هو الدهر يستثني المخلوف بالأمن

هو الدهر يستثني المخلوف بالأمن

فلا بد من منع لديه ومِن مَنِّ

فلا بد من منع لديه ومِن مَنِّ

Does Time exempt any created being by granting it safety?

Such is Time: it exempts the one left behind through safety [wording unclear];

It cannot but withhold at times and bestow favors at times.

with it, there must be both withholding and bestowal.

وما كان حبل اليسر بالعسر ملحقا

وما كان حبل اليسر بالعسر ملحقا

فحزمي أولى في التجلد من حزني

فحزمي أولى في التجلد من حزني

The cord of ease was never joined fast to hardship;

And while the cord of ease is bound to hardship,

so my resolve has more claim to steadfastness than has my grief.

my resolve is better suited to endurance than my grief.

وهذي الليالي خبط عشواء طالما

وهذي الليالي خبط عشواء طالما

نقرب ما تقصى وتفقر ما تغني

نقرب ما تقصى وتفقر ما تغني

These nights blunder like a night-blind she-camel—how often

These nights blunder like a dim-sighted camel—how often

they bring near what was far away and impoverish what was rich.

we draw near what they banish, while they impoverish what they enrich.

عهدنا التئام الشمل فيها وانها

عهدنا التئام الشمل فيها وانها

لتصدع شمل الجفن أو سنة الجفن

لتصدع شمل الجفن أو سنة الجفن

We have known them reunite what was scattered, yet

We have known unity within them, yet they

they rend the eyelids' union—or the slumber of the eye.

split apart the eyelids' union or the eyelids' slumber.

وكم فرصة فيها استحالت بغصة

وكم فرصة فيها استحالت بغصة

فما افترسني أو قرعت لها سني

فما افترسني أو قرعت لها سني

How many an opportunity in them has turned into a choking grief,

How many an opportunity within them has turned to choking sorrow,

yet it did not prey upon me, nor did I gnash my teeth over it.

yet it did not devour me, nor did I gnash my teeth over it.

وكم سرني فيها المنى بحديثه

وكم سرني فيها المنى بحديثه

وأغصب عيني در ما سمعت أذني

وأغصب عيني در ما سمعت أذني

How often hope delighted me in them with its tidings,

How often hope delighted me within them with its tidings,

and forced my eyes to shed pearls for what my ears had heard.

and wrung pearls from my eye at what my ear had heard.

كأني لم انظر سوى قبح فعلها

كأني لم انظر سوى قبح فعلها

ولم تر إلا حسن مصطبري مني

ولم تر إلا حسن مصطبري مني

It was as though I saw nothing but the ugliness of their deeds,

As though I had seen only the ugliness of their deeds,

while they saw nothing in me but the beauty of my patient endurance.

and they had seen from me only the beauty of my patient endurance,

إلى أن محا المولى حسين خطوبها

إلى أن محا المولى حسين خطوبها

بنائله المغنى عن الأب والأبن

بنائله المغنى عن الأب والأبن

Until my lord Hussein erased their calamities

until Lord Husayn erased their calamities

with gifts that left me needing neither father nor son.

with his bounty, which left one needing neither father nor son.

أعاد لي الأيام وهي نواضر

أعاد لي الأيام وهي نواضر

وأفرغها من قالب القبح للحسن

وأفرغها من قالب القبح للحسن

He restored my days to me, fresh and blooming,

He restored my days to me, fresh and flourishing,

and recast them from the mold of ugliness into beauty.

and recast them from ugliness's mold into beauty.

وأكثر من نعماه حتى مللتها

وأكثر من نعماه حتى مللتها

كما مُل في جدب مداومة المزن

كما مُل في جدب مداومة المزن

He multiplied his favors until I wearied of them,

He multiplied his favors until I wearied of them,

as even one amid drought might weary of the rain clouds' persistence.

as one tires of ceaseless rainclouds in drought.

همام رحيب الصدر مستسهل العطا

همام رحيب الصدر مستسهل العطا

رفيع الذرى داني الوفا حسن الظن

رفيع الذرى داني الوفا حسن الظن

A valiant man, spacious of breast, who finds giving easy,

A noble man, broad-hearted, finding generosity easy,

lofty in station, quick to keep faith, and charitable in judgment.

lofty in eminence, ready in fidelity, charitable in judgment.

تنزه عن ريب وعيناه عن خنا

تنزه عن ريب وعيناه عن خنا

وأحشاه عن غدر ويمناه عن ضن

وأحشاه عن غدر ويمناه عن ضن

Free of suspicion, his eyes free of obscenity,

He is free of suspicion, his eyes of indecency,

his heart free of treachery, his right hand free of stinginess.

his inward heart of treachery, his right hand of stinginess.

