هَذا كِتابُكَ فيهِ الجَهلُ وَالعُنفُ

هَذا كِتابُكَ فيهِ الجَهلُ وَالعُنفُ

قَد جاءَنا فَفَهِمنا كُلَّ ماتَصِفُ

قَد جاءَنا فَفَهِمنا كُلَّ ماتَصِفُ

This is your letter, filled with ignorance and harshness;

This is your book, within it ignorance and violence

it has reached us, so we have understood all that you describe.

It has come to us, so we understand all it describes

أَما تَخافُ القَوافي أَن تُزيلَكَ عَن

أَما تَخافُ القَوافي أَن تُزيلَكَ عَن

ذاكَ المُقامِ فَتَمضي ثُمَّ لاتَقِفُ

ذاكَ المُقامِ فَتَمضي ثُمَّ لاتَقِفُ

Do you not fear the rhymes, lest they dislodge you from

Do you not fear the rhymes will remove you

that station, so you depart and then never halt—

From that position, then you will go and not stop

وَشاعِراً لايَكُفُّ النِصفُ غَضبَتَهُ

وَشاعِراً لايَكُفُّ النِصفُ غَضبَتَهُ

إِن هُزَّ وَاللَيثُ يَرضى حينَ يَنتَصِفُ

إِن هُزَّ وَاللَيثُ يَرضى حينَ يَنتَصِفُ

and a poet whose anger fair treatment cannot quell

And a poet whose wrath half will not suffice

if provoked, though the lion is content once it gains redress?

If shaken, and the lion is content when halfway appeased

تَعيبُني بِهَناتٍ لَستُ أَعرِفُها

تَعيبُني بِهَناتٍ لَستُ أَعرِفُها

مِنّي وَأَنتَ بِها جَذلانُ مُعتَرِفُ

مِنّي وَأَنتَ بِها جَذلانُ مُعتَرِفُ

You fault me for failings I do not recognize

You blame me for deficiencies I do not know

in myself, while you gladly admit to them.

While you are with them, an avowed coward

لا تَجمَعَنَّ عَلَينا رِدَّةً وَبَذا

لا تَجمَعَنَّ عَلَينا رِدَّةً وَبَذا

قَولٍ فَذَلِكَ سوءُ الكَيلِ وَالحَشَفُ

قَولٍ فَذَلِكَ سوءُ الكَيلِ وَالحَشَفُ

Do not inflict on us both ugliness and foulness

Do not gather against us aversion and the

of speech: that is short measure and shriveled dates.

Evil of words, for that is the flaw of measuring and sifting

ما لي وَلِلراحِ تَدعوني لِأَشرَبَها

ما لي وَلِلراحِ تَدعوني لِأَشرَبَها

وَلي فُؤادٌ بِشَيءٍ غَيرِها كَلِفُ

وَلي فُؤادٌ بِشَيءٍ غَيرِها كَلِفُ

What have I to do with wine, that you invite me to drink it,

What business have I with comfort, you call me to drink it

when my heart is enamored of something other than it?

While my heart is burdened with something else

إِنَّ التَزاوُرَ فيما بَينَنا خَطَرٌ

إِنَّ التَزاوُرَ فيما بَينَنا خَطَرٌ

وَالأَرضُ مِن وَطأَةِ البِرذَونِ تَنخَسِفُ

وَالأَرضُ مِن وَطأَةِ البِرذَونِ تَنخَسِفُ

Indeed, visits between us are perilous,

Indeed, our frequenting each other is dangerous

and the earth caves in beneath the stout riding horse's tread.

And the earth from the weight of evidence sinks

إِذا اِجتَمَعنا عَلى يَومِ الشِتاءِ فَلي

إِذا اِجتَمَعنا عَلى يَومِ الشِتاءِ فَلي

هَمٌّ بِما أَنا لاقٍ حينَ أَنصَرِفُ

هَمٌّ بِما أَنا لاقٍ حينَ أَنصَرِفُ

When we meet on a winter's day, I am

When we gather on a winter's day, I have

anxious about what I shall face when I depart.

No care for what I encounter when I leave

أَبِالغَديرِ إِذا ضاقَ الطَريقُ بِهِ

أَبِالغَديرِ إِذا ضاقَ الطَريقُ بِهِ

أَم بِالطَريقِ المُعَمّى حينَ يَنعَطِفُ

أَم بِالطَريقِ المُعَمّى حينَ يَنعَطِفُ

Is it the pool, when the road is narrowed by it,

By the pond, when the path is too narrow for it

or the obscured road as it bends?

Or by the twisting path when it turns

وَقُلتَ دَجنٌ يَروقُ العَينَ رَيِّقُهُ

وَقُلتَ دَجنٌ يَروقُ العَينَ رَيِّقُهُ

مِن كُلِّ غادِيَةٍ أَجفانُها وُطُفُ

مِن كُلِّ غادِيَةٍ أَجفانُها وُطُفُ

And you said, 'Cloud-gloom's first freshness delights the eye,

And you said a black-eyed gazelle pleasing to the eye its slenderness

from every morning raincloud with thick-lashed eyelids.'

From every passing one whose eyelids and glance

فَكَيفَ يَطرَبُ لِلدَجنِ المُقيمِ إِذا

فَكَيفَ يَطرَبُ لِلدَجنِ المُقيمِ إِذا

سَحَّت سَحائِبُهُ مَن بَيتُهُ يَكِفُ

سَحَّت سَحائِبُهُ مَن بَيتُهُ يَكِفُ

How, then, can lingering cloud-gloom bring joy, when

So how can the resident be troubled by the black-eyed one when

its clouds pour down, to one whose house leaks?

The clouds have combed, the one whose house shelters him

لا أَقرَبُ الراحَ أَو تَجلو السماءَ لَنا

لا أَقرَبُ الراحَ أَو تَجلو السماءَ لَنا

شَمسُ الرَبيعِ وَتَبهى الرَوضَةُ الأُنُفُ

شَمسُ الرَبيعِ وَتَبهى الرَوضَةُ الأُنُفُ

I will not approach wine until the sky is cleared for us

Neither is comfort near or the sky clears for us

by the spring sun, and the fresh meadow shines,

The spring sun and the meadows smell fragrant

وَيَفتُقُ الوَردُ خُضراً عَن مُعَصفَرَةٍ

وَيَفتُقُ الوَردُ خُضراً عَن مُعَصفَرَةٍ

وَيَكتَسي نورَهُ القاطولُ وَالنَجَفُ

وَيَكتَسي نورَهُ القاطولُ وَالنَجَفُ

and the rose splits green calyxes to reveal safflower-colored blooms,

And the roses bloom green over yellowing

and al-Qatul and al-Najaf clothe themselves in its blossoms.

And the daisy and meadow saffron don its light

هُناكَ تَجميعُ شَملٍ كانَ مُفتَرِقاً

هُناكَ تَجميعُ شَملٍ كانَ مُفتَرِقاً

مِنّا وَتَأليفُ رَأيٍ كانَ يَختَلِفُ

مِنّا وَتَأليفُ رَأيٍ كانَ يَختَلِفُ

There is a gathering of a company once scattered

There the gathering of a kinship that was separated

among us, and a harmonizing of views once at odds.

And the reconciling of an opinion that disagreed