أَعرني منك يا هاروتُ سحرا

أَعرني منك يا هاروتُ سحرا

فإِن بهِ يراعي اليومَ أحرَى

فإِن بهِ يراعي اليومَ أحرَى

Lend me some of your magic, O Harut,

Oh Harut, grant me some of your magic

For my reed pen is more deserving of it today.

For with it today I will achieve what I desire

أَفضهُ عليَّ إلهاماً يداوي

أَفضهُ عليَّ إلهاماً يداوي

جمودَ قريحتي فتسيلَ بحرا

جمودَ قريحتي فتسيلَ بحرا

Pour it upon me as inspiration that heals

Pour over me inspiration that will heal

The stagnation of my poetic gift, so it may flow as a sea.

The stagnation of my talent so it flows like a sea

وأوحِ بهِ اليَّ ودعهُ يجري

وأوحِ بهِ اليَّ ودعهُ يجري

على قلمي ويقطر منهُ قطرا

على قلمي ويقطر منهُ قطرا

And inspire me with it, and let it flow

And inspire in me and let it flow

Over my pen, and drip from it drop by drop.

Through my pen and drip from it drop by drop

أتى حينٌ عليَّ صمتُّ فيهِ

أتى حينٌ عليَّ صمتُّ فيهِ

وذدت عن الكلام النفس قسرا

وذدت عن الكلام النفس قسرا

A time came upon me when I fell silent,

A time has come upon me when I fell silent

And I forcibly held my soul back from speech.

And my soul recoiled from speech by force

وقلتُ لها القريض تنكبيهِ

وقلتُ لها القريض تنكبيهِ

وعنهُ أجملي يا نفس صبرا

وعنهُ أجملي يا نفس صبرا

And I said to it: 'Verse—shun it;

And I said to it, forsake composing poetry

And show gracious patience without it, O soul.

And turn away from it, O soul, with patience

وحبل الشعر غلَّك فاقطعيهِ

وحبل الشعر غلَّك فاقطعيهِ

بتاتاً وابدلي بالوصل هجرا

بتاتاً وابدلي بالوصل هجرا

And poetry's cord has shackled you: cut it

The rope of poetry has twisted you, so cut it

For good, and exchange union for estrangement.

Completely and replace attachment with estrangement

ألستِ ترينَ ربع القول أقوى

ألستِ ترينَ ربع القول أقوى

واصبح نزله المعمور قفرا

واصبح نزله المعمور قفرا

Do you not see that the abode of speech lies deserted,

Do you not see that a quarter of speech is stronger?

And its once-inhabited dwelling has become a wasteland?

And its beauty has become a deserted ruin

وبات بيانهُ عيًّا وأمست

وبات بيانهُ عيًّا وأمست

فصاحتهُ كما تدرين حصرا

فصاحتهُ كما تدرين حصرا

And its expressive clarity has become inarticulate, and now

Its eloquence has become defective, as you know

Its eloquence, as you know, is constrained (ḥaṣr).

And its rhetoric has clearly diminished

وقد أغمضتُ عين الحصر عمداً

وقد أغمضتُ عين الحصر عمداً

ولست بسائل لي عنهُ عذرا

ولست بسائل لي عنهُ عذرا

And I have deliberately closed the 'eye' of ḥaṣr,

I have intentionally blinded rhetorical analysis

And I seek no excuse for myself on that account,

And will not ask it for an excuse

لأن الحصرَ بالتسكين أوفى

لأن الحصرَ بالتسكين أوفى

من التحريك بالمعنى وأجرى

من التحريك بالمعنى وأجرى

For ḥaṣr, with its middle consonant vowelless, is truer

For taciturnity is more faithful than

To the meaning, and more apt, than the vowelled form.

Animation in meaning and flowing

مضى زمن التنافس بالقوافي

مضى زمن التنافس بالقوافي

وحلو الشعر بالافواه مرا

وحلو الشعر بالافواه مرا

Gone is the age of rivalry in rhyme,

The time of competing with rhymes and meters has passed

And the sweetness of poetry has grown bitter in mouths.

And poetry was once sweet on tongues

اذاً فاسليهِ تاركةً هواهث

اذاً فاسليهِ تاركةً هواهث

لمفتون على غيٍّ اصرا

لمفتون على غيٍّ اصرا

Then forget it, leaving love of it

Therefore, leave it and its passions

To one bewitched who has persisted in error.'

To one infatuated with what is futile and persisting