حتى متى كلُّ مُشتكٍ زاجِر

حتى متى كلُّ مُشتكٍ زاجِر

واللومُ مثل الهَوى بلا آخِر

واللومُ مثل الهَوى بلا آخِر

How long will every complainant keep reproaching,

For how long will every complainer be reproachful,

and blame, like love, remain without end?

And blame is endless like passion?

كم عاشقٍ عاذلٍ وكنتُ أرى

كم عاشقٍ عاذلٍ وكنتُ أرى

أنَّ الذي جَرب الهَوى عاذِر

أنَّ الذي جَرب الهَوى عاذِر

How many lovers reproach—though I once thought

How many lovers have I seen being blamed,

that whoever had experienced love would be forgiving.

And I thought one who has tasted passion is excusable.

يا نافِراً نَفرة الغَزالِ وكا

يا نافِراً نَفرة الغَزالِ وكا

نَ الحزمُ لو أنَّني أنا النافِر

نَ الحزمُ لو أنَّني أنا النافِر

O you who flee with a gazelle's flight—and

O you who are repelled like a startled gazelle, and yet

it would have been prudent had I been the one to flee.

You would have been resolute had I been the repulsor.

يبيتُ ما تستعدُّ مقلتُه

يبيتُ ما تستعدُّ مقلتُه

من خمرِها فوقَ ثَغرهِ قاطِر

من خمرِها فوقَ ثَغرهِ قاطِر

All night, what his eye prepares

The kohl of his eyes spends the night

of its wine drips upon his mouth.

Extracted from his wine above his mouth.

فطرفُه عاصرٌ وليسَ به

فطرفُه عاصرٌ وليسَ به

خمرٌ وفوه خَمر بِلا عاصِر

خمرٌ وفوه خَمر بِلا عاصِر

So his eye is a presser, though it holds

So his eyelids were squeezing but without wine,

no wine; his mouth is wine without a presser.

And his mouth was as if filled with unstrained wine.

تركتَني أسخطُ الحميمَ بما

تركتَني أسخطُ الحميمَ بما

يَرضى به والنديمَ والسامِر

يَرضى به والنديمَ والسامِر

You have left me resenting my close friend for what

You left me to anger intimacy by what

pleases him, and my drinking companion and evening companion.

Would please it, the cup-companion and the night-chat.

كان الهَوى سنةً مؤكَّدةً

كان الهَوى سنةً مؤكَّدةً

شاهدُها قائمٌ بها حاضِر

شاهدُها قائمٌ بها حاضِر

Love was a firmly established tradition,

Passion was a confirmed tradition,

its witness present, upholding it.

Its witness standing by it, present.

وإنما أنتَ في صَنيعِكَ بي

وإنما أنتَ في صَنيعِكَ بي

جعلتَ ذنبَ الهَوى بلا غافِر

جعلتَ ذنبَ الهَوى بلا غافِر

But you, in your treatment of me,

But you in your conduct made

have left love's sin without a forgiver.

The sin of passion unforgiven.

وشادنٍ طائفٍ على نفرٍ

وشادنٍ طائفٍ على نفرٍ

شخصُ الكرى عن يمينه دائِر

شخصُ الكرى عن يمينه دائِر

And a fawn was going the rounds among a company,

And an attacker, raider, upon a band

the figure of sleep circling at his right.

The fates turned away from them going round.

صرعَهم حولَه وأوحشَه

صرعَهم حولَه وأوحشَه

تَماسُكي ثابتاً له ساهِر

تَماسُكي ثابتاً له ساهِر

It laid them low around him, and he was unnerved

He felled them around him and frightened him

by my holding firm against him, steadfast and wakeful.

My steadfast watch over him.

فحثَّني ساعةً فلم يَرَني

فحثَّني ساعةً فلم يَرَني

في أثر القَوم بَعدهم سائِر

في أثر القَوم بَعدهم سائِر

He urged me for a while, but did not see me

So he urged me for an hour but did not see me

following in the company's footsteps after them.

Following the people after them.

فقال أوصيكَ بي وأسلمه الص

فقال أوصيكَ بي وأسلمه الص

صَبرُ على هَجرِه إلى الصابِر

صَبرُ على هَجرِه إلى الصابِر

He said, 'I entrust myself to you'; and he was delivered

He said, "I advise you of me and surrender him."

by patience with his estrangement to the patient one.

Patience over his abandonment to the patient.

فبتُّ في رَوضةٍ ألفُّ على ال

فبتُّ في رَوضةٍ ألفُّ على ال

عادَةِ كفِّي وأفرحُ الناظِر

عادَةِ كفِّي وأفرحُ الناظِر

So I spent the night in a garden, folding—as was

So I stayed in a garden accustomed to

my habit—my hand, and delighting the beholder.

My palm’s home and gladdening the onlooker.

