أحَيا وَأَيسَرُ ما قاسَيتُ ما قَتَلا

أحَيا وَأَيسَرُ ما قاسَيتُ ما قَتَلا

وَالبَينُ جارَ عَلى ضَعفي وَما عَدَلا

وَالبَينُ جارَ عَلى ضَعفي وَما عَدَلا

I live, though the least of what I have endured is lethal.

The easiest and happiest of what I endured was that which killed me,

Am I alive? For the easiest of my sufferings is fatal, / And separation has oppressed my weakness with no justice.

And separation has oppressed my weakness and shown no justice.

And separation has been unfair to my weakness, not just.

Passion grows mighty as the distance between us grows, / While patience wastes away within my frame as my body wastes.

وَالوَجدُ يَقوى كَما تَقوى النَوى أَبَداً

وَالوَجدُ يَقوى كَما تَقوى النَوى أَبَداً

وَالصَبرُ يَنحَلُ في جِسمي كَما نَحِلا

وَالصَبرُ يَنحَلُ في جِسمي كَما نَحِلا

And longing grows stronger as separation forever deepens;

Yearning strengthens forever, like the strength of will,

It is only through the parting of loved ones / That fatal dooms find pathways to our souls.

and patience wastes away within my body, as my body has.

And patience dissolves in my body like beeswax.

By the magic within your eyelids, grant union to a suffering soul / Who desires life—yet if you turn away, desires it not.

وَلا مُفارَقَةُ الأَحبابِ ما وَجَدَت

وَلا مُفارَقَةُ الأَحبابِ ما وَجَدَت

لَها المَنايا إِلى أَرواحِنا سُبُلا

لَها المَنايا إِلى أَرواحِنا سُبُلا

And but for parting from loved ones, death would not have found

The parting from loved ones that I experienced

Though his hair be not gray, his very heart has aged within him, / A whiteness that would not fade even if dyed by solace.

paths for itself to our souls.

Death found ways to our souls.

He is driven mad with longing; were it not for a scent / That visits him upon the eastern breeze, he would lose his reason.

بِما بِجَفنَيكِ مِن سِحرٍ صِلي دَنِفاً

بِما بِجَفنَيكِ مِن سِحرٍ صِلي دَنِفاً

يَهوى الحَياةَ وَأَمّا إِن صَدَدتِ فَلا

يَهوى الحَياةَ وَأَمّا إِن صَدَدتِ فَلا

By the magic in your eyelids, grant union to a lovesick man

With the magic in your eyelids, pray gently

Behold! Look upon me or imagine my state to see such burning / That he who has not tasted a fragment of it has truly escaped.

who loves life—but if you turn away, he does not.

To the one who desires life, but if you are stern, then not.

Perhaps the Prince will see my abasement and intercede for me / With her who has left me as a cautionary tale of love.

إِلّا يَشِب فَلَقَد شابَت لَهُ كَبِدٌ

إِلّا يَشِب فَلَقَد شابَت لَهُ كَبِدٌ

شَيباً إِذا خَضَّبَتهُ سَلوَةٌ نَصَلا

شَيباً إِذا خَضَّبَتهُ سَلوَةٌ نَصَلا

If he has not grown gray, his liver surely has,

Aside from growing white hair, for it has indeed turned white,

I became certain that Sa'id was seeking my blood / When I beheld him gripping his spear in readiness.

with a grayness that, if forgetfulness dyes it, sheds the dye.

When dyed by the droplets of spears.

I cannot number the virtues of his noble father, / And attempting to describe him is harder than reaching Saturn.

يُجَنُّ شَوقاً فَلَولا أَنَّ رائِحَةً

يُجَنُّ شَوقاً فَلَولا أَنَّ رائِحَةً

تَزورُهُ في رِياحِ الشَرقِ ما عَقَلا

تَزورُهُ في رِياحِ الشَرقِ ما عَقَلا

He goes mad with longing; were it not that a fragrance

He goes mad with longing, and were it not for

A chieftain whose abode is Manbij, yet his bounty roams / The horizons, seeking out those who have asked of others.

visits him in the east winds, he would never regain his senses.

