كَتَمتُكَ لَيلاً بِالجَمومَينِ ساهِرا

كَتَمتُكَ لَيلاً بِالجَمومَينِ ساهِرا

وَهَمَّينِ هَمّاً مُستَكِنّاً وَظاهِرا

وَهَمَّينِ هَمّاً مُستَكِنّاً وَظاهِرا

I kept from you a night spent sleepless at al-Jamūmayn,

I concealed you at night with tearful eyes, awake

and two cares—a hidden care and one laid bare:

And with worries that settled in and appeared

أَحاديثَ نَفسٍ تَشتَكي ما يَريبُها

أَحاديثَ نَفسٍ تَشتَكي ما يَريبُها

وَوِردَ هُمومٍ لَم يَجِدنَ مَصادِرا

وَوِردَ هُمومٍ لَم يَجِدنَ مَصادِرا

a soul's whispers, complaining of what troubles it,

The worries of a soul complaining of what disturbs it

and an influx of cares that found no outlet.

And recurring sorrows that did not find outlets

تُكَلِّفُني أَن يَفعَلَ الدَهرُ هَمَّها

تُكَلِّفُني أَن يَفعَلَ الدَهرُ هَمَّها

وَهَل وَجَدَت قَبلي عَلى الدَهرِ قادِرا

وَهَل وَجَدَت قَبلي عَلى الدَهرِ قادِرا

It charges me to make fate fulfill its desire—

It demands me to make fate do its worries

and has it found, before me, anyone with power over fate?

Did it ever find anyone before me able to control fate?

أَلَم تَرَ خَيرَ الناسِ أَصبَحَ نَعشُهُ

أَلَم تَرَ خَيرَ الناسِ أَصبَحَ نَعشُهُ

عَلى فِتيَةٍ قَد جاوَزَ الحَيَّ سائِرا

عَلى فِتيَةٍ قَد جاوَزَ الحَيَّ سائِرا

Have you not seen the best of men, whose bier is now

Have you not seen the best of people, his bier

borne by young men, already moving beyond the encampment?

Became carried by youths after he surpassed the living

وَنَحنُ لَدَيهِ نَسأَلُ اللَهَ خُلدَهُ

وَنَحنُ لَدَيهِ نَسأَلُ اللَهَ خُلدَهُ

يَرُدَّ لَنا مُلكاً وَلِلأَرضِ عامِرا

يَرُدَّ لَنا مُلكاً وَلِلأَرضِ عامِرا

And we beside him ask God to grant him immortality,

And we, next to him, ask Allah for his eternity

to restore dominion to us and to the earth one who makes it flourish.

To return a kingdom to us and prosperity to the land

وَنَحنُ نُرَجّي الخُلدَ إِن فازَ قِدحُنا

وَنَحنُ نُرَجّي الخُلدَ إِن فازَ قِدحُنا

وَنَرهَبُ قِدحَ المَوتِ إِن جاءَ قامِرا

وَنَرهَبُ قِدحَ المَوتِ إِن جاءَ قامِرا

And we hope for immortality if our gaming arrow wins,

And we hope for eternity if our goblets succeed

and dread death's gaming arrow if it comes up winning.

And we fear the goblet of death if it comes gambling

لَكَ الخَيرُ إِن وارَت بِكَ الأَرضُ واحِداً

لَكَ الخَيرُ إِن وارَت بِكَ الأَرضُ واحِداً

وَأَصبَحَ جَدُّ الناسِ يَظلَعُ عاثِرا

وَأَصبَحَ جَدُّ الناسِ يَظلَعُ عاثِرا

May good be yours! If the earth has buried one man in you,

Goodness to you if the land becomes desolate with you alone

the people's fortune has begun to limp and stumble;

And the forefather of people goes on stumbling

وَرُدَّت مَطايا الراغِبينَ وَعُرِّيَت

وَرُدَّت مَطايا الراغِبينَ وَعُرِّيَت

جِيادُكَ لا يُحفي لَها الدَهرُ حافِرا

جِيادُكَ لا يُحفي لَها الدَهرُ حافِرا

and the mounts of those seeking bounty were turned back, and unsaddled

And the steeds of the ambitious return humiliated

were your steeds: time wears down no hoof of theirs.

Your steeds that time does not clothe with horseshoes

رَأَيتُكَ تَرعاني بِعَينٍ بَصيرَةٍ

رَأَيتُكَ تَرعاني بِعَينٍ بَصيرَةٍ

وَتَبعَثُ حُرّاساً عَلَيَّ وَناظِرا

وَتَبعَثُ حُرّاساً عَلَيَّ وَناظِرا

I saw you watching me with a keen-sighted eye,

I saw you observing me with an insightful eye

and sending guards over me, and a watcher.

And sending guards to watch over me

وَذَلِكَ مِن قَولٍ أَتاكَ أَقولُهُ

وَذَلِكَ مِن قَولٍ أَتاكَ أَقولُهُ

وَمِن دَسِّ أَعدائي إِلَيكَ المَآبِرا

وَمِن دَسِّ أَعدائي إِلَيكَ المَآبِرا

And that was because of words of mine that reached you,

That is because of words that came to you I say

and of the slanderous barbs my enemies secretly slipped to you.

