إليك شكوت من ألم الفراق

إليك شكوت من ألم الفراق

فما مشكى غيرك في الرفاق

فما مشكى غيرك في الرفاق

To you I complained of parting’s pain;

To you I complained of the pain of parting.

for among my companions there is none but you to whom I may complain.

For among my companions I have none but you to hear my complaint.

ابيت ومدمعي في الطرس جار

ابيت ومدمعي في الطرس جار

فلم يقنع باطراف المآقي

فلم يقنع باطراف المآقي

I pass the night, my tears streaming across the page,

I spend the night, my tears streaming over the page;

not content to remain at the corners of my eyes.

They were not content with the corners of my eyes.

ونار هوى تاجج في ضلوعي

ونار هوى تاجج في ضلوعي

وقاك الله ناذره احتراقي

وقاك الله ناذره احتراقي

A fire of passion blazes within my ribs—

And a fire of passion blazes within my ribs.

God shield you from it: my burning is its warning.

May God shield you from the blaze of my burning [reading uncertain].

فمن لي بالنجاة وان روحى

فمن لي بالنجاة وان روحى

من الضدين قد بلغ التراقي

من الضدين قد بلغ التراقي

Who, then, can bring me deliverance, when my soul,

Who, then, can bring me deliverance, when my soul

from those two opposites, has risen to my collarbones?

From these two opposites has reached my collarbones?

فهل يا قوم لي في الحي راق

فهل يا قوم لي في الحي راق

وهل لمتيم الاشواق واقي

وهل لمتيم الاشواق واقي

O people, is there in the encampment a healer to charm me?

Is there, O people, a charm-healer for me in the tribe?

Is there a protector for one whom longings have maddened?

And a protector for one enslaved by longings?

لاحمد عزة شوقي وحسبي

لاحمد عزة شوقي وحسبي

فما وابيك سعدي من خلاقي

فما وابيك سعدي من خلاقي

For Ahmad Izzat is my longing, and he suffices me—

To Ahmad belongs the strength of my longing; he suffices me.

for, by your father, happiness forms no part of my lot.

For, by your father, Saʿdi is not my portion.

هو العضب الرسوب المنتضى من

هو العضب الرسوب المنتضى من

بني الفاروق نابغة العراق

بني الفاروق نابغة العراق

He is the keen, deep-cleaving sword unsheathed

He is the keen, deep-cutting sword, drawn from

from the sons of al-Faruq—Iraq’s prodigy.

The sons of al-Faruq—the prodigy of Iraq.

اذا استبق الفوارس للقوافي

اذا استبق الفوارس للقوافي

فاحمد حائز قصب السباق

فاحمد حائز قصب السباق

When the horsemen race one another in pursuit of rhymes,

When the horsemen race for rhymes,

Ahmad carries off the race’s prize.

Ahmad wins the race’s prize-reed.

متى يوجز فنشوى من رسيس

متى يوجز فنشوى من رسيس

وان يطنب فمن كاس دهاق

وان يطنب فمن كاس دهاق

Whenever he is brief, a mere trace leaves us drunk;

When he is brief, we are tipsy from a mere trace;

and when he speaks at length, it is from a brimming cup.

And if he speaks at length, from a brimming cup.

يرينا الدر في منظوم قول

يرينا الدر في منظوم قول

وليس يشذ عن حسن انتساق

وليس يشذ عن حسن انتساق

He shows us pearls strung into speech,

He shows us pearls in speech strung into verse,

not one straying from the beauty of harmonious order.

Nor does it stray from beautiful order.

فاوله وآخره سواء

فاوله وآخره سواء

وبينهما فرائد في اتساق

وبينهما فرائد في اتساق

Its beginning and its end are equal in excellence,

Thus its beginning and its end are alike,

and between them lie rare gems in ordered array.

And between them lie choice pearls in harmonious order.

اديب لا يجاريه اديب

اديب لا يجاريه اديب

ولم يدرك له اثر اللحاق

ولم يدرك له اثر اللحاق

A man of letters whom no man of letters can rival;

A man of letters no man of letters can rival,

no one has reached even the trail by which to catch him.

Nor has any sign of catching up with him been seen.

وما استحسانه كلمى سوى من

وما استحسانه كلمى سوى من

طباع فيه طين على الصداق

طباع فيه طين على الصداق

His approval of my words comes from nothing but

His liking for my words comes only from

a nature in him molded in sincere friendship.

A nature within him molded for friendship.

اذا ما احمد استحلى كلامي

اذا ما احمد استحلى كلامي

وقال الناس بل مر المذاق

وقال الناس بل مر المذاق

If Ahmad finds my words sweet,

When Ahmad finds my words sweet,

while people say, “No—it is bitter to the taste,”

And people say, “No, they taste bitter,”

فليس مقالهم عندي بشيء

فليس مقالهم عندي بشيء

وابن البحر من جرى السواقي

وابن البحر من جرى السواقي

then their judgment is nothing to me:

Their words then count for nothing with me;

the sea’s son is he from whom the channels flow.

And how can the sea compare with the flow of irrigation channels [reading uncertain]?

كتبت الفارياق وفي فوادي

كتبت الفارياق وفي فوادي

حزازات على ذات النطاق

حزازات على ذات النطاق

I wrote al-Fāriyāq while within my heart

I wrote al-Faryaq, while in my heart were

rankled grievances against the Lady of the Girdle.

Grievances against the girdled woman.

وزاد الخطب شرا ما شجاني

وزاد الخطب شرا ما شجاني

واضنى القلب من اهل النفاق

واضنى القلب من اهل النفاق

What grieved me made the calamity still worse,

And what grieved me made the calamity worse,

and the hypocrites wore my heart away.

And wore my heart out, at the hands of hypocrites.

اذا لا وفى لديهم في كساد

اذا لا وفى لديهم في كساد

وذو المكر المنافق في نفاق

وذو المكر المنافق في نفاق

When there is no loyal man among them—fidelity lies unsold;

When the loyal among them has no market [wording unclear],

while the guileful hypocrite does brisk trade in hypocrisy.

And the scheming hypocrite finds ready sale,

فكنت ملاقيا منهم عذابا

فكنت ملاقيا منهم عذابا

وحسبي الله يعلم ما الاقي

وحسبي الله يعلم ما الاقي

Thus I encountered torment at their hands,

I suffered torment at their hands;

and God suffices me—He knows what I endure.

And God is enough for me; He knows what I endure.

فإن أحسنت فيه فذاك سؤلي

فإن أحسنت فيه فذاك سؤلي

وإلا فهو ذنب الساق باق

وإلا فهو ذنب الساق باق

So if I have done it well, that is all I seek;

So if I have done well in it, that is my wish;

otherwise, al-Sāq’s fault still remains.

Otherwise, it is the leg’s fault that remains.