لَعَمري لَقَد أَشرَفتُ يَومُ عُنَيزَةٍ

لَعَمري لَقَد أَشرَفتُ يَومُ عُنَيزَةٍ

عَلى رَغبَةٍ لَو شَدَّ نَفسي مَريرُها

عَلى رَغبَةٍ لَو شَدَّ نَفسي مَريرُها

By my life, on the day of ʿUnayzah I came close

By my life! On the day of Unayzah, I yearned

to what I desired, had its tightly twisted cord braced my soul.

For something, had I pursued my bitter desire,

وَلكِنَّ ضُعفَ الأَمرِ أَلّا تُمَرَّهُ

وَلكِنَّ ضُعفَ الأَمرِ أَلّا تُمَرَّهُ

وَلا خَيرَ في ذي مِرَّةٍ لا يُغيرُها

وَلا خَيرَ في ذي مِرَّةٍ لا يُغيرُها

But an undertaking's weakness lies in not twisting it tight,

But the weakness of the matter is not to go through with it

and no good lies in one with resolve who does not tighten it.

And no good is he who is spiteful and does not change it

تَبَيَّنُ أَدبارُ الأُمورِ إِذا مَضَت

تَبَيَّنُ أَدبارُ الأُمورِ إِذا مَضَت

وَتُقبِلُ أَشباهاً عَلَيكَ صُدورُها

وَتُقبِلُ أَشباهاً عَلَيكَ صُدورُها

The ends of affairs become clear once they have passed,

The outcomes of matters become clear when they pass

while their beginnings approach you in similar guises.

And their fronts turn to you

تُرَجّى النُفوسُ الشَيءَ لا تَستَطيعُهُ

تُرَجّى النُفوسُ الشَيءَ لا تَستَطيعُهُ

وَتَخشى مِنَ الأَشياءِ ما لا يَضيرُها

وَتَخشى مِنَ الأَشياءِ ما لا يَضيرُها

Souls are led to hope for what they cannot attain,

Souls desire what they cannot attain

and fear things that cannot harm them.

And fear what does no harm to them

أَلا إِنَّما يَكفي النُفوسُ إِذا اِتَّقَت

أَلا إِنَّما يَكفي النُفوسُ إِذا اِتَّقَت

تُقى اللَهِ مِمّا حاذَرَتِ فَيُجيرُها

تُقى اللَهِ مِمّا حاذَرَتِ فَيُجيرُها

Take heed: when souls are devout, all they need

Know that it suffices souls when they are pious

is fear of God against what they dread; He grants them refuge.

To be protected by God from what they dread, so He will protect them

وَلا خَيرَ في العيدانِ إِلّا صَلابُها

وَلا خَيرَ في العيدانِ إِلّا صَلابُها

وَلا ناهِضاتُ الطَيرِ إِلّا صُقورُها

وَلا ناهِضاتُ الطَيرِ إِلّا صُقورُها

There is no good in sticks save their sturdy ones,

Of staffs, only their firmness is good

nor among birds that take wing save their falcons.

And of birds that hunt, only their falcons

وَمُستَنبِحٍ يَدعو وَقَد حالَ دونَهُ

وَمُستَنبِحٍ يَدعو وَقَد حالَ دونَهُ

مِنَ اللَيلِ سَجفا ظُلمَةٍ وَسُتورُها

مِنَ اللَيلِ سَجفا ظُلمَةٍ وَسُتورُها

And many a traveler called for answering barks, his way barred

A caller who calls but the darkness of night prevents him

by night's two curtains of darkness and its veils.

With its heavy, black coverings

رَفَعتُ لَهُ ناري فَلَمّا اِهتَدى لَها

رَفَعتُ لَهُ ناري فَلَمّا اِهتَدى لَها

زَجَرتُ كِلابي أَن يَهِرَّ عَقورُها

زَجَرتُ كِلابي أَن يَهِرَّ عَقورُها

I raised my fire for him; when he found his way to it,

I raised my fire for him, so when he found his way to it

I restrained my dogs, lest their vicious one growl.

I scolded my dogs lest their howling terrify him

فَباتَ وَقَد سَرى مِنَ اللَيلِ عُقبَةً

فَباتَ وَقَد سَرى مِنَ اللَيلِ عُقبَةً

بِلَيلَةٍ صِدقٍ غابَ عَنها شُرورُها

بِلَيلَةٍ صِدقٍ غابَ عَنها شُرورُها

So he passed the night, having traveled a stretch of it,

He spent the night traveling a distance of the night

a goodly night, with its evils gone.

