أَقُصُّ عَلَيكُم ما جَرى لِيَ بِالأَمسِ

أَقُصُّ عَلَيكُم ما جَرى لِيَ بِالأَمسِ

فَلي قَصَصٌ تَجلو الهُمومَ عَنِ النَفسِ

فَلي قَصَصٌ تَجلو الهُمومَ عَنِ النَفسِ

I tell you what happened to me yesterday,

I shall recount to you what befell me yesterday,

For I have tales that dispel worries from the soul.

For I have tales that scour sorrows from the soul.

إِذا قُلتُ قالَ الدَهرُ أَحسَنتَ يا فَتىً

إِذا قُلتُ قالَ الدَهرُ أَحسَنتَ يا فَتىً

وَلَو كانَ ذا حِسٍّ لَغابَ عَنِ الحِسِّ

وَلَو كانَ ذا حِسٍّ لَغابَ عَنِ الحِسِّ

When I speak, Time says, ‘Well done, young man!’

When I spoke, Time itself declared, "You have spoken well, young man,"

And were it endowed with feeling, it would lose consciousness.

And had Time possessed feeling, it would have swooned away from sheer sensation.

فَدونَكُمُ هَذا الحَديثُ فَإِنَّهُ

فَدونَكُمُ هَذا الحَديثُ فَإِنَّهُ

أَلَذُّ وَأَشهى مِن مُعاقَرَةِ الكَأسِ

أَلَذُّ وَأَشهى مِن مُعاقَرَةِ الكَأسِ

So here is this tale for you, for it is

So take this narrative, for truly it is

More delightful and more enticing than drinking deep from the cup.

More delicious and delectable than quaffing the wine cup.

جَلَستُ إِلى طِرسي وَقَد عَسعَسَ الدُجى

جَلَستُ إِلى طِرسي وَقَد عَسعَسَ الدُجى

أُسَطِّرُ ما توحِهِ نَفسِيَ في طِرسي

أُسَطِّرُ ما توحِهِ نَفسِيَ في طِرسي

I sat at my page, with darkness already settled in,

I sat before my parchment as the darkness deepened,

Setting down on my page what my soul inspired.

Inscribing upon the scroll what my soul inspires within me.

وَلَيسَ سِوى نورٍ ضَئيلٍ بِجانِبي

وَلَيسَ سِوى نورٍ ضَئيلٍ بِجانِبي

يَلوحُ وَيَخفى كَالرَجاءِ لَدَى اليَأسِ

يَلوحُ وَيَخفى كَالرَجاءِ لَدَى اليَأسِ

And beside me there was only a feeble light,

With naught but a meager light beside me,

Gleaming and fading like hope amid despair.

Flickering in and out like hope amidst despair.

وَكَالنَقعِ في جَوفِ الدَواةِ أَوِ الدُجى

وَكَالنَقعِ في جَوفِ الدَواةِ أَوِ الدُجى

وَكَالهِندِواني بَينَ أَنمُليَّ الخَمسِ

وَكَالهِندِواني بَينَ أَنمُليَّ الخَمسِ

And like dust in the belly of the inkwell, or darkness,

It was dark as ink in the belly of the well, or the night itself,

And like an Indian sword between my five fingers;

Yet sharp as an Indian blade between my five fingers.

فَصاحَةِ قِسٍّ أودِعَت في لِسانِهِ

فَصاحَةِ قِسٍّ أودِعَت في لِسانِهِ

وَحُكمَةُ لُقمانَ وَيُحسَبَ في الخُرسِ

وَحُكمَةُ لُقمانَ وَيُحسَبَ في الخُرسِ

Quss’s eloquence was lodged in its tongue,

The eloquence of Qiss has been entrusted to its tongue,

And Luqman’s wisdom, yet it is counted among the mute.

And the wisdom of Luqman, though it is reckoned among the mute.

ضَعيفُ الخُطى بادي النُحولِ كَأَنَّما

ضَعيفُ الخُطى بادي النُحولِ كَأَنَّما

يُشَدُّ إِلى قَيدٍ يُشَدُّ إِلى حَبسِ

يُشَدُّ إِلى قَيدٍ يُشَدُّ إِلى حَبسِ

Feeble of step, visibly gaunt, as though

With feeble stride and visibly wasted frame, as though

It were bound to a fetter that was bound to a prison.

It is being dragged toward shackles or hauled to prison.

أُقَلِّبُهُ فَوقَ الطُروسِ وَإِنَّما

أُقَلِّبُهُ فَوقَ الطُروسِ وَإِنَّما

أُقَلِّبُ فَوقَ الطِرسِ سَعدِيَ أَو نَحسي

أُقَلِّبُ فَوقَ الطِرسِ سَعدِيَ أَو نَحسي

I turn it over the pages, but in truth

I turn it over the parchments, yet in truth,

I turn my good fortune or my ill upon the page.

