مربعٌ يخلو ودمعٌ يكفُ

مربعٌ يخلو ودمعٌ يكفُ

وجوى يحلو وقلبٌ يرجِفُ

وجوى يحلو وقلبٌ يرجِفُ

A spring encampment lies deserted, and tears drip;

An empty square with tear that dries up

and heartache grows sweet, and a heart trembles.

And passion so sweet and heart that trembles

وغرامٌ كلما قلتُ انقضى

وغرامٌ كلما قلتُ انقضى

حكمُهُ زادَ الأسى والأسفُ

حكمُهُ زادَ الأسى والأسفُ

And a passion—whenever I say, 'Ended is

And love the more I said expired

its reign,' grief and sorrow increase.

Its rule increased sorrow and remorse

وصباباتٌ مضافاتٌ إلى

وصباباتٌ مضافاتٌ إلى

حرِّ قلبي وَهْيَ لا تنصرفُ

حرِّ قلبي وَهْيَ لا تنصرفُ

And yearnings are added to

And young women added to

the heat of my heart, and they never depart.

The heat of my heart, they do not turn away

يا حداةَ العيسِ هذا منزلٌ

يا حداةَ العيسِ هذا منزلٌ

حُقَّ لي أني عليهِ أقِفُ

حُقَّ لي أني عليهِ أقِفُ

O drivers of pale camels, this is a dwelling

O you who reproach passion, this is an abode

where it is fitting that I should halt.

It is right that I stand on it

كم بدا لي فيهِ بدرٌ طالعٌ

كم بدا لي فيهِ بدرٌ طالعٌ

وتثنى فيهِ غصنٌ أهيفُ

وتثنى فيهِ غصنٌ أهيفُ

How often a rising full moon appeared to me there,

How much it seemed to me a rising full moon in it

and a slender bough swayed there.

And a bending branch of youth

فيه كأسُ الوصلِ كنا نرشف

فيه كأسُ الوصلِ كنا نرشف

وثمارُ القربِ كنَّا نقطفُ

وثمارُ القربِ كنَّا نقطفُ

There we used to sip the cup of union,

In it we used to drink the cup of union

and pluck the fruits of nearness.

And the fruits of nearness we used to pluck

مرَّ لي فيه زمانٌ أهلاً

مرَّ لي فيه زمانٌ أهلاً

ثم أضحى وَهْوَ قاعٌ صفصفُ

ثم أضحى وَهْوَ قاعٌ صفصفُ

I spent a time there while it was inhabited;

A time passed by me in it, well received

then it became a bare, level plain.

Then it became an empty, barren wasteland

هلْ خليلٌ بالبكا لي مُسعدٌ

هلْ خليلٌ بالبكا لي مُسعدٌ

هلْ صديقٌ يُرتجى أو يؤلَفُ

هلْ صديقٌ يُرتجى أو يؤلَفُ

Is there a dear friend to join me in weeping?

Is there a friend who sheds tears for me, fortunate?

Is there a friend to rely on or befriend?

Is there a loyal friend to hope for or reconcile with?

أفٍّ منْ دهرٍ إذا استفهمتهُ

أفٍّ منْ دهرٍ إذا استفهمتهُ

عنْ وفيٍّ قالَ هذا جنفُ

عنْ وفيٍّ قالَ هذا جنفُ

Fie on an age that, when I question it

Alas! From a time when I asked it

about a loyal person, says, 'That is unjust.'

About a loyal one, it said “This is betrayal”

ظهرَ الغدر وقلَّ المنصِفُ

ظهرَ الغدر وقلَّ المنصِفُ

ونما الجهلُ وسادَ المقرِفُ

ونما الجهلُ وسادَ المقرِفُ

Treachery has appeared, and the fair-minded are few;

Treachery appeared and the just dwindled

and ignorance has grown, and the baseborn rule.

Ignorance grew and the sinner dominated

واقتدى بالبحرِ دهري إذْ بهِ

واقتدى بالبحرِ دهري إذْ بهِ

يرسبُ الدرُّ وتطفو الجيَفُ

يرسبُ الدرُّ وتطفو الجيَفُ

And my age has followed the sea, for in it

And my time followed the sea which

pearls sink, while carcasses float.

Casts away pearls and floats carrion

كمْ قد استؤمِنَ فيه خائنٌ

كمْ قد استؤمِنَ فيه خائنٌ

ورقى مَنْ أصلُهُ لا يُعرفُ

ورقى مَنْ أصلُهُ لا يُعرفُ

How many a traitor has been trusted in it,

How much a traitor felt safe in it

and one whose lineage is unknown has risen high!

And one whose origin is unknown rose high

زاد مقتي لزمانٍ لم يسدْ

زاد مقتي لزمانٍ لم يسدْ

فيهِ إلا سفْلةٌ أو طرفُ

فيهِ إلا سفْلةٌ أو طرفُ

My loathing grew for an age in which none ruled

My hatred increased for a time that did not help

except the lowly or the fickle.

