بَكَيتَ وَما يُبكيكَ مِن طَلَلٍ قَفرِ

بَكَيتَ وَما يُبكيكَ مِن طَلَلٍ قَفرِ

بِسَقفِ اللِوى بَينَ عَمورانَ فَالغَمرِ

بِسَقفِ اللِوى بَينَ عَمورانَ فَالغَمرِ

You wept—what makes you weep over a desolate ruin,

You wept, though no abandoned ruins made you weep,

at Saqf al-Liwa, between Amuran and al-Ghamr,

Between the roof of twisted branches and abundant sands.

بِمُنعَرَجِ الغُلّانِ بَينَ سَتيرَةٍ

بِمُنعَرَجِ الغُلّانِ بَينَ سَتيرَةٍ

إِلى دارِ ذاتِ الهَضبِ فَالبُرُقِ الحُمرِ

إِلى دارِ ذاتِ الهَضبِ فَالبُرُقِ الحُمرِ

at the bend of the gullies, between Satira

By the winding path of streams, between low hills,

and the dwelling at Dhat al-Hadb, then the red stony rises,

To a land of plateaus and red lightning clouds.

إِلى الشِعبِ مِن أَعلى سِتارٍ فَثَرمَدٍ

إِلى الشِعبِ مِن أَعلى سِتارٍ فَثَرمَدٍ

فَبَلدَةِ مَبنى سِنبِسٍ لِاِبنَتي عَمروِ

فَبَلدَةِ مَبنى سِنبِسٍ لِاِبنَتي عَمروِ

to the ravine of upper Sitar, then Tharmad,

To the valley from the summit of a lofty, rugged hill,

and the settlement Sinbis built for Amr's two daughters?

The town Siṇbīs built for my two daughters, ‘Amr.

وَما أَهلُ طَودٍ مُكفَهِرٍّ حُصونُهُ

وَما أَهلُ طَودٍ مُكفَهِرٍّ حُصونُهُ

مِنَ المَوتِ إِلّا مِثلُ مَن حَلَّ بِالصَحرِ

مِنَ المَوتِ إِلّا مِثلُ مَن حَلَّ بِالصَحرِ

Nor are the people of a mountain whose fortresses frown

The people of towering Mount Mukfahirr, though its castles

any different in the face of death from those who camp in the open desert.

Are no safer from death than those who roam the deserts.

وَما دارِعٌ إِلّا كَآخَرَ حاسِرٍ

وَما دارِعٌ إِلّا كَآخَرَ حاسِرٍ

وَما مُقتِرٌ إِلّا كَآخَرَ ذي وَفرِ

وَما مُقتِرٌ إِلّا كَآخَرَ ذي وَفرِ

And an armored man is but like another without armor,

No coat of mail protects but another lies a wreck,

and a poor man is but like another with abundant wealth.

No hoarder of wealth but another sees his treasures fly.

تَنوطُ لَنا حُبَّ الحَياةِ نُفوسُنا

تَنوطُ لَنا حُبَّ الحَياةِ نُفوسُنا

شَقاءً وَيَأتي المَوتُ مِن حَيثُ لا نَدري

شَقاءً وَيَأتي المَوتُ مِن حَيثُ لا نَدري

Our souls bind the love of life to us,

Our love of life binds fast our souls,

to our misery, while death comes from where we do not know.

Though we live wretched and death comes from unseen.

أَماوِيُّ إِمّا مُتُّ فَاِسعَي بِنُطفَةٍ

أَماوِيُّ إِمّا مُتُّ فَاِسعَي بِنُطفَةٍ

مِنَ الخَمرِ رَيّاً فَاِنضَحِنَّ بِها قَبري

مِنَ الخَمرِ رَيّاً فَاِنضَحِنَّ بِها قَبري

O Mawi, if I die, then hasten with a drop

Amayy, soon I will die, so sprinkle my grave

of wine to quench thirst; then be sure to sprinkle my grave with it.

