باتَت أَساطيرُ الهَوى تُتلَى

باتَت أَساطيرُ الهَوى تُتلَى

علَيهِ فاستَعذَبَ واستَملَى

علَيهِ فاستَعذَبَ واستَملَى

Through the night, love's legends were recited

The tales of love are recited to him

to him; he found them sweet and asked for dictation.

He found them sweet and was enthralled

واعتَرضَ الأهواءَ في طرقها

واعتَرضَ الأهواءَ في طرقها

واتَّخذَ الأَلطافَ والرُّسلا

واتَّخذَ الأَلطافَ والرُّسلا

And he waylaid passions along their paths,

He crossed the paths of passions

and employed gifts and messengers.

And took to gentle messengers

وَصارَ يَرعَى البُعدَ والقُربَ في

وَصارَ يَرعَى البُعدَ والقُربَ في

وَقتَيهِما والهَجرَ والوَصلا

وَقتَيهِما والهَجرَ والوَصلا

And he began to heed distance and nearness at

He began to tend to distance and nearness

their proper times, and estrangement and union.

In their times, estrangement and union

ولا يَزالُ القَولُ مُستَحسَناً

ولا يَزالُ القَولُ مُستَحسَناً

في الحبِّ ما لَم يَجلِبِ الفِعلا

في الحبِّ ما لَم يَجلِبِ الفِعلا

And speech remains pleasing

Speech of love remains fair

in love, so long as it does not lead to action.

Unless it leads to action

كيفَ اصطِباري والهَوى نافِثٌ

كيفَ اصطِباري والهَوى نافِثٌ

في عُقَدِ الصَّبرِ لينحلا

في عُقَدِ الصَّبرِ لينحلا

How can I endure, when passion blows

How can I show patience, while passion

into patience's knots, to make it unravel?

Assails the knots of endurance to undo them

وما أَرى إِلا هَوىً مُقبِلاً

وما أَرى إِلا هَوىً مُقبِلاً

أقبلَ مَن أَهواهُ أَو وَلَّى

أقبلَ مَن أَهواهُ أَو وَلَّى

And I see only passion advancing,

I see naught but passion drawing near

whether the one I love approaches or turns away.

Whether the loved one comes or turns away

عمَّ الضَّنَى جِسمِي وأَجفانَهُ

عمَّ الضَّنَى جِسمِي وأَجفانَهُ

أَهلاً بسُقمٍ يَجمَعُ الشَّملا

أَهلاً بسُقمٍ يَجمَعُ الشَّملا

Wasting sickness has overtaken my body and his eyelids;

Sorrow has filled my body and eyelids

welcome to an illness that brings us together!

A welcome to an illness that unites kin

أَلقى عَلَىالأَعناقِ مِن جُودِه

أَلقى عَلَىالأَعناقِ مِن جُودِه

قَلائِداً تَخِذتُها رُسلا

قَلائِداً تَخِذتُها رُسلا

From his bounty he cast upon necks

He placed around necks from his bounty

necklaces that I took as messengers.

Necklaces I took as messengers

فهيَ إن انقادَت لَه قادَها

فهيَ إن انقادَت لَه قادَها

أو جَمَحَت مدَّ لَها حَبلا

أو جَمَحَت مدَّ لَها حَبلا

So if they yielded to him, he led them,

If they bow to him, he guided them

or if they bolted, he stretched out a rope for them.

Or if they recoiled, he pulled their rope

مكارِمٌ لَم يَبقَ مِن رَسمِها

مكارِمٌ لَم يَبقَ مِن رَسمِها

إِلا بَقايا وَزَنَت ثِقلا

إِلا بَقايا وَزَنَت ثِقلا

Noble deeds, of whose traces nothing remains

Of noble traits no trace remains

save remnants that weigh heavily,

Except remnants weighed heavy

عِندَ بَني أَفلحَ مكتوبَةٌ

عِندَ بَني أَفلحَ مكتوبَةٌ

ومِن بَني أفلَحَ تُستَملَى

ومِن بَني أفلَحَ تُستَملَى

are recorded among Banu Aflah,

Written at the house of Aflah

and from Banu Aflah are taken down by dictation.

And from the house of Aflah are sought

فتىً دعَتهُ الشَّيخَ أفعالُهُ

فتىً دعَتهُ الشَّيخَ أفعالُهُ

وربَّ فِعلٍ شَيَّخَ الطِّفلا

وربَّ فِعلٍ شَيَّخَ الطِّفلا

A youth whom his deeds have named an elder—

A youth whose deeds aged him

and many a deed has made an elder of a child.

And many a deed made a child gray

وهكَذا الناسُ إِذا فُتِّشوا

وهكَذا الناسُ إِذا فُتِّشوا

أكبرهُم أكبرهُم فِعلا

أكبرهُم أكبرهُم فِعلا

And so it is with people, when they are examined:

And so it is with people, when examined

the eldest among them is the greatest in deeds.

The greatest of them in deed is the oldest

إن أدرَكَ العيدَ وأفعالَه

إن أدرَكَ العيدَ وأفعالَه

فَالعيدُ لَم يُدرِك لَه مِثلا

فَالعيدُ لَم يُدرِك لَه مِثلا

If he and his deeds have reached the festival,

If one lives to see the feast and its deeds

then the festival has never met his equal.

The feast never saw the likes of him