وَفد الصَباح وَزالَت الأَحلاكُ

وَفد الصَباح وَزالَت الأَحلاكُ

وَتَنصَلَت مِن نحسها الأَفلاكُ

وَتَنصَلَت مِن نحسها الأَفلاكُ

Morning arrived, and the darkness vanished.

The dawn has come and the misfortunes have passed

And the celestial spheres cast off their ill fortune.

The planets have freed themselves from their ill omen

وَاِنبُش وَجه النَجح بَعدَ عُبوسِهِ

وَاِنبُش وَجه النَجح بَعدَ عُبوسِهِ

فَرَحاً وَمُبتسم المُنى مضحاكُ

فَرَحاً وَمُبتسم المُنى مضحاكُ

And the face of success brightened after its frown,

And the face of success smiles after its sullenness

With joy, and the smiling mouth of hopes laughs merrily.

Joyous and cheerful is its destiny, laughing

بِقُدوم مَولى بَعض أَيسَر ما حَوى

بِقُدوم مَولى بَعض أَيسَر ما حَوى

يَحتار فيهِ العَقل وَالإِدراكُ

يَحتار فيهِ العَقل وَالإِدراكُ

With the coming of a lord, a fraction of the least he possesses

With the coming of a master, the least of what he contains

Bewilders reason and understanding.

Is beyond reason and comprehension

وَإِذا أَشارَ مُخاطِباً فَكَلامُهُ

وَإِذا أَشارَ مُخاطِباً فَكَلامُهُ

دُرَرٌ لَها أَفهامنا أَسلاكُ

دُرَرٌ لَها أَفهامنا أَسلاكُ

And when he gestures while speaking, his words are

And if he speaks addressing, his words

Pearls, with our minds as their strings.

Are pearls, our minds are their string

هُو نُور إِيمان يَلوح لِمُبصر

هُو نُور إِيمان يَلوح لِمُبصر

وَظَلام قَلب حَسودِهِ أَشراكَ

وَظَلام قَلب حَسودِهِ أَشراكَ

He is a light of faith shining for one who sees,

He is the light of faith shining for the seeing

And the darkness in his envier's heart is idolatry.

And the darkness of the heart of his envious enemies, a pitfall

جود بِحار الأَرض مِنهُ قَطرَةٌ

جود بِحار الأَرض مِنهُ قَطرَةٌ

تَكفي فَلا منٌّ وَلا إِمساكُ

تَكفي فَلا منٌّ وَلا إِمساكُ

A bounty of which the earth's seas are but a drop,

His generosity from the sea of the earth is a drop

It suffices, without reminders of favors or withholding.

That suffices, so no favor and no withholding

وَفضائل لَم يُحصِها عَدد وَلَم

وَفضائل لَم يُحصِها عَدد وَلَم

يُدرك غُبار جِيادِها إِدراكُ

يُدرك غُبار جِيادِها إِدراكُ

And virtues no number has counted, nor has

And virtues that numbers have not counted

Understanding caught up with the dust of their steeds.

And the dust of his steeds' hooves comprehension cannot reach

فَاِنظُر إِلَيَّ بِرَأفَة بَل رَحمة

فَاِنظُر إِلَيَّ بِرَأفَة بَل رَحمة

أَنجوبها قَد مَسَني الأَهلاكُ

أَنجوبها قَد مَسَني الأَهلاكُ

So look upon me with compassion—rather, mercy,

So look upon me with kindness, rather mercy

Through which I may escape; ruin has touched me.

I hope for them, for perdition has touched me

قَد كادَني الزَمَن الخُؤُن وَإِن لي

قَد كادَني الزَمَن الخُؤُن وَإِن لي

حَظّاً كَسيحاً لَيسَ فيهِ حِراكُ

حَظّاً كَسيحاً لَيسَ فيهِ حِراكُ

Treacherous time has schemed against me, and mine is

Time's betrayals have nearly undone me, and I have

A crippled fortune in which there is no stir.

A paltry portion, in it there is no liveliness

إِني أَنا البازيُّ قَصَّ جَناحُهُ

إِني أَنا البازيُّ قَصَّ جَناحُهُ

فَعَسى يراش وَيَعتَريهِ فِكاكُ

فَعَسى يراش وَيَعتَريهِ فِكاكُ

Indeed, I am the hawk whose wing has been clipped;

I am the falcon whose wing is broken

So may it be refeathered, and may freedom come to it.

Maybe it will mend and freedom will find

إِني أَنا الذَهب الذَّي قَد شابَهُ

إِني أَنا الذَهب الذَّي قَد شابَهُ

كَدر الرغام يُزيلُهُ الحِكاكُ

كَدر الرغام يُزيلُهُ الحِكاكُ

Indeed, I am the gold that has been tainted

I am the gold dirtied by muddy smears

By the murk of dust, which polishing removes.

