إنَّ العُيونَ عَلى القُلوبِ قَواض

إنَّ العُيونَ عَلى القُلوبِ قَواض

فَافزَع مَتى اعترضَت إلى الإعراضِ

فَافزَع مَتى اعترضَت إلى الإعراضِ

The eyes are indeed judges over hearts;

The eyes are compelling over hearts

so seek refuge in turning away whenever they confront you.

So beware whenever they turn to disapproval

واعلَم بأنَّك إن ظَفِرتَ بنَظرةٍ

واعلَم بأنَّك إن ظَفِرتَ بنَظرةٍ

أسخَطتَ قلبَكَ حيثُ طرفُكَ راضِ

أسخَطتَ قلبَكَ حيثُ طرفُكَ راضِ

Know that if you gain a glance,

And know that if you win a glance

you anger your heart while your eye is pleased.

You have angered your heart though your eye was pleased

وغَريرَةٍ سحَّت سَحابُ جُفونِها

وغَريرَةٍ سحَّت سَحابُ جُفونِها

حُزناً على مُتَرحِّلٍ نَهَّاضِ

حُزناً على مُتَرحِّلٍ نَهَّاضِ

And an innocent maiden—the clouds of her eyelids poured

And a coquettish glance whose eyelids' clouds

in grief for one setting out, swift to depart.

Saddened over a fickle wanderer

لما دَنَوا لِلبَينِ أهلُ ديونِه

لما دَنَوا لِلبَينِ أهلُ ديونِه

مَطَلوا تقاضاهُ بغَيرِ تقاضِ

مَطَلوا تقاضاهُ بغَيرِ تقاضِ

When the holders of his debts drew near for parting,

When the creditors approached to collect

they stalled; he was pressed for payment without a demand.

They requested payment without receiving it

قالَت لِناقَتِه وعلَّمها البُكا

قالَت لِناقَتِه وعلَّمها البُكا

تَسقي بطَلِّ نَدىً شَقيق رِياضِ

تَسقي بطَلِّ نَدىً شَقيق رِياضِ

She spoke to his she-camel, and weeping taught her,

She said to his she-camel and taught her crying

as she watered garden anemones with a drizzle of dew:

To quench the thirst of the hero of meadows

مازلتُ أحسَبُ فيك أنك مِحنَتي

مازلتُ أحسَبُ فيك أنك مِحنَتي

وبليَّتي مُذ كنت بنتَ مخاضِ

وبليَّتي مُذ كنت بنتَ مخاضِ

“I have always thought of you as my affliction

I continued to think you were my ordeal

and my calamity, since you were a yearling she-camel.”

And affliction since I was born

فهناكَ يعجزُ كلُّ رَأيٍ حازِم

فهناكَ يعجزُ كلُّ رَأيٍ حازِم

عَنها ويَنبو كلُّ عَزمٍ ماضِ

عَنها ويَنبو كلُّ عَزمٍ ماضِ

Then every prudent judgment is helpless

So there the resolve of every prudent mind fails

before it, and every firm resolve falls short,

And the determination of every resolute one ceases

إلا امرأً غَضِبَت له هِمَّاتُه

إلا امرأً غَضِبَت له هِمَّاتُه

فرمَت به غَرضاً من الأغراضِ

فرمَت به غَرضاً من الأغراضِ

except a man whose aspirations rose in anger for him

Except a man whose ambitions were angered for him

and hurled him toward one target among many,

So they threw him to achieve some purpose

أو غاية في الجدِّ أدرَكَ غايةً

أو غاية في الجدِّ أدرَكَ غايةً

مِثلي مُعانيه ومثل القاضي

مِثلي مُعانيه ومثل القاضي

or a paragon of earnest striving who attained a goal—

Or the utmost in seriousness to attain an end

like me, who wrestles with it, and like the judge.

Like me, with meaning, and like the judge

عدلَ الحكومةَ قائِماً بِحدودِها

عدلَ الحكومةَ قائِماً بِحدودِها

للَّهِ لا سمحٌ ولا مُتَغاضي

للَّهِ لا سمحٌ ولا مُتَغاضي

He made judgment just, upholding its bounds,

He judged fairly, upholding its (justice's) limits

for God, neither lenient nor overlooking faults.

For God - no leniency or negligence

فكأنَّما ابنُ وديع حازَ ودائِعاً

فكأنَّما ابنُ وديع حازَ ودائِعاً

للقاصِدينَ فَكلُّهم مُتَقاضي

للقاصِدينَ فَكلُّهم مُتَقاضي

So it is as though Ibn Wadiʿ held deposits

So it is as if the son of Wadi gained deposits

for those who seek him out; each one claims his due.

For those seeking, and all of them receive

مَهما جَزِعتَ فلُذ ببحرِ مَكارمٍ

مَهما جَزِعتَ فلُذ ببحرِ مَكارمٍ

في بَحر كلِّ مُلمَّةٍ خَواضِ

في بَحر كلِّ مُلمَّةٍ خَواضِ

However distraught you are, seek refuge in an ocean of noble deeds,

No matter how much you despair, hold to the sea of virtues

one who plunges deep into the sea of every calamity.

In the sea of every raging storm

كدَّ النَّدى يدَه فأمرضَ ما لَها

كدَّ النَّدى يدَه فأمرضَ ما لَها

مَرضاً شُفيتُ به مِن الأمراضِ

مَرضاً شُفيتُ به مِن الأمراضِ

Generosity wearied his hand and sickened what it possessed,

The dew supported it, so it sickened what it had no ailment

with a sickness through which I was cured of ailments.

A sickness I was cured of illnesses by

وجعلتُهُ من كلِّ شيءٍ فاتَني

وجعلتُهُ من كلِّ شيءٍ فاتَني

عِوَضاً وذلك أوفرُ الأَعواضِ

عِوَضاً وذلك أوفرُ الأَعواضِ

And I made him, in place of everything I had missed,

And I made it for everything I missed

a recompense—and that is the richest of recompenses.

Compensation, and that is the best of substitutes