عبث الهوى بي من نفور الآنس

عبث الهوى بي من نفور الآنس

فتأوهي من عابث أو عابس

فتأوهي من عابث أو عابس

Love toyed with me through the amiable beloved's aversion;

The folly of passion has made me suffer from the withdrawal of companions,

thus my sighing comes from a trifler or a scowler.

So I moan because of a wanton or sullen companion.

ما كان لي ذنب لما حملته

ما كان لي ذنب لما حملته

إلا بكاي عند ربع دارس

إلا بكاي عند ربع دارس

I had no fault deserving what I was made to bear,

I am not to blame for what I have endured,

except my weeping beside a ruined dwelling.

Except for weeping when homes are deserted.

إن يشجني رسم الديار فمصطفى

إن يشجني رسم الديار فمصطفى

أحيى رسوم علومنا للدارس

أحيى رسوم علومنا للدارس

If the dwellings' traces grieve me, Mustafa

If the vestige of home makes me yearn, Mustafa

has revived the traces of our learning for the student.

Revived the sciences of our homes for students.

إن الفصاحة والبلاغة قنسه

إن الفصاحة والبلاغة قنسه

وهما مصابيح الهدى للقابس

وهما مصابيح الهدى للقابس

Eloquence and rhetoric are truly his lineage,

Eloquence and rhetoric are his miracle,

and both are lamps of guidance for one seeking a flame.

And they are the lamps of guidance for the learner.

وهما شعار المصطفى خير الورى

وهما شعار المصطفى خير الورى

بل معجز القرآن للمتنافس

بل معجز القرآن للمتنافس

And both are the emblem of the Chosen One, the best of creation,

They are the signs of the Chosen One, the best of mankind,

rather, the Qur'an's inimitable miracle for any challenger.

Rather, the miracle of the Quran against rivals.

فالله قال بسورة من مثله

فالله قال بسورة من مثله

لا بالحساب ولا بطب الداحس

لا بالحساب ولا بطب الداحس

For God called for a surah like it,

So Allah said in a chapter the like of which

not for arithmetic, nor for the treatment of a whitlow.

Cannot be made by human reckoning or astrology.

دعني من الفلكى يرقب نجمه

دعني من الفلكى يرقب نجمه

ويقول ذا وقت لنحس العاطس

ويقول ذا وقت لنحس العاطس

Spare me the astrologer watching his star

Leave me with the astronomer who watches his star

and saying, 'This is a time of ill luck for the sneezer.'

And says “This is the time for the ill-omened sneezer.”

ومن المهندس قائسا ما بين مضجعه

ومن المهندس قائسا ما بين مضجعه

وبين الشمس اكذب قائس

وبين الشمس اكذب قائس

And the geometer measuring the distance between his bed

And the geometrician who, lying in his bed, claims

and the sun—the most mendacious measurer.

What lies between him and the sun is nonsense.

ومن الذي يقضى الليالي حاسبا

ومن الذي يقضى الليالي حاسبا

ويهب ضارب خامس في سادس

ويهب ضارب خامس في سادس

And the one who spends his nights calculating,

And the one who spends nights calculating

and springs up, multiplying a fifth by a sixth.

And gives a number that divides into another.

ومن القضايا والقياس فكم ترى

ومن القضايا والقياس فكم ترى

ما بين ذينك من جزاف وساوس

ما بين ذينك من جزاف وساوس

And propositions and syllogisms—how much you see

And judgments and analogies—how many of them

between those two of haphazard fancies!

Are really nothing but random conjectures?

هذي خرافات تطن باذن من

هذي خرافات تطن باذن من

الف البيان طنين نفس الناقس

الف البيان طنين نفس الناقس

These are fables that buzz in the ear of one

These are myths buzzing in the ear of one

accustomed to eloquence, like the drone of the bell-ringer's breath.

Who knows a thousand statements with the buzzing of a fly.

ولكم لهم عند الجدال تشدق

ولكم لهم عند الجدال تشدق

وركاكه فوارة بخلابس

وركاكه فوارة بخلابس

And how much bombast they have when debating,

Yet in debate how they strut

and feeble speech bubbling over with deceit,

And spew frothily with incoherent prattling,

من كل لفظ لا يكاد يقله

من كل لفظ لا يكاد يقله

ظهر البعير مقعر متشاكس

ظهر البعير مقعر متشاكس

each word scarcely capable of being borne

With every word scarcely leaving their lips

by a camel's back—bombastic and discordant.

