تَخَلَّ مِنَ الأَطماعِ إِمّا تَخَلَّتِ

تَخَلَّ مِنَ الأَطماعِ إِمّا تَخَلَّتِ

وَوَلِّ صُروفَ الدَهرِ ما قَد تَوَلَّتِ

وَوَلِّ صُروفَ الدَهرِ ما قَد تَوَلَّتِ

Abandon your ambitions if they abandon you;

Turn away from hopes, for hopes have forsaken me,

And leave to time's vicissitudes what they have taken in hand.

And turn away the vicissitudes of fate that have turned from me.

لَقَد كانَ لي فيما تَطَوَّلَ جَعفَرٌ

لَقَد كانَ لي فيما تَطَوَّلَ جَعفَرٌ

بِهِ مِن أَيادٍ أَنهَضَت فَأَقَلَّتِ

بِهِ مِن أَيادٍ أَنهَضَت فَأَقَلَّتِ

Indeed, I had in Ja'far's generous gifts—

My Ja'far was once very generous to me,

Favors that raised me and bore me up—

With gifts from his hands that lifted me high then lowered me.

ذَخائِرُ تَنهى النَفسَ عَمّا تَجَشَّمَت

ذَخائِرُ تَنهى النَفسَ عَمّا تَجَشَّمَت

وَما اِستَحسَنَت مِن عُذرِها وَاِستَحَلَّتِ

وَما اِستَحسَنَت مِن عُذرِها وَاِستَحَلَّتِ

Treasures that restrain my soul from the burdens it undertook,

Treasures that restrain the soul from what it desired

And from the excuses it approved and deemed permissible.

And approved for itself out of its excuses and took as lawful.

أَبا حَسَنٍ بُعداً لِكَفٍّ تَذَبذَبَت

أَبا حَسَنٍ بُعداً لِكَفٍّ تَذَبذَبَت

إِلَيكَ وَرِجلٍ في رِجائِكَ زَلَّتِ

إِلَيكَ وَرِجلٍ في رِجائِكَ زَلَّتِ

Abu Hasan, perdition to a hand that wavered

O Abu Hassan, how far is the wavering palm

Toward you, and a foot that slipped in hoping for you.

That stretched out to you and the foot that slipped in hoping for you!

أَرى حاجَتي يَدنو إِلَيها مَنالُها

أَرى حاجَتي يَدنو إِلَيها مَنالُها

فَإِن مُدَّتِ الأَيدي إِلَيها تَعَلَّتِ

فَإِن مُدَّتِ الأَيدي إِلَيها تَعَلَّتِ

I see the fulfillment of my need draw near;

I see my need drawing near to fulfilling it;

But if hands are stretched toward it, it rises higher.

If only the stretching out of hands to it were made easy.

وَلَم أَرَ مِثلي قيدَ بِالمَطلِ وَالمُنى

وَلَم أَرَ مِثلي قيدَ بِالمَطلِ وَالمُنى

وَلا مِثلَ نَفسي لِلدَنِيَّةِ ذَلَّتِ

وَلا مِثلَ نَفسي لِلدَنِيَّةِ ذَلَّتِ

I have never seen one like me fettered by delay and hopes,

I have not seen anyone bound by aspiration and wishes like me,

Nor a soul like mine submit to indignity.

Nor any soul as debased to baseness as my soul.

وَقَد كانَ عِندي لِلصَنيعَةِ مَوضِعٌ

وَقَد كانَ عِندي لِلصَنيعَةِ مَوضِعٌ

لَوَ اِنَّ سَماءً مِن نَداكَ اِستَهَلَّتِ

لَوَ اِنَّ سَماءً مِن نَداكَ اِستَهَلَّتِ

And within me there was a place for a favor,

I used to have a place for artistry,

Had a cloud of your bounty poured down rain,

If only a sky would pour from your clouds.

يُقَلِّلُها بِالشُكرِ إِن هِيَ كَثَّرَت

يُقَلِّلُها بِالشُكرِ إِن هِيَ كَثَّرَت

وَيُكثِرُها بِالعُذرِ إِن هِيَ قَلَّتِ

وَيُكثِرُها بِالعُذرِ إِن هِيَ قَلَّتِ

That would diminish it through gratitude if it were plentiful,

It diminishes it with gratitude if it were plentiful,

And magnify it through excuses if it were scant.

And makes much of it with excuses if it were little.

تَرَكناكَ لا يُبكى الرَجاءُ الَّذي اِنقَضى

تَرَكناكَ لا يُبكى الرَجاءُ الَّذي اِنقَضى

وَلا تُندَبُ الآمالُ حينَ اِضمَحَلَّتِ

وَلا تُندَبُ الآمالُ حينَ اِضمَحَلَّتِ

We have left you; no tears are shed for hope that has ended,

We have left you, with no grief for the hope that is gone,

Nor are hopes lamented once they have faded away.

Nor sorrow for hopes when they have withered away.

وَما فيكَ لِلرَكبِ المُرَجّينَ مُرغَبٌ

وَما فيكَ لِلرَكبِ المُرَجّينَ مُرغَبٌ

فَتُلقى وَلَكِنَّ الرَكائِبَ كَلَّتِ

فَتُلقى وَلَكِنَّ الرَكائِبَ كَلَّتِ

There is nothing in you to entice hopeful riders

There is nothing in you for the caravan of hopefuls

To visit you—but the mounts have grown weary.

To yearn for, but the riding beasts have grown weary.