تمادى بهم أمدٌ سرمد

تمادى بهم أمدٌ سرمد

وطال بنا الأمد الأبعدُ

وطال بنا الأمد الأبعدُ

An everlasting span has stretched on for them,

Their days with them have lasted long,

and for us the remotest term has grown long.

And our time with them has been prolonged.

يكون الوفاءُ عليه العفا

يكون الوفاءُ عليه العفا

إذا يستجدُّ لهم مَوعدُ

إذا يستجدُّ لهم مَوعدُ

Fulfillment is left to oblivion

Loyalty to them would be forgiveness,

whenever a promise is renewed for them.

If a new promise is made for them.

وعندي إذا ظعنوا لاعجٌ

وعندي إذا ظعنوا لاعجٌ

مقيمٌ مقيمٌ بهم مقعدُ

مقيمٌ مقيمٌ بهم مقعدُ

And when they depart, I have a searing ache,

And I have, when they are wronged, no impatience,

abiding, making me rise and sit because of them.

Remaining, remaining with them, seated.

وأغيدَ يَحسُنُ فيه الهَوى

وأغيدَ يَحسُنُ فيه الهَوى

كأنَّ الهَوى مِثلُه أغيدُ

كأنَّ الهَوى مِثلُه أغيدُ

And a supple youth in whom love looks fair,

And I sing, in which love is good,

as though love, like him, were supple too.

As if love itself were my song.

يبينُ على شفتيهِ الظما

يبينُ على شفتيهِ الظما

ذُبولاً وبينَهما موردُ

ذُبولاً وبينَهما موردُ

Thirst shows upon his lips

Withering shows on his lips,

in their withering, yet between them lies a watering place.

And between them a stream flows.

ويشرقُ من قدِّهِ خدُّه

ويشرقُ من قدِّهِ خدُّه

كما أزهر الغصنُ الأملدُ

كما أزهر الغصنُ الأملدُ

And his cheek shines forth from his figure,

And from his neck his cheek glows,

as the supple bough blossoms.

As the laden branch blossoms.

وأعجبُ من صُدغه أنه

وأعجبُ من صُدغه أنه

تحير به ليس يسترشدُ

تحير به ليس يسترشدُ

And I marvel at his temple-lock: it

And I wonder at his cheekbone, that

has lost its way upon him and seeks no guidance.

By it one is bewildered, unable to be guided.

فدونكمُ البابَ إني امرؤٌ

فدونكمُ البابَ إني امرؤٌ

من الباب في علَّتي أقصدُ

من الباب في علَّتي أقصدُ

So, to the door with you! I am a man

So I come to you, as I am a man,

more readily reached than the door in my illness.

Due to my illness, I head to the door.

ومع كلِّ من عادَني لوعةٌ

ومع كلِّ من عادَني لوعةٌ

تبيتُ وينصرفُ العوَّدُ

تبيتُ وينصرفُ العوَّدُ

And with everyone who visits me comes an anguish

And with everyone who consoled me, grief remains,

that stays the night while the visitors depart.

That spends the night, and habitual pain departs.

وللعاذلينَ معي شيمةٌ

وللعاذلينَ معي شيمةٌ

إذا رغبوا في هوىً أزهدُ

إذا رغبوا في هوىً أزهدُ

And with my reproachers, this is my way:

And for those who blame me, a nature,

when they desire a love, I renounce it.

When they aspire to a love, I become indifferent.

وأولى الورى أن يُرى مفرداً

وأولى الورى أن يُرى مفرداً

من الناس من داؤه مفردُ

من الناس من داؤه مفردُ

And the mortal most deserving to be seen alone

And the best of creation is that one be seen

among people is he whose ailment is unique.

Among people cured of his sole disease.

وسوداء من نكباتِ الزمان

وسوداء من نكباتِ الزمان

كأن الزمانَ بها أسودُ

كأن الزمانَ بها أسودُ

And a dark calamity among time's disasters,

And dark from the setbacks of fate,

as though time itself were blackened by it,

As if fate itself had darkened through them.

ركبتُ وعادلتُها بالثنا

ركبتُ وعادلتُها بالثنا

فأجهدتُها مثلَ ما أجهدُ

فأجهدتُها مثلَ ما أجهدُ

I mounted and counterbalanced with praise,

I rode and matched them with melody,

so I wore it out as I myself was worn out,

Exhausting them as I exhaust myself.

إلى أحمدٍ ومتى لم يكن

إلى أحمدٍ ومتى لم يكن

يفرِّقُ ما بيننا أحمدُ

يفرِّقُ ما بيننا أحمدُ

toward Ahmad—and when has it not been

To Ahmad, and when has he not

Ahmad who distributes what lies among us?

Been the one to separate what is between us, Ahmad.

فيحسنُ إلا إلى ماله

فيحسنُ إلا إلى ماله

ويستصلحُ المال مستفسدُ

ويستصلحُ المال مستفسدُ

So he is kind to all but his wealth,

So it is good of him only to his money,

and one who squanders wealth puts it to good use.

And he reforms the money while corrupting.

أبو المجدِ والمجد لا يولدُ

أبو المجدِ والمجد لا يولدُ

أخو الجودِ والجودُ لا يوجدُ

أخو الجودِ والجودُ لا يوجدُ

Father of glory, though glory is not born;

Father of glory, and glory is not born,

brother of generosity, though generosity is nowhere found.