In a truthful night, free of any evil

وَقَد عَلِمَ الأَضيافُ أَن قِراهُمُ

وَقَد عَلِمَ الأَضيافُ أَن قِراهُمُ

شِواءُ المُتالي عِندَنا وَقَديرُها

شِواءُ المُتالي عِندَنا وَقَديرُها

And the guests have learned that their welcome-meal

The guests knew that their lodging with us

with us is roast meat of she-camels with young, and their stewed meat.

Is roasted meat and its cooking pot

إِذا اِفتَخَرَتِ سَعدُ بنُ ذيبانُ لَم يَجدِ

إِذا اِفتَخَرَتِ سَعدُ بنُ ذيبانُ لَم يَجدِ

سِوى ما بَنينا ما يَعِدُّ فَخورُها

سِوى ما بَنينا ما يَعِدُّ فَخورُها

When Saʿd ibn Dhībān boasts, nothing is found

If Saad boasts, he will find nothing

for its boaster to count except what we have built.

Except what we built, which he counts as pride

وَإِنّي لَتَرّاكُ الضَغينَةِ قَد بَدا

وَإِنّي لَتَرّاكُ الضَغينَةِ قَد بَدا

ثَراها مِنَ المَولى فَلا أَستَثيرُها

ثَراها مِنَ المَولى فَلا أَستَثيرُها

And I readily leave rancor alone, though

And I hold back my hatred which has appeared

its traces have appeared in a kinsman; I do not stir it up,

From my Master, so I do not provoke it

مَخافَةَ أَن تَجني عَلَيَّ وَإِنَّما

مَخافَةَ أَن تَجني عَلَيَّ وَإِنَّما

يَهيجُ كَبيراتِ الأُمورِ صَغيرُها

يَهيجُ كَبيراتِ الأُمورِ صَغيرُها

for fear it should harm me; it is only

Fearing it will bring me harm, though only

small affairs that stir up great ones.

Minor matters provoke momentous ones

إِذا قيلَتِ العَوراءُ وَلّيتُ سَمعَها

إِذا قيلَتِ العَوراءُ وَلّيتُ سَمعَها

سِوايَ وَلَم أَسمَع بِها ما دَبيرُها

سِوايَ وَلَم أَسمَع بِها ما دَبيرُها

When an offensive word is spoken, I leave its hearing

If the blind says “I wish” I hear it

to someone else, and do not listen to the rest of it.

By myself and do not hear her secret

وَحاجَةِ نَفسٍ قَد بَلَغتُ وَحاجَةٍ

وَحاجَةِ نَفسٍ قَد بَلَغتُ وَحاجَةٍ

تَرَكتُ إِذا ما النَفسُ شَحَّ ضَميرُها

تَرَكتُ إِذا ما النَفسُ شَحَّ ضَميرُها

And many a soul's desire I have attained, and many another

I fulfilled a soul’s need and left another

I have left, when the soul grew grasping at heart,

When the soul was stingy and narrowed its breast

حَياءً وَصَبراً في المَواطِنِ إِنَّني

حَياءً وَصَبراً في المَواطِنِ إِنَّني

حَيِيُّ لَدى أَمثالِ تِلكَ سَتيرُها

حَيِيُّ لَدى أَمثالِ تِلكَ سَتيرُها

out of modesty and patience in such situations; indeed, I

Modestly and patiently in precarious places, I

am modest before such things, and keep them veiled.

Am modest with the likes of those and cover it

وَأَحبِسُ في الحَقِّ الكَريمَةِ إِنَّما

وَأَحبِسُ في الحَقِّ الكَريمَةِ إِنَّما

يَقومُ بِحَقِّ النائِباتِ صَبورُها

يَقومُ بِحَقِّ النائِباتِ صَبورُها

And I devote my noble soul to duty; only

And restrain noble deeds, though only

the steadfast bearer of calamities meets their demands.

The patient stand by the rights of deputies

أُحابي بِها الحَيَّ الَّذي لا تُهِمُّهُ

أُحابي بِها الحَيَّ الَّذي لا تُهِمُّهُ

وَأَحسابَ أَمواتٍ تُعَدُّ قُبورُها

وَأَحسابَ أَمواتٍ تُعَدُّ قُبورُها

With it I favor the clan, which it does not trouble,

I befriend the living who are not concerned by them

and the honors of dead men whose graves are counted.

And count the dead whose graves are their homes

أَلَم تَرَ أَنّا نورُ قَومٍ وَإِنَّما

أَلَم تَرَ أَنّا نورُ قَومٍ وَإِنَّما

يُبَيِّنُ في الظُلماءِ لِلنّاسِ نورُها

يُبَيِّنُ في الظُلماءِ لِلنّاسِ نورُها

Have you not seen that we are a people's light? It is only

Do you not see that we are a people's light even though

their light that shines out for people in darkness.

Our light makes clear to people in the darkness?