محاسن غضّت ناظري من تعتبا

محاسن غضّت ناظري من تعتبا

وفضل نهاني وصفه أن أشبّبا

وفضل نهاني وصفه أن أشبّبا

Virtues that lowered my gaze from reproach,

Her charms made my gaze turn away reproachfully,

And excellence whose praise kept me from singing of love.

And her excellence forbade me to compare her.

ترى كبرياء الملك فوق جبينه

ترى كبرياء الملك فوق جبينه

فتقرأ سطراً بالمهابة معربا

فتقرأ سطراً بالمهابة معربا

You see the majesty of kingship upon his brow,

You can see the arrogance of a queen on her brow,

And read a line eloquent with awe.

Reading a line filled with awe.

وليس الذي آبؤه وجدوده ال

وليس الذي آبؤه وجدوده ال

ملوك كمصوع إذا ما تنسبا

ملوك كمصوع إذا ما تنسبا

Nor is one whose fathers and forefathers are the—

She whose forefathers and ancestors were

Kings like [unclear] when he traces his ancestry.

Nothing but kings is not to be fabricated if she claims descent.

فيا ناظر الإسلام هل أنت ناظر

فيا ناظر الإسلام هل أنت ناظر

إلى خادم أثنى عليك واطنبا

إلى خادم أثنى عليك واطنبا

So, guardian of Islam, will you look

O you who look upon Islam, are you looking

Upon a servant who praised you at length,

Upon a servant who praised you and was verbose?

إلى شاعر نادى وقد فغر الردى

إلى شاعر نادى وقد فغر الردى

له فاه سابور معي فتهيبا

له فاه سابور معي فتهيبا

Upon a poet who cried, when Death had opened

Upon a poet who called out with greed exposed

Its mouth at him, 'Sabur is with me!'—and it shrank in awe?

Like the open mouth of a leopard, so you shrank in fear?

ألم يخبر الشرب النشاوى بقصتي

ألم يخبر الشرب النشاوى بقصتي

ولم يتغن الركب بي حين أهذبا

ولم يتغن الركب بي حين أهذبا

Have the drunken drinking-companions not been told my tale?

Did not the drinking of wine tell the tale of me,

And have the riders not sung of me as they sped along?

And did not the caravan sing of me when I was sober?

ولم تتحدث في الخدور بسقطتي

ولم تتحدث في الخدور بسقطتي

عذارى يقلبن البنان المخضبا

عذارى يقلبن البنان المخضبا

And has my fall not been discussed in secluded chambers

Did not the maidens speak of my missteps

By maidens turning their henna-dyed fingertips?

In the tents, as they flipped over the dyed cinnamon?

فدى الشعراء الشامتون بقصتي

فدى الشعراء الشامتون بقصتي

فتى في سماء الشعر يطلع كوكبا

فتى في سماء الشعر يطلع كوكبا

Let the poets who gloat over my tale be ransom for

My poetry ransomed those poetasters gloating over my story,

A youth who rises as a star in the heaven of poetry;

A star rising in the heaven of verse.

فتى لم يسر الا الذي صاغ أو روى

فتى لم يسر الا الذي صاغ أو روى

وان قعقع المغرور منهمواجلبا

وان قعقع المغرور منهمواجلبا

A youth—only what he composed or recited has traveled,

A lad who did not travel except to what he composed and recited,

Though the conceited one among them rattles and raises a clamor.

Even if the arrogant among them clamored and bellowed.

أظنوا بأني ان سقطت تكسرت

أظنوا بأني ان سقطت تكسرت

قوافي أو عاوت فكري وقدابى

قوافي أو عاوت فكري وقدابى

Did they think that if I fell, there would shatter

They thought that if I fell I would be shattered,

My rhymes, or that they defied my mind, which would not yield?

My rhymes broken, my ideas scattered.

توهن جسمي فاشتمتوا أو تجملوا

توهن جسمي فاشتمتوا أو تجملوا

ولكن عضباً بين فكي ما نبا

ولكن عضباً بين فكي ما نبا

My body has weakened: gloat, then, or show grace;

My body weakened so they insulted me or pretended sympathy,

But the keen blade between my jaws has never failed.

But there was anger between my jaws that did not speak.

وكم سار شعر قاعد عنه ربه

وكم سار شعر قاعد عنه ربه

ودون قول من سطيح وضوبا

ودون قول من سطيح وضوبا

How many a poem has traveled while its master sat apart,

How much poetry flows from one who turns away,

And a saying from Satih was recorded [ending unclear].

