تُبدي السلوَّ وأَنتَ مُرتهَنُ

تُبدي السلوَّ وأَنتَ مُرتهَنُ

وَخفيُّ سرِّك في الهَوى علنُ

وَخفيُّ سرِّك في الهَوى علنُ

You display forgetfulness, though you remain love’s captive;

You display freedom from love, yet remain its captive;

and hide your secret, though in love it stands revealed.

and your hidden secret of love lies open.

هَذي شهودُ الحبِّ ناطقة

هَذي شهودُ الحبِّ ناطقة

لا الروحُ تُكذبُها ولا البَدنُ

لا الروحُ تُكذبُها ولا البَدنُ

Here are love’s witnesses, speaking plainly—

These witnesses of love speak out;

neither soul nor body can give them the lie.

neither soul nor body belies them.

إِن رمتَ تكتمُ ما تكابدُه

إِن رمتَ تكتمُ ما تكابدُه

بعدَ النَوى فلرأيكَ الغَبَنُ

بعدَ النَوى فلرأيكَ الغَبَنُ

If you mean to conceal what you suffer

If you seek to hide what you endure

after parting, your judgment is sorely mistaken.

after separation, your judgment is at fault.

ما زالَ يُجهدُك الغَرامُ أَسىً

ما زالَ يُجهدُك الغَرامُ أَسىً

حتّى جَفا أَجفانَكَ الوسنُ

حتّى جَفا أَجفانَكَ الوسنُ

Passion has never ceased tormenting you with grief,

Passion keeps wearing you down with grief,

until slumber forsook your eyelids.

until drowsiness forsook your eyelids.

في كُلِّ حين للفؤادِ شجىً

في كُلِّ حين للفؤادِ شجىً

يُوهي العزاءَ وَللهَوى شجنُ

يُوهي العزاءَ وَللهَوى شجنُ

At every moment the heart suffers an anguish

At every moment the heart has a choking grief

that weakens consolation; even its diversion is sorrow.

that weakens solace, and love has its sorrow.

أَنّى لِقَلبكَ أَن يُقالَ صحا

أَنّى لِقَلبكَ أَن يُقالَ صحا

وَثَنى جُموحَ ضَلالِهِ الرَسَنُ

وَثَنى جُموحَ ضَلالِهِ الرَسَنُ

How can it be said that your heart has sobered,

How could it be said that your heart has sobered,

and that the rein has checked the headlong rush of its error?

and that the rein has checked its headlong straying?

قَد كانَ أَولاكَ النصوحُ هُدىً

قَد كانَ أَولاكَ النصوحُ هُدىً

لَو أَنَّه في النُصح مؤتَمَنُ

لَو أَنَّه في النُصح مؤتَمَنُ

A sincere counselor once offered you guidance—

The sincere adviser would have granted you guidance,

if only you had trusted him in counsel.

had he been trusted in his counsel.

لكن تَعامى عن نصيحتِه

لكن تَعامى عن نصيحتِه

منك الفؤادُ وَصُمَّت الأذنُ

منك الفؤادُ وَصُمَّت الأذنُ

But the heart feigned blindness to his advice

But it turned a blind eye to his counsel—

within you, and the ear went deaf.

that heart of yours—and the ear was deafened.

وغدوتَ تخطرُ في بُلهنيَةٍ

وغدوتَ تخطرُ في بُلهنيَةٍ

من صفوِ عيشكَ والهَوى فِتَنُ

من صفوِ عيشكَ والهَوى فِتَنُ

And you went strutting in carefree ease,

And you took to sauntering in ease,

amid the serenity of your life, while passion was all temptation.

born of your life's serenity, though love is full of trials.

يُصيبكَ كُلُّ مهفهفٍ نَضِرٍ

يُصيبكَ كُلُّ مهفهفٍ نَضِرٍ

من قَدِّه يَتَعلَّمُ الغُصنُ

من قَدِّه يَتَعلَّمُ الغُصنُ

Every radiant, slender-waisted youth beguiles you,

Every slender, radiant beauty strikes you,

from whose stature the supple bough learns grace.

from whose figure the bough learns.

فتنَ القلوبَ بحسن طلعتِه

فتنَ القلوبَ بحسن طلعتِه

فَكأَنَّهُ في حُسنه وثنُ

فَكأَنَّهُ في حُسنه وثنُ

He has enthralled hearts with his fair countenance,

He bewitched hearts with the beauty of his face,

as though, in his beauty, he were an idol.

so, in his beauty, he seems an idol.

وأَراكَ من باهي محاسِنِه

وأَراكَ من باهي محاسِنِه

مِنحاً ولكن دونَها مِحَنُ

مِنحاً ولكن دونَها مِحَنُ

I see you, dazzled by his resplendent charms,

And he showed you, from his splendid charms,

drawn toward him—yet trials stand before him.

gifts, but between you and them lie ordeals.