أرتعُ في زَهرِها وأذكرُ ما

أرتعُ في زَهرِها وأذكرُ ما

يذكرُه الناسُ عن أبي طاهِر

يذكرُه الناسُ عن أبي طاهِر

I graze among its blossoms, and recall what

I stroll in its flowers and remember what

people recount of Abu Tahir,

People relate of Abu Tahir,

من شيمٍ تحملُ الربيعَ إلى الص

من شيمٍ تحملُ الربيعَ إلى الص

صَيفِ على ظَهر جُودِه الماطِر

صَيفِ على ظَهر جُودِه الماطِر

of qualities that carry spring into

Of noble traits bringing spring to summer

summer on the back of his rain-pouring bounty.

On the back of his raining generosity.

فتىً متى ما بَنى أبوهُ له

فتىً متى ما بَنى أبوهُ له

زيادةً في عمارَةِ العامِر

زيادةً في عمارَةِ العامِر

A youth—whenever his father built for him

Whenever a youth whose father built him

an addition to an already flourishing edifice,

An addition to the populous building,

ثم ابتَدى فاحتَوى على قَصب الس

ثم ابتَدى فاحتَوى على قَصب الس

سَبقِ على السابقين مُستاثِر

سَبقِ على السابقين مُستاثِر

he then began and seized the reed

Then he excelled and contained within himself slender

of victory, ahead of the forerunners, claiming it alone.

Stocks preceding competitors, monopolizing them.

لا يخطرُ الفكرُ في كتابَتهِ

لا يخطرُ الفكرُ في كتابَتهِ

كأنَّ أقلامَه لها خاطِر

كأنَّ أقلامَه لها خاطِر

No thought stirs as he writes,

Thought comes not to mind in his writing them down,

as though his pens had a mind of their own.

As if his pens had their own ideas.

القولُ والفعلُ يجريانِ معاً

القولُ والفعلُ يجريانِ معاً

لا أوَّلٌ فيهِما ولا آخِر

لا أوَّلٌ فيهِما ولا آخِر

Word and deed run together,

Words and deeds run together,

neither one first, and neither one last.

No first among them and no last.

ما لي أَرى اثنين كلَّما اشتَركا

ما لي أَرى اثنين كلَّما اشتَركا

في يَده قامَ واحدٌ خاسِر

في يَده قامَ واحدٌ خاسِر

Why do I see two things that, whenever they join

Why do I see two whenever they shared

in his hand, one comes away the loser?

In his hand, one would rise bankrupt?

المالُ لا يصحبُ الندى أبداً

المالُ لا يصحبُ الندى أبداً

إلا على أنه بِه غادِر

إلا على أنه بِه غادِر

Wealth never keeps company with generosity

Money never accompanies intimacy,

save on terms that generosity will betray it.

Unless it thereby leaves it.

لما استَقامَ الرجاءُ قمتُ على

لما استَقامَ الرجاءُ قمتُ على

مستفعل من عَطائِه شاكِر

مستفعل من عَطائِه شاكِر

When hope stood firm, I took my stand upon

When hopes stood straight I rose up

the mustafʿil measure, thankful for his bounty.

Thankfully benefiting from his gifts.

وصرتُ أستخبرُ العُفاةَ بما

وصرتُ أستخبرُ العُفاةَ بما

نالوا وإنني كأنَّني خابِر

نالوا وإنني كأنَّني خابِر

And I began asking the petitioners about what

And I came to ask the destitute about what

they had received, though I was as one already informed.

They got, as if I were their news-bearer.

ابسُط على النائِباتِ بأسَك لا

ابسُط على النائِباتِ بأسَك لا

مُرتهناً مُبقِياً ولا آسِر

مُرتهناً مُبقِياً ولا آسِر

Unleash your might against calamities, not

Spread your power upon the fates, neither

taking pledges, sparing any, or taking captives.

Indebted, nor keeping, nor imprisoning.

فخيرُ تَدبيرها إذا ظفِرَ ال

فخيرُ تَدبيرها إذا ظفِرَ ال

جودُ بِها قِسطُ قدرةِ الظافِر

جودُ بِها قِسطُ قدرةِ الظافِر

For the best way to deal with them, once

The best way to deal with them when generosity

generosity conquers them, is a share matching the victor's power.

Triumphs over them is a fair allotment.

والبخل إن لم يقُم بتاجِرِه

والبخل إن لم يقُم بتاجِرِه

قام كثير المعينِ والناصِر

قام كثير المعينِ والناصِر

And miserliness, if its merchant fails to uphold it,

And if miserliness does not help its owner

still stands with helpers and supporters aplenty.

Numerous helpers and supporters will work.

وما عَسى أهلُه وإن كثُروا

وما عَسى أهلُه وإن كثُروا

ما بينَ أمواجِ بحركَ الزاخِر

ما بينَ أمواجِ بحركَ الزاخِر

Yet what can its people do, however many,

What can its people do, however many,

amid the waves of your surging sea?

Between the billows of your raging sea?