حمدت ربي على ذمي فأكثره

حمدت ربي على ذمي فأكثره

ممّن وهبت له حبي وإيثاري

ممّن وهبت له حبي وإيثاري

I thanked my Lord for being reviled; most of it came

I praised my Lord for my reputation though most

from one to whom I gave my love and selfless devotion.

Of those I gave my love and preference to

فراح يخترع الأوهام يلفحني

فراح يخترع الأوهام يلفحني

بها ويحسب أني بت في النار

بها ويحسب أني بت في النار

So he began inventing delusions, scorching me

Went about fabricating delusions to burn me

with them, imagining I had spent the night in the fire.

With them and reckoned I was in the fire

أبا العقوق رويدا لم تنل وطرا

أبا العقوق رويدا لم تنل وطرا

سوى اتسامك بالتهريج والعار

سوى اتسامك بالتهريج والعار

O father of ingratitude, easy now: you have achieved no aim

O disobedient son, gently, you have gained nothing

save being marked by buffoonery and disgrace.

But being marked by frivolity and shame

ما شك يوما بإيماني ولا عملي

ما شك يوما بإيماني ولا عملي

حر نبيل فعيشي عيش أحرار

حر نبيل فعيشي عيش أحرار

Never has my faith or my work been doubted

Never once did you doubt my faith or deeds

by a noble free man, for mine is the life of free men.

A free noble soul, so my life is that of the free

وهبت عمري لخير الناس قاطبة

وهبت عمري لخير الناس قاطبة

فصار عمري المرجى بين أعمار

فصار عمري المرجى بين أعمار

I gave my life for the good of all people,

I gave my life to the best of all people

so my life became one looked to with hope among other lives.

So my life became the most coveted of all lives

وما عرفت الدنايا كيفما اتسمت

وما عرفت الدنايا كيفما اتسمت

يا من عرفت الدنايا بين فجار

يا من عرفت الدنايا بين فجار

And I have never known base deeds, whatever their guise,

And I never knew the world however it was described

O you who have known base deeds among the wicked.

To me by those who knew the world among the wicked

ولا وصفت بغير العقل أبذله

ولا وصفت بغير العقل أبذله

وعظا وفلسفة في جم أشعاري

وعظا وفلسفة في جم أشعاري

Nor have I been known for anything but reason, which I offer

And I described it with nothing but the intellect I expend

as counsel and philosophy in my many poems.

In preaching and philosophy in my poetry

فكيف تعرض عني ثم تشتمني

فكيف تعرض عني ثم تشتمني

يا أيها الغر يا منبوذ أغرار

يا أيها الغر يا منبوذ أغرار

How, then, do you turn away from me and then insult me,

So how can you turn away from me and then insult me

O naive fool, O one rejected by fools?

O you shallow fool, you outcast of outcasts

سقراط ما عابه من راح يشتمه

سقراط ما عابه من راح يشتمه

ومن حباه بتلفيق وأوضار

ومن حباه بتلفيق وأوضار

Socrates was not dishonored by those who set about reviling him,

Socrates never blamed those who went and cursed him

nor those who bestowed fabrications and filth upon him,

And those who slandered him with lies and filth

ومن تفنن في تجريح ذمته

ومن تفنن في تجريح ذمته

أو نعته بسخافات وأضرار

أو نعته بسخافات وأضرار

nor those who devised ingenious ways to impugn his integrity,

And those who were creative in slandering his reputation

or accused him of folly and harmful deeds,

Or accused him of idiocies and harms

حتى تولى شهيدا صار يخسده

حتى تولى شهيدا صار يخسده

من رافقوه بأدهار وأدهار

من رافقوه بأدهار وأدهار

until he departed as a martyr and came to be envied

Until those who accompanied him for ages

by those who accompanied him through ages upon ages.

Became martyrs slain by his enemies

لئن تذوقت سما أنت واضعه

لئن تذوقت سما أنت واضعه

فيما طهوت فهذا السم أزهاري

فيما طهوت فهذا السم أزهاري

If indeed I have tasted poison that you yourself placed

If you have tasted poison that you yourself made

in what you cooked, then this poison is my flowers.

Then that poison is the flowers of my soul

نفسي تحيل الأذى نعمى ويخطئها

نفسي تحيل الأذى نعمى ويخطئها

ألكائدون ولو لاذوا بأسوار

ألكائدون ولو لاذوا بأسوار

My soul turns harm into blessing, and eludes

My soul transforms harm into blessings and faults it

the plotters, even if they shelter behind walls.

