وسارقٍ لِمعَاني الشّعر مَنْ ليَ لَوْ

وسارقٍ لِمعَاني الشّعر مَنْ ليَ لَوْ

رأيتُ أشلاه في أظفار ذي لُبَدِ

رأيتُ أشلاه في أظفار ذي لُبَدِ

And a thief of poetry’s meanings—who will deal with him for me? If only

And a thief of poetic ideas—who will help me? If only

I might see his mangled limbs in the claws of a maned lion!

I could see his remains in the claws of a maned lion!

لوِ أنَّ مَن نَظَم المعنَى تصوَّرَهُ

لوِ أنَّ مَن نَظَم المعنَى تصوَّرَهُ

شِبلاً لأَخرجَهُ مِن غابةِ الأسدِ

شِبلاً لأَخرجَهُ مِن غابةِ الأسدِ

If the one who versified the meaning had truly conceived it

If the one who versified the idea had imagined it

as a lion cub, he would have brought it out of the lion’s forest.

as a lion cub, he would have drawn it from the lion’s forest.

أهيّنٌ أنّ معنىً بتّ أَنْظمُهُ

أهيّنٌ أنّ معنىً بتّ أَنْظمُهُ

ما دارَ قبليّ في فِكْرٍ ولاَ خَلَدِ

ما دارَ قبليّ في فِكْرٍ ولاَ خَلَدِ

Is it a trifling thing that a meaning I spent the night composing

Is it a small matter that an idea I spent the night versifying,

had never before me passed through any thought or mind?

which had never before me passed through thought or mind,

أَحدو إليهِ القَوافي العُونَ وهيَ إذاً

أَحدو إليهِ القَوافي العُونَ وهيَ إذاً

ما بَيْنَ مُقْتربٍ منّي ومُبْتعدِ

ما بَيْنَ مُقْتربٍ منّي ومُبْتعدِ

I urge the seasoned rhymes toward it with a cameleer’s song; then they waver

toward which I drive seasoned rhymes, which then are

between drawing near to me and drawing away.

some near me and others far away,

وبعتُ من أَجْلِه نَومي ويأخذُه

وبعتُ من أَجْلِه نَومي ويأخذُه

مَنْ نَامَ عَنْ تعبي فيهِ وعَن سَهَدي

مَنْ نَامَ عَنْ تعبي فيهِ وعَن سَهَدي

And for its sake I sold my sleep—only for it to be taken by

and for which I sold my sleep, should be taken

one who slept through my toil over it and through my sleeplessness.

by one who slept through my toil over it and my sleeplessness?