The camel's back arches, rough and peevish.

فكانه جلمود صخر حطه

فكانه جلمود صخر حطه

سيل فما تلقى له من حابس

سيل فما تلقى له من حابس

So it is like a boulder of rock sent tumbling down

As if a boulder which a torrent struck

by a torrent; you find nothing to hold it back.

But could find no weak point by which to dislodge it.

دعني بحقك من علومهم فما

دعني بحقك من علومهم فما

والله كانت غير محض هواجس

والله كانت غير محض هواجس

Spare me their sciences, I adjure you, for they were not—

For your sake, leave me their sciences which, by God,

by God—anything but sheer fancies.

Were nothing but deluded ravings.

ذا مذهبي مذ كان حظي جرعة

ذا مذهبي مذ كان حظي جرعة

من نيل مصر ولم اكن بالحادس

من نيل مصر ولم اكن بالحادس

This has been my creed since my share was a draught

This is my doctrine since my portion was

from Egypt's Nile; I was not merely guessing.

A sip from the Nile of Egypt, though I was no cupper.

من لم يذق راح البيان فلا تكن

من لم يذق راح البيان فلا تكن

يوما له بمنادم ومجالس

يوما له بمنادم ومجالس

Whoever has not tasted the wine of eloquence—do not be

Let not him who has not tasted the comfort of rhetoric

his drinking companion or companion in conversation, even for a day.

Ever be your boon companion and sit in your gatherings.

وانح البلاغة عند شاعر عصر

وانح البلاغة عند شاعر عصر

لعلوم من سلفوا اجل ممارس

لعلوم من سلفوا اجل ممارس

And seek rhetoric with the poet of the age,

Eloquence in the time of a poet of the age

the foremost practitioner of the sciences of those who came before.

Is superior to the sciences of predecessors, however diligent.

هو بحرها الزخار بحر سلامة

هو بحرها الزخار بحر سلامة

يكفيك جوب سباسب وبسابس

يكفيك جوب سباسب وبسابس

He is its surging sea—Salama, a sea of safety—

It is their abundant sea, the sea of Salama,

sparing you the crossing of barren plains and wastes.

You will find it enough to cure disharmony and discord.

ان تلقه يوما فقبل تربه

ان تلقه يوما فقبل تربه

واطلب رضاه فذاك ذخر البائس

واطلب رضاه فذاك ذخر البائس

If you meet him one day, kiss his dust,

If you meet him one day, then kiss his earth

and seek his favor: that is the wretched one's treasure.

And seek his pleasure, for that is the treasure of the destitute.

وقل افتنانك في البديع اعاده

وقل افتنانك في البديع اعاده

من رمسه فابان مين الرامس

من رمسه فابان مين الرامس

And say, 'Your virtuosity in rhetorical embellishment has brought it back

And say your infatuation with rhetorical ornament made you forget

from its grave, exposing the lie of its burier.'

The proper arrangement, so he showed who the arranger was.

يا اهل مصر اعيذكم بالله من

يا اهل مصر اعيذكم بالله من

عين الحسود النافس المتقاعس

عين الحسود النافس المتقاعس

O people of Egypt, I seek God's protection for you from

O people of Egypt, I seek refuge for you with God from

the eye of the envious, begrudging shirker.

The envious, hostile, slothful eye.

انتم نباريس العلوم مضيئة

انتم نباريس العلوم مضيئة

للناس بين غياهب وحنادس

للناس بين غياهب وحنادس

You are the lamps of learning, shining

You are illuminating lanterns of knowledge for people

for people amid gloom and deepest darkness.

Amid gloom and shelters.

من لم يكن يهديه صابح قولكم

من لم يكن يهديه صابح قولكم

لم يهده نور الصباح العاطس

لم يهده نور الصباح العاطس

Whoever is not guided by the dawn-glow of your words

He whom your radiant discourse does not guide

will not be guided by the light of the sneezing dawn.

Will not be guided by the light of the brilliant dawn.

لكم اشتياقي لا لقد مائس

لكم اشتياقي لا لقد مائس

وبكم نسيبي لا بطرف ناعس

وبكم نسيبي لا بطرف ناعس

It is you I long for, not a swaying figure,

You have my yearning—not for a despairing lover—

and my love verses are about you, not about a drowsy eye.

And through you my relationship—not with a drowsy eye.