كفّ الملامة عن حشا المتوجع

كفّ الملامة عن حشا المتوجع

واتْرك مضرَّته إذا لم تنفع

واتْرك مضرَّته إذا لم تنفع

Stay reproach from the heart of the anguished lover,

Spare the sufferer's heart your reproach,

and leave off harming him if you cannot help.

and cease harming him if you do him no good.

أتخال أني للملامة سامع

أتخال أني للملامة سامع

لا والذي قد سد عنها مسمعي

لا والذي قد سد عنها مسمعي

Do you imagine that I heed reproach?

Do you suppose that I listen to reproach?

No—by Him who has stopped my ears against it.

No, by Him who has sealed my hearing against it!

والنازعات فإنها من مهجتي

والنازعات فإنها من مهجتي

والمرسلات فإنها من أدمعي

والمرسلات فإنها من أدمعي

By the soul-wrenchers—for they spring from my very soul—

And by those that wrench out, for they come from my lifeblood,

and by the emissaries—for they spring from my tears.

and by those sent forth, for they come from my tears.

لا كان نشر العاذلين بضائع

لا كان نشر العاذلين بضائع

عندي ولا عهد الهوى بمضيع

عندي ولا عهد الهوى بمضيع

Never shall the reproachers’ tales be wares

May reproachers never spread their wares

with me, nor love’s covenant be squandered.

before me, nor love's covenant be cast aside.

أنا مستدل بالسقام على الأسى

أنا مستدل بالسقام على الأسى

فإن استطعتَ بفقه عذلك فامنع

فإن استطعتَ بفقه عذلك فامنع

I take sickness as my proof of sorrow;

I take my sickness as evidence of sorrow;

if you can, with the jurisprudence of your rebuke, bar that proof.

then, if you can, avert it with your learning in reproach.

ما العذل قرآن ولا أنا جلمد

ما العذل قرآن ولا أنا جلمد

فأظل منه كخاشع متصدع

فأظل منه كخاشع متصدع

Reproach is no Qur’an, nor am I a rock,

Reproach is no Qur'an, nor am I a boulder,

that I should become, before it, humbled and split apart.

that I should stand before it like one humbled and split apart.

بأبي غزالاً ضاق بي وسع الفضا

بأبي غزالاً ضاق بي وسع الفضا

في الحب وهو من الحشا في مربع

في الحب وهو من الحشا في مربع

My father be ransom for a gazelle through whom the breadth of space has narrowed around me,

My father be ransom for a gazelle! All space grows too narrow for me

in love, though he dwells in a spring meadow within my heart.

in love, while he has a pasture within my heart.

صرع الأسود بمقلة نجلاء إن

صرع الأسود بمقلة نجلاء إن

تلمح صوارمها بجفن تقطع

تلمح صوارمها بجفن تقطع

He fells lions with a wide, lovely eye—if

He felled lions with a wide eye; should

the sabers within its eyelid flash, they cut.

you glimpse its swords with an eyelid, you are cut down.

القلب موضعه وقد عطفت له

القلب موضعه وقد عطفت له

جمل الأسى فأصخ لعطف الموضع

جمل الأسى فأصخ لعطف الموضع

The heart is his locus, and to it have been conjoined

The heart is his abode, and conjoined to it are

the clauses of sorrow—how sound the conjunction at that locus!

the clauses of sorrow—so heed this conjunction by position.

وارفض ملامي في البكى متوالياً

وارفض ملامي في البكى متوالياً

وأقرأ على أهل المحبة مصرعي

وأقرأ على أهل المحبة مصرعي

Dismiss all blame of my unceasing weeping,

Abandon your blame of me for weeping without cease,

while I recite my death-scene to the people of love.

and recite my death to the people of love.

لزم الأسى قلبي كما لزم الثنا

لزم الأسى قلبي كما لزم الثنا

قاضي القضاة أبا المناقب أجمع

قاضي القضاة أبا المناقب أجمع

Sorrow clung to my heart just as praise clung

Sorrow has clung to my heart as praise has clung

to the Chief Justice, father of every virtue—

in full measure to the Chief Judge, Abu al-Manaqib.

ذاك الذي حكمت علاه بعلمها

ذاك الذي حكمت علاه بعلمها

لا بالحظوظ ولا بقول المدعي

لا بالحظوظ ولا بقول المدعي

he whose loftiness judged by its own knowledge,

He is the one whose eminence judges by its own knowledge,

not by fortune, nor upon a claimant’s word.

not by fortune, nor by a claimant's word.

متفرد قال الزمان لفضله

متفرد قال الزمان لفضله

فوفى المقال وصح عقد المجمع

فوفى المقال وصح عقد المجمع

“Peerless,” Time declared of his merit;

“Peerless!” Time declared of his excellence;

the saying proved true, and the compact of consensus was sealed.

the words did him justice, and the assembly's pact held firm.

من ذا يضاهي الشمس حسن فضيلة

من ذا يضاهي الشمس حسن فضيلة

وبها قوام العالم المتنوع

وبها قوام العالم المتنوع

Who can rival the sun in beauty of excellence,

Who can rival the sun in splendid virtue,

when by it the varied world subsists?

when through it the varied world is sustained?

لله أي فضائل مأثورة

لله أي فضائل مأثورة

يوم الفخار وأي لفظ مبدع

يوم الفخار وأي لفظ مبدع

By God, what storied virtues!

By God, what celebrated virtues

On the day of boasting, what inspired speech!

on the day of boasting, and what wondrous eloquence!

