أُؤَدّي إِلَيكُم مِن ضَميري رِسالَةً

أُؤَدّي إِلَيكُم مِن ضَميري رِسالَةً

مِنَ الوُدِّ لا أَبغي لَدَيكُم بِها أَجرا

مِنَ الوُدِّ لا أَبغي لَدَيكُم بِها أَجرا

I convey to you, from my heart, a message

I convey to you from my conscience a message

Of affection, seeking no reward from you for it.

Of affection, I do not want any reward from you for it

وإِن تَسمَعوها خَلوَةً فَشِكايَةٌ

وإِن تَسمَعوها خَلوَةً فَشِكايَةٌ

وَإِن تَسمَعوها في المَلا فَاِسمَعوا الشُكرا

وَإِن تَسمَعوها في المَلا فَاِسمَعوا الشُكرا

And if you hear it in private, it is a complaint;

And if you hear it in private it is a lament

And if you hear it in public, hear it as thanks.

And if you hear it publicly then listen with gratitude

يَقولونَ إِنَّ الصَبرَ صَفقَةُ رابِحٍ

يَقولونَ إِنَّ الصَبرَ صَفقَةُ رابِحٍ

فَقُلتُ وَلَكِنّي خَسِرتُ بِها العُمرا

فَقُلتُ وَلَكِنّي خَسِرتُ بِها العُمرا

They say that patience is a winner’s bargain;

They say that patience is a profitable trade

So I said, “But I have lost my lifetime through it.”

So I said but I have lost my lifetime in it

وَغَيرَ أَنَّ مِنّي وَهوَ رِجسٌ مُكَذِّبٌ

وَغَيرَ أَنَّ مِنّي وَهوَ رِجسٌ مُكَذِّبٌ

لِكُلِّ نَبِيٍّ وَهوَ ما عُلِّمَ الشِعرا

لِكُلِّ نَبِيٍّ وَهوَ ما عُلِّمَ الشِعرا

And yet there is from me—he is vile—a denier

And another thing from me which is an impure lie

Of every prophet, though he was not taught poetry.

To every prophet, and it is what poetry has been taught

وَقامَ فُلانٌ في المَلا بِقَصيدَةٍ

وَقامَ فُلانٌ في المَلا بِقَصيدَةٍ

بِهِ قَعَدَت إِذ باتَ يُقعِدُها كَسرا

بِهِ قَعَدَت إِذ باتَ يُقعِدُها كَسرا

And so-and-so stood before the assembly with a poem;

So and so stood in public with a poem

It brought him low, as he spent the night crippling it with broken meter.

With it he sat down when he went on declaiming it as a poem

وَقُل اِقبَلوها وَهيَ ضَيفٌ وَلَو سَرَت

وَقُل اِقبَلوها وَهيَ ضَيفٌ وَلَو سَرَت

إِلى حائِمِ الطائِيُّ حَرَّمَ أَن تُقرى

إِلى حائِمِ الطائِيُّ حَرَّمَ أَن تُقرى

And say, “Accept it—it is a guest; yet, had it traveled

And say accept it even if she went

To Ha’im al-Ta’i, he would have forbidden it hospitality.”

To the sanctuary the Tayy did not allow it to be recited

وَفي الناسِ مَن أَشعارُهُم كَأَجِنَّةٍ

وَفي الناسِ مَن أَشعارُهُم كَأَجِنَّةٍ

تَبَوَّأُ مِن طِرسِ المَسَوِّدَةِ القَبرا

تَبَوَّأُ مِن طِرسِ المَسَوِّدَةِ القَبرا

And among people are those whose poems are like fetuses,

And among the people are those whose poems are like jinn

Taking the rough draft’s page as their grave.

Who take residence in the blackened graves

فَقُل إِن تَقُل قَد جِئتُ مِن أَرضِ بابِلٍ

فَقُل إِن تَقُل قَد جِئتُ مِن أَرضِ بابِلٍ

صَدَقتَ وَلَكِن لَم تُعَلَّم بِها السِحرا

صَدَقتَ وَلَكِن لَم تُعَلَّم بِها السِحرا

Then say: if you say, “I have come from the land of Babylon,”

So say if you say I have come from the land of Babylon

You have spoken truly, but you were not taught sorcery there.

You spoke the truth but you were not taught magic in it

أَقولُ لِبَغدادٍ إِذا ما نَصَحتُهُم

أَقولُ لِبَغدادٍ إِذا ما نَصَحتُهُم

نَصَحتُكِ يا بَغدادُ لا تَشتُمي مِصرا

نَصَحتُكِ يا بَغدادُ لا تَشتُمي مِصرا

I say to Baghdad whenever I offer them counsel:

I say to Baghdad when I advise them

“I have counseled you, O Baghdad: do not revile Egypt.”

I advise you O Baghdad do not insult Egypt

يَرى الناسُ في بَغدادَ لِلسِحرِ آيَةً

يَرى الناسُ في بَغدادَ لِلسِحرِ آيَةً

وَفي مِصرَ موساها وَآيَتُهُ الكُبرى

وَفي مِصرَ موساها وَآيَتُهُ الكُبرى

People see in Baghdad a sign of sorcery,

People see in Baghdad a sign for magic

And in Egypt, her Moses and his greatest sign.

And in Egypt its Moses and its greatest sign

دَعوا المَلَكَينِ المُهبَطَينِ عُقوبَةً

دَعوا المَلَكَينِ المُهبَطَينِ عُقوبَةً

فَإِنَّ كَليمَ اللَهِ أَورَثَها الفَخرا

فَإِنَّ كَليمَ اللَهِ أَورَثَها الفَخرا

Leave aside the two angels sent down as punishment,

Leave the two angels brought down as punishment

For the one God spoke to bequeathed glory to her.

For the Kalim (Friend) of God inherited it pride