ما استَجْهَلَتْك مَعالمٌ ورُسُومُ

ما استَجْهَلَتْك مَعالمٌ ورُسُومُ

إلاّ لِيُعْلَنَ سِرُّكَ المكتُومُ

إلاّ لِيُعْلَنَ سِرُّكَ المكتُومُ

The landmarks and traces have not roused you to folly

Neither have the landmarks and customs made you ignorant

Except to make your hidden secret known.

Except to reveal your concealed secret

أوَ بَعدَ نَاهِيةِ المشيبِ جَهالةٌ

أوَ بَعدَ نَاهِيةِ المشيبِ جَهالةٌ

يأبى الوقارُ عليكَ والتّحلِيمُ

يأبى الوقارُ عليكَ والتّحلِيمُ

And after gray hair's warning—still folly?

Or after the end of gray hair, ignorance

Dignity and cultivated forbearance forbid it to you.

Dignity and wisdom refuse you

مَا جُرتَ في داجِي الشّبابِ فكيفَ إذْ

مَا جُرتَ في داجِي الشّبابِ فكيفَ إذْ

وَضَحَتْ بِفَودِك للمشيب نُجومُ

وَضَحَتْ بِفَودِك للمشيب نُجومُ

You did not stray in youth's darkness—how could you now, when

How did you behave in the darkness of youth, so how when

Stars of gray hair have shone at your temple?

The stars on your cheeks shone for the gray hair

أعوَاذِلي كُفّوا فَليس بِمُسمعِي

أعوَاذِلي كُفّوا فَليس بِمُسمعِي

نُصْحٌ وبعضُ النّاصحينَ مَلُومُ

نُصْحٌ وبعضُ النّاصحينَ مَلُومُ

O my reproachers, desist: I will not heed

My friends stopped me, so I don't hear

Counsel; and some counselors themselves deserve blame.

Advice, and some advisers are blamed

وَقَرَتْ دَواعي البَينِ سَمعِيَ بَعدهُم

وَقَرَتْ دَواعي البَينِ سَمعِيَ بَعدهُم

فَلِمَن يُعنِّفُ ناصحٌ ويَلومُ

فَلِمَن يُعنِّفُ ناصحٌ ويَلومُ

The calls of separation deafened my hearing after they left;

And the motives of separation deafened my hearing after them

So whom does a counselor rebuke and blame?

So who would blame and scold an adviser?

لي كلّ يومٍ رَوعةٌ بمودَّعٍ

لي كلّ يومٍ رَوعةٌ بمودَّعٍ

ونَوىً فَهمِّي طارِفٌ وقديمُ

ونَوىً فَهمِّي طارِفٌ وقديمُ

Each day brings me a shock at someone's farewell,

Every day I have a horror from one bidding farewell

And at separation; my sorrow is new and old.

And my anxious mind is gentle and old

وعَلَى الرّكائبِ مَاطلٌ بِديُونِنَا

وعَلَى الرّكائبِ مَاطلٌ بِديُونِنَا

عَسِرُ القَضَاءِ مع اليَسارِ ظَلُومُ

عَسِرُ القَضَاءِ مع اليَسارِ ظَلُومُ

And on the riding camels is one who defers our dues,

And on the mounts, one who delays with our debts

Reluctant to repay despite his wealth, unjust.

The difficulty of repayment with ease is oppressive

مُتَبَسِّمٌ عَن ذي غُروبٍ واضحٍ

مُتَبَسِّمٌ عَن ذي غُروبٍ واضحٍ

يُعزَى إليه اللؤْلُؤُ الْمنظومُ

يُعزَى إليه اللؤْلُؤُ الْمنظومُ

Smiling to reveal a bright mouth with sharp-edged teeth,

Smiling at one whose sunset is clear

To which strung pearls trace their lineage.