Below the words of one firm and attacking!

سلوا الموت عني كيف فللت غربه

سلوا الموت عني كيف فللت غربه

ونازعته نفسي وقد كر مغضبا

ونازعته نفسي وقد كر مغضبا

Ask Death about me: how I blunted its edge,

Ask death about me, how I made its strangeness recoil,

And fought it for my life when it charged in anger.

My soul struggling against it, angry and indignant.

شربنا وكان الشرب بعد سفورنا

شربنا وكان الشرب بعد سفورنا

على نرجس قبل الشبيبة شيبا

على نرجس قبل الشبيبة شيبا

We drank, after we had come forth

We drank, and drinking after our pleasure

Among narcissi turned gray before their youth.

Was like narcissus before youth turned white.

ودجلة تجلو في المصندل شاطئاً

ودجلة تجلو في المصندل شاطئاً

يرف وطياراً يخف وزبزبا

يرف وطياراً يخف وزبزبا

And, from the sandalwood-scented [boat], the Tigris revealed a shore,

The Tigris bares on the riverbank a shore

Shimmering, a lightly gliding tayyar, and a zabzab boat.

That undulates, while a current whispers and murmurs.

وكانت لنا في جبهة الدهر ليلة

وكانت لنا في جبهة الدهر ليلة

كهمك لأن العيش فيها واخصبا

كهمك لأن العيش فيها واخصبا

We had a night upon the brow of time,

For us there was a night in the brow of fate,

Like your aspiration: life there grew gentle and abundant.

Like your ardour, for living in it was most fruitful.

عفا الدهر عنها بعدما كان ساخطاً

عفا الدهر عنها بعدما كان ساخطاً

واحسن فيها بعد ما كان مذنبا

واحسن فيها بعد ما كان مذنبا

Time pardoned it after having been angry,

Time pardoned it after having been angry,

And did good in it after having done wrong.

And was kind to it after having been blameworthy.

فيا فرحتا لو كنت أصبحت سالماً

فيا فرحتا لو كنت أصبحت سالماً

ويا سوأتا ان مركبي زل اوكبا

ويا سوأتا ان مركبي زل اوكبا

Oh, what joy, had I reached the morning unharmed!

Oh, my joy, if only I survived safe and sound,

And oh, my shame, if my mount slipped or stumbled!

And oh, my misery, if only my ship did not flounder and sink!

إذا لم أعربد في أواخر نشوتي

إذا لم أعربد في أواخر نشوتي

فلا عار إن خطب علي توثبا

فلا عار إن خطب علي توثبا

If I did not brawl in the last stages of my drunkenness,

If I do not act wild in the last of my revelry,

There is no disgrace if calamity leapt upon me.

No shame if passion comes upon me, leaping.

وصبراً على خير الخمار وشره

وصبراً على خير الخمار وشره

بما قلت أهلا للكؤوس ومرحبا

بما قلت أهلا للكؤوس ومرحبا

And patience with the hangover's good and ill,

And patience toward the best and worst of wine

Since I said to the cups, 'Welcome, welcome!'

Is what I say, "Welcome to goblets and greetings!"

أروح وصبغ الراح يخضب راحتي

أروح وصبغ الراح يخضب راحتي

واغدو بعض من دمي قد تخضبا

واغدو بعض من دمي قد تخضبا

At evening I go with wine's dye staining my palm,

My soul is dyed red with the coloring of tranquility,

And go at dawn, some part stained with my blood.

And I come with some of my blood already dyed.

فلو وصبغ الراح يخضب راحتي

فلو وصبغ الراح يخضب راحتي

واغدو بعضو من دمي قد تخضبا

واغدو بعضو من دمي قد تخضبا

Then if—while wine's dye stains my palm—

If the minister's eye saw a poet

And I go at dawn with a limb already stained with my blood—

On a ship that Allah has made seaworthy,

فلو بصرت عين الوزير بشاعر

فلو بصرت عين الوزير بشاعر

على مركب قد شانه الله مركبا

على مركب قد شانه الله مركبا

If the vizier's eye had seen a poet

He would see play dead and pleasure prostrate,

On a mount God had made a disgrace of a mount,

Slain, and the body of joy tortured.

رأى اللهو ميتاً والمجون ممدداً

رأى اللهو ميتاً والمجون ممدداً

صريعاً وجثمان السرور معذبا

صريعاً وجثمان السرور معذبا

He would have seen revelry dead and wanton mirth laid out,

The elders of my people blamed me and exaggerated,

Struck down, and the body of joy tormented.

