ولم أَرَ مِثْلِي ما له مِن مُعاصِرِ

ولم أَرَ مِثْلِي ما له مِن مُعاصِرِ

ولا كمَضائِي ما له مِن مُضافِرِ

ولا كمَضائِي ما له مِن مُضافِرِ

I have seen no one like me, with no peer in his time,

I have not seen anyone like me, who has no contemporary,

nor anything like my resolve, with no supporter.

Nor anyone flashing like me, who has no equal.

ولَوْ كانَ لِي في الجَوِّ كِسْرٌ أَؤمُّهُ

ولَوْ كانَ لِي في الجَوِّ كِسْرٌ أَؤمُّهُ

رَكِبْتُ إِلَيْه ظَهْرَ فَتْخاءَ كاسِرِ

رَكِبْتُ إِلَيْه ظَهْرَ فَتْخاءَ كاسِرِ

And if I had a corner in the sky to make for,

If I had a fracture in the air, I would ride

I would ride to it on the back of a broad-winged, predatory eagle.

To it on the back of a sturdy, strong-winged bird.

وهَمَّتْ بإِجْهاشٍ عليّ وقد رَأَتْ

وهَمَّتْ بإِجْهاشٍ عليّ وقد رَأَتْ

مُصابيَ في آثار إِحْدى الكَبائِرِ

مُصابيَ في آثار إِحْدى الكَبائِرِ

And she was about to burst into tears over me, having seen

She was about to collapse on me when she saw

my affliction in the wake of one of the enormities.

My wounds from one of the major disasters.

فقُلْتُ لها إِنْ تَجْزعِي مِن مَخَاطِرٍ

فقُلْتُ لها إِنْ تَجْزعِي مِن مَخَاطِرٍ

فإِنَّكِ لن تَحْظَيْ بغَيْرِ الْمَخَاطِرِ

فإِنَّكِ لن تَحْظَيْ بغَيْرِ الْمَخَاطِرِ

So I said to her: if you shrink from risks,

I said to her, "If you panic because of dangers,

then you will never prosper except through risks.

Then you will never gain anything but dangers."

تَشَهَّتْ ثِمارَ الوَفْرِ مِني وإِنَّها

تَشَهَّتْ ثِمارَ الوَفْرِ مِني وإِنَّها

لَدَى كُلِّ مُبْيَضِّ العَنانِيز وافِرِ

لَدَى كُلِّ مُبْيَضِّ العَنانِيز وافِرِ

She craved from me the fruits of plenty, and indeed they

She craved the ripe fruits of abundance from me, though she

are with every prosperous, white-bearded man.

Has plenty at the watering places of the white-foreheaded camels.

له في بَياضِ اليَوْمِ يَقْظةُ فَاجِرٍ

له في بَياضِ اليَوْمِ يَقْظةُ فَاجِرٍ

وتَحْتَ سَوادِ اللَّيْلِ هَجْعةُ كافِرِ

وتَحْتَ سَوادِ اللَّيْلِ هَجْعةُ كافِرِ

His is, in the whiteness of day, the wakefulness of a sinner,

By day he is awake with wicked vigilance,

and beneath the blackness of night, the slumber of an unbeliever.

And by night beneath the darkness he sleeps the sleep of the unbeliever.

رُويْدَكِ حتَّى تَنْظُرِي عَمَّ تَنْجَلي

رُويْدَكِ حتَّى تَنْظُرِي عَمَّ تَنْجَلي

غَيابةُ هَذا العارِضِ المُتَناثِرِ

غَيابةُ هَذا العارِضِ المُتَناثِرِ

Take your time until you see what is revealed

Restrain yourself until you see the outcome

when the darkness of this dispersing cloud clears.

Of the dispersal of this transient event.

ودُونَ اعْتِزامِي هَضْبةٌ كِسْرَويّةٌ

ودُونَ اعْتِزامِي هَضْبةٌ كِسْرَويّةٌ

مِن الحَزْمِ سَلْمانِيّةٌ في المَكاسِرِ

مِن الحَزْمِ سَلْمانِيّةٌ في المَكاسِرِ

And before my resolve stands a Chosroan crag,

Beneath my resolve is a hill, like a cypress grove,

of prudence, Salman-like in its flanks.

