ما بالُ فعلِكَ في الأفْهامِ لم يَقُمِ

ما بالُ فعلِكَ في الأفْهامِ لم يَقُمِ

لأجلِ دِقّتِهِ أمْ دِقّةِ الفَهَمِ

لأجلِ دِقّتِهِ أمْ دِقّةِ الفَهَمِ

Why has your deed found no footing in understanding?

Your deeds in minds could not establish

Is it because of its subtlety, or understanding's frailty?

Is it because of their delicacy or the mind's delicacy?

فالدّهْرُ يحلِفُ إنّي ما كلفتُ بهِ

فالدّهْرُ يحلِفُ إنّي ما كلفتُ بهِ

كأنّهُ الخُلقُ بين اللوحِ والقَلَمِ

كأنّهُ الخُلقُ بين اللوحِ والقَلَمِ

So Time swears, "I was never charged with it,"

Time swears that I did not burden it

as though it were character itself between the Tablet and the Pen.

As if it is the creation between the tablet and the pen

لمّا ترفّعَ أنْ يُعْزى إلى لقَبٍ

لمّا ترفّعَ أنْ يُعْزى إلى لقَبٍ

قال الزّمانُ له يا فاضِحَ الهِمَمِ

قال الزّمانُ له يا فاضِحَ الهِمَمِ

When it rose above being assigned a title,

When he disdained to be attributed to a title

Time said to it, "O you who put aspirations to shame!"

Time said to him: "O exposer of resolves"

سريتُ من أرضِ بكْرٍ بعْدَما هَرِمَتْ

سريتُ من أرضِ بكْرٍ بعْدَما هَرِمَتْ

جبالُها وغدتْ مُبيضةَ اللمَمِ

جبالُها وغدتْ مُبيضةَ اللمَمِ

I journeyed by night from Bakr's land, after they had grown old—

I departed from a virgin land after its

its mountains, their locks grown white.

Mountains grew old and turned white-haired

لا تستطيعُ فَعالاً ليس من كرمٍ

لا تستطيعُ فَعالاً ليس من كرمٍ

ولا تلَذُّ بعيشٍ ليس من ألَمِ

ولا تلَذُّ بعيشٍ ليس من ألَمِ

You can undertake no deed devoid of generosity,

You cannot do a deed that is not of generosity

nor delight in a life devoid of pain.

Nor enjoy a living that is not of agony

حتى أقَمتَ بأرمينيةٍ عجَباً

حتى أقَمتَ بأرمينيةٍ عجَباً

سوقاً يُعارَضُ فيها العيشُ بالسأمِ

سوقاً يُعارَضُ فيها العيشُ بالسأمِ

Until you set up a marvel in Armenia:

Until you amazingly established in Armenia

a market where life is bartered for weariness.

A market where living is bartered with boredom

أوقدتَ في قلبِ ثاويها وساكنها

أوقدتَ في قلبِ ثاويها وساكنها

ناراً يعيبُ لَظاها الوصفُ بالضرمِ

ناراً يعيبُ لَظاها الوصفُ بالضرمِ

You kindled in the heart of its sojourner and its resident

You ignited in its complacent and quiet heart

a fire whose blaze makes "burning" an inadequate description.

A fire whose flames description fails because of intensity

كأنّما قذَفَتعها في قُلوبِهُمُ

كأنّما قذَفَتعها في قُلوبِهُمُ

حُصونُهم حنيفةَ الأحداثِ والنِقَمِ

حُصونُهم حنيفةَ الأحداثِ والنِقَمِ

As though it had been hurled into their hearts

As if you flung in their hearts

by their fortresses—[Hanifa: unclear epithet] of calamities and vengeance.

Their fortresses - young, grudging and avenging

تَرْمي مخافتُكَ الحَرّى أجنَّتَها

تَرْمي مخافتُكَ الحَرّى أجنَّتَها

كما اشرأبَّ شَرارُ النارِ بالفَحَمِ

كما اشرأبَّ شَرارُ النارِ بالفَحَمِ

The burning fear of you casts out its unborn offspring,

Your awe makes the free burn

as sparks of fire rear up amid the charcoal.

