كلح الزمان إلى الورى

كلح الزمان إلى الورى

فشقوا بقبح كلوحه

فشقوا بقبح كلوحه

Time scowled upon humankind,

The times have turned against mankind,

so they suffered from the ugliness of its scowl.

So they have split it with their ugliness.

وتضايقت طرق المعا

وتضايقت طرق المعا

ش فضاق ذرع فسيحه

ش فضاق ذرع فسيحه

And the paths to livelihood narrowed,

The paths of life have narrowed,

so even its broad reach grew cramped.

So its expanse has shrunk.

فاحيج فيه إلى مزا

فاحيج فيه إلى مزا

ح مليحه بقبيحه

ح مليحه بقبيحه

So, in it, there was need for jesting—

I am compelled in it to gentle

its pleasant kind alongside its ugly.

Its ugliness with gentleness.

فاخرت أحسن ما

فاخرت أحسن ما

وجدت حذار غبّ جموحه

وجدت حذار غبّ جموحه

So I held back the best of what

So I have chosen the best

I found, fearing the aftermath of its wildness.

I found, wary of ignorant zealotry.

وقنعت بالنزر اللقى

وقنعت بالنزر اللقى

ورضيت شحّ شحيحه

ورضيت شحّ شحيحه

And I was content with scant discarded scraps,

And I was content with the little I found

and accepted its miser's stinginess,

And pleased with its meager amount.

ليودّني أهل الزما

ليودّني أهل الزما

ن وإن دها بفدوجه

ن وإن دها بفدوجه

so that the people of the age might love me,

So the people of the times may love me,

even if it struck with its calamities.

Even if they reproach me for it after.

وعلمت أني إن وصل

وعلمت أني إن وصل

ت غبوقه بصبوحه

ت غبوقه بصبوحه

And I knew that, if I joined

And I knew that if I reached

its evening draught to its morning draught,

Their minds with admonitions at dawn,

شاغبت أهل زماننا

شاغبت أهل زماننا

بكسيره وصحيحه

بكسيره وصحيحه

I would brawl with the people of our time,

I would provoke the people of our time

with its broken and its sound alike.

With rhyme and prose.

فصرعت ذاك محدّلا

فصرعت ذاك محدّلا

وتركت ذا بكدوحه

وتركت ذا بكدوحه

So I felled that one, bent double,

So I left that one frustrated

and left this one with his wounds.

And left this other toiling.

فأصارني جودي إلى ال

فأصارني جودي إلى ال

إخسار بعد ربيحه

إخسار بعد ربيحه

Thus my generosity brought me to

Thus my generosity led me to loss

loss, after the gain it had brought,

After profit.

وإلى شكاية صاحب

وإلى شكاية صاحب

والذم بعد مديحه

والذم بعد مديحه

and to a companion's complaints,

And to the complaints of a friend

and blame after his praise.

And blame after praise.

ما التذ عيشا من شجى

ما التذ عيشا من شجى

بطريحه وجريحه

بطريحه وجريحه

No one has savored life who grieves

I have not lived a life of sorrow

over his fallen and his wounded.

Wounded and injured.

فأعيش بين محاقد

فأعيش بين محاقد

في قربه ونزوحه

في قربه ونزوحه

So I live between a grudge-bearer,

So I live among enemies

whether he is near or far away,

Both near and distant.

ومغاضب متذكر

ومغاضب متذكر

حيا وتحت ضريحه

حيا وتحت ضريحه

and an angry man who remembers,

And those angry, remembering

in life and beneath his tomb.

My life even underneath my tomb.