أظنك مما قد مَطلت مَثوبتي

أظنك مما قد مَطلت مَثوبتي

يسرُّك لو دارتْ عليّ الدوائرُ

يسرُّك لو دارتْ عليّ الدوائرُ

I suspect, from how you have delayed my reward,

I think you are one who has long delayed my reward,

that you would be glad if calamities turned against me.

You would be pleased if fortunes turned against me,

إذا ورد المالُ الذي كنت أرتجي

إذا ورد المالُ الذي كنت أرتجي

أُتيحت له تلقاءَ غيري مصادر

أُتيحت له تلقاءَ غيري مصادر

Whenever the money I had hoped for comes in,

When the money I hoped for comes my way,

outlets toward others, not me, are provided for it.

It is made accessible to others instead of me,

وعُلِّلتُ من وردٍ سواه بموعدٍ

وعُلِّلتُ من وردٍ سواه بموعدٍ

فليس لأمري آخرَ الدهر آخر

فليس لأمري آخرَ الدهر آخر

And I am put off with a promise of another inflow,

And I am given excuses for money coming from another source, at another time,

so, to the end of time, my affair will have no end.

So my matter has no other end, ever,

تربّصُ بي عضواً من المال بائراً

تربّصُ بي عضواً من المال بائراً

عليك وهل عضو من المال بائر

عليك وهل عضو من المال بائر

You wait to give me some unsaleable cut of wealth

You wait for me to get some paltry money,

left on your hands—but is any cut of wealth unsaleable?

As if any money could be paltry from you!

تظل إذا حبرتُ فيك قصيدةً

تظل إذا حبرتُ فيك قصيدةً

من المدح فيها المحكمات السوائر

من المدح فيها المحكمات السوائر

You keep on, whenever I craft a poem about you—

If I compose a poem praising you,

a poem of praise, with well-wrought verses that travel far—

With polished verses flowing,

تقدِّرُ لي من كلِّ مالٍ تُفيدهُ

تقدِّرُ لي من كلِّ مالٍ تُفيدهُ

جُزارتَه حتى كأنيَ جازر

جُزارتَه حتى كأنيَ جازر

allotting me, from all the wealth you acquire,

You allot me from any money you acquire,

its offcuts—the butcher's share—as though I were a butcher.

Its measly portions, as if I were a butcher,

لَشتان ما بيني وبينك تصطفي

لَشتان ما بيني وبينك تصطفي

مديحي وحظي من لُهاك الحقائر

مديحي وحظي من لُهاك الحقائر

How far apart you and I are! You select

There is a great difference between me and you,

my praise, while my share of your gifts is mere trifles.

In what of my praises and rewards you choose,

ولسْن لُهىً لكن مُنىً ومَواعد

ولسْن لُهىً لكن مُنىً ومَواعد

تأخرن حتى قيل هنَّ عَواقر

تأخرن حتى قيل هنَّ عَواقر

And they are not gifts, but hopes and promises,

And not for amusement, but for trysts and meetings

so long delayed that people called them barren.

Delayed until it was said they were lost,

إذا كان إنجازَ المواعيد كَرُّها

إذا كان إنجازَ المواعيد كَرُّها

فأحسن منها قبل ذاك المعاذر

فأحسن منها قبل ذاك المعاذر

If fulfilling promises means repeating them,

If fulfilling promises is so burdensome,

then excuses offered beforehand are better than those promises.

Then excuses before that would be best,