لا أَتَّضِع إِلَيهِ

لا أَتَّضِع إِلَيهِ

حَتَى يَلينَ لِضِرسِ الماضِغِ الحَجَرُ

حَتَى يَلينَ لِضِرسِ الماضِغِ الحَجَرُ

I will not abase myself before him

I do not humble myself before him

Until stone yields to the chewer's molar.

Until the stone softens for the chewing tooth

وَلا أَقصُرُ الهَوى عَلَيهِ

وَلا أَقصُرُ الهَوى عَلَيهِ

حَتّى يُقَصِّر عَن غاياتِهِ القَدَرُ

حَتّى يُقَصِّر عَن غاياتِهِ القَدَرُ

Nor will I confine my love to him

Nor do I shorten my passion for him

Until fate falls short of its ends.

Until fate shortens its aims

وَلا أُحالِفُ قُربَهُ

وَلا أُحالِفُ قُربَهُ

حَتّى يُحالِفَ بَطنَ الراحَةِ الشَعَرُ

حَتّى يُحالِفَ بَطنَ الراحَةِ الشَعَرُ

Nor will I ally myself with his nearness

Nor do I befriend his nearness

Until hair allies itself with the hollow of the palm.

Until poetry befriends the belly of comfort

وَلا أُصالِحُ قَلبَهُ

وَلا أُصالِحُ قَلبَهُ

حَتّى يُرى طائِراً مِن مائِهِ الشَرَرُ

حَتّى يُرى طائِراً مِن مائِهِ الشَرَرُ

Nor will I make peace with his heart

Nor do I reconcile his heart

Until sparks are seen flying from its water.

Until a bird is seen from his water splash

فَكَم تَعَللَّتُ فيهِ بِالمُنى

فَكَم تَعَللَّتُ فيهِ بِالمُنى

وَذَلِكَ الصَفوُ قَد أَودى بِهِ الكَدَرُ

وَذَلِكَ الصَفوُ قَد أَودى بِهِ الكَدَرُ

For how often I consoled myself over him with hopes,

So how I have excused him with wishes

And murk has made an end of that clarity.

And that clarity has destroyed him with gloom

وَكَم دَفَعتُ الأَسى فيهِ بِالأَسى

وَكَم دَفَعتُ الأَسى فيهِ بِالأَسى

وَلا مَرَدَّ لِما يَأَتي بِهِ القَدَرُ

وَلا مَرَدَّ لِما يَأَتي بِهِ القَدَرُ

And how often I warded off sorrow over him with sorrow,

And how I have repelled sorrow in him with sorrow

And there is no turning back what fate brings.

And there is no stopping what fate brings

وَكَم غالَطتُ فيهِ الحَقيقَةَ

وَكَم غالَطتُ فيهِ الحَقيقَةَ

وَالحَقُّ أَبلَجُ لا تَخفى لَهُ غُرَرُ

وَالحَقُّ أَبلَجُ لا تَخفى لَهُ غُرَرُ

And how often I disputed the truth about him,

And how I have mistaken the truth in him

And truth is radiant; its bright marks are not hidden.

And the truth is lucid, no deceits are hidden from it

وَكَم عادَيتُ فيهِ النَفسَ الصَديقَةَ

وَكَم عادَيتُ فيهِ النَفسَ الصَديقَةَ

بَصيرَةُ الحُبِّ أَلا يَنظُرَ البَصَرُ

بَصيرَةُ الحُبِّ أَلا يَنظُرَ البَصَرُ

And how often I made an enemy of my friendly soul over him:

And how I have opposed in him the soul, the friend

Love's insight is that sight should not see.

The insight of love, does not the vision look?

فَكانَ في إِخفاءِ أَسراري

فَكانَ في إِخفاءِ أَسراري

كَمَن دَبَّ يَستَخفي وَفي الحَليِ جُلجُلُ

كَمَن دَبَّ يَستَخفي وَفي الحَليِ جُلجُلُ

So, in concealing my secrets, he was

So in concealing my secrets he was

Like one who crept in hiding, with a bell in his jewelry;

Like one who creeps to hide and in his anklet is jingling

وَفي حِفظِ وَدائِعِ أَخباري

وَفي حِفظِ وَدائِعِ أَخباري

كَما اِستَخزَنَ الماءَ المُرَوّقَ مَنهَلُ

كَما اِستَخزَنَ الماءَ المُرَوّقَ مَنهَلُ

And in guarding the entrusted store of my news,

And in keeping the deposits of my news

Like a watering place storing clarified water.

As one who stored spilled water in a spring

لا جَرَمَ أَنّي دافَعتُ بِهِ الغَرام

لا جَرَمَ أَنّي دافَعتُ بِهِ الغَرام

كَما دافَعَ الدينَ الغَريمُ المُماطِلُ

كَما دافَعَ الدينَ الغَريمُ المُماطِلُ

Surely I held my passion for him at bay,

No doubt, I have repelled with it love

As a stalling debtor puts off his debt.

As the debtor repelled the creditor, the procrastinator

وَذُدتُ قَلبي عَن ذَلِكَ المَرام

وَذُدتُ قَلبي عَن ذَلِكَ المَرام

كَما ذادَ ظَمآنا عَنِ الماءِ ناهِلُ

كَما ذادَ ظَمآنا عَنِ الماءِ ناهِلُ

And I drove my heart away from that goal,

And I have turned my heart from that desire

As one who has drunk drives a thirsty man from water.

As the thirsty turned from water, the sipper

فَوَزنُ هَواهُ الآنَ في عَيني

فَوَزنُ هَواهُ الآنَ في عَيني

كَما طارَ في ساقي الرِياحِ تُرابُ

كَما طارَ في ساقي الرِياحِ تُرابُ

So the weight of his love now in my eyes

So the weight of his love now in my eye

Is like dust flying amid the winds' two legs.

Is as the dust has flown in my leg, the winds

وَعُذرُ غَدرِهِ في مِسمَعي

وَعُذرُ غَدرِهِ في مِسمَعي

كَما طَنَّ في لَوحِ الهَجيرِ ذُبابُ

كَما طَنَّ في لَوحِ الهَجيرِ ذُبابُ

And the excuse for his treachery in my ear

And the excuse of his betrayal in my hearing

Is like a fly buzzing in the glare of midday heat.

As the flies have droned on the tablet of separation

وَحاصِل حُبِّهِ في قَلبي

وَحاصِل حُبِّهِ في قَلبي

كَما لاحَ في لَوحِ القِفارِ سَرابُ

كَما لاحَ في لَوحِ القِفارِ سَرابُ

And the yield of his love in my heart

And the harvest of his love in my heart

Is like a mirage appearing in the deserts' expanse.

As the mirage has appeared on the tablet of the desert

وَقَد رَجَعتُ عَن مَحَلِّهِ

وَقَد رَجَعتُ عَن مَحَلِّهِ

كَما رَجَعَ المَغبونُ بَعدَ بِياعِهِ

كَما رَجَعَ المَغبونُ بَعدَ بِياعِهِ

And I have withdrawn from his place,

And I have turned away from his abode

As a cheated man returns after his sale.

As the cheated turned away after his sale

وَما كانَ مِثلي نازِلاً بِمِثلِهِ

وَما كانَ مِثلي نازِلاً بِمِثلِهِ

وَلَكِنَّ دَهراً ضاقَ باعي بِباعِهِ

وَلَكِنَّ دَهراً ضاقَ باعي بِباعِهِ

Nor would one like me have lodged with one like him,

And there was none like me descending to his like

But it was an age before whose reach my own fell short.

But time straitened my hand with his hand