مَرَّ عَيشٌ عَلَيَّ قَد كانَ لَذّا

مَرَّ عَيشٌ عَلَيَّ قَد كانَ لَذّا

وَدَهَتني الأَيّامُ فيها وَحَذّا

وَدَهَتني الأَيّامُ فيها وَحَذّا

The days embittered my life for me, though once it had been sweet;

A life once sweet has gone by for me,

they assailed me in it while I stood alone.

and the days assailed me during it with swift blows.

وَاِنثَنى عَنّيَّ الشَبابُ وَغودِر

وَاِنثَنى عَنّيَّ الشَبابُ وَغودِر

تُ فَريداً مِنَ الأَحِبَةِ فَذّا

تُ فَريداً مِنَ الأَحِبَةِ فَذّا

Youth turned away from me, and I was left

Youth turned away from me, and I was left

alone, cut off from loved ones, utterly solitary—

alone, bereft of loved ones, utterly solitary,

بِضَميرٍ لا لَهوَ فيهِ وَقَلبٍ

بِضَميرٍ لا لَهوَ فيهِ وَقَلبٍ

وَقَذَتهُ قَوارِعُ الدَهرِ وَقذا

وَقَذَتهُ قَوارِعُ الدَهرِ وَقذا

with a mind where no diversion dwells, and a heart

with a mind devoid of amusement, and a heart

grievously wounded by the crushing blows of Time;

that time’s calamities have battered sorely.

وَخَليلٍ صافٍ هَنِيٍّ مَرِيٍّ

وَخَليلٍ صافٍ هَنِيٍّ مَرِيٍّ

جَبَذَتهُ الأَيّامُ مِنِّيَ جَبذا

جَبَذَتهُ الأَيّامُ مِنِّيَ جَبذا

and a pure friend, delightful and wholesome,

And a friend, pure, pleasant, wholesome—

whom the days tore from me with one violent wrench:

the days have wrenched him away from me.

بُقعَةٌ مِن بُقاعِ قُرَّةِ عَيني

بُقعَةٌ مِن بُقاعِ قُرَّةِ عَيني

هِيَ أَمرى بُقاعِ وِدّي وَأَغذى

هِيَ أَمرى بُقاعِ وِدّي وَأَغذى

a cherished spot among the tracts that delight my eye,

A plot among the fields that gladden my eye,

the sweetest province of my love, and the most sustaining.

it is the most wholesome and nourishing field of my affection.

لَيتَ شِعري أَحالُهُ مِثلُ حالي

لَيتَ شِعري أَحالُهُ مِثلُ حالي

إِذ صَفا عَيشُهُ لَهُ وَاِلتَذّا

إِذ صَفا عَيشُهُ لَهُ وَاِلتَذّا

Would that I knew: is his condition like mine,

I wish I knew: is his state like mine,

now that his life has grown serene and delightful to him?

when his life grew serene for him, and he took delight?

سَيفُ حُكمٍ في مَفصِلِ الحَقِّ ماضٍ

سَيفُ حُكمٍ في مَفصِلِ الحَقِّ ماضٍ

شَحَذَتهُ تَجارِبُ الدَهرِ شَحذا

شَحَذَتهُ تَجارِبُ الدَهرِ شَحذا

A sword of judgment, keen at truth’s decisive joint,

A sword of judgment, keen at the joint of truth,

finely sharpened by the trials of Time.

honed sharp by the trials of time.

ما أَراني وَإِن تَحَلّى لِيَ الإِخ

ما أَراني وَإِن تَحَلّى لِيَ الإِخ

وانُ مِن بَعدِهِ لَهُم مُستَلَذّا

وانُ مِن بَعدِهِ لَهُم مُستَلَذّا

I cannot see myself—even if other friends seem fair to me—

I do not see myself, though brothers may make themselves pleasing to me,

ever taking delight in them after him.

as delightful to them after him.

قَد رَماني فيهِ الزَمانُ بِسَهمٍ

قَد رَماني فيهِ الزَمانُ بِسَهمٍ

يَنفُذُ الجَوفَ وَالتَراقِيَ نَفذا

يَنفُذُ الجَوفَ وَالتَراقِيَ نَفذا

On his account, Fate has struck me with an arrow

Time has struck me on his account with an arrow

that pierces belly and collarbones clean through.

that pierces the belly and collarbones through.

سَرَّهُ اللَهُ حَيثُ كانَ فَما كا

سَرَّهُ اللَهُ حَيثُ كانَ فَما كا

نَ أَسَرَّ الدُنيا بِهِ وَأَلَذّا

نَ أَسَرَّ الدُنيا بِهِ وَأَلَذّا

May God gladden him wherever he may be—for how

May God gladden him wherever he is—for how glad

the world gladdened me through him, and how delightful it grew!

the world was in him, and how delighted!

وَلَقَد أَغتَدي عَلى طَرَفِ الصُب

وَلَقَد أَغتَدي عَلى طَرَفِ الصُب

حِ بِطَرفٍ إِذا وَنى الجَريُ بَذّا

حِ بِطَرفٍ إِذا وَنى الجَريُ بَذّا

Many a time I set out at the edge of dawn

And indeed I would set out at the edge of dawn,

on a noble horse that, when the gallop flags, outstrips it,

on a noble steed that outstripped the rest when the gallop flagged.

