إذا رضيَت رباك عن الربيعِ

إذا رضيَت رباك عن الربيعِ

فأهونُ ما أُدِلُّ به دموعي

فأهونُ ما أُدِلُّ به دموعي

If your hills are satisfied with spring,

If you are pleased with your Lord in spring

then my tears are the least I can offer with pride.

Then the least I can do is shed my tears

أدارَ الحبِّ إذ خنساءُ جارٌ

أدارَ الحبِّ إذ خنساءُ جارٌ

ورامةُ ملعبُ العيشِ الخيلعِ

ورامةُ ملعبُ العيشِ الخيلعِ

O abode of love, when Khansa was a neighbor

Love has revolved since Khansa was a neighbor

and Ramah the playground of carefree living,

And Rama was the playground of easy life

وأترابُ الهوى متزاوراتٌ

وأترابُ الهوى متزاوراتٌ

سريعاتُ الأفول من الطلوعِ

سريعاتُ الأفول من الطلوعِ

and love's maidens of like age visited one another,

Lovers of passion visit each other

swift to set from the moment they rose,

Swiftly fading from rise to fall

لياليَ إذ ليال من شبابي

لياليَ إذ ليال من شبابي

شواعبُ حين أدنت من صدوعي

شواعبُ حين أدنت من صدوعي

on nights when the nights of my youth

Nights when nights of my youth

mended my fractures when they drew near.

Were branches when they came close to my insides

إذا صدّت لتهجرَني شموسٌ

إذا صدّت لتهجرَني شموسٌ

سفرتُ فكان من وجهي شفيعي

سفرتُ فكان من وجهي شفيعي

When suns turned away to abandon me,

If suns turned away to abandon me

I unveiled, and from my face came my intercessor.

I traveled and my face became my intercessor

وقفنا نستعيدُكِ ما ألفنا

وقفنا نستعيدُكِ ما ألفنا

وأين ذَهابُ أمسِك من رجوعِ

وأين ذَهابُ أمسِك من رجوعِ

We stood, asking you to restore what we had known;

We stand to recall you as we knew you

but how far your vanished yesterday is from returning!

And where did your yesterday go from return?

ويبكي نازلُ الطُّرَّاق منّا

ويبكي نازلُ الطُّرَّاق منّا

فيصبغها دموعاً من نجيعِ

فيصبغها دموعاً من نجيعِ

And the night traveler among us who alights there weeps,

The descending visitor cries over us

and stains it with tears of fresh blood.

Dyeing it with tears of sorrow

وما خمدتْ بذي العلمين نارٌ

وما خمدتْ بذي العلمين نارٌ

يشيمُ ضيوفُ مُوقدها ضلوعي

يشيمُ ضيوفُ مُوقدها ضلوعي

And no fire at Dhu al-Alamayn has died out;

In Thu Al-Alamin no fire went out

its kindler's guests watch my ribs for its gleam.

Its stoked guests warmed my ribs

ونابذةٍ مع الحصياتِ عهدي

ونابذةٍ مع الحصياتِ عهدي

وكان لها مكانَ يدِ الضجيعِ

وكان لها مكانَ يدِ الضجيعِ

And many a woman cast my pledge away with the pebbles,

A lover at times with pebbles, my covenant

though to her it had stood in place of a bedfellow's hand.

And she had the place of the hand of the sleeper

إذا قاضيتها أخذتْ بعدلٍ

إذا قاضيتها أخذتْ بعدلٍ

لحسن الوجهِ من قبح الصنيعِ

لحسن الوجهِ من قبح الصنيعِ

Whenever I brought her to judgment, she justly claimed

When I judge her, she takes with justice

credit for her face's beauty against her ugly deeds.

For the beauty of face over the ugliness of deed

وليلٍ قد سهرتُ وكم سهادٍ

وليلٍ قد سهرتُ وكم سهادٍ

أحبّ إلى العيون من الهجوعِ

أحبّ إلى العيون من الهجوعِ

And many a night I kept vigil—how often sleeplessness

And nights I stayed up and how many pillows

is dearer to the eyes than slumber!

More beloved to the eyes than sleep

وخوَّانينَ منفردين عنّي

وخوَّانينَ منفردين عنّي

فما نقصَ الوحيدُ عن الجميعِ

فما نقصَ الوحيدُ عن الجميعِ

And many treacherous men kept themselves apart from me,

And betrayers alone away from me

but the lone man was no less than them all.

The lone did not lack from the group

وعاذلةٍ تمدّ حبالها لي

وعاذلةٍ تمدّ حبالها لي

وطرتُ فأين حبلُكِ من وقوعي

وطرتُ فأين حبلُكِ من وقوعي

And many a reproaching woman stretched her cords toward me;

And a blamer extending her ropes to me

but I took flight—how far your cord is from my alighting!

But I fled - where is your rope from my fall?

تلوم على النزاهة وهي تدري

تلوم على النزاهة وهي تدري

بأن قناعتي حسمت قنوعي

بأن قناعتي حسمت قنوعي

She reproaches my integrity, though she knows

She blames my chastity while she knows

that my contentment has put an end to my begging.

