غَدَوتُ عَلى نَفسي أُثَرِّبُ جاهِداً

غَدَوتُ عَلى نَفسي أُثَرِّبُ جاهِداً

وَأَمثالَها لامَ اللَبيبُ المُثَرِّبُ

وَأَمثالَها لامَ اللَبيبُ المُثَرِّبُ

I set about earnestly reproaching myself,

I roamed my soul, admonishing it insistently,

and the discerning reprover has blamed souls like mine.

And the likes of it the sensible one would admonish.

إِذا كانَ جِسمِيَ مِن تُرابٍ مَآلَهُ

إِذا كانَ جِسمِيَ مِن تُرابٍ مَآلَهُ

إِلَيهِ فَما حَظّي بِأَنِّيَ مُترِبُ

إِلَيهِ فَما حَظّي بِأَنِّيَ مُترِبُ

If my body is of dust, and its final return

If my body's final home is but dust,

is to it, what do I gain by being wealthy?

What luck in grooming it, I implore and wish!

وَما زالَتِ الدُنيا بِأَصنافِ أَلسُنٍ

وَما زالَتِ الدُنيا بِأَصنافِ أَلسُنٍ

تُبَيِّنُ عَن غَيرِ الجَميلِ وَتُعرِبُ

تُبَيِّنُ عَن غَيرِ الجَميلِ وَتُعرِبُ

The world has never ceased, in many kinds of tongues,

And the world with its motley tongues never ceased,

to reveal what is unlovely and express it plainly.

Revealing the unsightly and expressing it unleashed.

إِذا أَغرَبَت يَوماً بِرُزءٍ عَلى الفَتى

إِذا أَغرَبَت يَوماً بِرُزءٍ عَلى الفَتى

فَلَيسَت عَلى نَفسي بِما حُمَّ تُغرِبُ

فَلَيسَت عَلى نَفسي بِما حُمَّ تُغرِبُ

If one day she startles a young man with calamity,

If it once aggrieved me with loss and sorrow,

she does not surprise my soul with what is decreed.

It's no fault of mine what adversity has cherished.

وَجَرَّبتُها أُمَّ الوَليدِ لِطامِعٍ

وَجَرَّبتُها أُمَّ الوَليدِ لِطامِعٍ

وَيَيئِسُ مِن أُمِّ الوَليدِ المُجَرِّبُ

وَيَيئِسُ مِن أُمِّ الوَليدِ المُجَرِّبُ

I have tested her: Umm al-Walid to one who hopes;

I tried it, mother of Al-Walid, for the ambitious one,

and the experienced man despairs of Umm al-Walid.

Yet from mother of Al-Walid the trier despairs.

يَحِقُّ لِمَن يَهوى الحَياةَ بُكاؤُهُ

يَحِقُّ لِمَن يَهوى الحَياةَ بُكاؤُهُ

إِذا لاحَ قُرنُ الشَمسِ أَو حينَ تَغرُبُ

إِذا لاحَ قُرنُ الشَمسِ أَو حينَ تَغرُبُ

It is fitting for one who loves life to weep

For one who loves life, crying is a rightful deed,

when the sun's horn appears, or when it sets.

When the sun's horn emerges or at sunset fades.

وَما نَفَسٌ إِلّا يُباعِدُ مَولِداً

وَما نَفَسٌ إِلّا يُباعِدُ مَولِداً

وَيُدني المَنايا لِلنُفوسِ فَتَقرُبُ

وَيُدني المَنايا لِلنُفوسِ فَتَقرُبُ

And every breath puts one's birth farther away,

Each soul distances a birth and draws near its death,

and brings deaths nearer to souls, so they draw close.

As lives approach their setting, it comes nearer, out of breath.

فَهَل لِسُهَيلٍ في مَعَدِّكَ ناصِرٌ

فَهَل لِسُهَيلٍ في مَعَدِّكَ ناصِرٌ

إِذا أَسلَمَتهُ لِلحَوادِثِ يَعرُبُ

إِذا أَسلَمَتهُ لِلحَوادِثِ يَعرُبُ

Then has Suhayl any helper among your Maʿadd,

Does Suhayl own in your orbit a helper and aide,

if Yaʿrub surrenders him to calamities?

When events have left it bewildered and dazed?

وَأَهدى إِلى نهجِ الهُدى مِن مَعاشِرٍ

وَأَهدى إِلى نهجِ الهُدى مِن مَعاشِرٍ

نَواضِحُ تَسنو أَو عَوامِلُ تَكرُبُ

نَواضِحُ تَسنو أَو عَوامِلُ تَكرُبُ

And better guided toward the path of right than some people

It guided to the path of guidance throngs

are water-drawing camels or working beasts that plough.

Of brilliant rising dawns or prides that blazed.

أَلا تَفرَقُ الأَحياءُ مِمّا بَدا لَها

أَلا تَفرَقُ الأَحياءُ مِمّا بَدا لَها

وَقَد عَمَّها بِالفَجرِ أَزرَقُ مُغرَبُ

وَقَد عَمَّها بِالفَجرِ أَزرَقُ مُغرَبُ

Do the living not fear what has appeared to them,

Do not the living differ in what they initiated?

now that a blue-eyed, white-lashed one has enveloped them with dawn?

Though the blue dusk has blanketed all unified.

وَشَفَّ بَقاءٌ صِرتُ مِن سوءِ فِعلِهِ

وَشَفَّ بَقاءٌ صِرتُ مِن سوءِ فِعلِهِ

أَهَشُّ إِلى المَوتِ الزُؤامِ وَأَطرَبُ

أَهَشُّ إِلى المَوتِ الزُؤامِ وَأَطرَبُ

Continued life has worn me thin; through its evil workings I have come

Remaining lifetime whose misdeeds made me

to welcome swift, dreadful death eagerly and rejoice.

Hasten unto bitter death, distraught and terrified.

فَشِم صارِماً وَارِكُز قَناةً فَلِلردى

فَشِم صارِماً وَارِكُز قَناةً فَلِلردى

يَدُ هِيَ أَولى بِالحِمامِ وَأَدرَبُ

يَدُ هِيَ أَولى بِالحِمامِ وَأَدرَبُ

So sheathe a keen blade and plant a spear, for death

Wield your sword and steady your spear, for havoc

has a hand better fitted to deal death, and more practiced:

Is more worthy of your hand and better wielded.

أَفَضُّ لِهاماتٍ وَأَرمى بِأَسهُمٍ

أَفَضُّ لِهاماتٍ وَأَرمى بِأَسهُمٍ

وَأَطعَنُ في قَلبِ الخَميسِ وَأَضرَبُ

وَأَطعَنُ في قَلبِ الخَميسِ وَأَضرَبُ

better at shattering skulls and shooting arrows,

I pour forth for yearnings and shoot with arrows,

and better at piercing an army's heart and dealing blows.

And stab in the heart of (poetic) meter fivefold.

أَرى مُطعِمَ الرَمسِ اللِهَمَّ خَليلَهُ

أَرى مُطعِمَ الرَمسِ اللِهَمَّ خَليلَهُ

سَيَأكُلُ مِن بَعدِ الخَليلِ وَيَشرَبُ

سَيَأكُلُ مِن بَعدِ الخَليلِ وَيَشرَبُ

I see that he who feeds his friend to the ravenous grave

I see the feeder of poetic meter, may God be his friend,

will eat and drink after that friend is gone.

Will eat after the friend and drink sublime.