ببَعضِ الدُّمى قامَ بعضُ الفِتَن

ببَعضِ الدُّمى قامَ بعضُ الفِتَن

فلَولا التَّثَنِّي لَقُلنَا وَثَن

فلَولا التَّثَنِّي لَقُلنَا وَثَن

Through one of those statue-like beauties, some strife arose;

Some idols caused some strife

But for his swaying, we would have said, “An idol.”

Were it not for duality I'd have said twofold

تناسَيتُه حينَ أخفَيتُهُ

تناسَيتُه حينَ أخفَيتُهُ

فَبي شَغفٌ لستُ أدري بِمَن

فَبي شَغفٌ لستُ أدري بِمَن

I feigned forgetting him when I concealed him;

I forgot it when I hid it

So I harbor a passion—I know not for whom.

So I have a passion but know not for whom

وعُلِّقتُه شادِناً شادِياً

وعُلِّقتُه شادِناً شادِياً

علَيه الشَّجَى وعَليَّ الشَّجَن

علَيه الشَّجَى وعَليَّ الشَّجَن

And I fell in love with him, a singing young gazelle;

I hung it gleefully, gleefully

His is the plaintive melody, and mine the sorrow.

Sorrow is upon it and anguish upon me

إِذا ما التَقَينا فمِن جُد وزِد

إِذا ما التَقَينا فمِن جُد وزِد

وصِل وتَعَطَّف ومِن لا ولَن

وصِل وتَعَطَّف ومِن لا ولَن

Whenever we meet, from one: “Give, give more,

Whenever we meet, be serious and excel

Keep close, be tender”; from the other: “No, never.”

Reconcile, show kindness, not reject or disdain

ومِن مُهجَةٍ مذ نَأت ما ثَوَت

ومِن مُهجَةٍ مذ نَأت ما ثَوَت

بأرضٍ ومِن سَكنٍ ما سكن

بأرضٍ ومِن سَكنٍ ما سكن

And from a heart that, since wandering far, has never settled

From a beloved who turned away from what she promised

In any land, and from a beloved who has never stayed.

In a land and from a dwelling that did not exist

قِفُوا تَعرِفُوا ما أسَرَّ الهَوى

قِفُوا تَعرِفُوا ما أسَرَّ الهَوى

فأعلَن لما أسَرَّ العَلَن

فأعلَن لما أسَرَّ العَلَن

Pause, and learn what love concealed,

Stop, recognize what passion has concealed

Then revealed when it concealed what was plain.

So it publicly declared what was hidden

أسرَّ الجسُومَ بسُقم الجُفو

أسرَّ الجسُومَ بسُقم الجُفو

نِ فَأصبَحَ في كلِّ جَفنِ بَدَن

نِ فَأصبَحَ في كلِّ جَفنِ بَدَن

It hid bodies through the sickness of the eyelids,

It made the bodies sick with love-sickness

So that in every eyelid there came to be a body.

So that every eyelid harbored malady

فَلا يَخدَعنَّكَ عزمُ السُّلو

فَلا يَخدَعنَّكَ عزمُ السُّلو

وِ وَغَلِّب عَلى الظَنِّ فيه الظَّنَن

وِ وَغَلِّب عَلى الظَنِّ فيه الظَّنَن

So let no resolve to forget deceive you,

So do not be fooled by pretense of composure

And let suspicion outweigh confidence in it.

And let assumptions prevail over assumption

فَلو قَد حلَفتَ وردَّ الهوَى

فَلو قَد حلَفتَ وردَّ الهوَى

يقُودُكَ ردَّ عَليه الوَسَن

يقُودُكَ ردَّ عَليه الوَسَن

For even if you swore an oath, and love returned

Even if you swore and passion turned you back

To lead you, drowsiness would answer it.

It would lead you, turned back to it, to wither away

ودِمنةِ جُود عَفا رسَمُها

ودِمنةِ جُود عَفا رسَمُها

وما صِرتُ أعرفُ وصفَ الدِّمَن

وما صِرتُ أعرفُ وصفَ الدِّمَن

And a deserted camp of generosity, its traces faded—

The noble lineage whose nobility was pardoned

And I no longer know how to describe deserted camps.

I no longer recognize the description of baseness

ومِن أجلِ ذلكَ قالُوا بَخِل

ومِن أجلِ ذلكَ قالُوا بَخِل

تَ عَلَينا وهُم بَخِلُوا والزَّمَن

تَ عَلَينا وهُم بَخِلُوا والزَّمَن

And because of that they said, “You have been miserly

Because of that they said you were stingy with us

Toward us,” though they were miserly, and so was Time.

While they were stingy, and time passed

وكم يَلبثُ الجُودُ مِن حاتِمٍ

وكم يَلبثُ الجُودُ مِن حاتِمٍ

إلَيهم تَغيَّرَ لمَّا أسَن

إلَيهم تَغيَّرَ لمَّا أسَن

How long can generosity from Hatim endure

How long does the generosity of Hatim

Toward them? He changed when he grew old.

