تَناصُرُ الشيبِ في فَوْدَيْهِ خِذْلانُ

تَناصُرُ الشيبِ في فَوْدَيْهِ خِذْلانُ

إنَّ الزيادةَ في النُّقْصان نُقْصانُ

إنَّ الزيادةَ في النُّقْصان نُقْصانُ

The rallying of gray hairs at his temples is desertion;

Old age betrays in its decline,

indeed, an increase in decline is decline.

Increase in decrease is but decline,

لا تغْتَررْ بعيونٍ ينظرونَ بها

لا تغْتَررْ بعيونٍ ينظرونَ بها

فإنما هيَ أحداقٌ وأجفانٌ

فإنما هيَ أحداقٌ وأجفانٌ

Do not be deceived by eyes through which they look;

Be not deceived by eyes that see,

for they are only pupils and eyelids.

They're only eyelids and pupils vain,

كمْ مُقْلَةٍ ذهبتْ في الغيِّ مذهبها

كمْ مُقْلَةٍ ذهبتْ في الغيِّ مذهبها

بنظرةٍ هي شانٌ أو لها شان

بنظرةٍ هي شانٌ أو لها شان

How many an eye has pursued its course in error

How many glances went astray,

through a glance that is itself a matter, or has significance.

By a look, a mere look of disdain,

رهْنٌ بأضغاثِ أحلامٍ إذا هجعت

رهْنٌ بأضغاثِ أحلامٍ إذا هجعت

وربَّما حَلِمَتْ والمرءُ يقظان

وربَّما حَلِمَتْ والمرءُ يقظان

In thrall to tangled dreams when it sleeps,

My dreams when I sleep hold me hostage,

it sometimes dreams while the person is awake.

And maybe I dream while awake and sane,

فانظرْ بعقلكَ إن العينَ كاذبةٌ

فانظرْ بعقلكَ إن العينَ كاذبةٌ

واسمعْ بِحسّكَ إن السمعَ خوَّان

واسمعْ بِحسّكَ إن السمعَ خوَّان

So look with your reason, for the eye is a liar;

Look with your mind, for eyes do lie,

and listen with your perception, for hearing is treacherous.

And hear with your senses, hearing is profane,

ولا تقُلْ كل ذي عينٍ له نَظرٌ

ولا تقُلْ كل ذي عينٍ له نَظرٌ

إن الرعاةَ تَرَى ما لا يرى الضان

إن الرعاةَ تَرَى ما لا يرى الضان

And do not say every possessor of an eye has insight;

Say not all with eyes have sight,

indeed, shepherds see what sheep do not see.

Shepherds see what seers don't attain,

دع الغنى لرجالٍ ينْصَبُونَ له

دع الغنى لرجالٍ ينْصَبُونَ له

إنَّ الغِنَى لفضولِ الهمِّ مَيْدان

إنَّ الغِنَى لفضولِ الهمِّ مَيْدان

Leave wealth to men who toil for it;

Leave wealth to men who strive for it,

indeed, wealth is an arena for excessive worry.

Wealth is but excess of vain toil and pain,

واخلعْ لَبُوسَكَ من شحٍّ ومن أملٍ

واخلعْ لَبُوسَكَ من شحٍّ ومن أملٍ

لا يقطعُ السيفُ إلا وهو عريان

لا يقطعُ السيفُ إلا وهو عريان

And shed your garb of avarice and hope;

Cast off your shoes of miserliness and hope,

a sword cuts only when it is naked.

No sword cuts unless it be naked and plain,

وصاحبٍ لم أزلْ منه على خَطَرٍ

وصاحبٍ لم أزلْ منه على خَطَرٍ

كأنَّني علمُ غيبٍ وهو حَسَّان

كأنَّني علمُ غيبٍ وهو حَسَّان

And a companion from whom I have always been in danger,

A friend I feared would betray me,

as though I were knowledge of the unseen and he were Hassān.

As if I knew the unseen and he divined,

أغراهُ حظٌّ توَخّاه وأخطأني

أغراهُ حظٌّ توَخّاه وأخطأني

أما درَى أن بعض الرِّزقِ حِرْمان

أما درَى أن بعض الرِّزقِ حِرْمان

Fortune tempted him, seeking him out and passing me by.

Chance allured him to ambition,

Did he not know that some bounty is deprivation?

Knows he not that rizq has destain?

وَغَرَّه أنْ رآه قد تَقَدَّمَني

وَغَرَّه أنْ رآه قد تَقَدَّمَني

كما تَقَدَّمَ بسم الله عُنْوانُ

كما تَقَدَّمَ بسم الله عُنْوانُ

And he was deluded when he saw it precede me,

He was deceived to see himself ahead,

as a heading precedes 'In the name of God.'

As "In the name of God" titles prestige and fame,

إني استجرتُ على ريبِ الزمان فتًى

إني استجرتُ على ريبِ الزمان فتًى

إلا يكنْ ليثَ غابٍ فهو إنسان

إلا يكنْ ليثَ غابٍ فهو إنسان

Indeed, against time's vicissitudes I sought a young man's protection;

I hired a lad to face fate's caprice,

if he is not a lion of the thicket, he is a man.