Made of prudence, Solomon-like in disasters.

إِذا نَحْنُ أَسنَدْنا إِلَيْها تَبَلَّجَتْ

إِذا نَحْنُ أَسنَدْنا إِلَيْها تَبَلَّجَتْ

مَوارِدُنا عن نَيِّراتِ المَصادِرِ

مَوارِدُنا عن نَيِّراتِ المَصادِرِ

When we lean upon it, there shine forth

When we lean upon it, our resources gush forth

our approaches, revealing radiant ways of departure.

From the springs of destiny.

وأَنْتَ ابْنَ حَزْمٍ مُنْعِشٌ مِن عِثَارِها

وأَنْتَ ابْنَ حَزْمٍ مُنْعِشٌ مِن عِثَارِها

إِذا ما شَرقْنا بالجُدُودِ العَواثِرِ

إِذا ما شَرقْنا بالجُدُودِ العَواثِرِ

And you, Ibn Hazm, lift us from their stumbles,

You, son of wisdom, are a reviver from its stumbling

whenever we choke on stumbling fortunes.

When we rise at dawn, stumbling.

وما جَرَّ أَذْيالَ الغِنى نَحْوَ بَيْتِهِ

وما جَرَّ أَذْيالَ الغِنى نَحْوَ بَيْتِهِ

كأَرْوَعَ مُعْرَوْرٍ ظُهُورَ الجَرائِرِ

كأَرْوَعَ مُعْرَوْرٍ ظُهُورَ الجَرائِرِ

And none has dragged wealth's trailing hems toward his house

Wealth has never dragged its train

like a gallant man riding bareback on the backs of transgressions.

Toward his house, like the backs of excellent horses.

إِذا ما تَبَغَّى نَضْرةَ العَيْشِ كَرَّها

إِذا ما تَبَغَّى نَضْرةَ العَيْشِ كَرَّها

لَدَى مَشْرَعٍ للمَوْتِ لمحة ناظِرِ

لَدَى مَشْرَعٍ للمَوْتِ لمحة ناظِرِ

Whenever he seeks the bloom of life, he wheels them round

When he craves the freshness of life, it spurns him

at death's watering-place, in an eye's glance.

At the place where death's glimpse awaits the onlooker.

فَسَلَّ مِن التَّأوِيلِ فيها مُهَنَّداً

فَسَلَّ مِن التَّأوِيلِ فيها مُهَنَّداً

أَخُو شافِعِيّات كَرِيمُ العَناصِرِ

أَخُو شافِعِيّات كَرِيمُ العَناصِرِ

Then he drew therein an Indian-forged sword from interpretation—

So ask him gently to interpret it -

a man of Shafi‘i teachings, noble of stock—

A brother of the Shafi'ites, noble in origin.

لِمُعْتَزِليِّ الرّأَىِ ناءٍ عن الهُدَى

لِمُعْتَزِليِّ الرّأَىِ ناءٍ عن الهُدَى

بَعِيدِ المرامِي مُسْتَمِيتِ البَصَائِرِ

بَعِيدِ المرامِي مُسْتَمِيتِ البَصَائِرِ

against a Mu‘tazilite in opinion, far from right guidance,

For the Mu'tazilite of opinion, remote from guidance,

far-reaching in his aims, desperately tenacious in his convictions.

Lost in purpose, blinded of insight.

يُطالِبُ بالهنْدِيِّ في كُلِّ فَتْكَةٍ

يُطالِبُ بالهنْدِيِّ في كُلِّ فَتْكَةٍ

ظُهُورَ المَذاكِي عن ظُهورِ المَنابِرِ

ظُهُورَ المَذاكِي عن ظُهورِ المَنابِرِ

He demands with Indian steel, in every deadly assault,

In every battle he calls for help

the backs of full-grown steeds instead of the backs of pulpits.

From the backs of the pulpits, not the backs of the horses.