وسداد رأي لا تخاف صفاته

وسداد رأي لا تخاف صفاته

لكن متى يخدعه عاف يخدع

لكن متى يخدعه عاف يخدع

And judgment so sound that its qualities need not be feared;

And sound judgment, whose rock knows no fear,

yet whenever a favor-seeker tries to deceive it, he is deceived.

yet whenever a suppliant deceives him, he lets himself be deceived.

درت به حلب لطالب رسلها

درت به حلب لطالب رسلها

وحنت على العافي حنو المرضع

وحنت على العافي حنو المرضع

Through him Aleppo flows with milk for whoever seeks her yield,

Through him Aleppo yields her milk to those who seek it,

and bends tenderly over the bounty-seeker like a nursing mother.

and bends over the suppliant with a nursing mother's tenderness.

بشراك يا وطناً تقادم عهده

بشراك يا وطناً تقادم عهده

بحمى العواصم لا بسفح الأجرع

بحمى العواصم لا بسفح الأجرع

Glad tidings to you, O homeland whose bond is ancient,

Glad tidings, O homeland, whose age-old ties are

within the sanctuary of al-ʿAwāṣim, not on al-Ajraʿ’s slope.

to the sanctuary of al-Awasim, not the slope of al-Ajra.

هبطت بمغناك العلوم وإنما

هبطت بمغناك العلوم وإنما

هبطت إليك من المحل الأرفع

هبطت إليك من المحل الأرفع

The sciences have descended upon your abode; indeed,

The sciences descended to your dwelling, and it was only

they descended to you from the highest station.

from the loftiest station that they descended to you.

وغدا مقرك بالفضائل واللهى

وغدا مقرك بالفضائل واللهى

ماضي الشريعة مستفاض المشرع

ماضي الشريعة مستفاض المشرع

Your dwelling, rich in virtues and delights, has become

And your seat, through virtues and gifts, has become

a flowing watercourse, its watering place overflowing,

a place where sacred law prevails and the watering-place overflows.

زاهى على غرر البلاد وأهلها

زاهى على غرر البلاد وأهلها

بأغر وضَّاع الخلائق أروع

بأغر وضَّاع الخلائق أروع

proud above the foremost cities and their people

It vied in splendor with the choicest lands and their people,

through a most illustrious man, radiant in character, awe-inspiring.

through a radiant, awe-inspiring shaper of character.

أضحت معرضة كرائم ماله

أضحت معرضة كرائم ماله

فلو انتحاها سارق لم يقطع

فلو انتحاها سارق لم يقطع

The choicest treasures of his wealth lie freely exposed:

His choicest riches have been laid open,

were a thief to make for them, his hand would not be cut off.

so if a thief sought them, his hand would not be cut off.

نعم الملاذ لطالبيه فطالب

نعم الملاذ لطالبيه فطالب

علماً وطالب نائل متبرع

علماً وطالب نائل متبرع

How excellent a refuge for its two seekers—one seeking

What an excellent refuge for those who seek him: one seeks

knowledge, the other a freely bestowed gift.

knowledge, another the bounty of a willing giver.

ما البحر إلا علمه ونواله

ما البحر إلا علمه ونواله

لو كانَ طافي الدّرّ حلو المكرع

لو كانَ طافي الدّرّ حلو المكرع

The sea is nothing but his knowledge and his bounty,

The sea would be nothing but his learning and bounty,

even were it awash with pearls and sweet to drink.

were its pearls afloat and its water sweet to drink.

لو تنطق الشهباء قالَ مقامها

لو تنطق الشهباء قالَ مقامها

قل يا محمد كلّ فخر يسمع

قل يا محمد كلّ فخر يسمع

Could al-Shahbāʾ speak, her very station would say:

If al-Shahba could speak, her station would say:

“Speak, Muhammad—every boast of yours shall be heard.”

“Speak, Muhammad—every boast will be heard!”

يا قدوة العلماء عشْ مترقياً

يا قدوة العلماء عشْ مترقياً

وأخْفض بأمرك ما تحاول وارفع

وأخْفض بأمرك ما تحاول وارفع

O exemplar of scholars, live on, ever ascending;

O exemplar of scholars, live ever rising,

by your command abase whatever you wish—and exalt it.

and by your command bring low what you will, and raise it.

قسماً لقد رجعت بي الدُّنيا إلى

قسماً لقد رجعت بي الدُّنيا إلى

مغناك بعد النأي أحسن مرجع

مغناك بعد النأي أحسن مرجع

I swear, the world has brought me back

I swear, the world has brought me back to

to your abode after separation—the finest return.

your dwelling after separation—the finest of returns.

ردّ الرَّجاء إليَّ قربك حبَّذا

ردّ الرَّجاء إليَّ قربك حبَّذا

شمس ترد من الرَّجاء ليوشع

شمس ترد من الرَّجاء ليوشع

Hope restored your nearness to me—how blessed

Hope has restored your nearness to me—how welcome

a sun restored, by hope, to Joshua!

a sun restored through hope to Joshua!

لله كم لك من يدٍ مأثورة

لله كم لك من يدٍ مأثورة

عندِي وكم لكَ من ندى متسرع

عندِي وكم لكَ من ندى متسرع

By God, how many storied favors of yours

By God, how many memorable favors you have shown

I bear—and how much bounty of yours comes rushing!

me, and how much of your bounty hastens forth!

قالت لأنعمك الغزار قصائدي

قالت لأنعمك الغزار قصائدي

هذا نباتيّ المدائح فازرعي

هذا نباتيّ المدائح فازرعي

My poems said to your abundant favors:

My poems said to your abundant favors:

“These praises are my harvest—so sow!”

“Here is the Nubati of panegyrics—so sow!”