نَيْلُ المَطالِبِ بِالهِنْدِيَّةِ البُتُرِ

نَيْلُ المَطالِبِ بِالهِنْدِيَّةِ البُتُرِ

لا بِالأَماني والتَّأْميل لِلْقَدَرِ

لا بِالأَماني والتَّأْميل لِلْقَدَرِ

Goals are won with keen-edged Indian swords,

The attainment of desires with prayer and hope of fate,

not through wishes and hopes placed in fate.

Not with wishes and supplications to destiny,

فَإِنْ عَفا طَلَلٌ أَوْ بَادَ ساكِنُهُ

فَإِنْ عَفا طَلَلٌ أَوْ بَادَ ساكِنُهُ

فَلا تَقِفْ فيهِ بَيْنَ البَثِّ والفِكَرِ

فَلا تَقِفْ فيهِ بَيْنَ البَثِّ والفِكَرِ

So if a ruined dwelling is effaced, or its inhabitant perishes,

So if a trace faded or its dweller perished,

do not stand there amid grief and brooding.

Then do not stand in it, perplexed and thinking.

في شَمِّكَ المِسْكَ شُغُلٌ عَنْ مَذاقَتِهِ

في شَمِّكَ المِسْكَ شُغُلٌ عَنْ مَذاقَتِهِ

وفي سَنا الشَّمْسِ ما يُغْني عَنْ القَمَرِ

وفي سَنا الشَّمْسِ ما يُغْني عَنْ القَمَرِ

Smelling musk keeps you occupied, away from tasting it;

The musk distracts you from its scent,

and the sun's radiance suffices in place of the moon.

And the brilliance of the sun makes you forget the moon.

لو لَمْ أَكُنْ مُشْبِهاً لِلنّاسِ في خُلُقي

لو لَمْ أَكُنْ مُشْبِهاً لِلنّاسِ في خُلُقي

لَقُلْتُ إِنّي مِنْ جيلٍ سِوى البَّشَرِ

لَقُلْتُ إِنّي مِنْ جيلٍ سِوى البَّشَرِ

Were I not like other people in my character,

If I were not similar to people in morals,

I would say: I am of a race other than humankind.

I would say I am from a generation other than humans.

أو لَمْ يَكُنْ ماءُ عِلْمي قاهِراً فِكْري

أو لَمْ يَكُنْ ماءُ عِلْمي قاهِراً فِكْري

لأَحْرَقَتْني في نيرانِها فِكَري

لأَحْرَقَتْني في نيرانِها فِكَري

Or, were the water of my knowledge not restraining my thought,

Or if the water of my knowledge did not overwhelm my thoughts,

my thoughts would have burned me in their fires.

My thoughts would have burnt me in its fires.

تَزيدُني قَسْوَةُ الأَيّامِ طِيبَ ثَناً

تَزيدُني قَسْوَةُ الأَيّامِ طِيبَ ثَناً

كَأَنَّني المِسْكُ بَيْنَ الفِهْرِ والحَجَرِ

كَأَنَّني المِسْكُ بَيْنَ الفِهْرِ والحَجَرِ

The harshness of the days sweetens praise of me,

The harshness of days adds to me a good quality,

as though I were musk between pestle and stone.

As if I were musk between granite and stone.

أَلفتُ مِنْ حادِثاتِ الدَّهْرِ أَكْبَرها

أَلفتُ مِنْ حادِثاتِ الدَّهْرِ أَكْبَرها

فَما أَعوج عَلى أَطْفالها الأُخَرِ

فَما أَعوج عَلى أَطْفالها الأُخَرِ

I have grown used to the greatest of time's calamities,

I got accustomed to the greatest of the accidents of fate,

so I pay no heed to its other, infant troubles.

So I do not get confused by its other children.

لاشَيْءَ أَعْجَبُ عِنْدي في تَباينِهِ

لاشَيْءَ أَعْجَبُ عِنْدي في تَباينِهِ

إِذا تَأَمَّلْتُهُ مِنْ هَذِهِ الصُّوَرِ

إِذا تَأَمَّلْتُهُ مِنْ هَذِهِ الصُّوَرِ

Nothing, in its incongruity, is stranger to me,

Nothing amazes me in its variation,

when I contemplate it, than these forms:

When I contemplate it from these forms.