It is my own fortune or misfortune that I turn upon the page.

فَنَبَّهَني طَرقٌ عَلى بابِ غُرفَتي

فَنَبَّهَني طَرقٌ عَلى بابِ غُرفَتي

وَصَوتٌ ضَعيفٌ وَهوَ أَقرَبُ لِلهَمسِ

وَصَوتٌ ضَعيفٌ وَهوَ أَقرَبُ لِلهَمسِ

Then a knock at my room’s door roused me,

Then a knocking at my chamber door startled me,

And a faint voice, more nearly a whisper.

Accompanied by a feeble voice, closer to a whisper.

نَهَضتُ وَلَكِن مِثلَما يَنهَضُ الَّذي

نَهَضتُ وَلَكِن مِثلَما يَنهَضُ الَّذي

بِهِ نَشوَةٌ أَو مَن يَفيقُ مِنَ المَسِّ

بِهِ نَشوَةٌ أَو مَن يَفيقُ مِنَ المَسِّ

I rose, but as one rises

I rose, but only as one rises who is

Who is intoxicated, or as one waking from possession.

Swayed by intoxication, or recovering from a spell of madness.

وَلَمّا فَتَحتُ البابَ أَبصَرتُ راهِباً

وَلَمّا فَتَحتُ البابَ أَبصَرتُ راهِباً

وَلَو كُنتُ طِفلاً قُلتُ غولٌ مِنَ الإِنسِ

وَلَو كُنتُ طِفلاً قُلتُ غولٌ مِنَ الإِنسِ

And when I opened the door, I saw a monk,

And when I opened the door, I beheld a monk;

And had I been a child, I would have said, ‘A ghoul among humans!’

Had I been a child, I would have called him a ghoul among men.

فَأَزعَجَني مَرآهُ حَتّى كَأَنَّما

فَأَزعَجَني مَرآهُ حَتّى كَأَنَّما

رَسولُ الرَدى قَد جاءَ يَنعى لِيَ نَفسي

رَسولُ الرَدى قَد جاءَ يَنعى لِيَ نَفسي

The sight of him so alarmed me that it was as though

His appearance disturbed me, as if indeed

Death’s messenger had come to announce my own death to me.

The messenger of Death had come to announce my own end.

فَقُلتُ وَقاني اللَهُ شَرَّكَ ما الَّذي

فَقُلتُ وَقاني اللَهُ شَرَّكَ ما الَّذي

أَتى بِكَ يا مَشؤومُ في ساعَةِ الأُنسِ

أَتى بِكَ يا مَشؤومُ في ساعَةِ الأُنسِ

So I said, ‘May God shield me from your evil! What is it that

I said—God save me from your evil—"What has

Brought you, ill-omened one, in this hour of delight?’

Brought you, O bird of ill omen, in this hour of serene joy?"

أَجابَ كُفيتَ السوءَ جِئتُكَ طالِب

أَجابَ كُفيتَ السوءَ جِئتُكَ طالِب

مَديحَكَ لِيَ بَينَ الآعارِبِ وَالفُرسِ

مَديحَكَ لِيَ بَينَ الآعارِبِ وَالفُرسِ

He replied, ‘May you be spared harm! I have come seeking

He replied, "May you be spared harm; I have come seeking

Your praise of me among the Arabs and Persians.’

Your praise of me to be known among the Arabs and the Persians."

فَقُلتُ وَحَقِّ الشِعرِ مَدحُكَ واجِبٌ

فَقُلتُ وَحَقِّ الشِعرِ مَدحُكَ واجِبٌ

وَمِثلِيَ يَقضيهِ عَلى العَينِ وَالرَأسِ

وَمِثلِيَ يَقضيهِ عَلى العَينِ وَالرَأسِ

So I said, ‘By poetry’s honor, praising you is a duty,

I said, "By the sacred right of poetry, your praise is a duty,

And one like me fulfills it gladly—upon eye and head.

And one such as I fulfills it with all willingness and grace:

خَبَرتُ بَني الدُنيا وَفَتَّشتُ فيهِمُ

خَبَرتُ بَني الدُنيا وَفَتَّشتُ فيهِمُ

فَلَم تَرَ عَينِيَ قَطُّ أَثقَلَ مِن قِسِّ

فَلَم تَرَ عَينِيَ قَطُّ أَثقَلَ مِن قِسِّ

I have known the sons of this world and searched among them,

For I have tested the children of this world and searched among them,

And my eye has never seen anyone more tiresome than a priest.’

And never has my eye beheld a burden heavier than a priest!"