رميتُ أسْهُمَ آمالي فَلَمْ تُصِبِ

رميتُ أسْهُمَ آمالي فَلَمْ تُصِبِ

ورحتُ أدعو النَّدى جهراً فلم يُجبِ

ورحتُ أدعو النَّدى جهراً فلم يُجبِ

I shot the arrows of my hopes, but they missed their mark.

I cast my hopes but did not hit the mark

And I called aloud to generosity, but it did not answer.

And went around calling out loudly but got no response

وخابَ ظنّي فيمنْ كنتُ أحسبه

وخابَ ظنّي فيمنْ كنتُ أحسبه

أبرّ من رحمي الأَدْنى وأرحم بي

أبرّ من رحمي الأَدْنى وأرحم بي

And my trust failed in those I had thought

And my expectations were dashed regarding one I thought

Kinder than my closest kin, and more merciful to me:

Kinder than my own soul and more merciful to me

أَهْلُ الفضائل والخيل الصَّواهل

أَهْلُ الفضائل والخيل الصَّواهل

والسّمر الذّوابل والخطيّةِ القُضب

والسّمر الذّوابل والخطيّةِ القُضب

Men of virtue and neighing steeds,

The people of virtues, the courageous horses

And slender brown lances and Khatt-made spear-shafts;

And the continuing nights of entertainment and pleasure

وَمَنْ إليهمْ تناهى كلُّ مكرمةٍ

وَمَنْ إليهمْ تناهى كلُّ مكرمةٍ

وَمَنْ بهمْ عزَّ قلبُ الجحفلِ اللجبِ

وَمَنْ بهمْ عزَّ قلبُ الجحفلِ اللجبِ

And those in whom every noble virtue has reached its height,

And whoever attained with them every glory

And those through whom the heart of the clamorous host has grown mighty;

And whoever's heart was strengthened through their valor

ومَنْ أَنامِلُهُم جوداً لآمِلِهمْ

ومَنْ أَنامِلُهُم جوداً لآمِلِهمْ

في كلِّ مخمصةٍ تُغني عن السُّحبِ

في كلِّ مخمصةٍ تُغني عن السُّحبِ

And those whose fingertips, in bounty to their hopeful petitioner,

And whoever their hands were generous to the hopeful

In every famine make rain clouds needless.

In every perilous situation they suffice instead of misfortune

ما لي وقد جئتُ ناديكم ألوذُ به

ما لي وقد جئتُ ناديكم ألوذُ به

رَجَعتُ عَنهُ أسير الهمّ والكرب

رَجَعتُ عَنهُ أسير الهمّ والكرب

Why, when I came to your assembly seeking refuge in it,

What is wrong with me, I came seeking you for refuge

Did I return from it a captive to care and anguish?

Yet went away captive of worries and distress

حبّرتُ فيكمْ برودَ المدحِ مُعْلَمةً

حبّرتُ فيكمْ برودَ المدحِ مُعْلَمةً

فما حَصَلْتُ على شيءٍ سِوى التّعب

فما حَصَلْتُ على شيءٍ سِوى التّعب

I embroidered patterned mantles of praise in your honor,

I exhausted praising you in poetry knowing

Yet gained nothing but weariness.

That I gained nothing but fatigue

حاشاكُم ما لِبخْلٍ تمنعونَ فتىً

حاشاكُم ما لِبخْلٍ تمنعونَ فتىً

وَفاكُمْ ببديعِ النظم مُنْتَخبِ

وَفاكُمْ ببديعِ النظم مُنْتَخبِ

Far be it from you! Not through miserliness do you turn away a youth

Far from you to deny a youth out of stinginess

Who came to you with wondrous, choice verse.

Your excellent poetry is carefully selected

أينَ النّوال الذي ما زال دأبكمُ

أينَ النّوال الذي ما زال دأبكمُ

بهِ ملكتمْ رقاب العُجم والعَرب

بهِ ملكتمْ رقاب العُجم والعَرب

Where is the bounty that has always been your custom,

Where is the bounty which your habit has always been

With which you held the necks of non-Arabs and Arabs in your power?

