حُرِمتُ رِضاكَ مِن عَدَمي وَخُسري

حُرِمتُ رِضاكَ مِن عَدَمي وَخُسري

وَكُنتُ أُعِدُّهُ لِصُروفِ دَهري

وَكُنتُ أُعِدُّهُ لِصُروفِ دَهري

Being denied your favor is among my privations and losses;

I am deprived of your approval due to my shortcoming and loss

and I had held it in reserve against the reversals of my fate.

And I used to consider it for the turns of fate

أُرَدِّدُ لَيتَ شِعري ما دَهاني

أُرَدِّدُ لَيتَ شِعري ما دَهاني

لَدَيكَ لَوِ اِنتَفَعتُ بِلَيتَ شِعري

لَدَيكَ لَوِ اِنتَفَعتُ بِلَيتَ شِعري

I keep repeating: 'Would that I knew what has befallen me

I repeat, would that I know what has brought me

with you!'—if 'would that I knew' could do me any good.

Near you, if only I had benefited from "would that I know"

مَتى أَسأَل بِسُخطِكَ ما جَناهُ

مَتى أَسأَل بِسُخطِكَ ما جَناهُ

يَقُل مُستَخبِرٌ أَن لَستُ أَدري

يَقُل مُستَخبِرٌ أَن لَستُ أَدري

Whenever I ask what has brought on your anger,

When will I ask about the misfortune brought by your displeasure

an inquirer says, 'I do not know.'

A questioner would say that I do not know

بَلى حَضَروا وَغِبتُ وَكانَ نَقصاً

بَلى حَضَروا وَغِبتُ وَكانَ نَقصاً

عَلَيَّ حُضورُهُم وَمَغيبُ ذِكري

عَلَيَّ حُضورُهُم وَمَغيبُ ذِكري

Indeed, they were present while I was absent; it was a loss

Yes, they attended while I was absent, and it was a deficiency upon me

to me—their presence, and my going unmentioned.

That they attended while my mention was absent

فَإِن أَضعُف عَنِ اِستِصلاحِ شَأني

فَإِن أَضعُف عَنِ اِستِصلاحِ شَأني

فَتِلكَ السِنُّ شاهِدَةٌ بِعُذري

فَتِلكَ السِنُّ شاهِدَةٌ بِعُذري

So if I am too weak to put my affairs right,

So if I am too weak to rectify my affairs

then my age bears witness to my excuse.

Then it is old age that bears witness to my excuse

وَكُنتُ أَعُدُّ طولَ العُمرِ غُنماً

وَكُنتُ أَعُدُّ طولَ العُمرِ غُنماً

فَعادَ بِضِدِّ ذَلِكَ طولُ عُمري

فَعادَ بِضِدِّ ذَلِكَ طولُ عُمري

And I used to count a long life as a gain,

And I used to consider the length of life a gain

but my long life has brought the opposite of that.

But the length of my life turned out the opposite

لَئِن حَشَدَ الرِجالُ عَلَيكَ دوني

لَئِن حَشَدَ الرِجالُ عَلَيكَ دوني

لَما حَشَدوا عَلَيكَ بِمِثلِ شِعري

لَما حَشَدوا عَلَيكَ بِمِثلِ شِعري

Even if the men have thronged about you without me,

If men rally around you apart from me

they surely have not thronged about you with verse like mine.

They have not rallied around you with the like of my poetry

وَإِن خَدَموكَ بِالأَبدانِ إِنّي

وَإِن خَدَموكَ بِالأَبدانِ إِنّي

لَأَبلَغُ خِدمَةً مِنهُم بِفِكري

لَأَبلَغُ خِدمَةً مِنهُم بِفِكري

And though they have served you with their bodies, I

And if they served you with their bodies, I

surely surpass them in service through my thought.

Can serve better than them with my thoughts

إِذا سَوَّمتُهُنَّ مُسَيَّراتٍ

إِذا سَوَّمتُهُنَّ مُسَيَّراتٍ

كَما اِتَّضَحَت نُجومُ اللَيلِ تَسري

كَما اِتَّضَحَت نُجومُ اللَيلِ تَسري

When I set them loose to journey forth,

When I direct them as voyages

like the stars of night, shining clear as they travel,

As the stars of the night shine clearly as they move

يُجِبنَ اللَيلَ مِن شَرقٍ وَغَربٍ

يُجِبنَ اللَيلَ مِن شَرقٍ وَغَربٍ

وَعَرضَ الأَرضِ مِن بَرٍّ وَبَحرِ

وَعَرضَ الأَرضِ مِن بَرٍّ وَبَحرِ

they traverse the night from east and west,

Answering the night from east and west

and the earth's breadth, over land and sea,

And the breadth of the earth from land and sea

عَلِمتَ بِأَنَّ ما قَدَّمتَ عِندي

عَلِمتَ بِأَنَّ ما قَدَّمتَ عِندي

حَرِيٌّ أَن يُبِرَّ عَلَيهِ شُكري

حَرِيٌّ أَن يُبِرَّ عَلَيهِ شُكري

you will know that what you have bestowed upon me

You knew that what you presented to me

deserves to be surpassed by my gratitude.

Deserves gratitude for it from me

فَإِلّا أَحظَ مِنكَ فَلَيسَ ذَنباً

فَإِلّا أَحظَ مِنكَ فَلَيسَ ذَنباً

عَلَيَّ قُصورُ حَظّي دونَ قَدري

عَلَيَّ قُصورُ حَظّي دونَ قَدري

So if I gain no favor from you, it is no fault

So unless I am graced by you, it is no sin of mine

of mine that my fortune falls short of my worth.