أَرى ثِياباً وفي أَثْنائها بَقَرٌ

أَرى ثِياباً وفي أَثْنائها بَقَرٌ

بِلا قُرونٍ وذا عَيْبٌ عَلى البَقَرِ

بِلا قُرونٍ وذا عَيْبٌ عَلى البَقَرِ

I see garments, and within their folds are cattle,

I see clothes, and amidst them there are cows,

without horns—and that is a defect in cattle.

Hornless, and this is a defect in cows.

قالَتْ رَقَدْتَ فقلت الهَمُّ أَرْقَدَني

قالَتْ رَقَدْتَ فقلت الهَمُّ أَرْقَدَني

والهَمُّ يمنع أَحياناً مِنَ السَّهَرِ

والهَمُّ يمنع أَحياناً مِنَ السَّهَرِ

She said, 'You slept.' I said, 'Grief put me to sleep,

She said you slept, and I said worries made me sleep,

and grief sometimes keeps one from staying awake.'

And worries sometimes prevent staying up.

كَمْ قد وَقَعْتُ وُقوعَ الطَّيْرِ في شَرَكٍ

كَمْ قد وَقَعْتُ وُقوعَ الطَّيْرِ في شَرَكٍ

فَضَعْضَعَتْ مُنَّتي مِنْهُ قوى المِرَرِ

فَضَعْضَعَتْ مُنَّتي مِنْهُ قوى المِرَرِ

How often I have fallen like a bird into a snare,

How many times I have fallen like a bird in a trap,

then my strength shattered the might of its twisted cords.

So its bitterness shook my gallbladder.

أَصْفو وأَكْدَرُ أَحْياناً لمختبري

أَصْفو وأَكْدَرُ أَحْياناً لمختبري

ولَيْسَ مُسْتَحْسَناً صَفْوٌ بِلا كَدَرِ

ولَيْسَ مُسْتَحْسَناً صَفْوٌ بِلا كَدَرِ

I am clear, and sometimes turbid, to whoever tests me;

I get clear and muddy sometimes because of my experiences,

and clarity without turbidity is not admired.

And it is not good to be pure without being muddy.

إِنّي لأَسْيَرُ في الآَفاقِ مِنْ مَثَلٍ

إِنّي لأَسْيَرُ في الآَفاقِ مِنْ مَثَلٍ

سارٍ وأَمْلأُ لِلأَبْصارِ مِنْ قَمَرِ

سارٍ وأَمْلأُ لِلأَبْصارِ مِنْ قَمَرِ

Indeed, I range farther across the horizons than a proverb

I walk the horizons like a lovely full moon,

in circulation, and fill the eyes more fully than the moon.

And fill visions with moons.

إِذا تَشَكَّكْتَ فيما أَنْتَ مُبْصِرُهُ

إِذا تَشَكَّكْتَ فيما أَنْتَ مُبْصِرُهُ

فَلا تَقُلْ إِنَّني في النّاس ذو بَصَرِ

فَلا تَقُلْ إِنَّني في النّاس ذو بَصَرِ

If you doubt what you are seeing,

If you doubt what you see,

then do not say, 'I am clear-sighted among people.'

Then do not say I have sight among people.

وكَيْفَ يَفْرَحُ إِنْسانٌ بغرّته

وكَيْفَ يَفْرَحُ إِنْسانٌ بغرّته

إِذا نَضاها فَلَمْ تصْدِقْهُ في النَّظَرِ

إِذا نَضاها فَلَمْ تصْدِقْهُ في النَّظَرِ

And how can a man rejoice in his bright countenance,

And how can a person rejoice in his conceit,

if, when he bares it, it gives him no true sight?

If when he looks at it, it does not prove true to him.

لَقَدْ فَرِحْتُ بِما عَانَيْتُ مِنْ عُدُمٍ

لَقَدْ فَرِحْتُ بِما عَانَيْتُ مِنْ عُدُمٍ

خوف القَبيحَيْنِ مِنْ كِبر ومِنْ بَطَرِ

خوف القَبيحَيْنِ مِنْ كِبر ومِنْ بَطَرِ

I have indeed rejoiced in the poverty I endured,

I was happy with the poverty I suffered from,

for fear of those two ugly traits: pride and insolence.

Fearing the two disgraces of arrogance and vulgarity.

