منينا باكدار الليالي وصوفها

منينا باكدار الليالي وصوفها

وصار الينا وغدها وعظيمها

وصار الينا وغدها وعظيمها

We were tried by the nights’ troubles and their serenity,

We bid farewell to the nights and their darkness,

and their knave and their great man came to us.

As their tomorrow, glory and greatness turned to us.

تقلب فينا عتمها وضياؤها

تقلب فينا عتمها وضياؤها

ومر علينا بؤسها ونعيمها

ومر علينا بؤسها ونعيمها

Their darkness and their light alternated within us,

Their darkness and light fluctuated within us,

and their misery and their bliss passed over us.

And their misery and comfort passed by us.

ولم نبل في الحالين الا لكي نرى

ولم نبل في الحالين الا لكي نرى

شؤن الليالي زينها وذميمها

شؤن الليالي زينها وذميمها

And we were tried in both states only so that we might see

In both states we saw only so we may witness,

the affairs of the nights—their beauty and their vileness.

The beauty and vileness of the nights.

نعاركها حتى يرى من خلالها

نعاركها حتى يرى من خلالها

محاسن اخلاق الرجال ولؤمها

محاسن اخلاق الرجال ولؤمها

We wrestle with them until, through them, are revealed

We struggled with them until one may see,

the virtues of men’s character and its baseness.

The virtues and vices of men through them.

فرحنا بحمد الله لم يكس عسرنا

فرحنا بحمد الله لم يكس عسرنا

عيون علانا ما بشين ينيمها

عيون علانا ما بشين ينيمها

So we went on, praise be to God; our hardship did not clothe

By God's grace, hardship did not break us,

the eyes of our eminence in anything that would lull them to sleep in disgrace.

Nor did the eyes that envied our comfort sleep.

ولم يعط عن طيش من العيش بؤسنا

ولم يعط عن طيش من العيش بؤسنا

ولا يسرنا احسابنا ما يضيمها

ولا يسرنا احسابنا ما يضيمها

Nor did our hardship in life heedlessly give—

Distress did not give us bitter life,

nor our ease—our ancestral honor anything that would abase it.

Nor did ease make us constrict it.

وما هي الا النفس ان تمط سؤلها

وما هي الا النفس ان تمط سؤلها

فتقعدها آمالها وتقيمها

فتقعدها آمالها وتقيمها

And it is only the soul: if you prolong its longing,

It is but the soul, if you prevent its queries,

its hopes make it sit down and rise.

Its hopes will settle and straighten it.

فخالف هواها فهي ان ما زجرتها

فخالف هواها فهي ان ما زجرتها

تسمك مراعي الذل فالحرص خميها

تسمك مراعي الذل فالحرص خميها

So oppose its whims; for if you do not restrain it,

Oppose its passions, and if you do not deter it,

it sends you to graze in humiliation’s pastures, for greed is its nature.

It persists upon the path of disgrace and greed belittles it.

على انها الايام قد غاب صفوها

على انها الايام قد غاب صفوها

وجاز بها دست المعالي لئيمها

وجاز بها دست المعالي لئيمها

Yet these are days whose serenity has vanished,

Indeed, its prime days have passed away,

and in them their ignoble man has reached the seat of eminence.

And the hand of loftiness has touched its base.

وبالروغ اضحى الثعلبان خطيبها

وبالروغ اضحى الثعلبان خطيبها

وغار الندى فيها وغاب كريمها

وغار الندى فيها وغاب كريمها

And through cunning the male fox has become their orator,

Foxes have become its orators,

and generosity has sunk away within them, and their noble man has vanished.

And its generosity has faded, and its noble ones are gone.

واضحت ديار الجود قفرا بلاقعا

واضحت ديار الجود قفرا بلاقعا

تهفهف لم يعبث بغصن نسيمها

تهفهف لم يعبث بغصن نسيمها

And generosity’s dwellings became barren, desolate wastes;

The abode of judiciousness has become barren ruins,

their breeze stirred softly, yet played with no branch.