طاعِنٌ في العِنانِ يَستَنكِرُ السَو

طاعِنٌ في العِنانِ يَستَنكِرُ السَو

طَ مُدِلّاً وَيَأخُذُ الأَرضَ أَخذا

طَ مُدِلّاً وَيَأخُذُ الأَرضَ أَخذا

straining against the reins and scorning the whip,

Thrusting against the rein, he disdains the whip,

proudly devouring the ground in mighty strides.

proudly, and seizes the ground.

وَإِذا ما عَدا فَنارٌ أَذاعَت

وَإِذا ما عَدا فَنارٌ أَذاعَت

بِدُخانٍ تَهُذُّهُ الريحُ هَذّا

بِدُخانٍ تَهُذُّهُ الريحُ هَذّا

When it races, it is a fire casting forth

And when he races, he is a fire that sends forth

smoke that the wind lashes and scatters fiercely;

smoke that the wind shreds to pieces.

بَحرُ شَرٍّ يُشاغِبُ الصَخرَ قَرعاً

بَحرُ شَرٍّ يُشاغِبُ الصَخرَ قَرعاً

بِصُخورٍ وَيَنبِذُ التُربَ نَبذا

بِصُخورٍ وَيَنبِذُ التُربَ نَبذا

a sea of fury, battling the rock and pounding it

A sea of mischief, he battles rock by pounding

with stones, and violently flinging away the dust.

it with rocks, and flings the earth aside.

يَصرَعُ العيبَ وَالشُرورَ وَلا أَد

يَصرَعُ العيبَ وَالشُرورَ وَلا أَد

ري أَهَذا إِلَيهِ أَقرَبُ أَم ذا

ري أَهَذا إِلَيهِ أَقرَبُ أَم ذا

It vanquishes every defect and vice—and I cannot

He fells fault and evils, and I do not

tell which image comes closer to it, this one or that.

know whether this or that is nearer to him.

أَن تَريني يا شَرُّ خَلَّفتُ أَيّا

أَن تَريني يا شَرُّ خَلَّفتُ أَيّا

مِيَ صِبّاً كانَ ناعِمَ البالِ لَذّا

مِيَ صِبّاً كانَ ناعِمَ البالِ لَذّا

If you see me, O Misfortune, I have left behind the days

If you see me, O Evil, having left behind my days

when my youth was carefree in spirit and sweet.

as a lover, once carefree and happy,

وَمَشى الشَيبُ قَبلَ عَقدِ الثَلاثي

وَمَشى الشَيبُ قَبلَ عَقدِ الثَلاثي

نَ فَلَمّا اِنتَهى إِلَيها أَغَذّا

نَ فَلَمّا اِنتَهى إِلَيها أَغَذّا

Gray hair came stalking before my thirtieth year was complete;

and gray hair crept in before the age of thirty,

and when it reached thirty, it hastened onward.

then, on reaching that age, hastened on,

وَنَهى عَنّيَّ العُيونَ المَريضا

وَنَهى عَنّيَّ العُيونَ المَريضا

تِ وَأَنضى رَكبَ الهَوى فَأَرَذّا

تِ وَأَنضى رَكبَ الهَوى فَأَرَذّا

It drove the languishing eyes away from me,

and kept those languid eyes away from me,

and wore Love’s caravan down, leaving it abject.

and wore out love’s caravan, leaving it spent—

فَبِحَمدِ الإِلَهِ إِنَّ جَميعَ ال

فَبِحَمدِ الإِلَهِ إِنَّ جَميعَ ال

خَلقِ قَد كانَ بَعضُهُ قَبلُ شَذّا

خَلقِ قَد كانَ بَعضُهُ قَبلُ شَذّا

Praise be to God: I am the whole of

then, praise be to God, indeed, among all

creation, though some of it had once been scattered.

creation, some had strayed before.

وَأَنا الواضِحُ الَّذي إِن تَبَدّى

وَأَنا الواضِحُ الَّذي إِن تَبَدّى

يَعرِفوهُ وَلا يَقولونَ مَن ذا

يَعرِفوهُ وَلا يَقولونَ مَن ذا

And I am the illustrious one who, when he appears,

And I am the unmistakable one who, if he appears,

is recognized—they never ask, “Who is this?”

they recognize, never asking, “Who is this?”

وَقَويمٌ كَالخَطِّ يَزدادُ ليناً

وَقَويمٌ كَالخَطِّ يَزدادُ ليناً

بِدِماءِ الأَحشاءِ وَالجَوفِ يُغذى

بِدِماءِ الأَحشاءِ وَالجَوفِ يُغذى

And I possess a straight spear-shaft, ruled-line straight, growing ever suppler,

And a straight lance, like a line, grows more supple,

nourished on the blood of entrails and bellies.

fed by the blood of entrails and belly.

ذاكَ عِندي وَقَد جَمَعتُ إِلَيهِ

ذاكَ عِندي وَقَد جَمَعتُ إِلَيهِ

رُسلَ مَوتٍ صَوائِبَ الوَقعِ حَذّا

رُسلَ مَوتٍ صَوائِبَ الوَقعِ حَذّا

That is mine; and I have gathered beside it

That is mine, and I have gathered beside it

Death’s messengers, unerring in their strokes and keen,

swift messengers of death, unerring in their strike,

وَدُروعاً كَأَنَّها وَجهُ ماءٍ

وَدُروعاً كَأَنَّها وَجهُ ماءٍ

صافَحَتهُ ريحٌ وَعَضباً مِحَذّا

صافَحَتهُ ريحٌ وَعَضباً مِحَذّا

and coats of mail like the face of water

and coats of mail like the face of water

brushed by a breeze, and a finely honed sword.

with which a wind has shaken hands, and a razor-edged sword.