Through it you conquered the necks of non-Arabs and Arabs

وأينَ ما قد عَهِدنا من تَلطفّكمْ

وأينَ ما قد عَهِدنا من تَلطفّكمْ

بكلّ مُنْتزحِ الأَوطانِ مُغترب

بكلّ مُنْتزحِ الأَوطانِ مُغترب

And where is the kindness we have known you to show

And where is what we were accustomed to of your kindness

To every exile far removed from his homeland?

To every outcast far from homeland, estranged

وكيفَ خابتْ ظنوني في أكفّكمُ

وكيفَ خابتْ ظنوني في أكفّكمُ

وظنّ غيري فيكم قطّ لم يَخبِ

وظنّ غيري فيكم قطّ لم يَخبِ

And how have my hopes in your palms been dashed,

And how my hopes in your palms were dashed

When another's trust in you has never failed?

And others' hopes in you have never waned

وما أقولُ لِمنْ قد جاء يسألني

وما أقولُ لِمنْ قد جاء يسألني

عنكم ومثلي لا يَصبْوا إلى الكذبَ

عنكم ومثلي لا يَصبْوا إلى الكذبَ

And what shall I say to one who has come to ask me

And what can I say to one who comes asking me

About you, when one like me does not incline to falsehood?

About you when the likes of me incline not toward lies

أَمَا بِكمْ تُضربُ الأَمثالُ سائرةً

أَمَا بِكمْ تُضربُ الأَمثالُ سائرةً

في المجدِ والجودِ والعلياء والحَسَب

في المجدِ والجودِ والعلياء والحَسَب

Are not widely circulating proverbs coined about you

Indeed, concerning you the examples travel

For glory, generosity, eminence, and noble lineage?

Of glory, generosity, nobility, and distinction

والله ما قصّرت منّي مدائحكم

والله ما قصّرت منّي مدائحكم

وإنّما أدركتني حرفةُ الأدب

وإنّما أدركتني حرفةُ الأدب

By God, my praises of you have not fallen short;

By God, my praises of you were not lacking

Rather, the ill fortune of letters has overtaken me.

But the craft of literature overtook me

يا ويحَ قلبيَ كم ظلَّتْ تُقلّبهُ

يا ويحَ قلبيَ كم ظلَّتْ تُقلّبهُ

أيدي الهموم على فرشٍ من اللّهب

أيدي الهموم على فرشٍ من اللّهب

Alas for my heart! How long it has been tossed

Oh my heart, how hands of worries kept tossing it

By the hands of care upon beds of flame!

On a bed of flames

ولهفَ نفسي لَو أجدى وَوَا حرَبَا

ولهفَ نفسي لَو أجدى وَوَا حرَبَا

لو كان ينفعني إن قلتُ وا حَرَبي

لو كان ينفعني إن قلتُ وا حَرَبي

And alas for my soul, if lament could help! And oh, my ruin,

And my soul longs, if lamenting availed or crying "alas"

If it would help me to cry, 'Oh, my ruin!'

If it benefited me, I'd say "woe is me"

أفي المروءةِ أن تظمَى وقَد صَدرتْ

أفي المروءةِ أن تظمَى وقَد صَدرتْ

عَنْ بَحْر جودٍ بعيد القَعْر مضْطربِ

عَنْ بَحْر جودٍ بعيد القَعْر مضْطربِ

Is it chivalry that my soul should thirst, though it has come away

Is it chivalrous to be thirsty when an ocean

From a deep, surging sea of bounty?

Of generosity flowed from a deep, agitated sea

فإن أعدْ خائباً عن بابِكم فلقَدْ

فإن أعدْ خائباً عن بابِكم فلقَدْ

قلّدتكمْ بعقُود الدرّ والذَّهب

قلّدتكمْ بعقُود الدرّ والذَّهب

For if I return disappointed from your door, I have indeed

If I return disappointed from your door then I have

Hung necklaces of pearls and gold about your necks.