As the sparks of fire flare up with ember

كأنّ وقعَ بنيها من جوانِبِها

كأنّ وقعَ بنيها من جوانِبِها

وما تُسوِّلها الأفكارُ في الحُلُمِ

وما تُسوِّلها الأفكارُ في الحُلُمِ

As though the fall of its sons from its flanks,

As if its impact on them from all sides

and what thoughts suggest to it in dreams,

And what fancies insinuate to them in dreams

تَساقطَ القطرُ من غرّاءَ مؤْنِسَةٍ

تَساقطَ القطرُ من غرّاءَ مؤْنِسَةٍ

مما تدُلُّ عليه أوجهُ الدِّيَمِ

مما تدُلُّ عليه أوجهُ الدِّيَمِ

were raindrops falling from a bright, comforting cloud,

The drops dripped from a rain-laden cloud

of the kind foretold by the faces of steady rains.

As faces of darkness indicate

فَما رأوا قبل خيل جئتَ تحملها

فَما رأوا قبل خيل جئتَ تحملها

أرضاً تُحمَّلُ بالآسادِ والأجَمِ

أرضاً تُحمَّلُ بالآسادِ والأجَمِ

For before the horses you brought, they had never seen

They had not seen before horses you brought

a land laden with lions and thickets.

A land laden with lions and buffalo

يجمُّها السيرُ في الدُنْيا فوارِسها

يجمُّها السيرُ في الدُنْيا فوارِسها

سِلاحُهم قُلَلُ الأعناقِ في البُهَمِ

سِلاحُهم قُلَلُ الأعناقِ في البُهَمِ

Travel through the world refreshes them; their riders—

The march in life makes its knights shrink

their weapons are the summits of necks amid dauntless warriors.

Their weapons are the necks in wildness

ما يصدِمُ السيفُ رأساً من رؤوسهمُ

ما يصدِمُ السيفُ رأساً من رؤوسهمُ

إلاّ تطوّحَ بين الكسرِ والكَهَمِ

إلاّ تطوّحَ بين الكسرِ والكَهَمِ

No sword strikes a head among their heads

No sword strikes a head of their heads

without being flung aside, broken or blunted.

Unless it swings between breaking and crushing

شكت إلى الهندِ أيْدي الرومِ بيضهمُ

شكت إلى الهندِ أيْدي الرومِ بيضهمُ

وقد رميت سيوفَ الهندِ بالقمَمِ

وقد رميت سيوفَ الهندِ بالقمَمِ

The hands of the Romans complained to India of their bright swords,

The Romans complained to India about their white hands

and you had pelted India's swords with the crowns of heads.

And you flung the swords of India with summits

فكَفْكَفوكَ وما تزدادُ كفكفةً

فكَفْكَفوكَ وما تزدادُ كفكفةً

إلاّ وُروداً على الأهْوالِ والقُحمِ

إلاّ وُروداً على الأهْوالِ والقُحمِ

So they tried to restrain you, yet restraint increased you

They kept you back but their keeping back

only in plunging into terrors and deadly perils.

Only brings roses upon horrors and rugged terrain

حتّى إذا لم تُحصنْهُمْ قِلاعُهُمُ

حتّى إذا لم تُحصنْهُمْ قِلاعُهُمُ

تحصنوا في قِلاعِ العُذرِ والنّدمِ

تحصنوا في قِلاعِ العُذرِ والنّدمِ

Until, when their fortresses no longer protected them,

Until when their fortresses could not protect them

they took refuge in the fortresses of apology and remorse.

They took refuge in fortresses of excuses and regret

يَرجُون عَفو كريمٍ لا يُخيِّبُهُم

يَرجُون عَفو كريمٍ لا يُخيِّبُهُم

يرعى من العفوِ ما يرعى من الذِّممِ

يرعى من العفوِ ما يرعى من الذِّممِ

They hope for pardon from a generous man who does not disappoint them,

Hoping for a generous pardon that does not disappoint them

who safeguards pardon as he safeguards pledges of protection.

