لي فَرَسٌ صائمٌ حكَى فَرَسَ الش

لي فَرَسٌ صائمٌ حكَى فَرَسَ الش

شَطْرَنْجِ والصّدْقُ غيرُ مُلْتَبِسِ

شَطْرَنْجِ والصّدْقُ غيرُ مُلْتَبِسِ

I have a fasting horse, resembling the knight of

I have a fasting steed that told of the steed of chess

chess—and the truth is unmistakable.

And truth is not obscure

في أصفهانٍ معي وعَرْصَتُها

في أصفهانٍ معي وعَرْصَتُها

ذاتُ اتّساعٍ مُقطِّعِ النّفَس

ذاتُ اتّساعٍ مُقطِّعِ النّفَس

It is with me in Isfahan, whose open grounds

In Isfahan with me and its courtyard

are so vast they take the breath away.

Spacious, breath-taking

وما كفَى أن حكاهُ مُحتَبِساً

وما كفَى أن حكاهُ مُحتَبِساً

بلا عليقٍ أشَدَّ مُحتَبَس

بلا عليقٍ أشَدَّ مُحتَبَس

Nor was it enough to resemble that knight, confined

It was not enough that he told it while detained

without fodder in the harshest confinement.

With no context more detained than he

فكُلَّ يومٍ عليه أَدرُسُ مَن

فكُلَّ يومٍ عليه أَدرُسُ مَن

صوبةَ عدِّ البُيوتِ بالفَرس

صوبةَ عدِّ البُيوتِ بالفَرس

So every day upon it I study

So every day I examine the direction

the problem of counting the squares with the knight.

Of counting the houses on horse

وقد تَواصَى عليه ما سَبذِيْ

وقد تَواصَى عليه ما سَبذِيْ

يُونَ يُراعونَ كُلّما غَلس

يُونَ يُراعونَ كُلّما غَلس

And the Māsabadhīs have warned one another about it,

And he was charged with what was drained

frightened whenever it goes out before dawn.

The Greeks watch whenever he prowls

فمِن غلاء الشَّعيرِ عندي ورُخْ

فمِن غلاء الشَّعيرِ عندي ورُخْ

صِ الشِّعْرِ أَضحَى ذا أَرسُمٍ دُرُس

صِ الشِّعْرِ أَضحَى ذا أَرسُمٍ دُرُس

So, from barley's high price for me, and the low price

So from the high price of barley I have

of verse, it has become a thing of faded outlines.

And the cheapness of hay he has become bony

فما تَراني أمُدُّ طَرْفي إلى

فما تَراني أمُدُّ طَرْفي إلى

طِرْفي فمهما ألحَظْهُ أَبتئِس

طِرْفي فمهما ألحَظْهُ أَبتئِس

So you never see me turn my gaze toward

So I do not extend my gaze

my steed; whenever I look at it, I grieve.

To his mouth no matter how much I look I despair

والنّاسُ حاشا علاك أكرَمُهمْ

والنّاسُ حاشا علاك أكرَمُهمْ

كَلْبٌ فقِسْهمْ أو لا فلا تَقِس

كَلْبٌ فقِسْهمْ أو لا فلا تَقِس

As for people—your eminence excepted—the noblest of them

And people, God forbid, the most generous of them

is a dog; take their measure—or no, do not.

A dog, so judge them or do not so do not judge

من أجلِ هذا أصبحتُ مُنْكَنِساً

من أجلِ هذا أصبحتُ مُنْكَنِساً

في كِسْرِ بيتٍ كالوَحشِ في الكُنُس

في كِسْرِ بيتٍ كالوَحشِ في الكُنُس

For this reason I have hidden myself away

Because of this I have become secluded

in a corner of a house, like wild beasts in their lairs.

In the breaking of a house like a beast in hiding

أَلزمُ بَيتي خِلافَ ما لَزِمَ ال

أَلزمُ بَيتي خِلافَ ما لَزِمَ ال

بيوتَ قَومٌ والبَردُ ذو شَرَس

بيوتَ قَومٌ والبَردُ ذو شَرَس

I keep to my house, but not in the way

I keep to my house contrary to what

some folk kept to theirs when the cold was fierce.

People frequented houses and the cold is vicious

وصاحبي في يَمينِه قَبَسٌ

وصاحبي في يَمينِه قَبَسٌ

كالرّاحِ يَسقِي لا الرّاحُ كالقَبَس

كالرّاحِ يَسقِي لا الرّاحُ كالقَبَس

And my companion holds a flame in his right hand,

And my companion in his right hand a flame

serving it like wine—no, the wine is like the flame.

Like the wind it waters not the wind like a flame

فانغَمسوا في نَعيمهمْ وأنا

فانغَمسوا في نَعيمهمْ وأنا

في الهذَيان الطّويلِ مُنَغَمسي

في الهذَيان الطّويلِ مُنَغَمسي

So they plunged into their pleasures, while I

So they immersed in their bliss while I

am immersed in long-drawn rambling.

In prolonged delirium am immersed

وضِرْسُ فكْري على حُموضةِ مَمْ

وضِرْسُ فكْري على حُموضةِ مَمْ

دوحيَ ما يعتَريهِ من ضَرَس

دوحيَ ما يعتَريهِ من ضَرَس

And the molar of my thought, despite the sourness of the one

And the molar of my thinking on the acidity of what

I praise, is never set on edge.

Afflicts my worry from molars

وما غَناءُ القريضِ في زمَني

وما غَناءُ القريضِ في زمَني

وأيُّ ماءٍ يُصابُ في يَبَس

وأيُّ ماءٍ يُصابُ في يَبَس

And what use would poetry be in my age,

And what is the singing of poems in my time

and what water could be found in dry ground,

And what water can be drawn from barrenness

لولا الرّئيسُ الّذي شمائلهُ

لولا الرّئيسُ الّذي شمائلهُ

قد بَدّلَتْني من وَحشتي أُنُسي

قد بَدّلَتْني من وَحشتي أُنُسي

but for the chief, whose character

If not for the President whose traits

has turned my loneliness into companionship?

Have changed me from my desolation to companion

شَكرتُ آلاءه وأشكُر من

شَكرتُ آلاءه وأشكُر من

بَعْدُ وشُكري ثِمارُ مُغتَرسي

بَعْدُ وشُكري ثِمارُ مُغتَرسي

I have thanked him for his favors, and shall thank him

I thanked his blessings and I thank after

hereafter; my thanks are the fruits of my cultivator.

And my thanks are the fruits of my plantation

قُلْ لأمينِ الدّينِ الرفّيع ذُراً

قُلْ لأمينِ الدّينِ الرفّيع ذُراً

صَيدُ المعالي يُباح في الخُلَس

صَيدُ المعالي يُباح في الخُلَس

Say to Amīn al-Dīn, whose summits are lofty:

Tell the noble Amin al-Din elegantly

The quarry of high honors may be seized by stealth.

Hunting glories is permitted in seclusion

فثِبْ لها وَثبةً مُعفِّرةً

فثِبْ لها وَثبةً مُعفِّرةً

ما يَصنعُ الّليثُ غيرَ مُفْتَرِس

ما يَصنعُ الّليثُ غيرَ مُفْتَرِس

So spring upon them with a pounce that flings them in the dust—

So jump for it a dusty leap

what can a lion do without seizing its prey?

What does the lion do but pounce