ورُبَّما ابْتَهَجَ الأَعْمى بِحالَتِهِ

ورُبَّما ابْتَهَجَ الأَعْمى بِحالَتِهِ

لأَنَّهُ قَدْ نَجا مِنْ طِيَرَةِ العَوَرِ

لأَنَّهُ قَدْ نَجا مِنْ طِيَرَةِ العَوَرِ

And a blind man may rejoice in his condition,

And sometimes the blind man rejoices in his state,

because he has escaped the ill omen of being one-eyed.

Because he has been saved from the embarrassment of one-eyedness.

ولَسَتُ أَبْكي لِشَيْبٍ قَدْ مُنيتُ بِهِ

ولَسَتُ أَبْكي لِشَيْبٍ قَدْ مُنيتُ بِهِ

يَبْكي عَلى الشَّيْبِ مِنْ يَأْسى عَلى العُمُرِ

يَبْكي عَلى الشَّيْبِ مِنْ يَأْسى عَلى العُمُرِ

Nor do I weep over the gray hair with which I am afflicted;

I do not cry for the white hair I was afflicted with,

he who grieves over life weeps over gray hair.

Who cries for white hair is one who despairs of life.

كُنْ مِنْ صَديقِكَ لا مِنْ غَيْرِهِ حَذِراً

كُنْ مِنْ صَديقِكَ لا مِنْ غَيْرِهِ حَذِراً

إِنْ كانَ يُنْجيكَ مِنْهُ شِدَّةَ الحَذَرِ

إِنْ كانَ يُنْجيكَ مِنْهُ شِدَّةَ الحَذَرِ

Be wary of your friend, not of anyone else,

Be wary of your friend, not of others,

if utmost caution can save you from him.

If intense wariness saves you from him.

ما أَطْمَئِنُّ إِلى خَلْقٍ فَأُخْبِرُهُ

ما أَطْمَئِنُّ إِلى خَلْقٍ فَأُخْبِرُهُ

إِلاَّ تَكَشَّفَ لي عَنْ لُؤْم مُخْتَبَرِ

إِلاَّ تَكَشَّفَ لي عَنْ لُؤْم مُخْتَبَرِ

I never trust a soul and put him to the test,

I do not feel reassured about a person I meet except that

without his revealing a base inner nature to me.

Hishidden secrets are revealed to me when I examine him.

وقَدْ نَظَرْتُ إِلى الدُّنْيا بِمُقْلَتها

وقَدْ نَظَرْتُ إِلى الدُّنْيا بِمُقْلَتها

فَاسْتَصْغَرَتْها جُفوني غايَةَ الصِّغَرِ

فَاسْتَصْغَرَتْها جُفوني غايَةَ الصِّغَرِ

I have looked upon the world through its own eye,

And I have looked upon the world with a frown,

and my eyelids deemed it small beyond measure.

So my eyelids belittled it to the utmost belittlement.

وما شَكَرْتُ زَماني وهو يَصْعَدُ بي

وما شَكَرْتُ زَماني وهو يَصْعَدُ بي

فَكَيْفَ أَشْكُرُهُ في حالِ مُنْحَدَري

فَكَيْفَ أَشْكُرُهُ في حالِ مُنْحَدَري

Nor did I thank my time while it was raising me up;

I did not thank my time while it took me up,

so how can I thank it in my decline?

So how do I thank it in my declining state?

لا عارٌ يلحقني أَنّي بِلا نَشَبٍ

لا عارٌ يلحقني أَنّي بِلا نَشَبٍ

وأَيُّ عار على عَيْنٍ بِلا حَوَرِ

وأَيُّ عار على عَيْنٍ بِلا حَوَرِ

No shame attaches to me for having no wealth;

No shame attaches to me that I am without youthfulness,

and what shame is there in an eye without striking black-and-white contrast?

And what shame is there for an eye that has no eyeliner?

فَإِنْ بَلَغْتُ الذي أَهْوى فَعَنْ قَدَرٍ

فَإِنْ بَلَغْتُ الذي أَهْوى فَعَنْ قَدَرٍ

وإِنْ حُرِمْتُ الذي أَهْوى فَعَنْ عُذُرِ

وإِنْ حُرِمْتُ الذي أَهْوى فَعَنْ عُذُرِ

So if I attain what I desire, it is through ability;

So if I attain what I love, it is about fate,

and if I am denied what I desire, it is for an excusable cause.

And if I am deprived of what I love, it is about an excuse.