Adorned you with necklaces of pearls and gold

وقلتُ فيكم مديحاً لو مدحتُ به

وقلتُ فيكم مديحاً لو مدحتُ به

شمس الضحّى لَسَخَتْ بالأنجم الشّهُبِ

شمس الضحّى لَسَخَتْ بالأنجم الشّهُبِ

And I spoke such praise of you that, had I praised with it

And I have praised you in a way if I praised

The morning sun, it would have lavished the shining stars.

The morning sun with it, stars would be extinguished

وقدْ رميتُ عِدي فَقْري بنائلكمْ

وقدْ رميتُ عِدي فَقْري بنائلكمْ

لكنّني لِسواد الحظِّ لم أصُبِ

لكنّني لِسواد الحظِّ لم أصُبِ

And I shot at my foe, poverty, with your bounty,

And I have cast my poverty upon your thresholds

But because of fortune's blackness, I missed my mark.

But because of the darkness of my fortune I did not succeed

هي السَّعادةُ إن تبدُو مطالعُها

هي السَّعادةُ إن تبدُو مطالعُها

يُحْظَ الفتى ببلوغ السُّولِ والأربِ

يُحْظَ الفتى ببلوغ السُّولِ والأربِ

It is good fortune: if its dawns appear,

Good fortune it is if its rising appears

A young man is favored with attaining his wish and desire.

So the youth attains goals and graces

وإن يكن غيرها والحرُّ مُمتَحَنٌ

وإن يكن غيرها والحرُّ مُمتَحَنٌ

فما عَلَى مَن أقام العذرَ بالطّلبِ

فما عَلَى مَن أقام العذرَ بالطّلبِ

And if it is otherwise, while a noble man is tried,

And if it is otherwise and the free man is tested

What blame is there on one who has justified himself by striving?

There is no blame upon one who stood with excuses seeking

يا دهرُ كم أتلَقّى كلَّ نائبةٍ

يا دهرُ كم أتلَقّى كلَّ نائبةٍ

بِعَزْمِ ذي جلدٍ يُوهي قُوى النّوب

بِعَزْمِ ذي جلدٍ يُوهي قُوى النّوب

O Time, how often I face every calamity

Oh time, how I have faced every affliction

With a steadfast man's resolve that saps calamities' strength!

With determined resolve that defeats the forces of distress

وكم أُصبّر نَفْساً طالَ ما طَعمتْ

وكم أُصبّر نَفْساً طالَ ما طَعمتْ

طعْمَ البلاَ في طلابِ المجد كالضَّرب

طعْمَ البلاَ في طلابِ المجد كالضَّرب

And how often I urge patience on a soul that has long tasted

And how I make a soul patient that has long tasted

The taste of affliction in pursuit of glory as though it were honey!

The taste of trials in seeking glory like being beaten

وكم أُومِّلُ والآمالُ تَعكسُ

وكم أُومِّلُ والآمالُ تَعكسُ

آمالي وتمنعُني عن نَيل مُطلَبي

آمالي وتمنعُني عن نَيل مُطلَبي

And how often I hope, while hopes thwart

And how I wish while hopes turn away

My hopes and keep me from attaining what I seek.

My hopes and prevent me from attaining my wants

وكم أُردِّدُ زفراتي وأكتمُهَا

وكم أُردِّدُ زفراتي وأكتمُهَا

خَوفاً مِن الحاسِد الغيّارِ يَشْمتُ بي

خَوفاً مِن الحاسِد الغيّارِ يَشْمتُ بي

And how often I repeat my sighs and conceal them,

And how I repeat my sighs and conceal them

For fear the jealous envier should gloat over my misfortune.

Fearing the jealous rival would gloat over me

وا حسْرتا لِهُمومِ في الهموم غدتْ

وا حسْرتا لِهُمومِ في الهموم غدتْ

فعّالة فيه فعلَ النارِ في الحطب

فعّالة فيه فعلَ النارِ في الحطب

Oh, my sorrow for cares that, amid cares, have come

Alas for worries that in worries have become

To work within it as fire works in firewood.

Active in it like the fire's effect on kindling