أَريقُكِ أَم ماءُ الغَمامَةِ أَم خَمرُ

أَريقُكِ أَم ماءُ الغَمامَةِ أَم خَمرُ

بِفِيَّ بَرودٌ وَهوَ في كَبِدي جَمرُ

بِفِيَّ بَرودٌ وَهوَ في كَبِدي جَمرُ

Is it your saliva, or the cloud's water, or wine?

Is this the nectar of your mouth, or rain from clouds, or wine?

Cool in my mouth, yet burning coals in my liver.

Cool to the taste, yet in my heart it sears like burning coal.

أَذا الغُصنُ أَم ذا الدِعصِ أَم أَنتِ فِتنَةٌ

أَذا الغُصنُ أَم ذا الدِعصِ أَم أَنتِ فِتنَةٌ

وَذَيّا الَّذي قَبَّلتُهُ البَرقُ أَم ثَغرُ

وَذَيّا الَّذي قَبَّلتُهُ البَرقُ أَم ثَغرُ

Is this a bough, or this a sand mound, or are you an enchantment?

Is that a slender bough, a curving dune, or sheer beguilement?

And this little thing I kissed—was it lightning or a mouth?

And that which I kissed—was it lightning's flash, or a smiling mouth?

رَأَت وَجهَ مَن أَهوى بِلَيلٍ عَواذِلي

رَأَت وَجهَ مَن أَهوى بِلَيلٍ عَواذِلي

فَقُلنَ نَرى شَمساً وَما طَلَعَ الفَجرُ

فَقُلنَ نَرى شَمساً وَما طَلَعَ الفَجرُ

My reprovers saw the face of the one I love at night,

My censurers glimpsed the face of my beloved in the night,

So they said, "We see a sun, though dawn has not risen."

And cried, "We see a sun appear, though dawn has not yet broken!"

رَأَينَ الَّتي لِلسِحرِ في لَحَظاتِها

رَأَينَ الَّتي لِلسِحرِ في لَحَظاتِها

سُيوفٌ ظُباها مِن دَمي أَبَداً حُمرُ

سُيوفٌ ظُباها مِن دَمي أَبَداً حُمرُ

They saw her, in whose glances sorcery has

They gazed on her, within whose glances magic dwells,

Swords whose edges are forever red with my blood.

Like swords whose edges remain forever crimson with my blood.

تَناهى سُكونُ الحُسنِ في حَرَكاتِها

تَناهى سُكونُ الحُسنِ في حَرَكاتِها

فَلَيسَ لِراءٍ وَجهَها لَم يَمُت عُذرُ

فَلَيسَ لِراءٍ وَجهَها لَم يَمُت عُذرُ

Beauty's repose in her movements has reached perfection;

The stillness of beauty finds its zenith in her movements;

So whoever sees her face and does not die has no excuse.

He who beholds her face and does not perish has no excuse.

إِلَيكَ اِبنَ يَحيى اِبنِ الوَليدِ تَجاوَزَت

إِلَيكَ اِبنَ يَحيى اِبنِ الوَليدِ تَجاوَزَت

بِيَ البيدَ عيسٌ لَحمُها وَالدَمُ الشِعرُ

بِيَ البيدَ عيسٌ لَحمُها وَالدَمُ الشِعرُ

To you, son of Yahya son of al-Walid, they bore

Toward you, O Ibn Yahya, son of al-Walid, have crossed

Me across the deserts—pale camels whose flesh and blood are poetry.

The white camels, their flesh and blood sustained by verse alone.

نَضَحتُ بِذِكراكُم حَرارَةَ قَلبِها

نَضَحتُ بِذِكراكُم حَرارَةَ قَلبِها

فَسارَت وَطولُ الأَرضِ في عَينِها شِبرُ

فَسارَت وَطولُ الأَرضِ في عَينِها شِبرُ

I sprinkled remembrance of you upon the heat of their hearts;

I quenched the burning thirst within their hearts with thoughts of you,

So they journeyed on, the earth's length but a handspan in their eyes.

Until they marched, deeming the vast earth but a hand's span.

إِلى لَيثِ حَربٍ يُلحِمُ اللَيثَ سَيفُهُ

إِلى لَيثِ حَربٍ يُلحِمُ اللَيثَ سَيفُهُ

وَبَحرِ نَدىً في مَوجِهِ يَغرَقُ البَحرُ

وَبَحرِ نَدىً في مَوجِهِ يَغرَقُ البَحرُ

To a lion of war whose sword feeds the lion flesh,

To a lion of war, whose sword feeds lion-flesh to beasts,

And a sea of generosity in whose waves the sea itself drowns.

And a sea of generosity, in whose waves the ocean drowns.

وَإِن كانَ يُبقي جودُهُ مِن تَليدِهِ

وَإِن كانَ يُبقي جودُهُ مِن تَليدِهِ

شَبيهاً بِما يُبقي مِنَ العاشِقِ الهَجرُ

شَبيهاً بِما يُبقي مِنَ العاشِقِ الهَجرُ

Even though his generosity leaves of his inherited wealth

And if his boundless bounty leaves a remnant of his wealth,

The like of what separation leaves of a lover.

It is like the trace of a lover whom abandonment has wasted.

فَتىً كُلَّ يَومٍ تَحتَوي نَفسَ مالِهِ

فَتىً كُلَّ يَومٍ تَحتَوي نَفسَ مالِهِ

رِماحُ المَعالي لا الرُدَينِيَّةُ السُمرُ

رِماحُ المَعالي لا الرُدَينِيَّةُ السُمرُ

A youth whose very wealth is seized each day

A youth whose wealth is claimed each day by glory's spears,

By the spears of lofty deeds, not the brown Rudaynian spears.