لقد خاب من بالغدر رام محله

لقد خاب من بالغدر رام محله

كما خاب من يرقى السماء من الجن

كما خاب من يرقى السماء من الجن

Whoever sought his station through betrayal has surely failed,

He who sought his station through treachery surely failed,

as the jinn fail when they try to scale the sky.

as a jinn who tries to climb to heaven fails.

له الويل قد اصفيته الود معلنما

له الويل قد اصفيته الود معلنما

واعليته عن كل حادثة تدني

واعليته عن كل حادثة تدني

Woe to him! You had shown him affection pure and manifest

Woe to him! You had openly bestowed your pure affection upon him,

and raised him above every misfortune that lays men low.

and raised him above every calamity that brings one low,

وانقذته من كل هول ومنكر

وانقذته من كل هول ومنكر

وشدت له مجداً اثيلا فلم يغن

وشدت له مجداً اثيلا فلم يغن

You delivered him from every terror and evil

and rescued him from every terror and dreadful thing,

and founded deep-rooted glory for him—yet none of it availed him.

and built him deep-rooted glory, yet it availed nothing.

بغى لك ما يصمى فعاجلته به

بغى لك ما يصمى فعاجلته به

ورام العلا بغيا فخربت ما يبنى

ورام العلا بغيا فخربت ما يبنى

He plotted a mortal blow against you, so you dealt it swiftly to him;

He sought for you what kills outright, so you dealt it to him first;

he sought eminence through aggression and destroyed what he was building.

he sought high station through oppression, so you destroyed what he was building.

وقاد إليك الجيش من ظنه بهم

وقاد إليك الجيش من ظنه بهم

جبالاً فأمست عند لقياك كالمهن

جبالاً فأمست عند لقياك كالمهن

He led an army against you, imagining its men

He led an army against you, believing its men to be

to be mountains; when they met you, they became mere weaklings.

mountains; yet on meeting you they became like menials.

فأمل ما يعي وحاول ما يسى

فأمل ما يعي وحاول ما يسى

وفارق ما يحي وصادف ما يغني

وفارق ما يحي وصادف ما يغني

He aspired to what he could not grasp and attempted what brought harm;

He hoped for what would weary him and attempted what would harm him [readings uncertain];

he abandoned what gives life and met what annihilates.

he left what gives life and encountered what enriches [wording unclear].

وولى فأما قومه فمجدل

وولى فأما قومه فمجدل

وآخر يستفديك بالركب والظعن

وآخر يستفديك بالركب والظعن

He turned in flight: some of his people lay felled,

He turned and fled; of his people, one lay struck down,

while another sought to ransom himself to you with riders and women's litters.

and another sought ransom from you with riders and women in litters.

ولورمته لم ينج لكن انفت ان

ولورمته لم ينج لكن انفت ان

تحاول من رام الفرار عن الطعن

تحاول من رام الفرار عن الطعن

Had you aimed at him, he would not have escaped; but you disdained

Had you targeted him, he would not have escaped; but you disdained

to pursue one who had chosen flight from the spear-thrust.

to pursue one seeking escape from spear-thrusts.

فكايلته صاعاً بصاع موفيا

فكايلته صاعاً بصاع موفيا

وما منكم من يدعى ردة الغين

وما منكم من يدعى ردة الغين

You measured him a full bushel for his bushel,

You paid him measure for measure, giving full measure,

and none among you can be accused of repaying injury with excess.

and none among you is said to relapse into obscurity [phrase unclear].

ألا إن بغي المرء بالمرء مسرع

ألا إن بغي المرء بالمرء مسرع

وأفسد أجناس الرجال أولو الضغن

وأفسد أجناس الرجال أولو الضغن

Indeed, one man's aggression against another comes swiftly home,

Indeed, a man's oppression swiftly turns upon him,

and the worst kind of men are those who harbor rancor.

and the most corrupt kinds of men are those who harbor rancor.

ولم أنسه يوماً وجيشك مقبل

ولم أنسه يوماً وجيشك مقبل

على حلب إقبال مشف على مضن

على حلب إقبال مشف على مضن

I shall never forget that day, your army advancing

Never have I forgotten him, as your army advanced

upon Aleppo like a healer approaching one wasted by illness.

toward Aleppo like a healer approaching an ailing man [reading uncertain],

وصدمته بالجيش جيشك ثانيا

وصدمته بالجيش جيشك ثانيا

ومرجعه بالخزي في طلب الحصن

ومرجعه بالخزي في طلب الحصن

Your army defeated his army a second time

nor his charging your army with his troops a second time,

and sent him back in disgrace to seek shelter in the fortress.

nor his disgraceful return in search of the fortress.

