دَعي الوَردَ يَذبل ما أنا بمقيمِ

دَعي الوَردَ يَذبل ما أنا بمقيمِ

وميلي لشِعري وردةً لنسيمِ

وميلي لشِعري وردةً لنسيمِ

Let the rose wither; I am not here to stay.

Let the rose wither, I will not stay

And incline toward my poetry as a rose toward a breeze.

My love for poetry is a rose in the breeze

أخَذتُ لِنَفسي لونَه وأَريجَهُ

أخَذتُ لِنَفسي لونَه وأَريجَهُ

ونثَّرتهُ حَولي وحولَ نديمي

ونثَّرتهُ حَولي وحولَ نديمي

I took its color and fragrance for myself,

I have taken its color and fragrance for myself

And scattered it around me and around my boon companion.

And scattered it around me and around my companion

أَتوقُ إِلى الوردِ الذي تحملينَهُ

أَتوقُ إِلى الوردِ الذي تحملينَهُ

على وجنةٍ ريّا بماءِ نعيم

على وجنةٍ ريّا بماءِ نعيم

I yearn for the rose you bear

I long for the rose you are carrying

Upon a cheek moist with the water of bliss.

On a soft cheek, watered with the wine of bliss

ففي نَفحةٍ منهُ أرى الأرضَ جنّةً

ففي نَفحةٍ منهُ أرى الأرضَ جنّةً

وتخمدُ في الأضلاعِ نارُ جَحيم

وتخمدُ في الأضلاعِ نارُ جَحيم

For in a waft of its fragrance I see the earth as paradise,

In its scent I see the earth as a garden

And within my ribs the fire of hell dies down.

And the fires of hell are quenched in my chest

هَبيها لِمن أضنَتهُ آلامُ جرحهِ

هَبيها لِمن أضنَتهُ آلامُ جرحهِ

فما كلُّ جرحٍ مثلهُ بأليم

فما كلُّ جرحٍ مثلهُ بأليم

Give it to him whom the pains of his wound have exhausted,

Give it to one whose wounds have caused him grief

For not every wound is as painful as his.

For not every wound is painful like his

شقاءُ الفتى من فِكرهِ وشعورهِ

شقاءُ الفتى من فِكرهِ وشعورهِ

فأعظِم ببَلوى شاعرٍ وحكيم

فأعظِم ببَلوى شاعرٍ وحكيم

A young man's suffering springs from his thought and feeling;

A young man's misery is from his ideas and senses

How great, then, the ordeal of a poet and a sage!

So the suffering of a poet or wise man is greater

شقيتُ بعبءٍ ماخُلِقتُ لحملِهِ

شقيتُ بعبءٍ ماخُلِقتُ لحملِهِ

فكم بدميمٍ جاءني وذميم

فكم بدميمٍ جاءني وذميم

I suffered under a burden I was not created to bear;

I have suffered from a burden I was not created to bear

And how many ugly and vile men have come to me!

So many vulgar, vile people have come to me

إذا شَغَلَ الإنسانُ غيرَ محلِّهِ

إذا شَغَلَ الإنسانُ غيرَ محلِّهِ

يضلُّ بليلٍ في الشقاءِ بَهيم

يضلُّ بليلٍ في الشقاءِ بَهيم

When a person occupies a place not his own,

When a person occupies other than his rightful place

He goes astray in misery, in a pitch-black night.

He goes astray in misery, lost like an animal

لعمرُكَ إنّ العَقلَ في الجهلِ ضائعٌ

لعمرُكَ إنّ العَقلَ في الجهلِ ضائعٌ

كما ضاعَ ماءُ المزنِ فوقَ هشيم

كما ضاعَ ماءُ المزنِ فوقَ هشيم

By your life, reason is lost amid ignorance,

Your life, intelligence is lost in ignorance

As the water of rainclouds is wasted upon dry stubble.

Like water spilt on the ground above ashes

على الحرِّ أن يوفي الجميعَ ولا يرى

على الحرِّ أن يوفي الجميعَ ولا يرى

وفيّاً وان يُبلى بألفِ غريم

وفيّاً وان يُبلى بألفِ غريم

The freeborn man must give everyone their due, yet find

It is proper for the noble one to be faithful to all and yet

None faithful, and be beset by a thousand adversaries.

