أَلا كُلُّ ماشِيَةِ الخَيزَلى

أَلا كُلُّ ماشِيَةِ الخَيزَلى

فِدا كُلُّ ماشِيَةِ الهَيذَبى

فِدا كُلُّ ماشِيَةِ الهَيذَبى

Behold, every woman with a languid, swaying gait

Behold, all cattle of el-Khaizuran

May every swaying beauty be a sacrifice

Is ransom for every she-camel with a swift stride,

Would be sacrificed for cattle of el-Haizaban.

For every she-camel moving with a rapid stride,

وَكُلِّ نَجاةٍ بُجاوِيَّةٍ

وَكُلِّ نَجاةٍ بُجاوِيَّةٍ

خَنوفٍ وَما بِيَ حُسنُ المِشى

خَنوفٍ وَما بِيَ حُسنُ المِشى

And every swift Bujawi she-camel

And for every surviving she-camel

And for every swift mount of Bujawi breed,

That turns her neck—beauty of gait is not my concern.

Of el-Bujawi, though not beautiful in walking,

Shaking her head—though 'tis not the grace of gait I seek.

وَلَكِنَّهُنَّ حِبالُ الحَياةِ

وَلَكِنَّهُنَّ حِبالُ الحَياةِ

وَكَيدُ العُداةِ وَمَيطُ الأَذى

وَكَيدُ العُداةِ وَمَيطُ الأَذى

But they are the cords of life,

But they are ropes of life,

Nay, they are but the lifelines of my soul,

And a stratagem against enemies and a warding off of harm.

And snares of enemies and shields from harm.

A ruse against my foes, a way to banish pain.

ضَرَبتُ بِها التيهَ ضَربَ القِمارِ

ضَرَبتُ بِها التيهَ ضَربَ القِمارِ

إِمّا لِهَذا وَإِمّا لِذا

إِمّا لِهَذا وَإِمّا لِذا

I braved the trackless waste on them, as one gambles:

With them I hazarded the wilderness, gambling

I struck into the wasteland with them, a gambler's cast,

Either for this, or for that.

Either for this or for that.

Risking all for triumph or for doom.

إِذا فَزِعَت قَدَّمَتها الجِيادُ

إِذا فَزِعَت قَدَّمَتها الجِيادُ

وَبيضُ السُيوفِ وَسُمرُ القَنا

وَبيضُ السُيوفِ وَسُمرُ القَنا

When they took fright, fine steeds led them onward,

When they were terrified, the steeds went before

When panic strikes the herd, the war-steeds lead the way,

And white swords and brown-shafted lances.

And the white swords and brown spears.

With white steel swords and tawny spears of cane.

فَمَرَّت بِنَخلٍ وَفي رَكبِها

فَمَرَّت بِنَخلٍ وَفي رَكبِها

عَنِ العالَمينَ وَعَنهُ غِنى

عَنِ العالَمينَ وَعَنهُ غِنى

Then they passed through Nakhl, and in their caravan

So they passed by a palm-tree on which were

She passed by Nakhl, bearing a rider proud,

Was freedom from need of all mankind—and of Nakhl.

Some clusters like swords- a vivid likeness.

Who needs no world, nor aught the place contains.

وَأَمسَت تُخَيِّرُنا بِالنِقابِ

وَأَمسَت تُخَيِّرُنا بِالنِقابِ

وادي المِياهِ وَوادي القُرى

وادي المِياهِ وَوادي القُرى

And at evening, at al-Niqab, they offered us a choice:

We turned away from the world and from need of it.

By evening at al-Niqab, she offered us the choice:

Between Wadi al-Miyah and Wadi al-Qura.

And it (the palm-tree) offered us choice of its fruit unplucked.

The Valley of Waters, or the Villages' Vale.

وَقُلنا لَها أَينَ أَرضُ العِراقِ

وَقُلنا لَها أَينَ أَرضُ العِراقِ

فَقالَت وَنَحنُ بِتُربانَ ها

فَقالَت وَنَحنُ بِتُربانَ ها

And we asked them, "Where is the land of Iraq?"

And we said: Where is the land of Iraq?

We asked her then, "Where lies the land of Iraq?"

They said, while we were at Turban, "There!"

And it (the palm) replied, while we were at el-Turbanah.

And at Turban she answered, "Lo, it lies that way."

وَهَبَّت بِحِسمى هُبوبَ الدَبورِ

وَهَبَّت بِحِسمى هُبوبَ الدَبورِ

مُستَقبِلاتٍ مَهَبَّ الصَبا

مُستَقبِلاتٍ مَهَبَّ الصَبا

And they swept through Hisma like the west wind,

Then it blew against us with the puffs of the north wind,

She swept through Hisma like the western gale,

Facing the quarter from which the east wind blows,

Facing the zephyrs moving gently.

