أَلاَ أَبْلِغْ أَبَا بَكْرِ

أَلاَ أَبْلِغْ أَبَا بَكْرِ

مَقَالاً مِنْ أَخٍ بَرِّ

مَقَالاً مِنْ أَخٍ بَرِّ

Now, carry this word to Abu Bakr:

Listen: convey to Abu Bakr

a message from a loyal brother,

A message from a devoted brother,

يَنَادِيْكَ بِإِخْلاَصٍ

يَنَادِيْكَ بِإِخْلاَصٍ

وَمَا نَادَاكَ عَنْ عُقْرِ

وَمَا نَادَاكَ عَنْ عُقْرِ

who calls to you in all sincerity,

Who calls to you sincerely,

not out of some wounded grievance.

And has not called to you from afar.

أَظُنُّ الدَّهْرَ أَعْدَاكَ

أَظُنُّ الدَّهْرَ أَعْدَاكَ

فَأَخْلَدْتَ إِلَى الغَدْرِ

فَأَخْلَدْتَ إِلَى الغَدْرِ

I think Time has turned you against me,

I think Time has infected you,

and you have yielded to betrayal:

So you have yielded to treachery.

فَمَا تَرْغَبُ فِي الوَصْلِ

فَمَا تَرْغَبُ فِي الوَصْلِ

وَلاَ تَزْهَدُ فِي الهَجْرِ

وَلاَ تَزْهَدُ فِي الهَجْرِ

you show no desire for closeness,

So you have no desire for closeness,

yet no aversion to estrangement,

Nor any aversion to estrangement;

وَلاَ تُخْطِرُني مِنْكَ

وَلاَ تُخْطِرُني مِنْكَ

عَلَى بَالٍ وَلاَ ذِكْرِ

عَلَى بَالٍ وَلاَ ذِكْرِ

nor let me, among you, cross

Nor do you bring me

your mind or your memory.

To your mind or remembrance.

أَتَنْسَى زَمَنَاً كُنَّا

أَتَنْسَى زَمَنَاً كُنَّا

بِهِ كالمَاءِ فِي الخَمْرِ

بِهِ كالمَاءِ فِي الخَمْرِ

Do you forget the days when we

Do you forget a time when we were

mingled like water with wine,

Like water in wine,

أَلِيْفَيْنِ حَلِيْفَيْنِ

أَلِيْفَيْنِ حَلِيْفَيْنِ

عَلَى الإِعْسَارِ واليُسْرِ

عَلَى الإِعْسَارِ واليُسْرِ

two intimates, two sworn companions,

Close companions, sworn allies,

through hardship and ease,

Through poverty and prosperity,

مُكِبَّيْنَ عَلَى اللَّذَّا

مُكِبَّيْنَ عَلَى اللَّذَّا

تِ فِي الصَّحْوِ وَفِي السُّكْرِ

تِ فِي الصَّحْوِ وَفِي السُّكْرِ

bending together over delight—

Intent upon pleasures,

—in sobriety and in drunkenness,

In sobriety and in drunkenness?

تُرَى فِي فَلَكِ الآدَا

تُرَى فِي فَلَكِ الآدَا

بِ كالشَّمْسِ أَوِ البَدْرِ

بِ كالشَّمْسِ أَوِ البَدْرِ

seen in the firmament of letters

You are seen in the firmament of letters

like the sun or the full moon,

Like the sun or the full moon,

كَمَا أَلَّفَتْ الحِكْمَ

كَمَا أَلَّفَتْ الحِكْمَ

ةُ بَيْنَ العُودِ والزَّمْرِ

ةُ بَيْنَ العُودِ والزَّمْرِ

just as wisdom harmonized

Just as wisdom has harmonized

the lute and the pipe?

The lute and piping.

فَأَلْهَتْكَ بَسَاتِيْنُ

فَأَلْهَتْكَ بَسَاتِيْنُ

كَ ذَاتُ النَّوْرِ والزَّهْرِ

كَ ذَاتُ النَّوْرِ والزَّهْرِ

Then your garden—

So your gardens have distracted you,

—s, all blossom and bloom, distracted you,

Full of blossoms and flowers,

وَمَا شَيَّدْتَ لِلْخَلْوَ

وَمَا شَيَّدْتَ لِلْخَلْوَ

ةِ مِنْ دَارٍ وَمِنْ قَصْرِ

ةِ مِنْ دَارٍ وَمِنْ قَصْرِ

and all you built for seclu—

And what you built for solitude:

—sion, whether house or palace,

A house and a palace;

