عَرَضتُ عَلَيها ما أَرادَت مِنَ المُنى

عَرَضتُ عَلَيها ما أَرادَت مِنَ المُنى

لِتَرضى فَقالَت قُم فَجِئني بِكَوكَبِ

لِتَرضى فَقالَت قُم فَجِئني بِكَوكَبِ

I offered her what she wished for,

I offered her whatever delights she desired,

to please her; then she said: Rise and bring me a star.

So she would be pleased, but she said "Arise and bring me a star."

فَقُلتُ لَها هَذا التَعَنُّتُ كُلُّهُ

فَقُلتُ لَها هَذا التَعَنُّتُ كُلُّهُ

كَمَن يَتَشَهى لَحمَ عَنقاء مغربِ

كَمَن يَتَشَهى لَحمَ عَنقاء مغربِ

So I said to her: This is sheer obstinacy,

So I said to her "This obstinacy is but

like one who craves the flesh of the far-off ‘Anqa’ bird.

Like one who craves the flesh of the wild ass of the west."

سَلي كُلَّ أَمرٍ يَستَقيمُ طِلابُهُ

سَلي كُلَّ أَمرٍ يَستَقيمُ طِلابُهُ

وَلا تَذهَبي يا دُرُّ في كُلِّ مَذهَبِ

وَلا تَذهَبي يا دُرُّ في كُلِّ مَذهَبِ

Ask for anything whose pursuit is possible,

Ask me for anything reasonable that suits your request,

and do not go, O pearl, down every path.

And wander not, O pearl, into every doctrine.

فَلَو أَنَّني أَصَبَحتُ في جودِ مالِكٍ

فَلَو أَنَّني أَصَبَحتُ في جودِ مالِكٍ

وَعِزَّتِهِ ما نالَ ذَلِكَ مَطلَبي

وَعِزَّتِهِ ما نالَ ذَلِكَ مَطلَبي

For even if I possessed Malik’s generosity

For had I possessed the generosity of a generous man,

and his might, my quest would still fall short of that.

By his glory, that would not have been my quest.

فَتىً شَقِيَت أَموالُهُ بِسَماحِهِ

فَتىً شَقِيَت أَموالُهُ بِسَماحِهِ

كَما شَقِيَت قَيسٌ بِأَرماح تَغلِبِ

كَما شَقِيَت قَيسٌ بِأَرماح تَغلِبِ

A young man whose wealth suffered from his generosity,

A man who suffered loss from his generosity,

just as Qays suffered from Taghlib’s spears.

Just as Qays suffered from the spears of Taghlib.