Heading straight into the teeth of the eastern wind,

رَوامي الكِفافِ وَكِبدِ الوِهادِ

رَوامي الكِفافِ وَكِبدِ الوِهادِ

وَجارِ البُوَيرَةِ وادِ الغَضى

وَجارِ البُوَيرَةِ وادِ الغَضى

Aiming for al-Kifaf and the heart of the lowlands,

Past the stony tracts and ribs of the desert,

Aiming for al-Kifaf and the hollowed glens,

And al-Buwayra's neighbor, Wadi al-Ghada.

The neighbor of El-Buweirah and El-Gada.

And Buwayrah's neighbor, the valley of Ghada trees.

وَجابَت بُسَيطَةَ جَوبَ الرِداءِ

وَجابَت بُسَيطَةَ جَوبَ الرِداءِ

بَينَ النَعامِ وَبَينَ المَها

بَينَ النَعامِ وَبَينَ المَها

And they cut through Busayta as one slits a cloak,

So it crossed the plain of Es-Suwais sweeping the ground

She crossed Busaita as one folds a cloak,

Between the ostriches and the oryx,

Beyond the ostrich and beyond the wild cows

Amidst the ostriches and wild oryx herds.

إِلى عُقدَةِ الجَوفِ حَتّى شَفَت

إِلى عُقدَةِ الجَوفِ حَتّى شَفَت

بِماءِ الجُراوِيِّ بَعضَ الصَدى

بِماءِ الجُراوِيِّ بَعضَ الصَدى

To 'Uqdat al-Jawf, until they quenched

Up to the knot of El-Jaouf, until it perceived

On to 'Uqdat al-Jawf, until she quenched,

Some of their thirst with al-Jurawi's water.

By the water of El-Jurawi some of the echo.

With Jurawi's waters, a burning thirst within.

وَلاحَ لَها صَوَرٌ وَالصَباحَ

وَلاحَ لَها صَوَرٌ وَالصَباحَ

وَلاحَ الشَغورُ لَها وَالضُحى

وَلاحَ الشَغورُ لَها وَالضُحى

And Sawar appeared to them with the dawn,

At dawn images appeared to it and in the forenoon

Then Sawar loomed in sight as morning broke,

And al-Shaghur appeared to them with midmorning.

The wide plain seemed to it narrow.

And Shaghur rose to view in the light of noon.

وَمَسّى الجُمَيعِيَّ دِئداؤُها

وَمَسّى الجُمَيعِيَّ دِئداؤُها

وَغادى الأَضارِعَ ثُمَّ الدَنا

وَغادى الأَضارِعَ ثُمَّ الدَنا

And their swift running reached al-Jumay'i at evening,

And the tribe of El-Jumai' called to it in the afternoon

Her trotting reached al-Jumay'i as evening fell,

And al-Adari' in the morning, then al-Dana.

The wild cows and the ostriches.

Then al-Adari' by dawn, and finally al-Dana.

فَيا لَكَ لَيلاً عَلى أَعكُشٍ

فَيا لَكَ لَيلاً عَلى أَعكُشٍ

أَحَمَّ البِلادِ خَفِيَّ الصُوى

أَحَمَّ البِلادِ خَفِيَّ الصُوى

Oh, what a night upon A'kush—

So, O night, on a hard-backed steed

O what a night we spent upon A'kush!

With the land pitch-black and its waymarks hidden!

Cloaking the provinces-gloomy the aspect-

A land most dark, where signposts disappear.

وَرَدنا الرُهَيمَةَ في جَوزِهِ

وَرَدنا الرُهَيمَةَ في جَوزِهِ

وَباقيهِ أَكثَرُ مِمّا مَضى

وَباقيهِ أَكثَرُ مِمّا مَضى

We reached al-Ruhayma in the midst of it,

We returned Ruhaimah in its enclosure

We reached Ruhayma in the deep of night,

And more of it remained than had passed.

While the rest of the journey was farther than what had passed.

When more remained of darkness than had fled.

فَلَمّا أَنَخنا رَكَزنا الرِماحَ

فَلَمّا أَنَخنا رَكَزنا الرِماحَ

فَوقَ مَكارِمِنا وَالعُلا

فَوقَ مَكارِمِنا وَالعُلا

Then, when we made our camels kneel, we planted our spears

When we alighted we fixed the tent-pegs

And when we dismounted, we planted our spears

Above our noble deeds and lofty glory.

Over our glories and lofty deeds.

High above our virtues and our glory.

وَبِتنا نُقَبِّلُ أَسيافَنا

وَبِتنا نُقَبِّلُ أَسيافَنا

وَنَمسَحُها مِن دِماءِ العِدا

وَنَمسَحُها مِن دِماءِ العِدا

And we spent the night kissing our swords

And we remained kissing our swords

We spent the night kissing our polished blades,

And wiping from them the blood of our foes,

And wiping them clean of the blood of the foe

And wiping from them the blood of our foes.

