إِلَيكِ ما أَنا مِن لَهوٍ وَلا طَرَبِ

إِلَيكِ ما أَنا مِن لَهوٍ وَلا طَرَبِ

مُنيتِ مِنّي بِقَلبٍ غَيرِ مُنقَلِبِ

مُنيتِ مِنّي بِقَلبٍ غَيرِ مُنقَلِبِ

Away with you! I am not given to dalliance or rapture.

To you I am not of play nor confusion

You are afflicted, in me, with a heart that will not yield.

You departed from me with an unchanging heart

رُدّي عَلَيَّ الصِبا إِن كُنتِ فاعِلَةً

رُدّي عَلَيَّ الصِبا إِن كُنتِ فاعِلَةً

إِنَّ الهَوى لَيسَ مِن شَأني وَلا أَربي

إِنَّ الهَوى لَيسَ مِن شَأني وَلا أَربي

Restore my youth to me, if you can do so.

Return my youth to me if you are able

Love is neither my concern nor my desire.

For desire is not my way nor my want

جاوَزتُ حَدَّ الشَبابِ النَضرِ مُلتَفِتاً

جاوَزتُ حَدَّ الشَبابِ النَضرِ مُلتَفِتاً

إِلى بَناتِ الصِبا يَركُضنَ في طَلَبي

إِلى بَناتِ الصِبا يَركُضنَ في طَلَبي

I have passed the bounds of blooming youth, looking back

I have gone beyond the stage of verdant youth

toward youth's daughters, galloping in pursuit of me.

Looking to the daughters of youth running after me

وَالشَيبُ مَهرَبُ مَن جارى مَنِيَّتَهُ

وَالشَيبُ مَهرَبُ مَن جارى مَنِيَّتَهُ

وَلا نَجاءَ لَهُ مِن ذَلِكَ الهَرَبِ

وَلا نَجاءَ لَهُ مِن ذَلِكَ الهَرَبِ

Gray hair is the refuge of one who races against his death,

And gray hair is the escape of him whose fate is fulfilled

yet there is no deliverance for him in that flight.

And there is no salvation for him from that escape

وَالمَرءُ لَو كانَتِ الشِعرى لَهُ وَطَناً

وَالمَرءُ لَو كانَتِ الشِعرى لَهُ وَطَناً

حُطَّت عَلَيهِ صُروفُ الدَهرِ مِن صَبَبِ

حُطَّت عَلَيهِ صُروفُ الدَهرِ مِن صَبَبِ

And even if Sirius were a man's homeland,

And if poetry were a homeland for a man

time's vicissitudes would be sent down upon him from a height.

The vicissitudes of fate would rain down on him from the clouds

قَد أَقذِفُ العيسَ في لَيلِ كَأَنَّ لَهُ

قَد أَقذِفُ العيسَ في لَيلِ كَأَنَّ لَهُ

وَشياً مِنَ النورِ أَو أَرضاً مِنَ العُشُبِ

وَشياً مِنَ النورِ أَو أَرضاً مِنَ العُشُبِ

At times I drive the pale camels into a night that seems to have

I hurl meteors in the night as if they had

embroidery of blossoms, or a field of grass.

Pasture from light or land from grass

حَتّى إِذا ما اِنجَلَت أُخراهُ عَن أُفُقٍ

حَتّى إِذا ما اِنجَلَت أُخراهُ عَن أُفُقٍ

مُضَمَّخٍ بِالصَباحِ الوَردِ مُختَضِبِ

مُضَمَّخٍ بِالصَباحِ الوَردِ مُختَضِبِ

Until, when its last part cleared from a horizon

Until when its last one disappears over a horizon

anointed with rosy dawn, stained with its hue,

Dyed with the rose-colored dawn

أَورَدتُ صادِيَةَ الآمالِ فَاِنصَرَفَت

أَورَدتُ صادِيَةَ الآمالِ فَاِنصَرَفَت

بِرَيِّها وَأَخَذتُ النُجحَ مِن كَثَبِ

بِرَيِّها وَأَخَذتُ النُجحَ مِن كَثَبِ

I brought my thirsting hopes to water, and they departed

I arrive disappointed and turn back

with their thirst quenched, and I seized success close at hand.

Taking success from a jump

هاتيكَ أَخلاقُ إِسماعيلَ في تَعَبٍ

هاتيكَ أَخلاقُ إِسماعيلَ في تَعَبٍ

مِنَ العُلا وَالعُلا مِنهُنَّ في تَعَبِ

مِنَ العُلا وَالعُلا مِنهُنَّ في تَعَبِ

Those are Isma'il's virtues, wearied

These are the morals of Ismael in tiredness

by greatness, while greatness is wearied by them.