See no one faithful, even if worn down by a thousand betrayals

وكل مَليحٍ للقبيحِ ضحيَّةٌ

وكل مَليحٍ للقبيحِ ضحيَّةٌ

ومن حلمِ أهلِ الخيرِ فتكُ زنيمي

ومن حلمِ أهلِ الخيرِ فتكُ زنيمي

And every fair one is a victim of the foul;

And everything beautiful is a sacrifice for the ugly one

And my baseborn scoundrel's violence comes from good people's forbearance.

And the forebearance of the virtuous is rent by the vicious

فلا بُلي الأحرارُ من كلِّ أُمةٍ

فلا بُلي الأحرارُ من كلِّ أُمةٍ

بجيرةِ عِلجٍ وائتمانِ لئيم

بجيرةِ عِلجٍ وائتمانِ لئيم

May freeborn men of every nation never be afflicted

So the free are not worn down among the peoples

By living beside a barbarian and trusting a vile man.

By the poultice of treatment and the trust of the vile one

ولا خيرَ في القومِ الألى أنا بينَهم

ولا خيرَ في القومِ الألى أنا بينَهم

كَثَوب غريبٍ أو كمالِ يتيم

كَثَوب غريبٍ أو كمالِ يتيم

And there is no good in the people among whom I live,

There is no good among the tribe I am among

Like a stranger's robe or an orphan's wealth.

Like a stranger's garment or an orphan's wealth

لهم وَلعٌ بالظّلمِ من طَبعِهم كما

لهم وَلعٌ بالظّلمِ من طَبعِهم كما

لهم طمعٌ في الحلمِ عندَ حليم

لهم طمعٌ في الحلمِ عندَ حليم

They delight in injustice by nature, just as

They have a passion for injustice in their nature

They covet the forbearance of a forbearing man.

As they have greed for clemency in the presence of the clement one

فهم بينَ أشرارٍ وبلهٍ تقاسموا

فهم بينَ أشرارٍ وبلهٍ تقاسموا

حماقةَ مجنونٍ وغَدرَ أثيم

حماقةَ مجنونٍ وغَدرَ أثيم

So, a mix of villains and fools, they have shared among themselves

They are among the wicked and stupid, sharing

A madman's folly and a sinner's treachery.

The folly of a madman and the betrayal of a sinner

لقد أحرَجَت منا القرودُ أُسودَنا

لقد أحرَجَت منا القرودُ أُسودَنا

وقد لبسَ الصّعلوكُ ثوبَ زعيم

وقد لبسَ الصّعلوكُ ثوبَ زعيم

Indeed, the monkeys among us have cornered our lions,

The apes have embarrassed our lions

And the pauper has donned a leader's robe.

And the rogue has worn the garb of a leader

ألا فاسمَعي الشّكوى فكلٌّ كريمةٍ

ألا فاسمَعي الشّكوى فكلٌّ كريمةٍ

شَعورٌ بما يَلقاهُ كلُّ كريم

شَعورٌ بما يَلقاهُ كلُّ كريم

Come, listen to my complaint, for every noble woman

Listen to my complaint, for you are a noble woman

Feels what every noble man endures.

And every noble feels what each noble feels

وإن تهزئي بالعلجِ والجلفِ أنعمي

وإن تهزئي بالعلجِ والجلفِ أنعمي

على عربيٍّ من ذويكِ صميم

على عربيٍّ من ذويكِ صميم

And if you jeer at the barbarian and the boor, bestow your favor

And if you mock my frustration and rudeness, then grace

On a true Arab of your own kin.

A true Arab of your people with kindness

وقُولي لهُ سِر بينَهم ساخراً بهم

وقُولي لهُ سِر بينَهم ساخراً بهم

فكلُّ عظيمٍ طامعٌ بعظيم

فكلُّ عظيمٍ طامعٌ بعظيم

And tell him: go among them, mocking them,

And say to him, live among them while ridiculing them

For every great one yearns for another great one.

For every great one hopes for a great one