أَمّا الغَرامُ فقد مُنيتَ به

أَمّا الغَرامُ فقد مُنيتَ به

فَعلامَ يرهنُ عزمَك الوَهنُ

فَعلامَ يرهنُ عزمَك الوَهنُ

As for passion, you have indeed been afflicted with it;

As for passion, you have been afflicted with it,

why, then, should weakness hold your resolve in pawn?

so why does weakness hold your resolve captive?

قَد طالَ مُكثُكَ حيث لا وَطَرٌ

قَد طالَ مُكثُكَ حيث لا وَطَرٌ

يَصفو به عَيشٌ ولا وَطَنُ

يَصفو به عَيشٌ ولا وَطَنُ

Long has your stay been where no heart’s desire

Your stay has been long where there is no fulfillment

can make life sweet, and where there is no homeland.

to make life sweet, nor any homeland.

وأَضرَّ قَلبكَ طولُ مُغتَرَبٍ

وأَضرَّ قَلبكَ طولُ مُغتَرَبٍ

لا مَسكَنٌ يَدنو ولا سَكَنُ

لا مَسكَنٌ يَدنو ولا سَكَنُ

The length of your exile has harmed your heart:

And prolonged exile has harmed your heart:

no dwelling draws near, nor any intimate companion.

no dwelling draws near, nor any solace.

فإلامَ تَرضى لا رَضيتَ بأَن

فإلامَ تَرضى لا رَضيتَ بأَن

يُنمى إِليك العجزُ والجُبُنُ

يُنمى إِليك العجزُ والجُبُنُ

How long will you consent—may you never consent—to have

So how long will you consent—may you never consent—to

helplessness and cowardice attributed to you?

having incapacity and cowardice ascribed to you?

أَحلا لِنفسِكَ أَن يُقالَ لَها

أَحلا لِنفسِكَ أَن يُقالَ لَها

هَذا عليٌّ حَطَّه الزَمَنُ

هَذا عليٌّ حَطَّه الزَمَنُ

Would your soul rather hear it said:

Has it pleased your soul to be told,

“This is Ali, whom Time has brought low”?

'This is Ali, whom time has brought low'?

حصل الجَهولُ على مآربه

حصل الجَهولُ على مآربه

وَمَضى بغير طِلابِه القَمنُ

وَمَضى بغير طِلابِه القَمنُ

The ignorant fool attained his aims,

The ignorant man attained his aims,

while the worthy man departed without what he sought.

while the worthy man departed with his quest unfulfilled.

حتّى مَتى قولٌ ولا عَمَلٌ

حتّى مَتى قولٌ ولا عَمَلٌ

وإلى مَتى قصدٌ ولا سَنَنٌ

وإلى مَتى قصدٌ ولا سَنَنٌ

How long will there be words without deeds,

How long will there be words but no deeds?

and intention without a path?

And how long intention, but no path to follow?

ما شانَ شأنَك قطُّ منتقِصٌ

ما شانَ شأنَك قطُّ منتقِصٌ

أَنتَ العليُّ وذكركَ الحَسَنُ

أَنتَ العليُّ وذكركَ الحَسَنُ

No detractor has ever blemished your standing;

No detractor has ever marred your standing.

you are learned, and your renown is fair.

You are the exalted one, and your renown is fair.

فاِقطَع برحلكَ حيث لا عَتَبٌ

فاِقطَع برحلكَ حيث لا عَتَبٌ

واِربأ بعرضِكَ حيث لا دَرَنُ

واِربأ بعرضِكَ حيث لا دَرَنُ

Then journey on with your saddle where no reproach awaits,

So journey with your saddle to where there is no reproach,

and hold your honor high where no stain can reach.

and lift your honor to where there is no stain.

واِفخر بسَبقكَ لا بِسَبق أَبٍ

واِفخر بسَبقكَ لا بِسَبق أَبٍ

فخراً فأَنتَ السابق الأرِنُ

فخراً فأَنتَ السابق الأرِنُ

Take pride in your own precedence, not a father’s—

And boast of your own lead, not a father's,

true pride, for you are the fleet forerunner.

with pride, for you are the spirited front-runner.

إِن يبلَ ثوبُك فالنُهى جنَنٌ

إِن يبلَ ثوبُك فالنُهى جنَنٌ

أَو تودَ خَيلُك فالعُلى حُصُرُ

أَو تودَ خَيلُك فالعُلى حُصُرُ

If your garment wears out, wisdom is your armor;

If your garment wears out, reason is armor;

and if your horses perish, the heights of glory are a fortress.

or if your horses perish, lofty honors are steeds [probable reading].

لا تَبتَئِس لملمَّة عرضَت

لا تَبتَئِس لملمَّة عرضَت

لا فرحة تَبقى ولا حَزَنُ

لا فرحة تَبقى ولا حَزَنُ

Do not despair over a calamity that befalls:

Do not despair over a calamity that has arisen:

no joy endures, nor any sorrow.

neither joy nor sorrow lasts.