وَمَا جَمَّعْتَ مِنْ غَرْسٍ

وَمَا جَمَّعْتَ مِنْ غَرْسٍ

وَمِنْ حَرْثٍ وَمِنْ بَذْرِ

وَمِنْ حَرْثٍ وَمِنْ بَذْرِ

and all you gathered in plantings,

And what you gathered of plantings,

in tilled crops and seed,

Of tilled land and seed,

وَنَارَنْجٍ وَرَيْحَانٍ

وَنَارَنْجٍ وَرَيْحَانٍ

جَنِيٍّ طَيِّبه النَّشْرِ

جَنِيٍّ طَيِّبه النَّشْرِ

in bitter orange and basil,

And bitter oranges and basil,

fresh-plucked and sweetly fragrant,

Freshly gathered, its fragrance sweet,

يُحَاكِي وَرَقَ الأَطْرَا

يُحَاكِي وَرَقَ الأَطْرَا

سِ فِي التَّشْرِيْقِ والشَّذْرِ

سِ فِي التَّشْرِيْقِ والشَّذْرِ

mimicking the leaves of manu—

Resembling the leaves of manuscripts

—scripts in their illumination and gold,

In illumination and ornamentation,

وَيَجْرِي بِذَكِيِّ العَرْ

وَيَجْرِي بِذَكِيِّ العَرْ

فِ مَجْرَى الأَمْنِ فِي الذُّعْرِ

فِ مَجْرَى الأَمْنِ فِي الذُّعْرِ

whose exquisite fra—

And, with its potent fragrance, having the effect

—grance courses like safety amid terror,

Of safety amid terror,

وَمَجْرَى البُرْءِ فِي السُّقْمِ

وَمَجْرَى البُرْءِ فِي السُّقْمِ

وَمَجْرَى اليُسْرِ فِي العُسْرِ

وَمَجْرَى اليُسْرِ فِي العُسْرِ

like healing amid sickness,

And of healing amid sickness,

and like ease amid hardship;

And of ease amid hardship;

وَمَنْثُورٍ كَأَلْفَاظِ

وَمَنْثُورٍ كَأَلْفَاظِ

كَ فِي النَّظْمِ وَفِي النَّثْرِ

كَ فِي النَّظْمِ وَفِي النَّثْرِ

with scattered blossoms like your word—

And stock flowers, like your words

—s, whether in verse or prose.

In verse and in prose.

وَلِي أَرْضٌ وَبُسْتَانٌ

وَلِي أَرْضٌ وَبُسْتَانٌ

وَنَهْرٌ فِيْهِمَا يَجْرِي

وَنَهْرٌ فِيْهِمَا يَجْرِي

I, too, have land and a garden,

And I have land and a garden,

and a river flowing through them,

And a river flowing through both,

كَذَوْبِ الفِضَّةِ البَيْضَا

كَذَوْبِ الفِضَّةِ البَيْضَا

ءِ فَوْقَ العَنْبَرِ الشِّحْرِي

ءِ فَوْقَ العَنْبَرِ الشِّحْرِي

like molten white sil—

Like molten white silver

—ver over rock-hard amber;

Over ambergris from al-Shihr.

وَلَكِنَّهُمَا أَعْرَي

وَلَكِنَّهُمَا أَعْرَي

مِنَ الصَّفْوَانِ وَالصَّخْرِ

مِنَ الصَّفْوَانِ وَالصَّخْرِ

but both are barer

But both are barer

than smooth stone and rock,

Than smooth stone and rock:

خَلِيَّانِ مِنَ النَّبْتِ

خَلِيَّانِ مِنَ النَّبْتِ

غَرِيْقَانِ مِنَ القَطْرِ

غَرِيْقَانِ مِنَ القَطْرِ

empty of vegetation,

Both empty of vegetation,

drowned in rainwater,

Both drowned in rain,

كَبِكْرٍ مَا لَهَا بَعْلٌ

كَبِكْرٍ مَا لَهَا بَعْلٌ

وَرَأْسٍ غَيْرِ مِنَ ذِي شَعْرِ

وَرَأْسٍ غَيْرِ مِنَ ذِي شَعْرِ

like a virgin with no husband,

Like a maiden with no husband,

or a head without a hair upon it.

And a head with no hair.

فَأَسْهِمْنِي مِنَ الغَرْسِ ال

فَأَسْهِمْنِي مِنَ الغَرْسِ ال

لَذِي عِنْدَكَ يَا ذُخْرِي

لَذِي عِنْدَكَ يَا ذُخْرِي

So grant me a share of the plant—

So give me a share of the plants

—ing you possess, O my treasure;

You have, O my treasure;

فَقِدْمَاً يَا لَكَ الخَيْرُ

فَقِدْمَاً يَا لَكَ الخَيْرُ

غَرَسْتَ الوُدَّ فِي صَدْرِي

غَرَسْتَ الوُدَّ فِي صَدْرِي

for long ago—may goodness be yours—

For long ago—may goodness be yours—

you planted affection in my breast.

You planted affection in my breast;

وَفِي غَرْسِكَ إِنْ جُدْتَ

وَفِي غَرْسِكَ إِنْ جُدْتَ

بِهِ مَعْنًى مِنَ الصِّهْرِ

بِهِ مَعْنًى مِنَ الصِّهْرِ

And in your planting, if you bestow it,

And in your plantings, if you are generous

there lies something of a marriage bond.

With them, lies a kind of kinship by marriage.