The lances of high deeds, not merely brown Rudayni shafts.

تَباعَدَ ما بَينَ السَحابِ وَبَينَهُ

تَباعَدَ ما بَينَ السَحابِ وَبَينَهُ

فَنائِلُها قَطرٌ وَنائِلُهُ غَمرُ

فَنائِلُها قَطرٌ وَنائِلُهُ غَمرُ

The distance between the clouds and him is vast:

Vast is the distance set between the rain-clouds and his hand:

Their gift is raindrops; his gift is a flood.

For their gift is but a drizzle, while his gift is a flooding deep.

وَلَو تَنزِلُ الدُنيا عَلى حُكمِ كَفِّهِ

وَلَو تَنزِلُ الدُنيا عَلى حُكمِ كَفِّهِ

لَأَصبَحَتِ الدُنيا وَأَكثَرُها نَزرُ

لَأَصبَحَتِ الدُنيا وَأَكثَرُها نَزرُ

And were the world to submit to his hand's judgment,

And were the world to submit to the judgment of his open palm,

The world would become such that even its abundance was scant.

The entire world would seem, in its abundance, a trifle.

أَراهُ صَغيراً قَدرَها عُظمُ قَدرِهِ

أَراهُ صَغيراً قَدرَها عُظمُ قَدرِهِ

فَما لِعَظيمٍ قَدرُهُ عِندَهُ قَدرُ

فَما لِعَظيمٍ قَدرُهُ عِندَهُ قَدرُ

The greatness of his worth made its worth seem small to him;

The greatness of his soul deems the world's value small;

So even a thing of great worth has no worth in his eyes.

For nothing grand holds weight when measured against his scale.

مَتى ما يُشِر نَحوَ السَماءِ بِوَجهِهِ

مَتى ما يُشِر نَحوَ السَماءِ بِوَجهِهِ

تَخِرَّ لَهُ الشِعرى وَيَنخَسِفِ البَدرُ

تَخِرَّ لَهُ الشِعرى وَيَنخَسِفِ البَدرُ

Whenever he gestures toward the sky with his face,

Whenever he turns his face to gesture toward the heavens,

Sirius falls before him, and the full moon is eclipsed;

Sirius falls prostrate before him, and the full moon suffers eclipse.

تَرَ القَمَرَ الأَرضِيَّ وَالمَلِكَ الَّذي

تَرَ القَمَرَ الأَرضِيَّ وَالمَلِكَ الَّذي

لَهُ المُلكُ بَعدَ اللَهِ وَالمَجدُ وَالذِكرُ

لَهُ المُلكُ بَعدَ اللَهِ وَالمَجدُ وَالذِكرُ

You see the earthly moon and the king to whom

You behold the earthly moon, the sovereign king to whom belongs

Belong sovereignty, after God, glory, and renown.

Dominion next to God, along with glory and high renown.

كَثيرُ سُهادِ العَينِ مِن غَيرِ عِلَّةٍ

كَثيرُ سُهادِ العَينِ مِن غَيرِ عِلَّةٍ

يُؤَرِّقُهُ فيما يُشَرِّفُهُ الفِكرُ

يُؤَرِّقُهُ فيما يُشَرِّفُهُ الفِكرُ

His eyes are often sleepless, though not from illness;

Often his eyes know sleeplessness, though free from all ailment,

Thought of what brings him honor keeps him awake.

Kept waking by the thoughts of honor that exalt his name.

لَهُ مِثَنٌ تُفني الثَناءَ كَأَنَّما

لَهُ مِثَنٌ تُفني الثَناءَ كَأَنَّما

بِهِ أَقسَمَت أَن لا يُؤَدّى لَها شُكرُ

بِهِ أَقسَمَت أَن لا يُؤَدّى لَها شُكرُ

His praiseworthy deeds exhaust praise, as though

He possesses virtues that exhaust all words of praise, as though

They had sworn by him that no thanks could be rendered them.

They swore an oath that no gratitude could ever pay their due.

أَبا أَحمَدٍ ما الفَخرُ إِلّا لِأَهلِهِ

أَبا أَحمَدٍ ما الفَخرُ إِلّا لِأَهلِهِ

وَما لِاِمرِئٍ لَم يُمسِ مِن بُحتُرٍ فَخرُ

وَما لِاِمرِئٍ لَم يُمسِ مِن بُحتُرٍ فَخرُ

O Abu Ahmad, glory belongs only to its rightful people;

O Abu Ahmad! Glory belongs only to its rightful kin,

And a man who is not of Buhtur has no glory.

And no man holds true pride who is not of the Buhtur clan.

هُمُ الناسُ إِلّا أَنَّهُم مِن مَكارِمٍ

هُمُ الناسُ إِلّا أَنَّهُم مِن مَكارِمٍ

يُغَنّي بِهِم حَضرٌ وَيَحدو بِهِم سَفرُ

يُغَنّي بِهِم حَضرٌ وَيَحدو بِهِم سَفرُ

They are mankind itself, save that, for their noble deeds,

They are mankind, yet forged from such noble qualities

Townsfolk sing of them, and travelers chant of them as they drive their camels.

That the settler sings their praise, and the traveler chants their song.

بِمَن أَضرِبُ الأَمثالَ أَم مَن أَقيسُهُ

بِمَن أَضرِبُ الأَمثالَ أَم مَن أَقيسُهُ

إِلَيكَ وَأَهلُ الدَهرِ دونَكَ وَالدَهرُ

إِلَيكَ وَأَهلُ الدَهرِ دونَكَ وَالدَهرُ

Whom shall I cite as an example, or whom shall I compare

To whom shall I liken you? Against whom can you be measured,

With you, when time's people—and time itself—are beneath you?

When all the people of this age, and the age itself, fall short of you?