And I stint no wealth on a good deed:

But I do not seek to acquire wealth

Its beginning is sustenance, and its end a treasure laid by.

Whose first is provision and last is hoarding

يُفَكُّ بِهِ العاني وَيُؤكَلُ طَيِّباً

يُفَكُّ بِهِ العاني وَيُؤكَلُ طَيِّباً

وَما إِن تُعَرّيهِ القِداحُ وَلا الخَمرُ

وَما إِن تُعَرّيهِ القِداحُ وَلا الخَمرُ

With it the captive is freed, and wholesome food is eaten,

Which would relieve the distressed and be consumed wholesomely

And neither gambling arrows nor wine strip it away.

And neither cups nor wine would strip it bare

وَلا أَظلِمُ اِبنَ العَمِّ إِن كانَ إِخوَتي

وَلا أَظلِمُ اِبنَ العَمِّ إِن كانَ إِخوَتي

شُهوداً وَقَد أَودى بِإِخوَتِهِ الدَهرُ

شُهوداً وَقَد أَودى بِإِخوَتِهِ الدَهرُ

Nor do I wrong my cousin, even if my brothers are

I do not wrong the son of an uncle if my brothers

Present, and time has carried off his brothers.

Are witnesses, though time has destroyed his brothers

عُنينا زَماناً بِالتَصَعلُكِ وَالغِنى

عُنينا زَماناً بِالتَصَعلُكِ وَالغِنى

كَما الدَهرُ في أَيّامِهِ العُسرُ وَاليُسرُ

كَما الدَهرُ في أَيّامِهِ العُسرُ وَاليُسرُ

For a time we were tried by destitution and wealth,

We enjoyed ourselves for a time in leisure and riches

Just as time has hardship and ease among its days.

As time has its days of hardship and ease

كَسَينا صُروفَ الدَهرِ ليناً وَغِلظَةً

كَسَينا صُروفَ الدَهرِ ليناً وَغِلظَةً

وَكُلّاً سَقاناهُ بِكَأسَيهِما الدَهرُ

وَكُلّاً سَقاناهُ بِكَأسَيهِما الدَهرُ

We clothed time's reversals in gentleness and harshness,

We endured the ups and downs of fate gently and harshly

And time made us drink both from their two cups.

And each time fate gave us both cups to drink

فَما زادَنا بَأواً عَلى ذي قَرابَةٍ

فَما زادَنا بَأواً عَلى ذي قَرابَةٍ

غِنانا وَلا أَزرى بِأَحسابِنا الفَقرُ

غِنانا وَلا أَزرى بِأَحسابِنا الفَقرُ

So we grew no prouder toward a kinsman

Our wealth never increased our enmity towards a relative

Through our wealth, nor did poverty diminish our ancestral honor.

Nor did poverty lessen our prestige

فَقِدماً عَصَيتُ العاذِلاتِ وَسُلِّطَت

فَقِدماً عَصَيتُ العاذِلاتِ وَسُلِّطَت

عَلى مُصطَفى مالي أَنامِلِيَ العَشرُ

عَلى مُصطَفى مالي أَنامِلِيَ العَشرُ

Long ago I defied the reproaching women, and free rein was given

So I have often disobeyed the reproachers and devoted

Over the choicest of my wealth to my ten fingers.

My fingers to counting the tithe of my wealth

وَما ضَرَّ جاراً يا اِبنَةَ القَومِ فَاِعلَمي

وَما ضَرَّ جاراً يا اِبنَةَ القَومِ فَاِعلَمي

يُجاوِرُني أَلّا يَكونَ لَهُ سِترُ

يُجاوِرُني أَلّا يَكونَ لَهُ سِترُ

No neighbor was harmed—know this, daughter of the tribe—

It does not harm a neighbor, O daughter of the people, so know

By living beside me without a screen.

That he lives next to me but has no cover

بِعَينَيَّ عَن جاراتِ قَومِيَ غَفلَةٌ

بِعَينَيَّ عَن جاراتِ قَومِيَ غَفلَةٌ

وَفي السَمعِ مِنّي عَن حَديثِهِمِ وَقرُ

وَفي السَمعِ مِنّي عَن حَديثِهِمِ وَقرُ

My eyes pay no heed to the women who neighbor my people,

My eyes are heedless of the women of my people

And my hearing is deaf to their talk.

And I am deaf to their gossip