لِتَعلَمَ مِصرُ وَمَن بِالعِراقِ

لِتَعلَمَ مِصرُ وَمَن بِالعِراقِ

وَمَن بِالعَواصِمِ أَنّي الفَتى

وَمَن بِالعَواصِمِ أَنّي الفَتى

So Egypt and those in Iraq would know,

That Egypt and those in Iraq might know

That Egypt and those in Iraq may know full well,

And those in al-'Awasim, that I am the valiant youth,

And those in fortresses that I am the youth

And the borderlands, that I am the Knight of the age,

وَأَنّي وَفَيتُ وَأَنّي أَبَيتُ

وَأَنّي وَفَيتُ وَأَنّي أَبَيتُ

وَأَنّي عَتَوتُ عَلى مَن عَتا

وَأَنّي عَتَوتُ عَلى مَن عَتا

And that I kept my word, and that I refused abasement,

Who kept his word and who was unyielding

That I kept my troth, and scorned all servitude,

And that I was defiant toward whoever was defiant.

And who transgressed against him who transgressed.

And turned my arrogance on the arrogant.

وَما كُلُّ مَن قالَ قَولاً وَفى

وَما كُلُّ مَن قالَ قَولاً وَفى

وَلا كُلُّ مَن سيمَ خَسفاً أَبى

وَلا كُلُّ مَن سيمَ خَسفاً أَبى

Not everyone who speaks keeps his word,

Not every one who talks is truthful

For not every man who speaks fulfills his word,

Nor does everyone subjected to humiliation refuse it.

Nor does every looker into mirrors discern clearly.

Nor everyone wronged finds courage to refuse.

وَلا بُدَّ لِلقَلبِ مِن آلَةٍ

وَلا بُدَّ لِلقَلبِ مِن آلَةٍ

وَرَأيٍ يُصَدِّعُ صُمَّ الصَفا

وَرَأيٍ يُصَدِّعُ صُمَّ الصَفا

The heart must have weapons,

The heart must need have a contrivance

The heart requires a tool to aid its will,

And judgment that splits solid rock.

And a purpose that splits the hardness of rocks.

And resolve that shatters the hardest, solid rock.

وَمَن يَكُ قَلبٌ كَقَلبي لَهُ

وَمَن يَكُ قَلبٌ كَقَلبي لَهُ

يَشُقُّ إِلى العِزِّ قَلبَ التَوى

يَشُقُّ إِلى العِزِّ قَلبَ التَوى

And whoever has a heart like mine

He who has a heart like my heart

And he who bears a heart that beats like mine

Cleaves through the heart of doom toward glory.

Breaks through the gateway to glory.

Will cleave through ruin to reach the heights of fame.

وَكُلُّ طَريقٍ أَتاهُ الفَتى

وَكُلُّ طَريقٍ أَتاهُ الفَتى

عَلى قَدَرِ الرِجلِ فيهِ الخُطا

عَلى قَدَرِ الرِجلِ فيهِ الخُطا

On every road a young man takes,

And every road the youth travels

And every path a hero dares to tread

The strides match the measure of his foot.

Is as much as he can endure of hardship.

Is measured only by his stride's great length.

وَنامَ الخُوَيدِمُ عَن لَيلِنا

وَنامَ الخُوَيدِمُ عَن لَيلِنا

وَقَد نامَ قَبلُ عَمىً لا كَرى

وَقَد نامَ قَبلُ عَمىً لا كَرى

And the little lackey slept, unaware of our night,

And El-Khuwailid slept during our night

The petty lackey slept through our night of flight,

And he had slept before from blindness, not from drowsiness.

For he had slept before blind, seeing nothing.

As he slept before—blindness, not honest rest.

وَكانَ عَلى قُربِنا بَينَنا

وَكانَ عَلى قُربِنا بَينَنا

مَهامِهُ مِن جَهلِهِ وَالعَمى

مَهامِهُ مِن جَهلِهِ وَالعَمى

And despite our nearness, between us lay

And in our proximity, between us,

Though he was near in space, there lay between

Trackless wastes of his ignorance and blindness.

Were his insults from his ignorance and blindness.

Vast wastelands of his ignorance and gloom.

لَقَد كُنتُ أَحسِبُ قَبلَ الخَصِيِّ

لَقَد كُنتُ أَحسِبُ قَبلَ الخَصِيِّ

أَنَّ الرُؤوسَ مَقَرُّ النُهى

أَنَّ الرُؤوسَ مَقَرُّ النُهى

Before the eunuch, I had surely believed

Indeed, before the eunuch I used to think

Before I met this eunuch, I had always thought

That heads were the seat of reason.

