دونَ اعتِدالك حكمٌ غَيرُ مُعتَدلِ

دونَ اعتِدالك حكمٌ غَيرُ مُعتَدلِ

ودونَ حُسنكِ هَذا قبحُ فِعلكِ لي

ودونَ حُسنكِ هَذا قبحُ فِعلكِ لي

Before your graceful poise stands an unjust judgment;

Without your moderation, judgment is immoderate,

and before this beauty of yours stands the ugliness of your treatment of me.

And without your beauty, this is the ugliness of your deed to me.

يا أختَ نائبةِ الأيامِ واحِدةٌ

يا أختَ نائبةِ الأيامِ واحِدةٌ

من الحَوادِث تأبَى أن أقولَ صِلي

من الحَوادِث تأبَى أن أقولَ صِلي

O sister of the calamity of days, one

O sister, deputy of the days, unique

of the misfortunes refuses to let me say, “Grant me union.”

Among events, I refuse to say "welcome."

إذا وجَدتُكِ أبهَى ما ابتُليتُ بِه

إذا وجَدتُكِ أبهَى ما ابتُليتُ بِه

مَلولةً كنتُ أولَى منكِ بالمَلَلِ

مَلولةً كنتُ أولَى منكِ بالمَلَلِ

If I find you—the loveliest trial I have endured—

When I find you most afflicted with what I’ve been afflicted,

easily bored, I have more right than you to grow weary.

Languid, I am more deserving of languor than you.

وأكحلٍ مُسقَمِ الأَجفانِ مُقلته

وأكحلٍ مُسقَمِ الأَجفانِ مُقلته

تعديكَ بالسُّقمِ لا تُعديكَ بالكحَلِ

تعديكَ بالسُّقمِ لا تُعديكَ بالكحَلِ

And one with kohl-dark eyes and languid lids—his eye

And kohl on the sick eyelids, its sickness

infects you with sickness, not with its kohl-darkness.

Exceeds you in sickness, not in kohl.

أحبَبتُه بعدَ عِلمٍ أن سَيقتُلُني

أحبَبتُه بعدَ عِلمٍ أن سَيقتُلُني

وكيفَ خالفتَ عِلمي فيهِ يا عَمَلي

وكيفَ خالفتَ عِلمي فيهِ يا عَمَلي

I loved him after knowing that he would kill me;

I loved him with knowledge that he would kill me,

and how did you defy my knowledge of him, O my conduct?

And how did you oppose my knowledge of him, O my deed?

يَلومُني أن يَلومُوني فقُلتُ لَهم

يَلومُني أن يَلومُوني فقُلتُ لَهم

كُفُّوا فذَنبي ذنوبُ الناسِ في عَذَلي

كُفُّوا فذَنبي ذنوبُ الناسِ في عَذَلي

He blames me for their blaming me, so I said to them:

He blames me that they blame me, so I said to them,

“Stop, for my sin is the sins people commit in reproaching me.”

"Stop, my sin is people's sins in reproaching me."

ولستُ أُصغي ولا أُصغي لِمَعتَبةٍ

ولستُ أُصغي ولا أُصغي لِمَعتَبةٍ

فمن أحبَّ فَلا يسمَع ولا تقُلِ

فمن أحبَّ فَلا يسمَع ولا تقُلِ

And I do not listen, nor do I listen to reproach;

I do not listen, nor listen to reproach,

for whoever loves does not listen, and you must not speak.

Whoever loves does not hear, nor say.

ولِلَّيالي تَصاريفٌ وأَصعَبُها

ولِلَّيالي تَصاريفٌ وأَصعَبُها

ما استَبطَنَ القلبَ من وَجدٍ ومن خبَلِ

ما استَبطَنَ القلبَ من وَجدٍ ومن خبَلِ

And the nights have their vicissitudes; the hardest of them

And nights have cycles, the most difficult

is the passionate longing and madness that lodge deep within the heart.

Is what embeds the heart with passion and madness.

