وقالوا سكت اليوم قلتُ رويدكم

وقالوا سكت اليوم قلتُ رويدكم

أما بلغتْ أعذاريَ الشعراءَ

أما بلغتْ أعذاريَ الشعراءَ

And they said, 'You have fallen silent today.' I said, 'Be patient.'

They said "He's silent today," I said "Wait,

Have my excuses not reached the poets?

Haven't my excuses reached the poets?

وما ليَ والشعر السياسيّ بعد ما

وما ليَ والشعر السياسيّ بعد ما

وجدت قلوبَ القوم منه خلاءَ

وجدت قلوبَ القوم منه خلاءَ

And what have I to do with political verse, now that

I want nothing to do with political poetry after

I have found the people's hearts empty of it?

I found the hearts of the people empty of it,

وما ليَ والأحزاب من بعد ما ابتلتْ

وما ليَ والأحزاب من بعد ما ابتلتْ

تجاريبيَ الأحزابَ والزعماءَ

تجاريبيَ الأحزابَ والزعماءَ

And what have I to do with parties, now that

Nor do I want parties after I tested

my experiences have tested the parties and the leaders?

My experiences with parties and leaders.

تساووا فما هذا إليَّ بمحسن

تساووا فما هذا إليَّ بمحسن

صنيعاً ولا هذا إليَّ أساءَ

صنيعاً ولا هذا إليَّ أساءَ

They are all alike: this one has not treated me

They're equal - this one's not good to me

kindly, nor has that one done me harm.

And that one didn't do me wrong.

أأهوى فريقاً لا يرد تحيةً

أأهوى فريقاً لا يرد تحيةً

وأجفو فريقاً لا يحسُّ جفاءَ

وأجفو فريقاً لا يحسُّ جفاءَ

Should I love a faction that returns no greeting,

Shall I love a group that doesn't return a greeting

and shun a faction that feels no slight?

And shun a group that doesn't feel the estrangement?

وكم ليَ من فضِل رأى القومُ أنه

وكم ليَ من فضِل رأى القومُ أنه

فضولٌ ومن حق دعوه عطاءَ

فضولٌ ومن حق دعوه عطاءَ

And how many a kindness of mine have the people deemed

How much virtue of mine did people see as

mere meddling, and how many a right have they called a gift!

Extravagance, and how much right as generosity!

وإني لمستغن بترك الذي به

وإني لمستغن بترك الذي به

يُطيل سواي التيهَ والخيلاءَ

يُطيل سواي التيهَ والخيلاءَ

And I am content to do without what

I can do without leaving what makes me

others use for endless pride and swagger.

Prolong my wandering and vanity.

غزانيَ بالأوراق غاز وإنها

غزانيَ بالأوراق غاز وإنها

لأنفذُ من بأس الجنودِ قضاءَ

لأنفذُ من بأس الجنودِ قضاءَ

A raider assailed me with papers, and indeed they

They attacked me with papers - yet these

are more decisive in judgment than the might of armies.

Are more effective than soldiers' decrees.

ووفيت ناساً من دمائيَ حقهم

ووفيت ناساً من دمائيَ حقهم

ولم أستطع للآخرين وفاءَ

ولم أستطع للآخرين وفاءَ

And I paid some people their due out of my blood,

I was loyal to some people with what I owed them,

but could not pay the others in full.

But couldn't be loyal to others.

وغاضبني الإخوان حتى كأنني

وغاضبني الإخوان حتى كأنني

غريم يقاضي منهمُ غرماءَ

غريم يقاضي منهمُ غرماءَ

And my friends quarreled with me as though I were

My brothers angered me until I was as if

a creditor suing debtors among them.

I'm an enemy demanding payment from them.

وولّى هباءً أمس ما ملكتْ يدي

وولّى هباءً أمس ما ملكتْ يدي

فهل يتولى ما كتبت هباءَ

فهل يتولى ما كتبت هباءَ

And yesterday all my hand possessed vanished into dust;

Yesterday, what my hands possessed was worthless,

so will what I have written vanish into dust?

So will what my hands write be worthless?

ومن نكد الدنيا اتهامي من الألى

ومن نكد الدنيا اتهامي من الألى

أخذتهمُ في غمرتي شُفعاءَ

أخذتهمُ في غمرتي شُفعاءَ

And among this world's miseries is my being accused by those

Of life's grievances, my accusation by the intimate ones

I took as intercessors in my distress.

Whose defender I was in my heedlessness.

تمنيتُ من يشري حياتي بعبئها

تمنيتُ من يشري حياتي بعبئها

فلم ألق بيعاً مجدياً وشراءَ

فلم ألق بيعاً مجدياً وشراءَ

I wished for someone to buy my life, burden and all,

I wished for someone to buy my life with its burden

but found no profitable sale or purchase.

But found no profitable deal or bargain.

وما ضر شعري غير فقدي رواية

وما ضر شعري غير فقدي رواية

إذا ضر غيري فقده الكرماءَ

إذا ضر غيري فقده الكرماءَ

And nothing has harmed my verse but its lack of transmission,

My poetry hurts only me with loss of patronage

whereas others are harmed by losing generous men.

If it hurts others, their loss of nobility.

عفاءٌ على الفن الذي كم حملته

عفاءٌ على الفن الذي كم حملته

وما كان إلا محنةً وبلاءَ

وما كان إلا محنةً وبلاءَ

Oblivion upon the art I have so often borne—

Excuse the art I carried so much

for it has been nothing but an ordeal and affliction.

And was nothing but tribulation and affliction.