To him the strung pearls are consoled

في وجْهِهِ ماءُ الملاَحةِ حَائرٌ

في وجْهِهِ ماءُ الملاَحةِ حَائرٌ

فقلوبُنا الظّمأى عليه تَحومُ

فقلوبُنا الظّمأى عليه تَحومُ

In his face the water of beauty lies pooled,

In his face the water of salinity wanders

So our thirsty hearts hover over it.

And our thirsty hearts hover over him

أتْبَعتُهم قَرحَى الجفونِ كليلةً

أتْبَعتُهم قَرحَى الجفونِ كليلةً

تُصحِي بدَمعِي تَارةً وتَغيمُ

تُصحِي بدَمعِي تَارةً وتَغيمُ

I followed them with a weary eye, its eyelids sore,

I followed them with the wounds of eyelids one night

Now clearing with my tears, now clouding over,

Sometimes my tears wake and sometimes cloud

مَسْمُولَةً بمَدَامعٍ حالَت دماً

مَسْمُولَةً بمَدَامعٍ حالَت دماً

فكأنّما إنسانُها مَكلُومُ

فكأنّما إنسانُها مَكلُومُ

Gouged out by tears that have turned to blood,

With tears that turned into blood

So it is as though its pupil were wounded.

As if their human was tortured

يا نَازِحاً ضَنّ الزّمانُ بقُربهِ

يا نَازِحاً ضَنّ الزّمانُ بقُربهِ

وجْدِي عليكَ وإن رَحلتَ مُقِيمُ

وجْدِي عليكَ وإن رَحلتَ مُقِيمُ

O distant one, whose nearness Time has withheld,

Oh you who moved away, time was stingy with his nearness

My longing for you abides, though you have departed.

My liver longs for you even if you left resident

لي مقلَةٌ قَذِيَتْ ببُعدِكَ بَرَّها

لي مقلَةٌ قَذِيَتْ ببُعدِكَ بَرَّها

فيضُ الدّموعِ وعقَّها التّهويمُ

فيضُ الدّموعِ وعقَّها التّهويمُ

I have an eye, gritty with your absence, tended by

I have an eyelid that was hurt by your distance

The flood of tears, but mistreated by drowsing.

The outpouring of tears and the cooing of grief

ساوَى بِعادُك ليلَها ونَهارَها

ساوَى بِعادُك ليلَها ونَهارَها

كلٌّ كما قَضَتِ الهمومُ بَهيمُ

كلٌّ كما قَضَتِ الهمومُ بَهيمُ

Your distance has made its night and day alike;

Your absence equalized its night and day

Each is pitch-black, as sorrows have decreed.

Each as worries decreed, confused

كم أنشأتْ ذِكرَاكَ بين جَوانِحي

كم أنشأتْ ذِكرَاكَ بين جَوانِحي

من زَفرةٍ قَلبِي بها مَوسُومُ

من زَفرةٍ قَلبِي بها مَوسُومُ

How often the memory of you has stirred between my ribs

How many times did your remembrance create in my feelings

A sigh with which my heart is branded!

A sigh from my heart, branded with it

نَفَسٌ يقومُ له إعوجاجُ أضالعي

نَفَسٌ يقومُ له إعوجاجُ أضالعي

ويَضيقُ عن نَزَواتِه الحيزُومُ

ويَضيقُ عن نَزَواتِه الحيزُومُ

A breath that straightens the curve of my ribs,

A breath that the crookedness of my ribs stands for

And my chest is too narrow for its surges.

And the pericardium is too narrow for its whims

مَا أخْطأتْ فيكَ النّوى عادَاتِها

مَا أخْطأتْ فيكَ النّوى عادَاتِها

لكنَّ تَقْرِيفَ الكُلومِ أليمُ

لكنَّ تَقْرِيفَ الكُلومِ أليمُ

Separation has not abandoned its habits with you,

The intentions did not make a mistake in you

But picking the scabs from wounds is painful.

But the reproach of blamers is painful