أَقسمتُ لا جُزْتُ الكمالَ مودَّةً

أَقسمتُ لا جُزْتُ الكمالَ مودَّةً

إنَّ الذي جازَ الكمال لناقصُ

إنَّ الذي جازَ الكمال لناقصُ

I have sworn never to pass beyond al-Kamal in affection;

I swore I would not attain perfection in love

for whoever goes beyond perfection is surely deficient.

For he who attained perfection is imperfect

أَختصُّهُ بالودِّ من دونِ الورى

أَختصُّهُ بالودِّ من دونِ الورى

فله عليهم ميزةٌ وخَصائصُ

فله عليهم ميزةٌ وخَصائصُ

I single him out for love above all humankind;

I single him out with love apart from all people

he has distinction over them, and qualities all his own.

For he has distinction and traits above them

صدَقَتْ عقيدتُهُ وعُقدةُ صدقهِ

صدَقَتْ عقيدتُهُ وعُقدةُ صدقهِ

لمّا تُحَلَّ وسِرُّهُ لي خالصُ

لمّا تُحَلَّ وسِرُّهُ لي خالصُ

His loyalty has proved true, and the knot of his truthfulness

His faith and bonds of loyalty proved true

has not yet been untied, and his inward feeling for me is sincere.

When it was tested and he was faithful to me

عَزَّ الصديقُ فإنْ قَنَصْتَ صداقةً

عَزَّ الصديقُ فإنْ قَنَصْتَ صداقةً

صُنْها فإنَّ الأَصدقاءَ قنائصُ

صُنْها فإنَّ الأَصدقاءَ قنائصُ

A friend is rare; if you capture a friendship,

A loyal friend is rare so if you gain loyalty

guard it, for friends are quarry.

Guard it for loyal friends have flaws

تَفْدِيكَ أَشخاصٌ وجوهُ ودادهم

تَفْدِيكَ أَشخاصٌ وجوهُ ودادهم

سَفَرَتْ وأَحداقُ الحقودِ شَواخصُ

سَفَرَتْ وأَحداقُ الحقودِ شَواخصُ

Some people would sacrifice themselves for you; the faces of their affection

People's faces and their affection may ransom you

have been unveiled, while the spiteful one's eyes stare fixedly.

While the eyes of the envious peer with blame

هجّرْتُ في ظلِّ السُّكونِ إليهمُ

هجّرْتُ في ظلِّ السُّكونِ إليهمُ

في الحادثاتِ وكلُّ ظِلٍ قالصُ

في الحادثاتِ وكلُّ ظِلٍ قالصُ

I journeyed to them at noon beneath the shade of calm,

I isolated myself in stillness from them

amid calamities, while every shade was shrinking.

In events and every disappearing shadow

أَقرضتهم حُسنَى فجاوزني بها

أَقرضتهم حُسنَى فجاوزني بها

سوأَى وكلٌّ قارضٌ أو قارصُ

سوأَى وكلٌّ قارضٌ أو قارصُ

I lent them kindness, but he outdid me in return

I lent them my affection yet they went past me with it

with evil; each one either gnaws or bites.

To evil, though each borrower is a withholder

كالماءِ بانَ الظلُّ معكوساً به

كالماءِ بانَ الظلُّ معكوساً به

فبدتْ مكانَ الرُّوسِ منه أَخامِصُ

فبدتْ مكانَ الرُّوسِ منه أَخامِصُ

Like water, in which the reflection appeared inverted,

Like water it was clear the shadow was inverted in it

so in it the arches of feet appeared in place of heads.

So the heads appeared inverted in it from the feet

قل للثّعالبِ لا تَغُركِ خلوةٌ

قل للثّعالبِ لا تَغُركِ خلوةٌ

في الغابِ لمّا غاب عنه فُرافصُ

في الغابِ لمّا غاب عنه فُرافصُ

Tell the foxes: do not let solitude deceive you

Tell the foxes do not be fooled by seclusion

in the thicket, when the fierce lion is absent from it.

In the forest when the hunter is absent from it

سيعودُ في طلبِ الفرائسِ ضيغمٌ

سيعودُ في طلبِ الفرائسِ ضيغمٌ

ذو سطوةٍ وستقشعرُّ فرائصُ

ذو سطوةٍ وستقشعرُّ فرائصُ

A lion will return in pursuit of prey,

He will return seeking prey, powerful

possessed of might, and flanks will shudder.

