أَلا ماذا يُريُبك مِن هُمومي

أَلا ماذا يُريُبك مِن هُمومي

ومن نَبواتِ جنبي عن فراشِي

ومن نَبواتِ جنبي عن فراشِي

Ah, what troubles you about my sorrows,

What doubts you of my worries,

and my side's recoiling from my bed?

And of the news of my side away from my bed?

وَلِي في كلّ شارقةٍ خليلٌ

وَلِي في كلّ شارقةٍ خليلٌ

أفارقُهُ بلا نَزَواتِ واشِ

أفارقُهُ بلا نَزَواتِ واشِ

And with every sunrise I have a close friend,

For me in every dawn is a friend

whom I part from without a tale-bearer's provocations.

I part with without yearnings and cravings

وَأَنزعُ وَصلَهُ بالرّغم منِّي

وَأَنزعُ وَصلَهُ بالرّغم منِّي

كَما نَزعتْ يدي عنّي رِياشي

كَما نَزعتْ يدي عنّي رِياشي

And I sever my bond with him against my will,

And I take off his connection against my will

as my own hand stripped me of my finery.

As my hand took off from me my pillow

إِلى كَم ذا التّتابعُ والتّمادي

إِلى كَم ذا التّتابعُ والتّمادي

وكم هذا التّصاممُ والتّغاشي

وكم هذا التّصاممُ والتّغاشي

How long this succession and persistence,

How long is this sequence and continuation

and how long this feigned deafness and blindness?

And how long is this persistence and contention

وَكم شَنِفٍ يُنكِّدُ لا يُحابِي

وَكم شَنِفٍ يُنكِّدُ لا يُحابِي

وصُمٍّ كالأراقم لا تُحاشي

وصُمٍّ كالأراقم لا تُحاشي

And many a spiteful one brings misery, showing no favor,

And how many frowning faces make me gloomy, not smiling

and deaf ones, like vipers, spare no one.

And fasting like palms, unavoidable

يَكونُ بِها اِنحِطاطي وَاِرتِفاعي

يَكونُ بِها اِنحِطاطي وَاِرتِفاعي

وَمِن يدها اِنتكاسي واِرتِعاشي

وَمِن يدها اِنتكاسي واِرتِعاشي

Through them come my descent and my ascent,

Through it is my rise and fall

and from their hand, my relapse and my trembling.

And from it is my setback and my shuddering

وَما هذا العكوفُ على حقيرٍ

وَما هذا العكوفُ على حقيرٍ

يُساق إلى التحلّلِ والتّلاشي

يُساق إلى التحلّلِ والتّلاشي

And what is this devotion to a paltry thing,

And what is this focusing on the worthless

driven toward dissolution and vanishing?

Led to dissolution and vanishing

فَضربٌ بالرّؤوسِ بلا نَجيعٍ

فَضربٌ بالرّؤوسِ بلا نَجيعٍ

وطعنٌ في النّحورِ بلا رَشاشِ

وطعنٌ في النّحورِ بلا رَشاشِ

For there are blows upon heads without blood,

So a hitting of heads without moaning

and thrusts into throats without spatter.

And a stabbing of throats without a slaughterer

تُشيك أخامصي منه خطوبٌ

تُشيك أخامصي منه خطوبٌ

إذا ما شِكْنَ يمنعنَ اِنتعاشي

إذا ما شِكْنَ يمنعنَ اِنتعاشي

Calamities from it drive thorns into the arches of my feet;

My toes warn me of disasters

whenever they prick, they prevent my recovery.

If they cramp, preventing my recovery

وَيفدِي واهناً فيه بنَدْبٍ

وَيفدِي واهناً فيه بنَدْبٍ

ويُسبِق راكباً ممّا يماشي

ويُسبِق راكباً ممّا يماشي

And in it a frail man is ransomed with a valiant one,

And it redeems the feeble with a slight limp

and it sends a rider ahead of those who walk beside him.

And precedes the rider faster than the walker

وَكَم أَنجى فتىً خاضَ المَنايا

وَكَم أَنجى فتىً خاضَ المَنايا

وَأَرداهُ على ثَبَجِ الفراشِ

وَأَرداهُ على ثَبَجِ الفراشِ

And how often it saved a youth who plunged into death's perils,

And how many a young man survived calamities

and slew him upon the middle of his bed!