Last for them before it changes when they age

سأمسِكُ إلا عَنِ المكرُما

سأمسِكُ إلا عَنِ المكرُما

تِ وإن كانَ عِندي لكلّ ثَمَن

تِ وإن كانَ عِندي لكلّ ثَمَن

I shall hold back from all but noble deeds,

I will refrain except for the noble ones

Even if I have a price for each.

Though I have a price for everything

وأصِبرُ أو يَحكم اللَّهُ لي

وأصِبرُ أو يَحكم اللَّهُ لي

ويَحكمَ حَيدَرةُ بنُ الحَسَن

ويَحكمَ حَيدَرةُ بنُ الحَسَن

And I shall be patient until God rules for me,

I will be patient until God judges for me

And Haydara son of al-Hasan renders judgment.

And Haydarah son of Al-Hasan judges

لقَد هَتنَت بيضُ أخلاقِهِ

لقَد هَتنَت بيضُ أخلاقِهِ

ولَم أرَ قطُّ جَهاماً هَتَن

ولَم أرَ قطُّ جَهاماً هَتَن

Indeed, his white virtues have poured down rain;

The whiteness of his character has become stained

And never have I seen a rainless cloud rain.

Never did I see a gallant stained as such

وكانَ أخَا الجودِ حتَّى عَلا

وكانَ أخَا الجودِ حتَّى عَلا

فَصارَ أباً واحتَوى واحتَضَن

فَصارَ أباً واحتَوى واحتَضَن

And he was generosity’s brother until he rose,

He was the brother of generosity until he rose up

Then became its father, gathering it in and embracing it.

And became a father, and embraced and cradled

فقُوموا انظُرُوا عجَباً في العُلى

فقُوموا انظُرُوا عجَباً في العُلى

أبُوها مراضِعُها في اللَّبَن

أبُوها مراضِعُها في اللَّبَن

So rise and behold a marvel in glory:

So arise and behold the wonder in nobility!

Its father is its brother through milk.

Its father is its wetnurse in suckling milk

حَكمتَ فصاحبَكَ الحقُّ في

حَكمتَ فصاحبَكَ الحقُّ في

فُروضِ حكُوماتِهِ والسُّنَن

فُروضِ حكُوماتِهِ والسُّنَن

You judged, and justice stood beside you in

You have judged, and truth is with your companion

Its binding rulings and established traditions.

In the obligations of his rulings and traditions

وأمسَى رِشاءُ الرُّشا بالِياً

وأمسَى رِشاءُ الرُّشا بالِياً

بِبابكَ مُطَّرَحاً مُمتَهَن

بِبابكَ مُطَّرَحاً مُمتَهَن

And bribery’s well-rope has become worn out,

The chief of chiefs has become worthless

At your door, cast aside and scorned.

Lying disgraced at your door

فأصبَحتَ مُؤتَمَناً آِمناً

فأصبَحتَ مُؤتَمَناً آِمناً

وبالحَقِّ أن يأمنَ المُؤتَمَن

وبالحَقِّ أن يأمنَ المُؤتَمَن

Thus you became trusted and secure,

So you have become a trusted trustee

And rightly should one trusted be secure.

And truly the trustee should feel safe

ثَناءٌ تُظنُّ قَراطِيسهُ

ثَناءٌ تُظنُّ قَراطِيسهُ

إذا نُشِرَت مِن بُرود اليَمَن

إذا نُشِرَت مِن بُرود اليَمَن

Praise whose pages you would take,

Praise that you'd think its scrolls

When spread out, for striped cloaks from Yemen.

If unfurled, were from the parchments of Yemen

قَلائِدُه في رِقابِ الرِّجا

قَلائِدُه في رِقابِ الرِّجا

لِ مُعلَّقةٌ كلُّها بالمِنَن

لِ مُعلَّقةٌ كلُّها بالمِنَن

Its necklaces, around the necks of men,

Its necklaces on the necks of the hopeful

Are all hung there by favors bestowed.

Are all suspended by favors

تيقَّظتَ حيثُ عُيونُ الوَرى

تيقَّظتَ حيثُ عُيونُ الوَرى

مُكحَّلةٌ أبَداً بالوَسَن

مُكحَّلةٌ أبَداً بالوَسَن

You stayed wakeful where the eyes of humankind

You awoke when the eyes of all

Were forever lined with the kohl of drowsiness.

Are lined eternally with withering

فأبصَرتَني كَيفَ أمسَيتُ في

فأبصَرتَني كَيفَ أمسَيتُ في

يَد الدَّهرِ مُرتَبِكاً مُرتَهَن

يَد الدَّهرِ مُرتَبِكاً مُرتَهَن

Thus you saw how I had come to be in

So you saw me, how I became

Time’s hand, entangled and held in pawn.

In the hands of fate, confused and mortgaged

فَجُد واسبِقِ الدهرَ إنِّي أَرى

فَجُد واسبِقِ الدهرَ إنِّي أَرى

هُموماً تُجَنُّ إِذا اللَّيلُ جَن

هُموماً تُجَنُّ إِذا اللَّيلُ جَن

So give generously, and outrun Time, for I see

So be generous and outpace fate, I see

Worries that go mad when night falls.

Cares that drive one mad when night falls