A breeze that visits him from eastern winds, he would not be rational.

The full moon of the dark night shines upon his brow, / Yet he wields death itself when he charges into the fray.

ها فَاِنظُري أَو فَظُنّي بي تَرى حُرَقاً

ها فَاِنظُري أَو فَظُنّي بي تَرى حُرَقاً

مَن لَم يَذُق طَرَفاً مِنها فَقَد وَأَلا

مَن لَم يَذُق طَرَفاً مِنها فَقَد وَأَلا

Look, then—or imagine me—and you will see burning torments;

So look, or suspect me, you will see burning

The dust of his march is kohl for the eyes of Kilab, / And against Janab, his sword strikes before blame can be cast.

whoever has not tasted even a little of them has escaped.

One who has not tasted a bit of it has missed out and perished.

His light has pierced a path in the heaven of glory; / Were thought to ascend it forever, it would never descend.

عَلَّ الأَميرَ يَرى ذُلّي فَيَشفَعَ لي

عَلَّ الأَميرَ يَرى ذُلّي فَيَشفَعَ لي

إِلى الَّتي تَرَكَتني في الهَوى مَثَلا

إِلى الَّتي تَرَكَتني في الهَوى مَثَلا

Perhaps the prince will see my abasement and intercede for me

I wished the prince would see my humility and intercede for me

He is the Prince by whose hand the tribe of Tamim perished of old, / When he drove their fated destruction straight toward them.

with her who has left me a byword in love.

To her who left me as an example in love.

When they saw him approach with the steeds of victory, / In a war unforgiving, they surrendered their very dwellings.

أَيقَنتُ أَنَّ سَعيداً طالِبٌ بِدَمي

أَيقَنتُ أَنَّ سَعيداً طالِبٌ بِدَمي

لَمّا بَصُرتُ بِهِ بِالرُمحِ مُعتَقِلا

لَمّا بَصُرتُ بِهِ بِالرُمحِ مُعتَقِلا

I was certain that Sa'id sought my blood

I was certain that Sa’eed was seeking my blood

The earth became so narrow that their fleeing fugitive, / Upon seeing a shadow of nothing, would mistake it for a man.

when I saw him with his spear braced.

When I saw him clutch his spear.

Since that day, were cavalry to gallop / Through the sensitive throat of a child, he would not even cough.

وَأَنَّني غَيرُ مُحصٍ فَضلَ والِدِهِ

وَأَنَّني غَيرُ مُحصٍ فَضلَ والِدِهِ

وَنائِلٌ دونَ نَيلي وَصفَهُ زُحَلا

وَنائِلٌ دونَ نَيلي وَصفَهُ زُحَلا

And that I cannot reckon his father's excellence,

And that I am not safe from the excellence of his father,

You left those you encountered as carrion for the birds, / And slew those you did not meet with the sheer force of terror.

and would reach Saturn before I could describe him.

While he attains without attaining as fate has ordained.

How many a perilous wasteland, where the guide’s heart beat / Like the heart of a lover, consumed me after long delay.

قَيلٌ بِمَنبِجَ مَثواهُ وَنائِلُهُ

قَيلٌ بِمَنبِجَ مَثواهُ وَنائِلُهُ

في الأُفقِ يَسأَلُ عَمَّن غَيرَهُ سَأَلا

في الأُفقِ يَسأَلُ عَمَّن غَيرَهُ سَأَلا

A lord whose abode is Manbij; his bounty

It is said his dwelling is Manbij, and his attainment

In its wilderness, I bound my gaze to the guiding stars, / And exposed my noble face to the sun’s heat when they set.

is on the horizon, asking after whoever has petitioned another.

In the horizon, asking about others, has asked.

I wedded its silent pebbles to the hoof-pads of a she-camel / That charged blindly with me toward you, over plain and mountain.