With a sprinkling of wine, made heady with spices.

فَلَو أَنَّ عَينَ الخَمرِ في رَأسِ شارِفٍ

فَلَو أَنَّ عَينَ الخَمرِ في رَأسِ شارِفٍ

مِنَ الأُسدِ وَردٍ لَاِعتَلَجنا عَلى الخَمرِ

مِنَ الأُسدِ وَردٍ لَاِعتَلَجنا عَلى الخَمرِ

For if the choicest wine were in the head of an aged

If the eye of a wineskin were in the head of a courageous lion

tawny lion, we would wrestle for the wine.

We'd vie with each other for wine, though it destroy us!

وَلا آخُذُ المَولى لِسوءِ بَلائِهِ

وَلا آخُذُ المَولى لِسوءِ بَلائِهِ

وَإِن كانَ مَحنِيُّ الضُلوعِ عَلى غَمرِ

وَإِن كانَ مَحنِيُّ الضُلوعِ عَلى غَمرِ

And I do not hold an ally to account for his poor conduct,

I do not blame the Lord for the sorrows he sends me,

even if his ribs are bent around a grudge.

Though he has sorely tested me and plunged me into gloom.

مَتى يَأتِ يَوماً وارِثي يَبتَغي الغِنى

مَتى يَأتِ يَوماً وارِثي يَبتَغي الغِنى

يَجِد جُمعَ كَفٍّ غَيرِ مِلءِ وَلا صِفرِ

يَجِد جُمعَ كَفٍّ غَيرِ مِلءِ وَلا صِفرِ

Whenever my heir comes one day seeking wealth,

When will the day come that my heir will seek wealth

he will find a handful, neither full nor empty.

And find closed fists, empty, holding nothing?

يَجِد فَرَساً مِثلَ العِنانِ وَصارِماً

يَجِد فَرَساً مِثلَ العِنانِ وَصارِماً

حُساماً إِذا ما هُزَّ لَم يَرضَ بِالهَبرِ

حُساماً إِذا ما هُزَّ لَم يَرضَ بِالهَبرِ

He will find a horse slender as a rein, and a keen blade,

When he will find a steed with reins like a serpent

a cleaving sword that, when swung, is not content with cutting flesh alone;

And a sword, that when brandished is sated only with blood?

وَأَسمَرَ خَطِّيّاً كَأَنَّ كُعوبَهُ

وَأَسمَرَ خَطِّيّاً كَأَنَّ كُعوبَهُ

نَوى القَسبِ قَد أَرمى ذِراعاً عَلى العَشرِ

نَوى القَسبِ قَد أَرمى ذِراعاً عَلى العَشرِ

and a brown Khatti spear, as though its joints

A slender, dusky one, whose hooves seem to paw

were the pits of dry dates; it exceeds ten cubits by one.

The ground impatiently, tossing its foreleg?

وَإِنّي لَأَستَحيِي مِنَ الأَرضِ أَن أَرى

وَإِنّي لَأَستَحيِي مِنَ الأَرضِ أَن أَرى

بِها النابَ تَمشي في عَشِيّاتِها الغُبرِ

بِها النابَ تَمشي في عَشِيّاتِها الغُبرِ

And I am indeed ashamed before the earth to see

I'm ashamed before the land when I see

an old she-camel walking on it in its dust-gray evenings.

The hyenas pacing through it in the evenings' dust.

وَعِشتُ مَعَ الأَقوامِ بِالفَقرِ وَالغِنى

وَعِشتُ مَعَ الأَقوامِ بِالفَقرِ وَالغِنى

سَقاني بِكَأسَي ذاكَ كِلتَيهِما دَهري

سَقاني بِكَأسَي ذاكَ كِلتَيهِما دَهري

And I have lived among peoples in poverty and wealth;

I have lived with people in poverty and in wealth.

my lifetime has made me drink from both those cups.

Those two cups of mine have quenched my life's thirst.