Brother of generosity, and generosity is not found.

تعالَوا أخبِّركم ما العُلى

تعالَوا أخبِّركم ما العُلى

يدٌ أتربَت من نداها يدُ

يدٌ أتربَت من نداها يدُ

Come, I will tell you what loftiness is:

Come let me tell you what the most high is,

a hand from whose bounty another hand grew rich.

A hand whose palms were ennobled by his gifts.

وتلك المكارمُ من مثلها

وتلك المكارمُ من مثلها

لأمثالِهِ ركبَ السؤدَدُ

لأمثالِهِ ركبَ السؤدَدُ

And such are noble deeds; from their like

And those virtues are the likes of which

eminence was fashioned for men like him.

Rode the neck of the eminent for their likes.

وقيسر باتَ صريع المَدى

وقيسر باتَ صريع المَدى

له في الدجى كالدجى ملحدُ

له في الدجى كالدجى ملحدُ

And Qaysar lay through the night, felled by distance;

And Qaysar spent the night slain in the plain,

in the darkness he had a tomb, dark as night.

For him in the darkness like the darkness, shrouded.

إذا انتشر الصبحُ أنشرته

إذا انتشر الصبحُ أنشرته

فقام تحفُّ به الأسعدُ

فقام تحفُّ به الأسعدُ

When dawn spread, you raised him to life,

When dawn shone I made him rise,

and he rose, surrounded by good fortunes.

So he stood wrapped in good fortune.

فأمضيتَه ما مضى أبيضٌ

فأمضيتَه ما مضى أبيضٌ

وأجريتَه ما جرى أجردُ

وأجريتَه ما جرى أجردُ

So you made him cut as a gleaming blade cuts,

So I sent him away white in what passed,

and made him run as a sleek steed runs,

And let him go bare in what occurred.

ليُبعدَ ما قرَّبَ المبطلون

ليُبعدَ ما قرَّبَ المبطلون

ويدني إلى الحقِّ ما أبعدوا

ويدني إلى الحقِّ ما أبعدوا

to banish what the champions of falsehood brought near,

To distance what the corrupters made near,

and bring toward truth what they drove away.

And bring near to truth what they distanced.

وإنك لَلمرتجى المتَّقى

وإنك لَلمرتجى المتَّقى

كما الماطرُ البارقُ المرعِدُ

كما الماطرُ البارقُ المرعِدُ

And you are indeed the one hoped for and feared,

And you are truly the hoped for, the God-fearing one,

like a rain-giving cloud that flashes and thunders.

As the cloudburst, the lightning, the thunder roar.

إذا قلتُ لم يَجدوا حيلةً

إذا قلتُ لم يَجدوا حيلةً

تضاع لقولي وإن غرَّدوا

تضاع لقولي وإن غرَّدوا

When I speak, they find no stratagem

When I speak they find no trick,

to expend against my words, however they warble.

To counter my words, even if they twitter.

ولما انتَهى حسنُه لم يَزِد

ولما انتَهى حسنُه لم يَزِد

فغنوا به مثلما أنشدُ

فغنوا به مثلما أنشدُ

And since its beauty reached its utmost, it grew no greater,

And when his beauty came to an end, it did not increase,

so they sang it just as I recite it.

So they sang of him just as I recited.

ستَبقى بذكركَ أخبارُه

ستَبقى بذكركَ أخبارُه

وتُسند ما بقي المُسندُ

وتُسند ما بقي المُسندُ

Its accounts will endure through mention of you,

With your mention will remain news of him,

and be transmitted as long as a transmitter remains.

And whatever remains will be supported.

ولما اتَّفقنا اختلفنا الطري

ولما اتَّفقنا اختلفنا الطري

قَ فأصبح كلٌّ له مقصِدُ

قَ فأصبح كلٌّ له مقصِدُ

And when we agreed, we differed over the roa-

And when we agreed, we differed in path,

d; so each came to have his own destination.

So each of us reached his destination in the morning.

فها أنا للغيثِ مستنزلٌ

فها أنا للغيثِ مستنزلٌ

وها أنت للجدِّ مستصعِدُ

وها أنت للجدِّ مستصعِدُ

So here I am, calling down the rain,

So here I am, lodging for the rain,

and here you are, ascending toward greatness.

And here you are, ascending for duty.

قطعتُ إليك على ما تَرى

قطعتُ إليك على ما تَرى

ما الثقلِ تَيهاءَ لا تنفَدُ

ما الثقلِ تَيهاءَ لا تنفَدُ

I crossed toward you, despite what you see

I have cut to you, over what you see,

[of?] the burden, a trackless waste without end,

What fatigue wandering endlessly.

لبيضاءَ خلقتها سوِّدَت

لبيضاءَ خلقتها سوِّدَت

من الدينِ تذكر من يَشهدُ

من الدينِ تذكر من يَشهدُ

for a white [sheet] whose original hue was blackened

For one whose creation was whitened then blackened

by debt, naming whoever bears witness.

From religion, remembering those who bear witness.

وسوف أروّح يوم اللقا

وسوف أروّح يوم اللقا

ففي يومِه للغِنى مَولدُ

ففي يومِه للغِنى مَولدُ

And I shall find relief on the day we meet,

And I will cheer on the day we meet,

for on that day wealth is born.

For on its day, wealth has its birth.