From the ascent and the ascent from them in tiredness

أَتعَبتَ شُكري فَأَضحى مِنكَ في نَصَبٍ

أَتعَبتَ شُكري فَأَضحى مِنكَ في نَصَبٍ

فَاِذهَب فَمالِيَ في جَدواكَ مِن أَرَبِ

فَاِذهَب فَمالِيَ في جَدواكَ مِن أَرَبِ

You have wearied my gratitude, leaving it exhausted by you.

You have tired my gratitude so it has become burdened by you

Go, then: I have no wish for your bounty.

So go away, for I have no desire for your kindness

لا أَقبَلُ الدَهرَ نَيلاً لا يَقومُ بِهِ

لا أَقبَلُ الدَهرَ نَيلاً لا يَقومُ بِهِ

شُكري وَلَو كانَ مُسديهِ إِلَيَّ أَبي

شُكري وَلَو كانَ مُسديهِ إِلَيَّ أَبي

I will never accept a gift that cannot be repaid by

I do not accept time bringing me any gain

my thanks, even if my father were its giver to me.

For which my gratitude stands, even if my father were to hand it to me

لَمّا سَأَلتُكَ وافاني نَداكَ عَلى

لَمّا سَأَلتُكَ وافاني نَداكَ عَلى

أَضعافِ ظَنّي فَلَم أَظفَر وَلَم أَخِبِ

أَضعافِ ظَنّي فَلَم أَظفَر وَلَم أَخِبِ

When I asked you, your bounty reached me at

When I asked you, your call met me

many times my expectation: I neither attained my aim nor was disappointed.

Beyond my assumptions, yet I did not win nor succeed

لَم يُخطِ مَأبِضَ خُلساتٍ تَعَمَّدَها

لَم يُخطِ مَأبِضَ خُلساتٍ تَعَمَّدَها

فَشَكَّ ذا الشُعبَةِ الطولى فَلَم يُصِبِ

فَشَكَّ ذا الشُعبَةِ الطولى فَلَم يُصِبِ

He did not miss the knee-hollow in the snatched shots he intended;

An orb did not miss targets of stealthiness it deliberately took

then he pierced the one with the longest branch, yet did not hit his mark.

So the great Pléiades doubted, but did not hit

لَأَشكُرَنَّكَ إِنَّ الشُكرَ نائِلُهُ

لَأَشكُرَنَّكَ إِنَّ الشُكرَ نائِلُهُ

أَبقى عَلى حالَةٍ مِن نائِلِ النَشَبِ

أَبقى عَلى حالَةٍ مِن نائِلِ النَشَبِ

I shall surely thank you—for the gift of gratitude

I will thank you, for gratitude finds

endures unchanged longer than a gift of wealth—

One who achieves it remaining in a state of achieving eminence

بِكُلِّ شاهِدَةٍ لِلقَومِ غائِبَةِ

بِكُلِّ شاهِدَةٍ لِلقَومِ غائِبَةِ

عَنهُم جَميعاً وَلَم تَشهَد وَلَم تَغِبِ

عَنهُم جَميعاً وَلَم تَشهَد وَلَم تَغِبِ

with every poem present before the people, yet absent

With every witness for the people absent

from them all—it neither attended nor stayed away;

From them all, neither witnessing nor absent

مَوصوفَةٍ بِاللَآلي مِن نَوادِرِها

مَوصوفَةٍ بِاللَآلي مِن نَوادِرِها

مَسبوكَةِ اللَفظِ وَالمَعنى مِنَ الذَهَبِ

مَسبوكَةِ اللَفظِ وَالمَعنى مِنَ الذَهَبِ

likened to pearls for its rare beauties,

Described in subtleties from her rarities

its wording and meaning cast from gold.

Molded in wording and meaning from gold

وَلَم أُحابِكَ في مَدحٍ تُكَذِّبُهُ

وَلَم أُحابِكَ في مَدحٍ تُكَذِّبُهُ

بِالفِعلِ مِنكَ وَبَعضُ المَدحِ مِن كَذِبِ

بِالفِعلِ مِنكَ وَبَعضُ المَدحِ مِن كَذِبِ

Nor have I flattered you with praise that you belie

And I have not flattered you in praise that

by your deeds; some praise is falsehood.

Reality from you contradicts, though some praise is of lies