And returned him to the soft bed

فَيا متنَظِّراً مِنّي اِحتِراشاً

فَيا متنَظِّراً مِنّي اِحتِراشاً

مَتى يَأتي عَلى يدك اِحتراشي

مَتى يَأتي عَلى يدك اِحتراشي

So, you who await my capture,

So you who wait for my inflammation

when will my capture come at your hand?

When will my inflammation come by your hand?

فُجِعتُ بُمشبعِ السَّغَباتِ جوداً

فُجِعتُ بُمشبعِ السَّغَباتِ جوداً

وناقعِ غُلَّةِ الهيمِ العِطاشِ

وناقعِ غُلَّةِ الهيمِ العِطاشِ

I was bereaved of him who sated hunger with his bounty,

I was shocked by the satisfier of desires generously

and quenched the burning thirst of thirst-stricken camels,

And the assuager of the thirst of ardour thirstily

وَوهّابِ اللُّها في يومِ سلمٍ

وَوهّابِ اللُّها في يومِ سلمٍ

وضرّابِ الكُلى يومَ الهِراش

وضرّابِ الكُلى يومَ الهِراش

who lavished great gifts on a day of peace,

And the bestower of blows on the day of peace

and battered kidneys on the day of combat.

And the striker of kidneys on the day of skirmishing

تغلغلَ حبُّهُ في أُمِّ رأسي

تغلغلَ حبُّهُ في أُمِّ رأسي

وخاض ودادُه منّي مُشاشِي

وخاض ودادُه منّي مُشاشِي

Love for him sank deep into the core of my head,

His love penetrated the mother of my head

and affection for him coursed through the soft ends of my bones.

And his affection pierced my temples

وَأَفرَشني القَتَادَ أسىً عليهِ

وَأَفرَشني القَتَادَ أسىً عليهِ

فَليتَ لِغَيرِه كانَ اِفتِراشي

فَليتَ لِغَيرِه كانَ اِفتِراشي

And grief for him laid me upon thornbushes;

And he saddled me with sorrow over him

if only my lying there had been for someone other than him!

I wish it was for another my preparation

وَكنت عَلى الرّزايا ذا إِباءٍ

وَكنت عَلى الرّزايا ذا إِباءٍ

فَقَد قادتْ رزيّتُه خِشاشِي

فَقَد قادتْ رزيّتُه خِشاشِي

And I was defiant in the face of calamities,

And I faced tribulations with dignity

yet the calamity of his loss has led me by my nose-pin.

So my misery led my diminution

وَقلتُ لِمن لَحا سَفَهاً عليه

وَقلتُ لِمن لَحا سَفَهاً عليه

وراجٍ في الملامةِ مثلُ خاشِ

وراجٍ في الملامةِ مثلُ خاشِ

And I said to one who foolishly rebuked me on his account,

And I said to whoever sneered at him

and one who hopes through reproach is like one who fears:

And seeks blame like an arrowhead

تُعنِّفُنِي وَبالُك غيرُ بالي

تُعنِّفُنِي وَبالُك غيرُ بالي

وَتعذلِني وجأْشُك غيرُ جاشي

وَتعذلِني وجأْشُك غيرُ جاشي

You rebuke me, though your state of mind is not mine,

You reproach me while your mind is not my mind

and reproach me, though your heart is not my heart.

And you condemn me while your temper is not my temper

وَلستُ سواه متّخذاً خليلاً

وَلستُ سواه متّخذاً خليلاً

وَلا يغشى هواي سِواه غاشِ

وَلا يغشى هواي سِواه غاشِ

And I take no one but him as a close friend,

And I have taken no friend but him

and no visitor but him enters my love.

And no love possesses me but his possession

فَإنّي إِنْ فزعتُ إلى بَديلٍ

فَإنّي إِنْ فزعتُ إلى بَديلٍ

فزعتُ إلى الأُجاج من العِطاشِ

فزعتُ إلى الأُجاج من العِطاشِ

For if I seek refuge in a substitute,

For if I seek an alternative

I seek refuge, out of thirst, in bitter brine.

I seek the bitter from thirst

فَما لِي بعد فقدك طيبُ نفسٍ

فَما لِي بعد فقدك طيبُ نفسٍ

وَلا جَذَل بِشيءٍ من معاشِي

وَلا جَذَل بِشيءٍ من معاشِي

So after losing you, I have no ease of mind,

So after losing you I have no pleasant soul

nor delight in anything in my life.

Nor any little life from my livelihood