Where no gentle breeze blows upon its branches.

مبدلة تلك الطلول بغيرها

مبدلة تلك الطلول بغيرها

معطلة لم يبق الا رسومها

معطلة لم يبق الا رسومها

Those ruins have been replaced by others,

Changing those ascents into others,

deserted, with nothing left but their traces.

Abolishing all but their traces.

فيا ليت شعري هل يعود انيسها

فيا ليت شعري هل يعود انيسها

ويرجع مقصوص الجناح صميمها

ويرجع مقصوص الجناح صميمها

Oh, would that I knew: will their companion return,

I wonder, will its companion return,

and their very heart come back with its wing clipped?

And the one with the clipped wing come back to its entirety?

وهل يدنو من بعد التنائي وايها

وهل يدنو من بعد التنائي وايها

اليها ويحيى بعد موت رسميها

اليها ويحيى بعد موت رسميها

And will their promise draw near, after estrangement,

And after the estrangement, will it approach,

to them, and their traces live again after death?

And revive its statute after death erased it?

ويا طالما خلنا سرابا بقيعة

ويا طالما خلنا سرابا بقيعة

كؤس رحيق وانصرفنا نرومها

كؤس رحيق وانصرفنا نرومها

And oh, how often we took a mirage on an open plain

How often did we perceive a mirage as a filled cup,

for cups of pure wine, and went off seeking them.

And set out to it, only to find it a delusion.

فلما توهمنا السراب لغفلة

فلما توهمنا السراب لغفلة

شرابا قعدنا للنفوس نلومها

شرابا قعدنا للنفوس نلومها

Then, when in heedlessness we imagined the mirage

When unaware, we imagined the mirage was a drink,

to be drink, we sat down reproaching our souls.

And lingered for our souls to slumber.

وشمنا بروقا للسماح فكلما

وشمنا بروقا للسماح فكلما

غياهبها زالت تزول رقومها

غياهبها زالت تزول رقومها

And we watched lightning flashes of generosity, but whenever

We smelled the lightning of magnanimity, but whenever

their darkness cleared, their markings would vanish.

Its darkness faded, its flashes would vanish.

لقد خبطت كالممطرات وحينما

لقد خبطت كالممطرات وحينما

ظننا بها ريا تجلت غيومها

ظننا بها ريا تجلت غيومها

Indeed, they struck like rain-bearing clouds, and when

It stumbled like cloudbursts, and whenever

we expected thirst-quenching rain from them, their clouds cleared away.

We thought them rain, their clouds would clear.

وهبت رياح للنجاح فعندما

وهبت رياح للنجاح فعندما

توالت بذاك النشر ساء شميمها

توالت بذاك النشر ساء شميمها

And winds of success blew; but when

Winds of success blew, but when

they followed one another with that fragrance, their scent grew foul.

They blew in that direction, their breath was foul.

امالت غصون البان قسرا وحينما

امالت غصون البان قسرا وحينما

رجونا الصبا منها استشاظ سمومها

رجونا الصبا منها استشاظ سمومها

They bent the bān-tree branches by force, and when

It forced the boughs of resolve, and when

we hoped for the east breeze from them, their scorching wind flared.

We hoped for gentle breezes, their poison rose.

فنفسك باعدها عن الضيم انها

فنفسك باعدها عن الضيم انها

حياتك فامنع كل ضيم يسومها

حياتك فامنع كل ضيم يسومها

So keep your soul far from humiliation: it is

So take your soul far from blaming, for it is

your life; so ward off every humiliation inflicted upon it.

Your life, so prevent any blame that poisons it.

وفي حكمة الشرع الشريف بلا مرى

وفي حكمة الشرع الشريف بلا مرى

مطيبتك انظر أي مرعى تسميها

مطيبتك انظر أي مرعى تسميها

And in the wisdom of the noble sacred law, beyond dispute,

And in the wisdom of the noble Shariah, without doubt,

it is your mount: consider which pasture you let it graze in.

Consider well which pasture you release it.