يَلوحُ بَدرُ الدُجى في صَحنِ غُرَّتِهِ

يَلوحُ بَدرُ الدُجى في صَحنِ غُرَّتِهِ

وَيَحمِلُ المَوتُ في الهَيجاءِ إِن حَمَلا

وَيَحمِلُ المَوتُ في الهَيجاءِ إِن حَمَلا

The full moon of night shines in the expanse of his brow,

The full moon of nighttime shines in the basin of darkness,

Had you been within my shirt as I rode upon her saddle, / You would have heard the clamor of Jinn in those desolate valleys.

and death charges into battle whenever he charges.

And death carries in tumult, if it carries at all.

Until I arrived with a soul that had mostly perished— / Would that I might live on with the fragment that remains!

تُرابُهُ في كِلابٍ كُحلُ أَعيُنِها

تُرابُهُ في كِلابٍ كُحلُ أَعيُنِها

وَسَيفُهُ في جَنابٍ يَسبِقُ العَذَلا

وَسَيفُهُ في جَنابٍ يَسبِقُ العَذَلا

His dust among Kilab is kohl for their eyes,

His dust is in bay horses, kohl to their eyes,

I hope for your bounty and fear no delay in its coming, / O you who, were he to gift the whole world, would still be deemed a miser.

and among Janab his sword precedes reproach.

And his sword in his sheath precedes responding to the slain.

لِنورِهِ في سَماءِ الفَخرِ مُختَرَقٌ

لِنورِهِ في سَماءِ الفَخرِ مُختَرَقٌ

لَو صاعَدَ الفِكرُ فيهِ الدَهرَ ما نَزَلا

لَو صاعَدَ الفِكرُ فيهِ الدَهرَ ما نَزَلا

His light has a passage through the sky of glory;

For his light in the sky of pride has pierced through,

were thought to climb it for all time, it would never descend.

If thought rose in it for eternity, it would not descend.

هُوَ الأَميرُ الَّذي بادَت تَميمُ بِهِ

هُوَ الأَميرُ الَّذي بادَت تَميمُ بِهِ

قِدماً وَساقَ إِلَيها حَينُها الأَجَلا

قِدماً وَساقَ إِلَيها حَينُها الأَجَلا

He is the prince through whom Tamim perished

He is the prince by whom Tameem1 perished,

long ago; its doom drove the appointed end toward it.

When time led it to him, foot and leg.

لَمّا رَأَتهُ وَخَيلُ النَصرِ مُقبِلَةً

لَمّا رَأَتهُ وَخَيلُ النَصرِ مُقبِلَةً

وَالحَربُ غَيرُ عَوانٍ أَسلَموا الحِلَلا

وَالحَربُ غَيرُ عَوانٍ أَسلَموا الحِلَلا

When they saw him, with victory's cavalry advancing,

When it saw him and the horses of victory approaching,

and before battle was renewed, they abandoned their encampments.

And war without helpers, they submitted their swords.

وَضاقَتِ الأَرضُ حَتّى كانَ هارِبُهُم

وَضاقَتِ الأَرضُ حَتّى كانَ هارِبُهُم

إِذا رَأى غَيرَ شَيءٍ ظَنَّهُ رَجُلا

إِذا رَأى غَيرَ شَيءٍ ظَنَّهُ رَجُلا

And the earth grew narrow, until any fugitive of theirs,

The land narrowed until their fugitive,

whenever he saw nothing at all, took it for a man.

If he saw anything other than a man, thought it was a man.

فَبَعدَهُ وَإِلى ذا اليَومِ لَو رَكَضَت

فَبَعدَهُ وَإِلى ذا اليَومِ لَو رَكَضَت

بِالخَيلِ في لَهَواتِ الطِفلِ ما سَعَلا

بِالخَيلِ في لَهَواتِ الطِفلِ ما سَعَلا

So ever since then, down to this day, if you galloped

So after him, and to this day, if the horses raced

horses through a child's throat, he would not cough.