And the prey will shudder in fear

كلٌّ لعَقْدِ يمينه لي ناكثٌ

كلٌّ لعَقْدِ يمينه لي ناكثٌ

كلٌّ على عَقبِ المودَّةِ ناكص

كلٌّ على عَقبِ المودَّةِ ناكص

Each breaks the bond of his oath to me;

All have reneged on their oath of loyalty to me

each turns back on the heels of affection.

All have turned back from affection

ولهم عقائدُ ملؤهنَّ حقائدٌ

ولهم عقائدُ ملؤهنَّ حقائدٌ

عُقَدُ النِّفاقِ كأنهنَّ عقائصُ

عُقَدُ النِّفاقِ كأنهنَّ عقائصُ

And their convictions are filled with grudges—

They have beliefs filled with malice

knots of hypocrisy, like braided locks.

The knots of hypocrisy as if bite marks

فرعُ المَعيبِ الأصلِ يحكي أصلَهُ

فرعُ المَعيبِ الأصلِ يحكي أصلَهُ

وله مَعايبُ مثلهُ ونقائصُ

وله مَعايبُ مثلهُ ونقائصُ

The branch of flawed stock resembles its root,

The branch relates the defects of its origin

and has faults like it, and shortcomings.

And it has defects just like it and blemishes

جَهْمٌ مُحيّاه خبيثٌ عِرضُه

جَهْمٌ مُحيّاه خبيثٌ عِرضُه

لؤماً وعارِصهُ جَهامٌ ناشصُ

لؤماً وعارِصهُ جَهامٌ ناشصُ

His face is grim, his honor foul

An ignoble person's praise is evil, his honor

with baseness, and his cloud is rainless, rising high.

Is disgrace and the one who censures him is unyielding

أَنتَ الذي أَنجدتَني بنصيحةٍ

أَنتَ الذي أَنجدتَني بنصيحةٍ

إذ صَرْفُ دهري عارقٌ لي واهصُ

إذ صَرْفُ دهري عارقٌ لي واهصُ

You are the one who came to my aid with counsel,

You are the one who helped me with advice

when the vicissitudes of my days gnawed at me and crushed me.

When the turns of fate were confusing and bewildering

ما خبتُ حينَ فحصتُ عن مكنونهِ

ما خبتُ حينَ فحصتُ عن مكنونهِ

ظنّاً ألا إنَّ الصّديقَ لفاحصُ

ظنّاً ألا إنَّ الصّديقَ لفاحصُ

When I probed his hidden heart, I was not disappointed

I did not go astray when I probed its hidden depths

in my hopes—indeed, a friend is one who probes.

Thinking no, the loyal friend is indeed probing

وأَفاضَ لي سَجْلاً رِشاءُ وفائهِ

وأَفاضَ لي سَجْلاً رِشاءُ وفائهِ

كرماً وأَرشيةُ الجميعِ موالصُ

كرماً وأَرشيةُ الجميعِ موالصُ

And the well-rope of his loyalty poured me a bucketful,

And he poured me a stream of lavish loyalty

generously, while all the others' well-ropes slip away.

While the palms of all people are withholding

كم غصتُ حتى حزتُ ودَّكَ أَبحراً

كم غصتُ حتى حزتُ ودَّكَ أَبحراً

ولربّما حازَ اليتيمةَ غائصُ

ولربّما حازَ اليتيمةَ غائصُ

How many seas I dived into before I won your affection!

How I resented until I deemed your affection an ocean

And a diver may well win the peerless pearl.

Yet sometimes the orphan attains what is unattainable

سأزُمُّ نحوكَ للِّقاءِ قلائصاً

سأزُمُّ نحوكَ للِّقاءِ قلائصاً

يا خيرَ من زُمّتْ إليه قلائصُ

يا خيرَ من زُمّتْ إليه قلائصُ

I shall bridle young she-camels to come and meet you,

I will come to you for a meeting laden with yearning

O best of those to whom young she-camels are led by the rein!

O best of those to whom the yearning flocked