Scouring will remove it and make it shine

أَشكو إِلَيكَ مَعاشِراً قَد نَقَصوا

أَشكو إِلَيكَ مَعاشِراً قَد نَقَصوا

في زَعمهم قَدري إِذاً لِيحاكوا

في زَعمهم قَدري إِذاً لِيحاكوا

I complain to you of people who have lowered

I complain to you of comrades who have diminished

My worth, in their estimation, so that they might rival me—

In their assumption my worth when they emulated

قَوماً إِذا أَمعَنت فيهُم لَم تَجد

قَوماً إِذا أَمعَنت فيهُم لَم تَجد

إِلّا الذُقون تَقلها الأَحناكُ

إِلّا الذُقون تَقلها الأَحناكُ

People in whom, if you look closely, you find nothing

A people, if you look closely at them, you will not find

But beards borne by jaws.

Save scrawny necks carried by the spinners

بَذَروا لَنا حُب الوُعود وَدونَهُ

بَذَروا لَنا حُب الوُعود وَدونَهُ

نَصبت لَنا مِن خَلفِهم أَشراكُ

نَصبت لَنا مِن خَلفِهم أَشراكُ

They sowed us the seed of promises, but barring the way to it

They planted for us the seeds of promises and around it

Snares were set for us behind them.

Pitfalls were set for us behind them

وَتَوازَعوا ما بَينَهُم أَوقافنا

وَتَوازَعوا ما بَينَهُم أَوقافنا

حَتّى كَأَن جَميعَها أَملاكُ

حَتّى كَأَن جَميعَها أَملاكُ

And they divided our endowments among themselves,

And they shared between themselves our endowments

Until it was as though all were private property.

As if they were altogether their possessions

لَو أَنَّهُم يَهجون كُنت هَجوَتِهم

لَو أَنَّهُم يَهجون كُنت هَجوَتِهم

بِقَصائد هِيَ صارم فَتّاكُ

بِقَصائد هِيَ صارم فَتّاكُ

Had they written satire, I would have satirized them

If they were to insult, I would insult their insults

With poems that are a sharp, deadly sword.

With poems that bite sharp and deadly

يَتَشهد الكُفار مِن أَفعالِهم

يَتَشهد الكُفار مِن أَفعالِهم

مُتَهولين وَتَفسق النساكُ

مُتَهولين وَتَفسق النساكُ

Unbelievers recite the creed at their deeds,

The unbelievers would testify from their deeds

Appalled, while ascetics turn impious.

Confused and the pious would blaspheme

لَولا العِناية وَالتَحجُب عَنهُمُ

لَولا العِناية وَالتَحجُب عَنهُمُ

أَكَلت لُحوم جُسومِنا الأَسماكُ

أَكَلت لُحوم جُسومِنا الأَسماكُ

Were it not for protection and hiding from them,

If not for providence and screening from them

Fish would have eaten the flesh of our bodies.

The fish would have eaten our dark flesh

ما مِنهُم إِلّا فَتى مُتمشدق

ما مِنهُم إِلّا فَتى مُتمشدق

مُتَعاظم في نَفسِهِ عُلاكُ

مُتَعاظم في نَفسِهِ عُلاكُ

Every one of them is a blustering fellow,

There is none among them but a pretentious

Self-important in his own eyes, a babbler,

Arrogant in himself, exalted lad

سَمج بِإِحدى راحَتَيهِ رَشوَةٌ

سَمج بِإِحدى راحَتَيهِ رَشوَةٌ

فَرح بِها وَبِأُختِها المِسواكُ

فَرح بِها وَبِأُختِها المِسواكُ

Repellent, with a bribe in one of his palms,

Who scorns with one of his hands a bribe

Delighted with it; in the sister palm, a tooth-stick.

And rejoices with it and its sister the toothpick

يا مَن يَلوذ بِبابِهِ وَجَنابِهِ ال

يا مَن يَلوذ بِبابِهِ وَجَنابِهِ ال

أَعراب وَالأَعجام وَالأَتراكُ

أَعراب وَالأَعجام وَالأَتراكُ

O you, at whose door and side seek refuge the

Oh refuge of his door and his honored side

Bedouin Arabs, the non-Arabs, and the Turks,

Not bedouins, non-Arabs, and Turks

قُم فَاِنتَصر لِغَريب فَضل في الحِمى

قُم فَاِنتَصر لِغَريب فَضل في الحِمى

يُنتاشُهُ الحجام وَالحَياكُ

يُنتاشُهُ الحجام وَالحَياكُ

Arise, and defend a stranger of merit within the sanctuary,

Rise and defend a stranger of superior merit in the sanctuary

Whom the cupper and the weaver snatch at.

Sucked by the cupper and the tailor

وَاسلم عَلى مَرّ الدُهور مُقبِلاً

وَاسلم عَلى مَرّ الدُهور مُقبِلاً

أَقدام سَعدِكَ في السَماءِ سَماكُ

أَقدام سَعدِكَ في السَماءِ سَماكُ

And live unharmed through the passing ages, with kisses

And greet the one bitter time comes to

From Simak in the sky upon your good fortune's feet.

The steps of your good fortune in the sky, like fish