Playfully like a child’s, they would not overexert themselves.

فَقَد تَرَكتَ الأُلى لاقَيتُهُم جَزَراً

فَقَد تَرَكتَ الأُلى لاقَيتُهُم جَزَراً

وَقَد قَتَلتَ الأُلى لَم تَلقَهُم وَجَلا

وَقَد قَتَلتَ الأُلى لَم تَلقَهُم وَجَلا

For you have left those I met as slaughtered prey,

You left the fortresses, I met them as bridges,

and you have killed those you never met through terror.

And you killed the fortresses, you did not meet them diffident.

كَم مَهمَهٍ قَذَفٍ قَلبُ الدَليلِ بِهِ

كَم مَهمَهٍ قَذَفٍ قَلبُ الدَليلِ بِهِ

قَلبُ المُحِبِّ قَضاني بَعدَما مَطَلا

قَلبُ المُحِبِّ قَضاني بَعدَما مَطَلا

Many a far-flung wilderness, where the guide's heart

How many concerns the guide’s heart has harbored,

was a lover's heart, paid me my due after putting me off.

That have split the lover’s heart after procrastinating.

عَقَدتُ بِالنَجمِ طَرفي في مَفاوِزِهِ

عَقَدتُ بِالنَجمِ طَرفي في مَفاوِزِهِ

وَحُرَّ وَجهي بِحَرِّ الشَمسِ إِذ أَفَلا

وَحُرَّ وَجهي بِحَرِّ الشَمسِ إِذ أَفَلا

I fastened my gaze to the star amid its trackless wastes,

I shackled my eyelids to the stars in their deserts,

and my bare face to the sun's heat when the star set.

And my face blushed from the heat of the sun when it set.

أَنكَحتُ صُمَّ حَصاها خُفَّ يَعمَلَةٍ

أَنكَحتُ صُمَّ حَصاها خُفَّ يَعمَلَةٍ

تَغَشمَرَت بي إِلَيكَ السَهلَ وَالجَبَلا

تَغَشمَرَت بي إِلَيكَ السَهلَ وَالجَبَلا

I wedded their solid pebbles to the padded foot of a sturdy she-camel

I married deaf steps whose anklets

that forced her way with me toward you, across plain and mountain.

Rumbled over me the plains and mountains to you.

لَو كُنتَ حَشوَ قَميصي فَوقَ نُمرُقِها

لَو كُنتَ حَشوَ قَميصي فَوقَ نُمرُقِها

سَمِعتَ لِلجِنِّ في غيطانِها زَجَلا

سَمِعتَ لِلجِنِّ في غيطانِها زَجَلا

Had you been inside my shirt, upon her saddle-cushion,

If you were the stuffing of my shirt above its patches,

you would have heard the jinn's clamor in those desert hollows.

You would have heard the jinn wailing in their singing.

حَتّى وَصَلتُ بِنَفسٍ ماتَ أَكثَرُها

حَتّى وَصَلتُ بِنَفسٍ ماتَ أَكثَرُها

وَلَيتَني عِشتُ مِنها بِالَّذي فَضَلا

وَلَيتَني عِشتُ مِنها بِالَّذي فَضَلا

Until I arrived with a soul most of which had died;

Until I reached with a soul most of which had died,

and would that I could live on the part of it that remained.

And would that I had lived on that which remained.

أَرجو نَداكَ وَلا أَخشى المِطالَ بِهِ

أَرجو نَداكَ وَلا أَخشى المِطالَ بِهِ

يا مَن إِذا وَهَبَ الدُنيا فَقَد بَخِلا

يا مَن إِذا وَهَبَ الدُنيا فَقَد بَخِلا

I hope for your bounty and do not fear delay in granting it,

I wish for your help, and do not fear requesting it,

O you who would still be miserly even if you gave the world!

Oh you, who when you grant the world you are still stingy!