إذا أَقاما وَراء الصَّدرِ فامتَنَعا

إذا أَقاما وَراء الصَّدرِ فامتَنَعا

عَلى عليِّ بنِ عبدِ الدائِم بنِ عَلي

عَلى عليِّ بنِ عبدِ الدائِم بنِ عَلي

When both settle behind the breast and hold out

When they stay behind the chest, inaccessible

against Ali ibn Abd al-Da'im ibn Ali,

To Ali ibn Abd al-Da'im ibn Ali

فليسَ يُجدِي هُناكَ الجودُ مَنفَعةً

فليسَ يُجدِي هُناكَ الجودُ مَنفَعةً

والجودُ ليسَ يُداوي سائِرَ العلَلِ

والجودُ ليسَ يُداوي سائِرَ العلَلِ

then generosity brings no benefit there;

And generosity does not cure all illnesses.

and generosity does not cure all ailments.

Does it help me that the sought came inclusively

هَل نافِعي أن أتَى المَقصودُ مُشتَمِلاً

هَل نافِعي أن أتَى المَقصودُ مُشتَمِلاً

بِجودِه وارتَدى المَعشوقُ بالبخلِ

بِجودِه وارتَدى المَعشوقُ بالبخلِ

Does it help me that the one I seek has come wrapped

With his generosity, and the beloved dressed in stinginess?

in his generosity, while the beloved has clothed himself in stinginess?

Until when my state faltered and changed it

حتَّى إِذا رَزَحَت حالي وغيَّرها

حتَّى إِذا رَزَحَت حالي وغيَّرها

ما طالَ من ولَهي عَنها ومِن شُغلي

ما طالَ من ولَهي عَنها ومِن شُغلي

Until, when my condition was weighed down and altered

What of my distraction from it and my preoccupation?

by my prolonged distraction from it and my preoccupation,

Ali flowed in his habitual state with me

جَرى عَليٌّ عَلى مَعهودِ حالَتِه

جَرى عَليٌّ عَلى مَعهودِ حالَتِه

عِندي فَجاءَ مَجيءَ العارِضِ الهَطِلِ

عِندي فَجاءَ مَجيءَ العارِضِ الهَطِلِ

Ali followed his accustomed course

So he came like the falling of rain.

with me, and came like a cloud pouring rain.

You used to outrun cattle starting

قَد كنتَ تَستبقُ الأنعامَ مبتَدئاً

قَد كنتَ تَستبقُ الأنعامَ مبتَدئاً

مَدحي فإن تَستَطع فاسبِق به أمَلي

مَدحي فإن تَستَطع فاسبِق به أمَلي

You used to hasten your bounty, initiating

My praise, so if you can, outrun my hope.

my praise; if you can, outstrip my hope with it.

I began to seek him, not seeking moderation,

أصبَحتُ أقصدُ منه غيرَ مُقتَصدٍ

أصبَحتُ أقصدُ منه غيرَ مُقتَصدٍ

يَحتالُ من فُرقةِ المَجموعِ بالحِيَلِ

يَحتالُ من فُرقةِ المَجموعِ بالحِيَلِ

I now seek in him one who does not stint,

Scheming the gathering's separation with ruses.

who devises stratagems over the dispersal of what is amassed.

I will clothe you however much its coarseness increases

لأَكسُوَنَّكَ ما تَزدادُ جدتُهُ

لأَكسُوَنَّكَ ما تَزدادُ جدتُهُ

إِذا تَهلهلَ ما ألبَستَني وبَلي

إِذا تَهلهلَ ما ألبَستَني وبَلي

I shall surely clothe you in something whose freshness grows

When what I wore you wears out and frays.

when what you clothed me in becomes threadbare and wears out.

And send Abu al-Fadl between the two periods, for

وابعَث أبا الفَضلِ بينَ القِمتَينِ فقَد

وابعَث أبا الفَضلِ بينَ القِمتَينِ فقَد

جاوَزتَ بي مدَّة التَّوقيتِ والأجَلِ

جاوَزتَ بي مدَّة التَّوقيتِ والأجَلِ

And send Abu al-Fadl between the two summits, for

You have exceeded with me the term and deadline.

you have taken me beyond the appointed period and the deadline.