بعضُ بَناتِ الزَّمنِ

بعضُ بَناتِ الزَّمنِ

مرَّت ببَعضِ الفِتَنِ

مرَّت ببَعضِ الفِتَنِ

One of Time's daughters

Some daughters of time

passed by one of the trials;

Passed through some trials

فاستَنهضَتها فاستَقا

فاستَنهضَتها فاستَقا

مَت مَعها تَطرُقُني

مَت مَعها تَطرُقُني

so she roused it, and it rose

So it revived them, so they stood

with her to assail me.

And passed away with me

أرَى اللَّيالي يَستَعي

أرَى اللَّيالي يَستَعي

نُ صَرفُها بالأعيُنِ

نُ صَرفُها بالأعيُنِ

I see the nights' vicissitudes seeking

I see the nights insist

the aid of eyes.

To change them with the eyes

فَليَخشَ مَن لم يَضنَ أن

فَليَخشَ مَن لم يَضنَ أن

يَلقاهُ طَرفٌ قد ضَني

يَلقاهُ طَرفٌ قد ضَني

So let whoever has not wasted away fear that

So let him who hasn't sympathized fear

a languishing gaze may meet him.

Meeting an eye that has sympathized

يَثني إذا قالَ وإن

يَثني إذا قالَ وإن

قِيلَ له لا يَنثَني

قِيلَ له لا يَنثَني

He bends others when he speaks, and even if

That bends when it speaks and if

spoken to, he will not bend.

It is told no, it doesn't bend

لمَّا عَلمتُ أنَّ ما

لمَّا عَلمتُ أنَّ ما

بي ما بهِ أطمَعَني

بي ما بهِ أطمَعَني

When I learned that what

When I knew that what

ailed me also ailed him, he gave me hope.

Was with me what I wished for

وقلتُ لو أفنَى سَقا

وقلتُ لو أفنَى سَقا

مٌ ذا سَقامٍ لَفَنِي

مٌ ذا سَقامٍ لَفَنِي

And I said: 'If sickness destroyed

And I said if time perished time

a sick man, he would have perished.'

Of an ill time it would make me perish

ظنَّ المساءَ والصَّبا

ظنَّ المساءَ والصَّبا

حَ وافَيَا في قَرَنِ

حَ وافَيَا في قَرَنِ

He thought evening and morning

Morning and dusk supposed

had arrived yoked together,

Us two were faithful friends

لمَّا قَضى مدَّة ما

لمَّا قَضى مدَّة ما

بَينهما بالوَسَنِ

بَينهما بالوَسَنِ

when he had spent the time

When it spent what was

between them in slumber.

Between them with familiarity

تلكَ قَضايا الحُبّ لا

تلكَ قَضايا الحُبّ لا

محّمدُ بنُ الحَسَنِ

محّمدُ بنُ الحَسَنِ

Such are Love's judgments, not

Those are the judgments of love, not

those of Muhammad ibn al-Hasan.

Muhammad ibn al-Hasan

أتى بعَدلِ الشَّمسِ مَم

أتى بعَدلِ الشَّمسِ مَم

زُوجاً بجَورِ المُزُنِ

زُوجاً بجَورِ المُزُنِ

He brought the sun's justice, mingled

Who came with the justice of the sun married

with the rainclouds' injustice.

To the injustice of frowning

فقَد غَدا مُؤتَمَناً

فقَد غَدا مُؤتَمَناً

وليسَ بالمؤتَمِنِ

وليسَ بالمؤتَمِنِ

Thus he has become one entrusted,

So he has become trusted

and not one who entrusts.

And he is not trusted

بَنَى وشاد فوقَ ما

بَنَى وشاد فوقَ ما

شِيدَ لَه وما بُنِي

شِيدَ لَه وما بُنِي

He built and raised above what

He built and erected above what

was raised for him and what was built.

Was erected for him and built

عالٍ ولكن لا عَلى ال

عالٍ ولكن لا عَلى ال

عافي ودانٍ لا دَني

عافي ودانٍ لا دَني

Exalted, yet not above the

High but not on

supplicant; and near, yet not base.

Honesty and low but didn't become lowly

تُعادُ إن يَبدُ إذا

تُعادُ إن يَبدُ إذا

مَنَّ وُجُوهُ المِنَنِ

مَنَّ وُجُوهُ المِنَنِ

Renewed, if he appears when

They are repeated if the faces

he gives, are the faces of favors.

Of favors begin to frown

فهو يَرومُ سَترَها

فهو يَرومُ سَترَها

مَرامَ غَيرِ مُمكِنِ

مَرامَ غَيرِ مُمكِنِ

So he seeks to conceal them,

So he intends to hide them

a pursuit of the impossible.

With an impossible desire

فمَن أَرادَ أن يرا

فمَن أَرادَ أن يرا

ها ثَروةً فَليَرَني

ها ثَروةً فَليَرَني

So whoever wishes to see

So whoever wants to see

them as wealth, let him see me.

Them as wealth, let him look at me