That my contentment determined my satisfaction

وقافيةٍ جمعتُ لهم شروداً

وقافيةٍ جمعتُ لهم شروداً

بها ووصلت حبلَ أخٍ قطوعِ

بها ووصلت حبلَ أخٍ قطوعِ

And many a rhyme—I drew a wanderer back for them

And a rhyme I collected dispersals for them

with it, and rejoined the bond of a brother who kept severing it.

With it and connected a brother's severed rope

ترى البيت الجديد يهُزُّ منها

ترى البيت الجديد يهُزُّ منها

مُعاوِدَهُ على سمعٍ رجيعِ

مُعاوِدَهُ على سمعٍ رجيعِ

You see the new verse in it stir

It sees the new house shake from it

the one returning to it, even on repeated hearing.

Repeating it to a deaf loud ear

وسوقٍ للكساد شريت فيها

وسوقٍ للكساد شريت فيها

بديع البيع بالحمد البديعِ

بديع البيع بالحمد البديعِ

And many a stagnant market in which I sold

And a market of recession I bought in it

exquisite wares for exquisite praise.

The excellent sale with thanks to the Excellent

فلو شهِدَ ابن أيّوبٍ مقامي

فلو شهِدَ ابن أيّوبٍ مقامي

نجوت بمُصرَخٍ منه سميعِ

نجوت بمُصرَخٍ منه سميعِ

For had Ibn Ayyub witnessed my plight,

If the son of Ayyub witnessed my stance

I would have been saved, finding in him a rescuer who hears.

I'd be saved by a scream he'd hear

إذن لحمى يدي وحمى جَناني

إذن لحمى يدي وحمى جَناني

أخٌ لا بالخؤون ولا الخدوعِ

أخٌ لا بالخؤون ولا الخدوعِ

Then my hand and my heart would have been protected

So my hand and my soul were protected

by a brother neither treacherous nor deceitful:

A brother not of sorrows or deception

فتىً يده على خَللي ودائي

فتىً يده على خَللي ودائي

يدُ الراقي على العضو اللسيعِ

يدُ الراقي على العضو اللسيعِ

a noble youth whose hand upon my weakness and illness

A young man whose hand is on my fault and cure

is the charm-healer's hand upon a stung limb.

The hand of the healer on the quickened limb

أتاني رائدي بالصدق عنه

أتاني رائدي بالصدق عنه

فها أنا منه أرتع في ربيعِ

فها أنا منه أرتع في ربيعِ

My scout brought me the truth about him,

My guide came to me truthful about him

so here I am, through him, grazing in spring.

Purity is my title for Ayyub's Ghadeer

صفا لقبيل أيّوب غديري

صفا لقبيل أيّوب غديري

ولان على مقادتهم منيعي

ولان على مقادتهم منيعي

My pool ran clear for the clan of Ayyub,

And sweetness upon their consultation, my pillar

and my unyielding self softened under their guidance.

When people, I was to them in some ways

إذا ما الناس كنتُ لهم ببعضي

إذا ما الناس كنتُ لهم ببعضي

مماذَقةً محضتُ لهم جميعي

مماذَقةً محضتُ لهم جميعي

When I gave other people only part of myself,

Tasting I prepared for them all my essence

in diluted friendship, to your clan I gave my whole self, pure.

Your ransom, those jealous of my choosing you

فداؤك حاسدوك على اختياري

فداؤك حاسدوك على اختياري

وقد جهلوا الأشمَّ من الجديعِ

وقد جهلوا الأشمَّ من الجديعِ

May those who envy you for my choice of you be your ransom,

And they ignored the honorable from the vile

though they failed to tell the high-nosed from the nose-mutilated.

And it vexed them your exclusivity with me and my publishing

وغاظهم انفرادُك بي ونشري

وغاظهم انفرادُك بي ونشري

محاسنَك الغرائبَ في الجموعِ

محاسنَك الغرائبَ في الجموعِ

And your having me to yourself enraged them, as did my proclaiming

Your wonders among the crowds

your rare virtues among the crowds.

And every stranger of foreign parents, a virgin

وكلّ غريبة الأبوين بكر

وكلّ غريبة الأبوين بكر

رَداحٍ شرطَ سمعك أو شَموعِ

رَداحٍ شرطَ سمعك أو شَموعِ

And every virgin maiden of rare parentage,

An insider whose hearing or candle you made a condition

full-hipped, as your ear requires, or playful,

Of honored ancestry she grew up and settled

عريقة مفخرٍ نشأتْ وقرّتْ

عريقة مفخرٍ نشأتْ وقرّتْ

مع الأبكار في بيتٍ رفيعِ

مع الأبكار في بيتٍ رفيعِ

of deep-rooted glory, who grew up and dwelt

Among the virgins in a lofty house

among virgins in a lofty house,

They count you a visitor every feast

يعدْنَك زائراتٍ كلَّ عيدٍ

يعدْنَك زائراتٍ كلَّ عيدٍ

نواطقَ بالصبابة والنزوعِ

نواطقَ بالصبابة والنزوعِ

returns to visit you on every feast day,

Speaking of youth and vigor

voicing passionate love and longing.

While others came asking them from me

وغيرُك جاء يخطبهنَّ منّي

وغيرُك جاء يخطبهنَّ منّي

فما أغنى الوقوفُ على الربوعِ

فما أغنى الوقوفُ على الربوعِ

And another came to ask me for their hands,

But standing at the ruins was of no use

but standing at the dwellings availed him nothing.