Though plotters take refuge behind ramparts

إني الكفيل بإشهار الذي صنعت

إني الكفيل بإشهار الذي صنعت

يداك يا صاغرا يعنى بإصغاري

يداك يا صاغرا يعنى بإصغاري

I pledge to make public what was wrought

I guarantee the disclosure of what your hands have wrought

by your hands, O abject one bent on belittling me.

O belittler, implying my smallness

فذاك شر عقاب للذي حقرت

فذاك شر عقاب للذي حقرت

جهوده وتهادى بين أشرار

جهوده وتهادى بين أشرار

For that is the worst punishment for one whose

For that is the worst punishment for one who disparaged

efforts were contemptible, and who swaggered among the wicked,

My efforts and cavorted among the wicked

ثم ادعى الطهر في ستر لعورته

ثم ادعى الطهر في ستر لعورته

بئس الطهارة في مجموع أوزار

بئس الطهارة في مجموع أوزار

then claimed purity as a cover for his nakedness.

Then claimed purity in hiding his shame

Wretched is purity amid a heap of sins!

What faulty purity in a pile of burdens

لا عشت إن كان نبرسي سوى أدبي

لا عشت إن كان نبرسي سوى أدبي

ومهجتي وضميري الناصع الواري

ومهجتي وضميري الناصع الواري

May I not live if my beacon is anything but my writing,

By my life, if there was anything for me but my manners

and my lifeblood and my conscience, spotless and aflame.

And my brain and my radiant, spotless conscience

أنا المعلم أجيالا مفاخرها

أنا المعلم أجيالا مفاخرها

والرائد الحر في سعيي وآثاري

والرائد الحر في سعيي وآثاري

I am he who teaches generations their glories,

I am the teacher of prideful generations

and the free pioneer in my striving and my works.

And the free guide in my efforts and traces

هل جنت الأرض حتى صرت تحرثها

هل جنت الأرض حتى صرت تحرثها

وكنت ملقى عليها بين أحجار

وكنت ملقى عليها بين أحجار

Has the earth gone mad, that you now till it,

Has the earth gone mad that you've started plowing it

though once you lay discarded upon it among stones?

Though you were tossed upon it among rocks?

ألأم هل جننت بإحساني بلا سبب

ألأم هل جننت بإحساني بلا سبب

حتى لدغت بمكار وغدار

حتى لدغت بمكار وغدار

O basest one, was I mad to show kindness without cause,

Or mother, have you gone mad without cause

so that I was stung by a schemer and a traitor?

So that you bit me with cunning and betrayal?

أصار مثلك حقا من يحاسبني

أصار مثلك حقا من يحاسبني

يا خيبة الدهر في إعزاز ثرثار

يا خيبة الدهر في إعزاز ثرثار

Has someone like you truly become the one to call me to account?

One like you is truly who should judge me?

O the failure of time in exalting a chatterer,

What misfortune of fate to honor a babbler

وضيعة الحق بين العابثين به

وضيعة الحق بين العابثين به

كأنه زهرة في رغو تيار

كأنه زهرة في رغو تيار

and the loss of truth among those who toy with it,

And loss of truth among those playing with it

as though it were a flower in a torrent's foam!

As if it were a flower in the currents of a river

تحيا العروبة في قولي وفي عملي

تحيا العروبة في قولي وفي عملي

وفي مثاليتي العليا لأبرار

وفي مثاليتي العليا لأبرار

Arabism lives in my words and in my deeds,

Arabism lives in my words, deeds

and in my lofty idealism for the righteous.

And my supreme idealism for the virtuous

ولا تعيش بأفاك ومرتزق

ولا تعيش بأفاك ومرتزق

وعاجز همة ألوان إتجار

وعاجز همة ألوان إتجار

Nor does it live through a habitual liar or a hireling,

And does not live through your lies and hired guns

or a weakling whose ambition lies in varied forms of trade.

And the impotence of commercial hues

لمست من حشراتي كل مرحمة

لمست من حشراتي كل مرحمة

وما أنست بها من صاحبي الضاري

وما أنست بها من صاحبي الضاري

I have felt every kindness from my insects,

I have touched every bit of insect from you

yet never sensed it from my ferocious companion.

And I have not forgotten the harm from my companion