No lion of the jungle, but a man humane,

حسبي بِعُلْيَا عليٍّ معقلٌ أشِبٌ

حسبي بِعُلْيَا عليٍّ معقلٌ أشِبٌ

زمانُ سَيْري به في الأرض أزمان

زمانُ سَيْري به في الأرض أزمان

Ali's eminence suffices me as a thickly wooded stronghold;

My refuge is Ali's lofty principles,

my time traveling with him through the land is many ages.

Eras will pass with them on earth's terrain,

صعبُ المراقي ولكنْ ربما سَهُلَتْ

صعبُ المراقي ولكنْ ربما سَهُلَتْ

على المُنى منه أوْطارٌ وأوطان

على المُنى منه أوْطارٌ وأوطان

Hard are his ascents, yet sometimes made easy

The path is harsh but may be smoothed,

for hopes, through him, are aims and homes.

By wishes from it or homelands regained,

الواهبُ الخيلَ عِقْباناً مُسَوَّمَةً

الواهبُ الخيلَ عِقْباناً مُسَوَّمَةً

لو سُوِّمتْ قبلها في الجوِّ عقبان

لو سُوِّمتْ قبلها في الجوِّ عقبان

He gives horses like marked eagles,

The Giver gave steeds named already,

had eagles been marked in the sky before them.

As if named in the air before they had reign,

من كلِّ ساع أمامَ الريح يَقْدُمُها

من كلِّ ساع أمامَ الريح يَقْدُمُها

منهُ مهاةٌ وإن شاءتْ فسرحان

منهُ مهاةٌ وإن شاءتْ فسرحان

Each a racer before the wind, outstripping it;

Each moment to the wind they surpass,

from him, an oryx—and, if it wishes, a wolf.

Among them are gift and free spirit unchained,

دُجُنَّةٌ تصفُ الأنوارَ غُرَّتُها

دُجُنَّةٌ تصفُ الأنوارَ غُرَّتُها

وَنَبْعَةٌ يَدَّعي أعْطَافَها البانُ

وَنَبْعَةٌ يَدَّعي أعْطَافَها البانُ

A dark night whose forehead-blaze depicts the lights;

Colts prancing in their stylish gait,

and a nabʿ sapling whose curves the bān tree claims.

And spirited ones their long necks arraigned,

عصا جَذِيمةَ إلا ما أُتيح لها

عصا جَذِيمةَ إلا ما أُتيح لها

من أمرِ موسى فجاءَتْ وَهْيَ ثعبان

من أمرِ موسى فجاءَتْ وَهْيَ ثعبان

Jadhīma's staff, save for what was granted to it

Moses' rod but what was allowed it,

of Moses' affair: it came forth as a serpent.

So it came as serpent with magic insane,

هيمٌ رواءٌ لو أن الماءَ صافحَها

هيمٌ رواءٌ لو أن الماءَ صافحَها

لزالَ أو زلَّ عنها وهو ظمآن

لزالَ أو زلَّ عنها وهو ظمآن

Parched yet quenched—if water shook hands with them,

Yearning wells whose water if touched,

it would withdraw or slip from them, still thirsty.

Would shake or slip from it while thirst remained,

يَكادُ يَخْلَقُ مُهْرَاقُ الدماءِ بها

يَكادُ يَخْلَقُ مُهْرَاقُ الدماءِ بها

فلا تَقُلْ هي أنْصَابٌ وأوثان

فلا تَقُلْ هي أنْصَابٌ وأوثان

The blood spilled upon them almost grows old;

Their bleeding nearly creates corpses,

so do not say they are sacrificial stones and idols,

Say not these are idols or gods proclaimed,

مَوْتَى فإن قَلِقَتْ أجفانُها علمتْ

مَوْتَى فإن قَلِقَتْ أجفانُها علمتْ

أنَّ الدروعَ على الأبطالِ أكفانُ

أنَّ الدروعَ على الأبطالِ أكفانُ

lifeless; for if their sheaths stir, you will know

Dead until their eyelids tremble, then you know,

that coats of mail on heroes are shrouds.

Armors on warriors are but bloody shrouds lain,

نفسي فداؤكَ لا كفؤاً ولا ثمناً

نفسي فداؤكَ لا كفؤاً ولا ثمناً

ولو غدا المُشْتَري منها وكيوان

ولو غدا المُشْتَري منها وكيوان

My soul is a ransom for you—not an equivalent, nor a price,

My soul is yours, not equal nor a price,

even if Jupiter and Saturn became part of it.

Though the buyer tomorrow be monster or djinn,

والتبرُ قد وَزَنُوه بالحديدِ فما

والتبرُ قد وَزَنُوه بالحديدِ فما

ساوَى ولكن مقاديرٌ وأوزان

ساوَى ولكن مقاديرٌ وأوزان

And they have weighed raw gold against iron; it has not

They weighed iron against evasion, but

equaled it; rather, these are measures and weights.

It didn't match, only measures and weights ascertained,