منَّتك نفسُك أن تُطيلَ فتقصُرُ

منَّتك نفسُك أن تُطيلَ فتقصُرُ

إن أكثَروا فلعلَّ ما بك أكثرُ

إن أكثَروا فلعلَّ ما بك أكثرُ

Your soul made you hope to go on at length, yet you fall short.

You wished your soul to be patient, yet it is impatient

If they speak at length, perhaps what is within you is greater still.

Even if they blame much, what's with you is more

لاح الهَوى اللائِمونَ على الهوى

لاح الهَوى اللائِمونَ على الهوى

لم يحكُموا إلا على ما أبصَروا

لم يحكُموا إلا على ما أبصَروا

The reproachers reproached love for love;

The censurers of love shine when loving

they judged only by what they saw.

They only judged based on what they saw

وأغرَّ يختلسُ الوداعَ مُسارقاً

وأغرَّ يختلسُ الوداعَ مُسارقاً

والبينُ مشدودٌ عليه مشمِّرُ

والبينُ مشدودٌ عليه مشمِّرُ

And a radiant youth steals a farewell in secret,

And parting slyly steals the farewell

while parting is drawn tight upon him, girded for action.

While distance stretches tight upon it

يكبو لسرعَته ويبكي للنَّوى

يكبو لسرعَته ويبكي للنَّوى

وكأنه بدمُوعِه يَتعثَّرُ

وكأنه بدمُوعِه يَتعثَّرُ

He stumbles from his haste and weeps for separation,

It stumbles due to its haste and cries for the beloved

and it is as though he stumbles over his tears.

As if with its tears it trips

قد كنتُ أسمعُ ما أرى فيروعُني

قد كنتُ أسمعُ ما أرى فيروعُني

فاليوم ليس يروعُني ما أنظُرُ

فاليوم ليس يروعُني ما أنظُرُ

I used to hear of what I now see, and it frightened me;

I used to hear what I see and it would frighten me

but today what I behold does not frighten me.

But today what I see does not frighten me

والشيخ بين زَهادَتينِ زهادةٌ

والشيخ بين زَهادَتينِ زهادةٌ

فيه وأخرى منه حين يعيَّرُ

فيه وأخرى منه حين يعيَّرُ

And the old man stands between two kinds of indifference: one

The old man is an ascetic between two asceticisms

toward him, and another on his part when he is taunted.

One in him and one from him when he is chided

والغانياتُ إذا اكتَحلن بشَيبه

والغانياتُ إذا اكتَحلن بشَيبه

رفعَ الفراشُ لها وشدَّ المِئزرُ

رفعَ الفراشُ لها وشدَّ المِئزرُ

And when the beauties line their eyes with his gray hair,

And the singing girls, when they use his old age as kohl

the bedding is put away for them, and the waistcloth tied tight.

The mattress is lifted for them and they tighten their waist wrapper

وتظنُّ أن الدهرَ شيَّب لمني

وتظنُّ أن الدهرَ شيَّب لمني

هيهات قد صارت تشيبُ الأدهُرُ

هيهات قد صارت تشيبُ الأدهُرُ

And you think that time has grayed my hair;

And you think time turned white because of sorrow

far from it! The ages themselves have begun to turn gray

Nay, it is the eras that turned white

وتموتُ والأحياءُ أحياءٌ بها

وتموتُ والأحياءُ أحياءٌ بها

ممَّن أخبَّرُ عنه أو لا أخبَرُ

ممَّن أخبَّرُ عنه أو لا أخبَرُ

and die, while the living remain alive within them,

And she dies while the living are alive through her

among those I am told about, or am not told about.

Of whom should I inform or not inform?

أسماء قومٍ كالحروفِ دليلُها

أسماء قومٍ كالحروفِ دليلُها

في غيرها ودليلُها ما يحضرُ

في غيرها ودليلُها ما يحضرُ

The names of some people are like particles: their significance

The names of a people are like guideposts to them

lies in something other than themselves, and their significance is what is present.

In others, and their guideposts are what come to mind

من حبِّهم أن لا يَجودوا أنهم

من حبِّهم أن لا يَجودوا أنهم

ودُّوا لو افتَقروا لكَيلا يَقدروا

ودُّوا لو افتَقروا لكَيلا يَقدروا

So fond are they of not giving that they

Of their love, that they not be generous, that they

wished they were poor, so they would be unable to give.

Wished, if they became needy, they wouldn't be able to

داءٌ أظنُّك حِدتَ عن طُرُقاته

داءٌ أظنُّك حِدتَ عن طُرُقاته

ونجوتَ من طَرَقاتِه يا جَعفرُ

ونجوتَ من طَرَقاتِه يا جَعفرُ

It is a disease whose paths, I think, you have avoided,

An illness I think you avoided its ways

and whose blows you have escaped, O Ja'far.

And escaped its ways, O Ja'far

والسيلُ يخترقُ الوِهاد فمن علا

والسيلُ يخترقُ الوِهاد فمن علا

شَرفاً يرى ما لا يَرى المُتحدِّرُ

شَرفاً يرى ما لا يَرى المُتحدِّرُ

And the torrent cuts through the lowlands; whoever climbs

And the torrent breaks through the valley, so whoever ascends

a height sees what the one descending does not see.

A lofty place sees what the descending one does not see

وأراك قد أوفَيت فوقَ تنوفةٍ

وأراك قد أوفَيت فوقَ تنوفةٍ

مترقِّباً من أيِّ وجه تُشكرُ

مترقِّباً من أيِّ وجه تُشكرُ

And I see you have risen above a barren waste,

And I see you fulfilled above Taneuf

watching to see from which quarter you will be thanked.

Waiting from which direction you will be thanked

أنا من خُؤولَتِكَ الذين وإن خَلَوا

أنا من خُؤولَتِكَ الذين وإن خَلَوا

لا تُذكرُ العلياءُ حتَّى يُذكَروا

لا تُذكرُ العلياءُ حتَّى يُذكَروا

I am of your maternal kin, who, though they have passed away,

I am of your lowly ones, who even if they are absent

are named before lofty glory can be mentioned.

The exalted ones are not mentioned until they are mentioned

وإذا وصلتَ وصلتَ ذا رحمٍ دنَت

وإذا وصلتَ وصلتَ ذا رحمٍ دنَت

ومودَّةٍ عُرِفَت فليسَت تُنكَرُ

ومودَّةٍ عُرِفَت فليسَت تُنكَرُ

And when you show favor, you favor one whose kinship is close,

And if you reconciled, you reconciled one of kinship drawn near

and whose affection is known and therefore not denied.

And affection known, which cannot be denied

وكفاك ذاكَ فصار يَفضلُ عنك ما

وكفاك ذاكَ فصار يَفضلُ عنك ما

تَبني عليه ما بَناهُ ميسَّرُ

تَبني عليه ما بَناهُ ميسَّرُ

And that suffices you; now superfluous to you is what

And that is enough for you, so whatever you build upon it

you build upon—what Muyassar built.

Exceeds you, built by the one who facilitated

ومقالةٌ طالَت على أترابِها

ومقالةٌ طالَت على أترابِها

لكنَّها عن وصفِ مَدحِكَ تَقصُرُ

لكنَّها عن وصفِ مَدحِكَ تَقصُرُ

And a composition has surpassed its peers in length,

And a discourse prolonged upon its companions

yet it falls short of expressing praise for you.

Yet in describing your praise it falls short