Foolishness upon my life, harm and wonder.

وباكرني أشياخ قومي فاكثروا ال

وباكرني أشياخ قومي فاكثروا ال

فضول لعمري والاذى والتعجبا

فضول لعمري والاذى والتعجبا

The elders of my people came early and heaped on the—

They say to me, repent, do not return to the like of it,

Meddling, by my life, the harm and astonishment.

But alas, their admonition is lost on me, fruitless.

يقولون لي تب لا تعود لمثلها

يقولون لي تب لا تعود لمثلها

وهيهات ضاع الوعظ عندي وخيبا

وهيهات ضاع الوعظ عندي وخيبا

They tell me, 'Repent; do not return to the like of it!'

How many times before have I died from drink,

But far from it! Their admonition was wasted on me and failed.

Only to return, for the return was sweeter and more delicious.

وكم قبلها قد مت بالسكر مرة

وكم قبلها قد مت بالسكر مرة

وعدت فكان العود أحلى وأطيبا

وعدت فكان العود أحلى وأطيبا

How often before this have I died of drunkenness,

Always either you see me dragging along

And returned, the return sweeter and more delightful!

My robes in drunkenness, or broken in dissipation.

كذا أبداً إما تراني مجررا

كذا أبداً إما تراني مجررا

ذيولي سكراً أو كسيراً مشعبا

ذيولي سكراً أو كسيراً مشعبا

Always thus: either you see me dragging

But the duty of carrying my goods falls on

My trailing hems in drunkenness, or broken and splinted.

The freemen if the fate of time takes me away.

ولكن على الأحرار حمل مؤونتي

ولكن على الأحرار حمل مؤونتي

إذا ذهبت بي نبوة الدهر مذهبا

إذا ذهبت بي نبوة الدهر مذهبا

But noble men must bear my upkeep,

And when we were cut off from union with annihilation,

When a jolt of fortune sends me astray.

And a year passed that had been hoped for and was barren,

ولما جفانا من الفنا وصاله

ولما جفانا من الفنا وصاله

واخلف عام كان يرجى واجدبا

واخلف عام كان يرجى واجدبا

And when one whose companionship we knew shunned us,

We pawned, sold, and bought us cups

And a year we had hoped in disappointed us and grew barren,

And jewelry and buried treasure, beloved.

رهنا وصرفنا وبعنا منادلا

رهنا وصرفنا وبعنا منادلا

وحلياً ومذخوراً الينا محببا

وحلياً ومذخوراً الينا محببا

We pawned, bartered, and sold kerchiefs,

I saw my daughter had saved some of her jewelry,

And jewelry and cherished things we had stored away.

So I recited to her allusively and subtly:

رأيت ابنتي قد أحرزت بعض حليها

رأيت ابنتي قد أحرزت بعض حليها

فانشدت تعريضاً لها وتشببا

فانشدت تعريضاً لها وتشببا

I saw my daughter had kept some of her jewelry safe,

“The anklets of women wander, but I do not see

So I recited a love verse, with a pointed hint to her:

A single anklet on a delicate foot.” She said:

تجول خلاخيل النساء ولا أرى

تجول خلاخيل النساء ولا أرى

لرملة خلخالا فقالت هيا أبا

لرملة خلخالا فقالت هيا أبا

'Women's anklets swing about, yet I see

“Father, I took the slave girls’ jewelry and left

No anklet for Ramla.' She said, 'O father,

No bracelet or necklace round the throat untaken.”

سلبت الجواري حليهن فلم تدع

سلبت الجواري حليهن فلم تدع

سواراً ولا طوفا على النحر مذهبا

سواراً ولا طوفا على النحر مذهبا

You stripped the girls of their jewelry, leaving

I said to her: “The minister’s protection sustains us

Neither a bracelet nor a gilded necklace upon a breast.'

When time is pleased with it, so reproach it not.”

فقلت لها ظل الوزير يبحنا

فقلت لها ظل الوزير يبحنا

جناباً إذا رضا به الدهر اعتبا

جناباً إذا رضا به الدهر اعتبا

I told her, 'The vizier's shade grants us

“If the full moon of King Sapor is rising,

A refuge where Time, once pleased, makes amends.

I care naught after it for those who set.”

إذا كان بدر الملك سابور طالعاً

إذا كان بدر الملك سابور طالعاً

فلست أبالي بعده من تغيبا

فلست أبالي بعده من تغيبا

When Sabur, the full moon of kingship, is rising,

I care not who is absent after him.'