Except the base and vile people

أنا قَدْ سبَّلتُ عرضي لهم

أنا قَدْ سبَّلتُ عرضي لهم

فلهم أنْ يمدحوا أو يقذفوا

فلهم أنْ يمدحوا أو يقذفوا

I have put my honor at their disposal;

I have let down my dignity for them

so they may praise me or slander me.

So let them praise or slander as they wish

أيُّها الحاسدُ لولا أنني

أيُّها الحاسدُ لولا أنني

رجلٌ منْ دونِ حدي أقفُ

رجلٌ منْ دونِ حدي أقفُ

O envious one, were it not that I am

O you who envy, if it were not

a man who stops short of his own limit,

That I am a man of moderation, I would have stood

كنتُ أضنيكَ فخاراً وعُلى

كنتُ أضنيكَ فخاراً وعُلى

فأنا الدرُّ وأنتَ الصدفُ

فأنا الدرُّ وأنتَ الصدفُ

I would wear you out with glory and eminence;

I would have esteemed you highly and exalted you

for I am the pearl, and you are the oyster shell.

For I am the pearl and you are the shell

وليَ الفقهُ الذي فقتُ بهِ

وليَ الفقهُ الذي فقتُ بهِ

ووجوهُ النحوِ نحوي تُصرفُ

ووجوهُ النحوِ نحوي تُصرفُ

And mine is jurisprudence, through which I excelled;

For me is the jurisprudence by which I issued rulings

and the forms of grammar are turned my way.

And the faces of grammar turn towards my composition

وليَ النظمُ الذي سارتْ إلى

وليَ النظمُ الذي سارتْ إلى

سائرِ الأقطارِ منهُ التحفُ

سائرِ الأقطارِ منهُ التحفُ

And mine is verse, from which have traveled to

For me is the poetry which traveled

every region precious gifts.

From it the treasures to all regions

ولي النثرُ الذي سجْعاتُهُ

ولي النثرُ الذي سجْعاتُهُ

تسكرُ الأسماعَ فَهْيَ القرقفُ

تسكرُ الأسماعَ فَهْيَ القرقفُ

And mine is prose, whose rhymed cadences

For me is the prose which its rhymed parts

intoxicate the ears, so they are wine.

Intoxicate the hearing, amazing and astounding

وإلى الأبكارِ ذهني سابقٌ

وإلى الأبكارِ ذهني سابقٌ

وقوى الأفكارِ عندي تضعفُ

وقوى الأفكارِ عندي تضعفُ

And my mind races ahead to virgin ideas,

And to the virgins my mind races ahead

and the powers of thought grow weak before me.

And the powers of thoughts in me weaken

وإمامُ الأدبيَّاتِ وإنْ

وإمامُ الأدبيَّاتِ وإنْ

أنكرَ الحقَّ فلي يعترفُ

أنكرَ الحقَّ فلي يعترفُ

And the master of literary arts, even if

And I am the master of literature even if

he denies the truth, still acknowledges me.

The truth denier refuses to acknowledge

كم وكم شمسِ جدالٍ طلعَتْ

كم وكم شمسِ جدالٍ طلعَتْ

في سماءِ البحثِ بي تنكسفُ

في سماءِ البحثِ بي تنكسفُ

How many, how many a sun of disputation has risen

How much and how much the suns of debate rose

in the sky of inquiry, only to be eclipsed by me!

In the sky of research that eclipse around me

فطرةٌ تيميةٌ بكريةٌ

فطرةٌ تيميةٌ بكريةٌ

وعلى الأسلافِ يبني الخلفُ

وعلى الأسلافِ يبني الخلفُ

An innate disposition, Taymi and Bakri;

An innate pure nature

and posterity builds upon its forebears.

And the latter builds on the predecessors

رُبَّ عينٍ تتمنى رؤيتي

رُبَّ عينٍ تتمنى رؤيتي

وزكيٍّ بحياتي يحلفُ

وزكيٍّ بحياتي يحلفُ

Many an eye longs to see me,

Many an eye wishes to see me

and many a virtuous man swears by my life.

And the chaste swear by my life

أنا في حلقِ حسودي غصةٌ

أنا في حلقِ حسودي غصةٌ

وبهِ مني أذى لا يوصَفُ

وبهِ مني أذى لا يوصَفُ

I am a choking lump in my envier's throat,

I am a lump in the throat of my enviers

and from me he suffers a hurt beyond description.

And cause them harm beyond description

أسفي واللهِ من قولي أنا

أسفي واللهِ من قولي أنا

كلْمةٌ ذو العقلِ منها يأنفُ

كلْمةٌ ذو العقلِ منها يأنفُ

By God, I regret my saying 'I'—

Woe to me, by Allah, from my words “I”

a word from which a man of reason recoils.

An utterance the rational mind disdains

لكنِ الحاسدُ قدْ كلفني

لكنِ الحاسدُ قدْ كلفني

ذكرَ شيءٍ تركُهُ لي أشرفُ

ذكرَ شيءٍ تركُهُ لي أشرفُ

But the envier has compelled me

But the envier obliged me

to mention what it is nobler for me to leave unsaid.

To mention what leaving is more virtuous