That heads were the seat of discretion.

The head to be the seat where wisdom dwells,

فَلَمّا نَظَرتُ إِلى عَقلِهِ

فَلَمّا نَظَرتُ إِلى عَقلِهِ

رَأَيتُ النُهى كُلَّها في الخُصى

رَأَيتُ النُهى كُلَّها في الخُصى

But when I looked at his intellect,

But when I looked upon his intelligence

But when I gazed upon his mind, I saw

I found all reason in the testicles.

I saw that all discretion rests in the testicles.

That all intelligence resides in the loins.

وَماذا بِمِصرَ مِنَ المُضحِكاتِ

وَماذا بِمِصرَ مِنَ المُضحِكاتِ

وَلَكِنَّهُ ضَحِكٌ كَالبُكا

وَلَكِنَّهُ ضَحِكٌ كَالبُكا

And how many laughable things Egypt holds!

What laughter is there left in Egypt

How many comic things does Egypt hold!

But it is laughter like weeping.

Except tears like pouring rain!

Yet 'tis a laughter indistinguishable from tears.

بِها نَبَطِيٌّ مِنَ اهلِ السَوادِ

بِها نَبَطِيٌّ مِنَ اهلِ السَوادِ

يُدَرِّسُ أَنسابَ أَهلِ الفَلا

يُدَرِّسُ أَنسابَ أَهلِ الفَلا

There, a Nabataean from the people of al-Sawad

There a Nabatean from the people of blackness

There, a bumpkin from the marshes stands,

Teaches the lineages of the desert folk;

Gives lessons in genealogy to the people of passion.

Teaching the Bedouin their own noble lines,

وَأَسوَدُ مِشفَرُهُ نِصفُهُ

وَأَسوَدُ مِشفَرُهُ نِصفُهُ

يُقالُ لَهُ أَنتَ بَدرُ الدُجى

يُقالُ لَهُ أَنتَ بَدرُ الدُجى

And a black man whose camel-like lip is half of him

And a black slave whose mustache is half-shaved

And a black man—his lip is half his bulk—

Is told, "You are the full moon in the dark!"

Is called "Full moon of darkness."

Is flattered thus: "You are the Moon of Night."

وَشِعرٍ مَدَحتُ بِهِ الكَركَدَنَّ

وَشِعرٍ مَدَحتُ بِهِ الكَركَدَنَّ

بَينَ القَريضِ وَبَينَ الرُقى

بَينَ القَريضِ وَبَينَ الرُقى

And many a poem with which I praised the rhinoceros—

And poetry in which I praised El-Karkadan

And verses where I praised that rhinoceros,

Between poetry and incantations.

Between El-Quraish and El-Ruka.

Half-way between high art and magic spells;

فَما كانَ ذَلِكَ مَدحاً لَهُ

فَما كانَ ذَلِكَ مَدحاً لَهُ

وَلَكِنَّهُ كانَ هَجوَ الوَرى

وَلَكِنَّهُ كانَ هَجوَ الوَرى

That was no praise of him,

That was no praise of him,

It was no praise for him, that verse I wrote,

But it was a lampoon of all mankind.

Rather, it was satire of mankind.

But satire on the world that lets him rule.

وَقَد ضَلَّ قَومٌ بِأَصنامِهِم

وَقَد ضَلَّ قَومٌ بِأَصنامِهِم

فَأَمّا بِزِقِّ رِياحٍ فَلا

فَأَمّا بِزِقِّ رِياحٍ فَلا

And some people have indeed gone astray through their idols,

Some people went astray with their idols.

Men have been led astray by idols of stone,

But through a wind-filled wineskin? No!

As for spitting of winds, no indeed!

But never by a wineskin filled with wind.

وَتِلكَ صُموتٌ وَذا ناطِقٌ

وَتِلكَ صُموتٌ وَذا ناطِقٌ

إِذا حَرَّكوهُ فَسا أَو هَذى

إِذا حَرَّكوهُ فَسا أَو هَذى

And those are silent, while this one speaks:

Those are mere statues, while this one

The idols hold their peace; this creature speaks,

When they shake him, he farts or babbles.

Speaks nonsense when they move him.

But stirred, he breaks wind or babbles nonsense.

وَمَن جَهِلَت نَفسُهُ قَدرَهُ

وَمَن جَهِلَت نَفسُهُ قَدرَهُ

رَأى غَيرُهُ مِنهُ مالا يَرى

رَأى غَيرُهُ مِنهُ مالا يَرى

And whoever does not know his own worth—

He who does not know himself, his worth,

And he whose soul knows not its proper worth

Others see in him what he does not see.

Sees in himself what he does not see.

Shall find that others see his failings clear.