ومن ذلة بالمرء أن يترك الفلا

ومن ذلة بالمرء أن يترك الفلا

مفيحة الأرجاء ويسجن بالمدن

مفيحة الأرجاء ويسجن بالمدن

What humiliation for a man to abandon the open wilderness—

A man is humiliated when he abandons the open plains,

its spacious, far-reaching tracts—and be imprisoned in cities!

with their spacious reaches, and is imprisoned in cities.

كأنك من بحر من الجيش موجه

كأنك من بحر من الجيش موجه

من البيض والفرسان فيه على سفن

من البيض والفرسان فيه على سفن

You seemed, from a sea made wholly of armies, one of its waves,

You seem part of a sea of troops whose waves

with white blades and horsemen riding upon ships.

are bright blades, while its horsemen ride upon ships.

وقد خفقت رايات نصرك في الوغى

وقد خفقت رايات نصرك في الوغى

كما خفقت أعضاء أعداك من جبن

كما خفقت أعضاء أعداك من جبن

The standards of your victory fluttered in the battle,

Your victorious banners fluttered in battle,

just as your enemies' limbs fluttered with fear.

as your enemies' limbs trembled with cowardice.

تلوح ويخفيها القتام كأنها

تلوح ويخفيها القتام كأنها

بوارق تبدو في سحائبها الدجن

بوارق تبدو في سحائبها الدجن

They flashed, then the battle dust hid them, as though they were

They appear, then battle-dust conceals them, as though

lightning bolts appearing within dark-laden clouds.

they were lightning flashes appearing within their dark clouds.

يحاكي دم القتلى على صفحاتها

يحاكي دم القتلى على صفحاتها

مدامع صب بات يمسح بالردن

مدامع صب بات يمسح بالردن

The slain men's blood upon their surfaces resembled

The slain men's blood upon their surfaces resembles

the tears of an ardent lover who spent the night wiping them with his sleeve.

the tears of a lover who spent the night wiping them with his sleeve.

لك الخير وفيت المعالي حقوقها

لك الخير وفيت المعالي حقوقها

وصافيتها صفو الصديق مع الخدن

وصافيتها صفو الصديق مع الخدن

May all good be yours! You rendered noble endeavor its full due

May good be yours! You paid noble virtues their due,

and kept pure faith with it, as friend does with intimate friend.

and loved them with a friend's pure devotion to his companion.

واظهرت للباغي مدار رحى الوغى

واظهرت للباغي مدار رحى الوغى

وكيف مجال القرن في طلب القرن

وكيف مجال القرن في طلب القرن

You showed the aggressor the axle of battle's grinding mill,

You showed the aggressor how battle's millstone turns,

and how a champion ranges when seeking his peer;

and how one rival maneuvers in pursuit of another,

وكيف الجياد الجرد يعلو ظهورها

وكيف الجياد الجرد يعلو ظهورها

غصون وكيف البدر يشرق بالغصن

غصون وكيف البدر يشرق بالغصن

how branches rise above the backs of sleek, unmarked horses,

and how, above the backs of sleek steeds, rise

and how the full moon shines upon a branch;

branches, and how the full moon shines upon a branch;

وكيف المنايا تستمد سيوفكم

وكيف المنايا تستمد سيوفكم

وكيف يساوي السهل جيشك بالحزن

وكيف يساوي السهل جيشك بالحزن

how Death draws reinforcements from your swords,

and how death draws aid from your swords,

and how your army levels plain and rugged ground alike.

and how your army makes the plain equal to rugged terrain.

الا ان من علياك تهذيب اهوج

الا ان من علياك تهذيب اهوج

وارغام قهار واقتار مستغن

وارغام قهار واقتار مستغن

Among your exalted deeds are the disciplining of a reckless fool,

Indeed, among your lofty deeds are disciplining a reckless man,

the humbling of an overbearing tyrant, and reducing the self-sufficient to want;

humbling a tyrant and impoverishing the self-sufficient,

وتسكين مزعوج وتأمين خائف

وتسكين مزعوج وتأمين خائف

واعتاق مأسور واطلاق ذي سجن

واعتاق مأسور واطلاق ذي سجن

the calming of the distraught and the making-safe of the fearful,

calming the distressed and granting safety to the fearful,

the manumission of a captive and the release of a prisoner.

freeing a captive and releasing a prisoner.

فما نجح آمال ثنت لسواكم

فما نجح آمال ثنت لسواكم

عناناً وألفاظٍ على غيركم تثنى

عناناً وألفاظٍ على غيركم تثنى

No hopes succeed if they turn their reins toward anyone but you,

No hopes succeed that turn toward anyone but you

nor do my words praise anyone but you.

their reins, nor words of praise bestowed upon others.