The shortfall of my share apart from my worth

وَقَد أَوشَكتُ أَن يَتوى رَجائي

وَقَد أَوشَكتُ أَن يَتوى رَجائي

وَيُكدِيَ مَطلَبي وَيَخَسَّ أَمري

وَيُكدِيَ مَطلَبي وَيَخَسَّ أَمري

And indeed, I am close to seeing my hope perish,

And I have almost expired of hope

my quest prove fruitless, and my standing sink,

And my pursuit languished and my matter waned

بِوَعدٍ بَعدَ وَعدٍ تَبتَديهِ

بِوَعدٍ بَعدَ وَعدٍ تَبتَديهِ

تَجَرَّمُ فيهِما سَنَتي وَشَهري

تَجَرَّمُ فيهِما سَنَتي وَشَهري

through promise after promise that you initiate,

With a promise after a promise you initiate

as my year and my month pass away between them.

In them my years and months are crimes

وَلَم يَقصُر وَفائي عَن مَداهُ

وَلَم يَقصُر وَفائي عَن مَداهُ

فَيُسلِمَني إِلى التَقصيرِ عُذري

فَيُسلِمَني إِلى التَقصيرِ عُذري

Nor has my loyalty fallen short of its full measure,

And my loyalty did not fall short of its extent

so that my excuse might give me over to neglect.

To hand me over to deficiency as my excuse

وَلا شَرقَ اِمتِنانَكَ نَقصُ شُكري

وَلا شَرقَ اِمتِنانَكَ نَقصُ شُكري

وَلا غَطّى عَلى نُعماكَ كُفري

وَلا غَطّى عَلى نُعماكَ كُفري

Nor has deficient gratitude from me choked your beneficence,

Neither did ingratitude cover up your blessings

nor has my ingratitude covered over your blessings.

Nor did my disbelief veil your favors

إِذا بَعُدَت دِيارُكَ عَن دِياري

إِذا بَعُدَت دِيارُكَ عَن دِياري

دَجَت شَمسي وَغابَ ضِياءُ بَدري

دَجَت شَمسي وَغابَ ضِياءُ بَدري

When your dwellings lie far from mine,

When your dwellings were distant from my dwellings

my sun grows dark, and my full moon's radiance vanishes.

My sun set and the light of my full moon was lost

وَلِليَومِ المُغَيَّبِ عَنكَ شَخصي

وَلِليَومِ المُغَيَّبِ عَنكَ شَخصي

أَمارَةُ يَومِ نَحسٍ مُستَمِرِّ

أَمارَةُ يَومِ نَحسٍ مُستَمِرِّ

And a day when my person is absent from you

And for the day hidden from your person

bears the sign of a day of unrelenting ill fortune.

There is an indication of a continuous ill-omened day

حَلَفتُ بِوائِلٍ وَبِما تَرَقّى

حَلَفتُ بِوائِلٍ وَبِما تَرَقّى

شَريكٌ في مَناقِبِها اِبنُ عَمرِو

شَريكٌ في مَناقِبِها اِبنُ عَمرِو

I have sworn by Wa'il, and by the heights attained

I swear by Wael and by what an ally ascends in virtues

by Sharik ibn Amr among its noble deeds,

Shurayk, the son of Amr, is his peer

وَشَيبانُ بنُ ثَعلَبَةَ المَساعي

وَشَيبانُ بنُ ثَعلَبَةَ المَساعي

وَصَعبُ عَلِيِّها الأَعلى اِبنُ بَكرِ

وَصَعبُ عَلِيِّها الأَعلى اِبنُ بَكرِ

and Shayban ibn Tha'laba of noble endeavors,

And Shayban the son of Tha'labah of great deeds

and Sa'b, son of its most exalted Ali ibn Bakr:

And Sa'b the lofty, son of Bakr, find them difficult

لَقَد نافَستَ في الإِحسانِ حَتّى اِن

لَقَد نافَستَ في الإِحسانِ حَتّى اِن

فَرَدتَ بِكُلِّ مَأثُرَةٍ وَفَخرِ

فَرَدتَ بِكُلِّ مَأثُرَةٍ وَفَخرِ

you have indeed vied in beneficence, until you

You have competed in benevolence until you

stood alone in every noble deed and glory.

Surpassed with every glorious deed and honor

أَرى سَبَبي سَيَقوى بَعدَ ضَعفٍ

أَرى سَبَبي سَيَقوى بَعدَ ضَعفٍ

إِذا أَنا بِالوَزيرِ شَدَدتُ أَزري

إِذا أَنا بِالوَزيرِ شَدَدتُ أَزري

I see that my bond will grow strong after weakness,

I see my cause will grow stronger after weakness

when I brace my back through the minister.

When I brace myself with the minister as my reinforcement

مَتى يُطلِق بِعارِفَةٍ لِساني

مَتى يُطلِق بِعارِفَةٍ لِساني

فَلَيسَت مِن عَوارِفِهِ بِبِكرِ

فَلَيسَت مِن عَوارِفِهِ بِبِكرِ

Whenever he frees my tongue with a kindness,

When will he unleash with understanding a tongue of mine

it is no firstborn among his favors.

Which is not of his choice understandings

وَكَم فَجِئَت يَداهُ يَدَيَّ بُغتاً

وَكَم فَجِئَت يَداهُ يَدَيَّ بُغتاً

بِنَيلٍ مِن نَدى كَفَّيهِ غَمرِ

بِنَيلٍ مِن نَدى كَفَّيهِ غَمرِ

And how often his hands have suddenly surprised mine

And how often his hands came to my hands suddenly

with an abundant gift from the dew of his palms!

With a downpour from the palms of his generous hands