أقمت بجنبلا عشرين يوما

أقمت بجنبلا عشرين يوما

وكنت وردتها فوق اليفاع

وكنت وردتها فوق اليفاع

I stayed in Janbula for twenty days,

I stayed in Janbula for twenty days

and had arrived there high above the heights.

And I was like its roses above the meadows

فكادحت الزمان أسى وضرّا

فكادحت الزمان أسى وضرّا

مضع الحظّ ذا أدب مضاع

مضع الحظّ ذا أدب مضاع

Then I struggled against the times in sorrow and distress,

I struggled against time in sorrow and harm

with wasted fortune [reading uncertain], possessed of squandered learning.

When luck declined, it lost its manners

أذود النفس عن كرم وجود

أذود النفس عن كرم وجود

وأخفض هامتي بعد ارتفاع

وأخفض هامتي بعد ارتفاع

I restrain my soul from nobility and generosity,

I protect myself from generosity

and lower my head after holding it high.

And lower my aspirations after rising high

أقارب أهلها وأزيل طبعي

أقارب أهلها وأزيل طبعي

إلى لؤم المروءة والطباع

إلى لؤم المروءة والطباع

I draw close to its people and turn my nature

I endure her family members and change my nature

toward baseness in conduct and character.

To the villainy of chivalry and character

ولولا لؤمهم لحفظت طبعي

ولولا لؤمهم لحفظت طبعي

ولكن لست بالرجل المطاع

ولكن لست بالرجل المطاع

And but for their baseness, I would have preserved my nature,

If not for their villainy, I'd have kept my nature

but I am not a man whose word is heeded.

But I'm not the man to be obeyed

بلوت الناس في شرق وغرب

بلوت الناس في شرق وغرب

ورمت العيش من كل البقاع

ورمت العيش من كل البقاع

I have tested people in east and west,

I tested people in east and west

and sought a livelihood from every land.

And cast life from all places

فلم أر في الزمان أخسّ منهم

فلم أر في الزمان أخسّ منهم

وأروغ في العيان وفي السماع

وأروغ في العيان وفي السماع

Yet in all my days I have seen none baser than they,

I've never seen anyone worse than them

or more slippery, whether seen or heard of.

Scheming openly and in secret

هجرت مكارم الأخلاق كرها

هجرت مكارم الأخلاق كرها

لهم لما أبوا فيها اتّباعي

لهم لما أبوا فيها اتّباعي

I abandoned noble virtues against my will,

I reluctantly shunned noble morals

because of them, when they refused to follow me in them.

When they refused to follow me

كتمتُ بليّتي وكظمت غيظي

كتمتُ بليّتي وكظمت غيظي

وغيظ القلب من شرّ المتاع

وغيظ القلب من شرّ المتاع

I concealed my affliction and stifled my anger,

I hid my torment and suppressed my anger

and the heart's anger is among the worst possessions.

And the anger of the heart from the evil of life

تركت لهم لذيذ العيش كرها

تركت لهم لذيذ العيش كرها

وقنعني بقسمهم اقتناعي

وقنعني بقسمهم اقتناعي

I reluctantly left life's sweetness to them,

I reluctantly left them the sweet life

and my contentment made me accept their allotment,

And contented myself with their allotted share

مخافة خلطة وقبيح ماهم

مخافة خلطة وقبيح ماهم

عليه من الخيانة والخداع

عليه من الخيانة والخداع

for fear of mingling, and of the foul things they

Fearing discord and their vicious

are given to—treachery and deceit.

Betrayal and deception

وما حرّمت شرب الراح زهدا

وما حرّمت شرب الراح زهدا

ولكن خوف وجاببة الرضاع

ولكن خوف وجاببة الرضاع

Nor did I forswear drinking wine out of asceticism,

I didn't forbid drinking wine out of piety

but for fear of the obligations of suckling [reading uncertain].

But out of fear and abstinence from suckling

ضباعٌ ملكوا بلدا مريا

ضباعٌ ملكوا بلدا مريا

وهم في الشرّ أمثالُ السباع

وهم في الشرّ أمثالُ السباع

Hyenas took possession of a fertile land,

Greedy hyenas ruled a barren land

and in wickedness they are like beasts of prey.

And in evil they are like beasts

سكنت بأرضهم وغذوت نفسي

سكنت بأرضهم وغذوت نفسي

بآمال مضيّعة شعاع

بآمال مضيّعة شعاع

I dwelt in their land and nourished my soul

I lived in their land and fed myself

with wasted, scattered hopes.

With shattered hopes and rays

رجوت بها الغنى وهدمت عمري

رجوت بها الغنى وهدمت عمري

فكنت كحالب تيسا لراعي

فكنت كحالب تيسا لراعي

Through them I hoped for wealth, and ruined my life,

With them I hoped for riches and wasted my life

so I was like someone milking a he-goat for a shepherd.

I was like a shepherd milking a male goat

وكنت كجائع قد جاء جهلا

وكنت كجائع قد جاء جهلا

يروم الشبع من بيت الجياع

يروم الشبع من بيت الجياع

And I was like a hungry man who had come in ignorance,

I was like a hungry man who foolishly

seeking his fill from the house of the hungry.

Seeks satiety in the home of the starving