يا وزيراً قد أسبغَ الله ظِلّه

يا وزيراً قد أسبغَ الله ظِلّه

حينَ علّى على السِّماكِ مَحلّه

حينَ علّى على السِّماكِ مَحلّه

O vizier, God has spread your shade wide,

O minister, whom God has bestowed His shade

when He raised your station above al-Simāk.

When He raised you to the highest position

لكَ وجهٌ فاقَ الهلالَ وكف

لكَ وجهٌ فاقَ الهلالَ وكف

يخجلُ الغَيْثَ بالنّدى مستهلّه

يخجلُ الغَيْثَ بالنّدى مستهلّه

You have a face surpassing the crescent, and a hand

You have a face that surpasses the crescent moon, and a palm

whose first outpouring shames the rain with its bounty.

That makes the rain ashamed with its wetness when it begins

راحةٌ لم تزلْ إذا القَحْطُ أَودى

راحةٌ لم تزلْ إذا القَحْطُ أَودى

راحةً وهي للمُقَبِّلِ قُبْلَه

راحةً وهي للمُقَبِّلِ قُبْلَه

A palm that, whenever drought brings ruin, remains

A comfort that if drought destroyed

a comfort, and a kiss for whoever kisses it.

It would still be a comfort, and to the kisser, his kiss

كانَ قد أُبهمَ التفضُّلُ في النا

كانَ قد أُبهمَ التفضُّلُ في النا

سِ فأوضَحْتَ بالمكارِمِ سبلَه

سِ فأوضَحْتَ بالمكارِمِ سبلَه

Generosity had become obscure among

Goodness in people was ambiguous

the people; through noble deeds you made its paths clear.

But you made its paths clear with your virtues

فَذَكرنا من حاتم بكَ معنىً

فَذَكرنا من حاتم بكَ معنىً

ونسينا أَيامَ كسرى وَعَدْلَه

ونسينا أَيامَ كسرى وَعَدْلَه

So through you we recalled something of Ḥātim,

So you reminded us of Hatim's meaning through yourself

and forgot the days of Kisrā and his justice.

And we forgot the days of Kisra and his justice

وسأنهي إليكَ أمراً عجيباً

وسأنهي إليكَ أمراً عجيباً

فاستَمِعْ قِصتي سألتُك بالله

فاستَمِعْ قِصتي سألتُك بالله

And I shall tell you of a strange matter;

And I will end to you a wondrous matter

so hear my story—I beseech you by God.

So listen to my story, I asked you in God's name

إنني قد تأخّرَ القمح عنّي

إنني قد تأخّرَ القمح عنّي

عاشِقٌ كُلَّ مخزنٍ فيه غَلّه

عاشِقٌ كُلَّ مخزنٍ فيه غَلّه

Indeed, the wheat has been slow to reach me;

I have been late getting wheat

I am in love with every storehouse containing grain.

A lover seeking every storehouse with its harvest

إن سمعتُ الكيّالَ يشدو بذكرى

إن سمعتُ الكيّالَ يشدو بذكرى

غَلّةٍ هاجَ في فؤادي غُلّه

غَلّةٍ هاجَ في فؤادي غُلّه

If I hear the grain-measurer singing of

If I heard the measurer singing the memory

grain, a burning thirst stirs in my heart.

Of a harvest, its harvest stirred feelings in my heart

وَمنايَ إذا أثارَ غباراً

وَمنايَ إذا أثارَ غباراً

أَغبراً لو كُحِلتُ منه بِكُحْلَه

أَغبراً لو كُحِلتُ منه بِكُحْلَه

And my wish, when he stirs up dust—

And my sieve, if it raised dust

gray dust—is to have my eyes lined with a dab of it as kohl.

Dust that if I was lined with its kohl

ذابَ قلبُ الطاحونِ شوقاً وللقف

ذابَ قلبُ الطاحونِ شوقاً وللقف

ةِ دمعٌ لها بذي أَلفُ غِسله

ةِ دمعٌ لها بذي أَلفُ غِسله

The mill's heart melted with longing, and the

The heart of the mill melted in longing, and for the jug

basket sheds tears that wash it a thousand times.

It has a tear that has shed a thousand times

ورأيتُ الأطفالَ مِن عدمِ الخب

ورأيتُ الأطفالَ مِن عدمِ الخب

زِ تَلَظّى ولو على قرصِ جَلّه

زِ تَلَظّى ولو على قرصِ جَلّه

And I saw the children, for lack of

And I saw the children, from lack of bread

bread, burning with hunger—even for a cake of dung.

Suffering, even if on a loaf of bread

تلك تشكو وتيكَ تدعو وهذي

تلك تشكو وتيكَ تدعو وهذي

تتجنى عليَّ وَهْيَ مُدلّه

تتجنى عليَّ وَهْيَ مُدلّه

That one complains, that one calls out, and this one

One complains, and you it calls, this one

unjustly accuses me, pampered as she is.

Resents me, and it is gentle

فَتراني مُلقى وَعِرسي تُنادي

فَتراني مُلقى وَعِرسي تُنادي

قُم وعجّلْ فليس في الصَوتِ مهله

قُم وعجّلْ فليس في الصَوتِ مهله

So you see me sprawled out, while my wife calls:

So you see me fallen, and my billy goat calls me

“Get up and hurry!” Her voice allows no respite.

Get up and hurry, for there is no time in sound

وأَنتَ زوجُ الفراشِ لا عِشْتَ أَم أَن

وأَنتَ زوجُ الفراشِ لا عِشْتَ أَم أَن

تَ حكيمٌ كما يُقالُ بِوصلَه

تَ حكيمٌ كما يُقالُ بِوصلَه

“And you are wedded to the bed—may you not live! Or are

And you are the mate of prosperity, have you lived or are you

you a ‘physician with a rag,’ as the saying goes?

A wise one, as they say in his connection

ما تُرينا قُرصاً سوى قرصِ شمس ال

ما تُرينا قُرصاً سوى قرصِ شمس ال

أفقِ تبدو وَخُشكنانِ الأهِلَه

أفقِ تبدو وَخُشكنانِ الأهِلَه

You show us no loaf but the disk of the sun,

You do not show us a loaf except the loaf of the sun

appearing on the horizon, and the crescents' khushkanān pastries.”

On the horizon that appears and the hut of the family

عَنْتَرُ الحربِ لو يُطالَبُ مِثلي

عَنْتَرُ الحربِ لو يُطالَبُ مِثلي

بدِقيقٍ لَفَرّ مِن فَرْدِ حَمْلَه

بدِقيقٍ لَفَرّ مِن فَرْدِ حَمْلَه

ʿAntar the warrior, if asked, like me,

If Antar of war were asked by one like me

for flour, would flee from a single charge.

For flour, he would flee from carrying his load