قولا لِعَبّاسٍ لِكَي يَدري

قولا لِعَبّاسٍ لِكَي يَدري

لِغُلامِ عَكٍّ قُدوَةِ المِصرِ

لِغُلامِ عَكٍّ قُدوَةِ المِصرِ

Say to Abbas, you two, so that he may know,

Tell Abbas so he may know

Go say to Abbas—make him understand—

to the lad of ʿAkk, the city's exemplar:

For the youth of Aq, model of Egypt

That lad of 'Akk, the supposed model of the land:

فيمَ الكِتابُ إِلَيَّ تُخبِرُني

فيمَ الكِتابُ إِلَيَّ تُخبِرُني

بِسَلامَةٍ في البَطنِ وَالظَهرِ

بِسَلامَةٍ في البَطنِ وَالظَهرِ

Why this letter to me, telling me

Why does your letter inform me

Why send this letter, wherein you relate

of good health in belly and back,

Of wellbeing in belly and back?

The safety of your belly and your back's estate?

وَبِحُسنِ صُنعِ اللَهِ يا عَجَبا

وَبِحُسنِ صُنعِ اللَهِ يا عَجَبا

لَكَ في جَميعِ الشَأنِ وَالأَمرِ

لَكَ في جَميعِ الشَأنِ وَالأَمرِ

and of God's gracious dealings—how astonishing!—

And of Allah's excellent care—marvelous!

And of God's fair favor—oh, wonder to behold!—

with you in every concern and affair?

For you in all affairs and matters.

Bestowed upon you in matters new and old.

أَأَرَدتَ أَن تَأتي عَلَيَّ بِما

أَأَرَدتَ أَن تَأتي عَلَيَّ بِما

حَدَّثتَني وَتَغُمُّني دَهري

حَدَّثتَني وَتَغُمُّني دَهري

Did you mean to finish me off with what

Did you intend to burden me with what

Did you intend, by the news you impart,

you told me, and grieve me all my life?

You told me, saddening my lifetime?

To cast a lifelong gloom upon my heart?

هَذا وَتَذكُرُني لِكُلِّ أَخٍ

هَذا وَتَذكُرُني لِكُلِّ أَخٍ

يَغشاكَ ذِكرَ المادِحِ المُطري

يَغشاكَ ذِكرَ المادِحِ المُطري

Besides this, you mention me to every friend

This while you remind me of each brother

This, while you mention me to every friend who calls,

who visits you, as a lavish flatterer would,

Whose memory of the praising poet visits you

With the words of a praiser who lavishly extols;

لِتُزينَني وَالشَينُ ذِكرُكَ لي

لِتُزينَني وَالشَينُ ذِكرُكَ لي

فَاِذكُر هَناتَكَ وَاِلهُ عَن ذِكري

فَاِذكُر هَناتَكَ وَاِلهُ عَن ذِكري

to adorn me—yet your mentioning me is a disgrace.

That you may gladden me, though your mention shames me

You mean to grace me, yet your mention is my stain—

So mention your own faults, and leave off mentioning me.

So mention your loves, and my God turn from my mention

So speak of your own trifles, and let my mention cease.

وَاِقطَع بِسَيفٍ صارِمٍ ذَكَرٍ

وَاِقطَع بِسَيفٍ صارِمٍ ذَكَرٍ

أَسبابَ كُتبٍ بَينَنا تَجري

أَسبابَ كُتبٍ بَينَنا تَجري

And sever, with a keen, sturdy sword,

And sever with a sharp sword the mention

Sever, with a sword-blade masculine and keen,

the ties of letters passing between us.

Of letters' threads between us flowing

The cords of correspondence stretching in between.

فَإِنِ اِمتَنَعتَ فَلا مُواتَرَةٌ

فَإِنِ اِمتَنَعتَ فَلا مُواتَرَةٌ

حَسبي كِتابٌ مِنكَ في الدَهرِ

حَسبي كِتابٌ مِنكَ في الدَهرِ

If you refuse, then no letters in succession;

If you refuse, no continuation—

But if you must refuse, then cease this endless stream;

one letter from you in a lifetime is enough for me.

A letter from you suffices for my lifetime

One letter in a lifetime is enough, I deem.

فَإِذا هَمَمتَ وَلا هَمَمتَ بِهِ

فَإِذا هَمَمتَ وَلا هَمَمتَ بِهِ

فَبِشَعرَةٍ وَاِكتُب مِنَ البَحرِ

فَبِشَعرَةٍ وَاِكتُب مِنَ البَحرِ

So if you intend it—may you never intend it—

When you venture or venture not therein

And if you feel the urge—may you never feel it so!—

then use a hair, and write with water from the sea;

Write on a hair and from the sea

Then write with but a hair, though ink like oceans flow,

وَاِجمَع حَوائِجَكَ الَّتي حَضَرَت

وَاِجمَع حَوائِجَكَ الَّتي حَضَرَت

عِندَ الكِتابِ إِلَيَّ في سَطرِ

عِندَ الكِتابِ إِلَيَّ في سَطرِ

and gather whatever needs you have at hand,

And gather your needs which presented

And gather all the needs that crowd your mind,

into one line when writing to me.

Themselves while writing to me in a line

Into a single line, when writing to my kind.

ما ذاكَ إِلّا أَنَّني رَجُلٌ

ما ذاكَ إِلّا أَنَّني رَجُلٌ

لا أَستَخِفُّ صَداقَةَ البَصري

لا أَستَخِفُّ صَداقَةَ البَصري

That is only because I am a man

It's just that I'm a man who does not take lightly

The reason is simply this: I am a man who finds

who does not take a Basran's friendship lightly.

The friendship of Basri

No lightness in the friendship of the Basran minds.

ذَهَبَت بِنا كوفانُ مَذهَبَها

ذَهَبَت بِنا كوفانُ مَذهَبَها

وَعَدِمتُ عَن ظُرَفائِها صَبري

وَعَدِمتُ عَن ظُرَفائِها صَبري

Kufan has carried us down her own path,

The caravans of Kufa went their way

For Kufa has claimed us, her path we embrace,

and I cannot bear to be parted from her witty folk.

And I lost patience for its circumstances

And I have no patience for any other place.