كل بشعري مفتون ومشغوف

كل بشعري مفتون ومشغوف

وجيد الشعر منعوت وموصوف

وجيد الشعر منعوت وموصوف

Everyone is captivated by my poetry and enamored of it,

My poetry is smitten and obsessed

And fine poetry is characterized and described.

And the excellence of poetry is attributed and described

كلفت من أمرهم ما لا أقوم به

كلفت من أمرهم ما لا أقوم به

ومن يقوم بأمر فيه تكليف

ومن يقوم بأمر فيه تكليف

I have been charged with matters of theirs that I cannot manage,

I have been burdened with what I cannot bear

And who can manage a matter that imposes a burden?

And whoever bears what burdens him is burdened

لأنتفن سبالي طاعة لهم

لأنتفن سبالي طاعة لهم

والذقن إن دام ذا الإعراض منتوف

والذقن إن دام ذا الإعراض منتوف

I shall surely pluck out my mustache in obedience to them,

I almost lost my mind obeying them

And my chin, if this shunning lasts, will be plucked bare.

And my beard would have perished if I kept turning away

أمسي وأصبح مجفواً ومطرحاً

أمسي وأصبح مجفواً ومطرحاً

هذا ورأسي وما والاه مكشوف

هذا ورأسي وما والاه مكشوف

By evening and morning I am shunned and cast aside,

I spend my nights and days despondent and dejected

All this while my head and what adjoins it are bare.

While my head and what's above it are exposed

وبي وعندي وفي ملكي ولا رزقوا

وبي وعندي وفي ملكي ولا رزقوا

رزقي قذال أصم السمع مكفوف

رزقي قذال أصم السمع مكفوف

And I have, beside me and in my possession—may they never be granted

I have nothing, and nothing has been bestowed upon me

My lot—an occiput, deaf of hearing and sightless,

My livelihood is mean, deaf and blind

من تلك أقفية القوم الكشاخنة ال

من تلك أقفية القوم الكشاخنة ال

فدم الذين لهم منها مجاديف

فدم الذين لهم منها مجاديف

From those napes of the cuckold folk, the

From those rough-edged people's heels

Dullards, who have oars made from them,

Is the blood of those who have oars with them

مفوفات بتنفيش وأطبعها

مفوفات بتنفيش وأطبعها

لا شك ما فيه تنفيش وتفويف

لا شك ما فيه تنفيش وتفويف

Striped with fluffing; and the most natural of them

Plaited with unraveling, and its nature

Is surely the one with fluffing and striping.

Is undoubtedly unraveling and knitting

معطوفة وبنفسي يا ابن أم قفا

معطوفة وبنفسي يا ابن أم قفا

على الأخادع مثني ومعطوف

على الأخادع مثني ومعطوف

Bent—and, O mother's son, I would give my life for a nape

Sympathizing, my dear son of a mother,

Folded over the neck-veins and bent.

With the crafty, bent and attached

كم قاتل ويداه في أطايبه

كم قاتل ويداه في أطايبه

وطيب الشيء مجني ومقطوف

وطيب الشيء مجني ومقطوف

How many a slayer has his hands in its choicest parts!

How many a killer with his hands in good things

And a thing's best part is harvested and plucked.

And the good thing is picked and plucked

فإن يكن ذا فلا غرو ولا حرج

فإن يكن ذا فلا غرو ولا حرج

فلليالي وللأيام تصريف

فلليالي وللأيام تصريف

So if this be so, there is no surprise and no distress,

If that is so, then no wonder or blame

For nights and days have their changing turns.

For nights and days have cycles

هذا الذي من رآه دون ملمسه

هذا الذي من رآه دون ملمسه

لم يأكل اللحم إلا وهو معلوف

لم يأكل اللحم إلا وهو معلوف

This is the one: whoever has seen him without touching him

This one whom whoever sees him without touching him

Has eaten meat only while being fed on fodder.

Has never eaten meat except when it's shredded

ولم يمد إلى رأس على طرب

ولم يمد إلى رأس على طرب

يديه إلا وفي اليمنى تطاريف

يديه إلا وفي اليمنى تطاريف

And never did he stretch toward a head in delight

And has never lifted his head joyfully

His hands, unless his right hand bore fingertip dye-marks.

Except with paper strips in his right hand

بينا يرى الثوب منشوراً بلا سبب

بينا يرى الثوب منشوراً بلا سبب

حتى يرى وهو بعد النشر ملفوف

حتى يرى وهو بعد النشر ملفوف

No sooner is the cloth seen spread out for no reason

While he sees the garment spread for no reason

Than it is seen, after being spread, rolled up.

Until he sees it, after spreading, folded

فكم ألام وكم ألحى وهل حمقي

فكم ألام وكم ألحى وهل حمقي

إلا نتيجة رأس فيه تخفيف

إلا نتيجة رأس فيه تخفيف

So how often I am blamed, and how often reproached—and is my folly

So many pains and so many woes, is my foolishness

Anything but the result of a head made light?

Nothing but the result of a lightened head?

ألفته حسب مالي من محبته

ألفته حسب مالي من محبته

دون البرية والمحبوب مألوف

دون البرية والمحبوب مألوف

I have grown attached to him, in keeping with my love for him,

I befriended him according to my love for him

To the exclusion of all others; the beloved is familiar.

Beyond the wilderness, and the beloved is accustomed

إلف المكارم والجدوى فتى أسد

إلف المكارم والجدوى فتى أسد

محمد خير من ناداه ملهوف

محمد خير من ناداه ملهوف

A companion of noble deeds and bounty, a youth of Asad,

Accustomed to virtues and usefulness, a young lion

Muhammad, the best man a distressed soul has called upon.

Mohammed, better than whoever calls him ardently

حر إذا ذكر الأحرار مشتمل

حر إذا ذكر الأحرار مشتمل

على السماح ببذل العرف معروف

على السماح ببذل العرف معروف

A noble man, when noble men are named, endowed

A free man, when the noble are included

With generosity, known for bestowing kindness.

Embracing generosity with known benevolence

بمثله نماء كرام سادة نجب

بمثله نماء كرام سادة نجب

شم الأنوف بها ليل غطاريف

شم الأنوف بها ليل غطاريف

Through one like him, noble, lordly, highborn men flourish:

The like of him is the growth of generous masters

Proud-nosed, magnanimous men, noble chiefs.

The elite whose nights have aromatic herbs

تحصى النجوم ولا تحصى فضائله

تحصى النجوم ولا تحصى فضائله

ولا يحيط بها وصف وتكييف

ولا يحيط بها وصف وتكييف

The stars can be counted, but his virtues cannot,

The stars are counted but his merits are not

Nor can description or characterization encompass them.

And no description or classification encompasses them