And because my enemies incite you against me

فَآلَيتُ لا آتيكَ إِن جِئتُ مُجرِماً

فَآلَيتُ لا آتيكَ إِن جِئتُ مُجرِماً

وَلا أَبتَغي جاراً سِواكَ مُجاوِرا

وَلا أَبتَغي جاراً سِواكَ مُجاوِرا

So I swore not to come to you if I were guilty,

So I swore I will not come to you if I come a sinner

nor seek a protector other than you to dwell beside.

Nor will I seek a neighbor other than you

فَأَهلي فِداءٌ لِاِمرِئٍ إِن أَتَيتُهُ

فَأَهلي فِداءٌ لِاِمرِئٍ إِن أَتَيتُهُ

تَقَبَّلَ مَعروفي وَسَدَّ المَفاقِرا

تَقَبَّلَ مَعروفي وَسَدَّ المَفاقِرا

So may my family be ransom for a man who, if I come to him,

So my family is ransom for a man if I come to him

accepts my goodwill and fills the gaps of need.

Who accepts my good deed and closes the gaps

سَأَكعَمُ كَلبي أَن يَريبَكَ نَبحُهُ

سَأَكعَمُ كَلبي أَن يَريبَكَ نَبحُهُ

وَإِن كُنتُ أَرعى مُسحَلانَ فَحامِرا

وَإِن كُنتُ أَرعى مُسحَلانَ فَحامِرا

I will muzzle my dog lest its barking trouble you,

I will muzzle my dog lest its barking disturbs you

even if I pasture my flocks at Musḥalān and then Ḥāmir,

Even if I were herding pregnant camels

وَحَلَّت بُيوتي في يَفاعٍ مُمَنَّعٍ

وَحَلَّت بُيوتي في يَفاعٍ مُمَنَّعٍ

تَخالُ بِهِ راعي الحَمولَةِ طائِرا

تَخالُ بِهِ راعي الحَمولَةِ طائِرا

and my tents stand on an impregnable height,

And my abodes settled in an impregnable cliff

where you would take the pack-camels' herdsman for a bird.

Where the shepherd of the camels takes off flying

تَزِلَّ الوُعولُ العُصمُ عَن قُذُفاتِهِ

تَزِلَّ الوُعولُ العُصمُ عَن قُذُفاتِهِ

وَتُضحي ذُراهُ بِالسَحابِ كَوافِرا

وَتُضحي ذُراهُ بِالسَحابِ كَوافِرا

The white-forelegged ibex slip from its crags,

The howling winds strip the summit of its hurling

and in the morning its summits are shrouded in clouds.

And sacrifice its surroundings to the abundant clouds

حِذاراً عَلى أَن لا تُنالَ مَقادَتي

حِذاراً عَلى أَن لا تُنالَ مَقادَتي

وَلا نِسوَتي حَتّى يَمُتنَ حَرائِرا

وَلا نِسوَتي حَتّى يَمُتنَ حَرائِرا

Taking care that my submission should not be won,

Beware that my honor and my women are not touched

nor my women seized, until they die free.

Until they die free women

أَقولُ وَإِن شَطَّت بِيَ الدارُ عَنكُمُ

أَقولُ وَإِن شَطَّت بِيَ الدارُ عَنكُمُ

إِذا ما لَقَينا مِن مَعَدٍّ مُسافِرا

إِذا ما لَقَينا مِن مَعَدٍّ مُسافِرا

I say, though my dwelling has taken me far from you,

I say even if the abode parts me from you

whenever we meet a traveler from Maʿadd:

When we meet someone traveling from Ma’ad

أَلِكني إِلى النُعمانِ حَيثُ لَقيتَهُ

أَلِكني إِلى النُعمانِ حَيثُ لَقيتَهُ

فَأَهدى لَهُ اللَهُ الغُيوثَ البَواكِرا

فَأَهدى لَهُ اللَهُ الغُيوثَ البَواكِرا

Carry my message to al-Nuʿmān wherever you meet him.

Direct me to al-Nu’man where you met him

So may God bestow on him the early rains,

So Allah guided the early downpours to him

وَصَبَّحَهُ فُلجٌ وَلا زالَ كَعبُهُ

وَصَبَّحَهُ فُلجٌ وَلا زالَ كَعبُهُ

عَلى كُلِّ مَن عادى مِنَ الناسِ ظاهِرا

عَلى كُلِّ مَن عادى مِنَ الناسِ ظاهِرا

and may victory greet him at dawn; may his glory ever stand

And he washed him in a flood but his foot

triumphant over everyone among men who opposes him.

Remained triumphant over all who opposed him

وَرَبَّ عَلَيهِ اللَهُ أَحسَنَ صُنعِهِ

وَرَبَّ عَلَيهِ اللَهُ أَحسَنَ صُنعِهِ

وَكانَ لَهُ عَلى البَرِيَّةِ ناصِرا

وَكانَ لَهُ عَلى البَرِيَّةِ ناصِرا

And may God sustain His finest kindness toward him,

And Allah cultivated the best of his making upon him

and be his champion over all humankind.

And was his supporter against the humans

فَأَلفَيتُهُ يَوماً يُبيدُ عَدوَّهُ

فَأَلفَيتُهُ يَوماً يُبيدُ عَدوَّهُ

وَبَحرَ عَطاءٍ يَستَخِفَّ المَعابِرا

وَبَحرَ عَطاءٍ يَستَخِفَّ المَعابِرا

Then one day I found him annihilating his enemy,

So I found him one day annihilating his enemy

and a sea of bounty that lightly tosses the ferryboats.

And a sea of generosity the crossers underestimate