Heeding from pardon what he heeds from pacts

وذا حياءٍ لطيفِ القولِ يحشِمه

وذا حياءٍ لطيفِ القولِ يحشِمه

يلقى السنانَ بوجهٍ غيرِ مُحتشِمِ

يلقى السنانَ بوجهٍ غيرِ مُحتشِمِ

And a man of modesty, whom gentle speech abashes,

And of refined utterance modesty forbids him

meets the spearpoint with a face unabashed.

He meets the spear with an unashamed face

ثم انثنيتَ إلى تامورِ دهْوتِهِم

ثم انثنيتَ إلى تامورِ دهْوتِهِم

تَشُقهُ بنحورِ الخيلِ واللجُمِ

تَشُقهُ بنحورِ الخيلِ واللجُمِ

Then you turned toward the heart of their [unclear term],

Then you turned to their villages' tumult

cleaving it with the horses' breasts and bridles.

Cleaving them with the chests and flanks of horses

لو كان غيرُكَ غالَ الثّلجُ مهجتَهُ

لو كان غيرُكَ غالَ الثّلجُ مهجتَهُ

وسيرُهُ غيرُ ما قصدٍ ولا أمَمِ

وسيرُهُ غيرُ ما قصدٍ ولا أمَمِ

Had it been anyone but you, the snow would have taken his life,

Had it been other than you, the snow would have frozen his brain

on a march neither moderate in length nor short.

And his march would have been neither purposeful nor ambitious

تساوتِ الأرضُ فيها من تمازجه

تساوتِ الأرضُ فيها من تمازجه

فالحَزْنُ كالسهلِ والغِيطانُ كالأكَمِ

فالحَزْنُ كالسهلِ والغِيطانُ كالأكَمِ

The earth there grew level as it mingled with the snow:

The land became intermingled with it

rugged ground was like plains, and hollows like hills.

So grief is like the plain and the torrents like reed-beds

لا يستطيعُ نهارُ الصيفِ يسلكها

لا يستطيعُ نهارُ الصيفِ يسلكها

وأنتَ تسلكُها في القرِّ والظُّلَمِ

وأنتَ تسلكُها في القرِّ والظُّلَمِ

Summer daylight cannot traverse it,

The summer day cannot traverse it

yet you traverse it in bitter cold and darkness.

While you traverse it in chill and darkness

تنعى إلى أهْلِ بدْليْسٍ نفوسَهمُ

تنعى إلى أهْلِ بدْليْسٍ نفوسَهمُ

وقد تعلّقَ منها الموتُ بالكَظَمِ

وقد تعلّقَ منها الموتُ بالكَظَمِ

You announce to the people of Bidlis the death of their souls,

You gave the people of Baghdad tidings of their souls

and death has already caught them by the throat.

And death clung to the jugulars from them

للسيفِ منهم نصيبٌ ما مطلتَ بهِ

للسيفِ منهم نصيبٌ ما مطلتَ بهِ

وللتعمّدِ منهم أوفرُ القِسَمِ

وللتعمّدِ منهم أوفرُ القِسَمِ

The sword has a share of them, which you granted without delay,

The sword's share from them is what you lingered with it over them

and deliberate choice has the largest share of them.

And to deliberate from them the amplest division

من اخترمتَ فعينُ الحزمِ جئتَ بهِ

من اخترمتَ فعينُ الحزمِ جئتَ بهِ

ومن وهبتَ فعينُ الجودِ والكَرَمِ

ومن وهبتَ فعينُ الجودِ والكَرَمِ

Whomever you slew, your deed was prudence itself;

Whom you ripped with the eye of sagacity you came with him

and whomever you spared, bounty and generosity themselves.

And whom you forgave with the eye of munificence and bounty