إنَّلَها من لَوعةٍ شانا

إنَّلَها من لَوعةٍ شانا

أضرَمتِ الأحشاءَ نِيرانا

أضرَمتِ الأحشاءَ نِيرانا

Truly, this burning anguish has great power:

Indeed it has a burning passion

It has kindled fires within my entrails.

That lit my insides aflame

وحالفَت دَمعي ولم يُطفِها

وحالفَت دَمعي ولم يُطفِها

وقَد جَرى سَحَّاً وتَهتانا

وقَد جَرى سَحَّاً وتَهتانا

And allied itself with my tears, which did not quench it,

And my tears conspired and would not quench it

Though they streamed in torrents and ceaseless showers.

Flowing freely, lost and confused

والماءُ مازالَ عَدوَّاً لها

والماءُ مازالَ عَدوَّاً لها

مُذ كانَتِ النَّارُ ومُذ كانا

مُذ كانَتِ النَّارُ ومُذ كانا

And water has always been its enemy,

While water remains its foe

Since fire existed, and since water existed.

Since fire began and since they both existed

لكنَّ في حَيني وفي شِقوتي

لكنَّ في حَيني وفي شِقوتي

ما يَجعلُ الأعداءَ خُلانا

ما يَجعلُ الأعداءَ خُلانا

But in my doom and in my misery

But in my time and misery

Lies what turns enemies into friends.

There is that which makes enemies intimate

وغادَةٍ قمتُ لتَوديعِها

وغادَةٍ قمتُ لتَوديعِها

أسعَى إلى التَّفريقِ عَجلانا

أسعَى إلى التَّفريقِ عَجلانا

And a graceful maiden—I rose to bid her farewell,

And when I stood to bid her farewell

Making my way toward separation in haste.

Rushing to hasten our separation

فحارَ دَمعي وجَرى دمعُها

فحارَ دَمعي وجَرى دمعُها

زوراً عَلى الحبِّ وبُهتانا

زوراً عَلى الحبِّ وبُهتانا

Then my tears faltered, and her tears flowed,

My tears flowed and her tears flowed

As false testimony against love, and slander.

Falsely, over love and confused

ثم انثنَت قائِلةً ما لَه

ثم انثنَت قائِلةً ما لَه

لم يُبكِه البَينُ وأبكانا

لم يُبكِه البَينُ وأبكانا

Then she turned back, saying, 'What ails him?

Then she turned saying why should it

Parting has not made him weep, yet it made us weep!'

Not make him weep, but made me weep

فقلتُ جارَ الدَّمعُ في حُكمِه

فقلتُ جارَ الدَّمعُ في حُكمِه

فَفاضَ من أجفانِ أجفانا

فَفاضَ من أجفانِ أجفانا

So I said, 'Tears were unjust in their judgment,

So I said tears flow according to their judgement

And overflowed from the eyelids of the crueler of us.'

And overflowed from eyelids over eyelids

أقسمتُ لَو أَصبَحَ ثقلُ الهَوى

أقسمتُ لَو أَصبَحَ ثقلُ الهَوى

ثِقلَ العُلى أصبحتُ سَعدانا

ثِقلَ العُلى أصبحتُ سَعدانا

I swore: were the weight of love to become

I swore if the heaviness of passion

The weight of greatness, I would become Sa'dan—

Became as heavy as high status, I would be joyous

ذُو راحةٍ لم يَقتَنِع جُودها

ذُو راحةٍ لم يَقتَنِع جُودها

إِلا بنسجِ العُدم وُجدانا

إِلا بنسجِ العُدم وُجدانا

A man whose palm's generosity was not content

One whose generosity was not content

Except to weave poverty into wealth.

Except with weaving non-existence into existence

بَنَى ولَم يُعلَ عَلى ما بَنَى

بَنَى ولَم يُعلَ عَلى ما بَنَى

ولَو عَلا أصبَحَ كِيوانا

ولَو عَلا أصبَحَ كِيوانا

He built, and nothing was raised above what he built;

He built but did not elevate what he built

And had he risen, he would have become Saturn.

And had he elevated it would become a landmark

وربَّما حطَّ النَّدي نفسَه

وربَّما حطَّ النَّدي نفسَه

فَضلاً عَلى النَّاسِ وإِحسانا

فَضلاً عَلى النَّاسِ وإِحسانا

And sometimes the generous man lowers himself,

And the critic may sometimes debase himself

As a favor to people, and an act of kindness.

With benevolence and kindness towards people

وكانَ ما يَفعلُه في العُلى

وكانَ ما يَفعلُه في العُلى

زِيادةً تُحسبُ نُقصانا

زِيادةً تُحسبُ نُقصانا

And what he did in the realm of greatness was

And what he does at the height

An increase reckoned as a decrease.

Is considered by some a decrease

ما كذَبَ الظنُّ الذي قادَني

ما كذَبَ الظنُّ الذي قادَني

إلى ابنِ قسَّامٍ ولا خانا

إلى ابنِ قسَّامٍ ولا خانا

Not false was the expectation that led me

My assumption that led me

To Ibn Qassam, nor did it betray me.

To the son of archers did not prove false

تُقِيمُ لي أخلاقُه كلَّما

تُقِيمُ لي أخلاقُه كلَّما

قلتُ على ما قلتُ بُرهانا

قلتُ على ما قلتُ بُرهانا

His virtues furnish me, whenever

His manners establish for me, whenever

I speak, with proof of what I have said.

I say what I say, proof

وإنَّما المَمدوحُ مَن لَم تَزل

وإنَّما المَمدوحُ مَن لَم تَزل

أفعالُه في المَدحِ عُنوانا

أفعالُه في المَدحِ عُنوانا

And only he is worthy of praise whose

For the object of praise is one whose actions

Deeds have always been the heading of praise.

Remain, in praise, a title