خُلقتُ مُشَيَّعاً أَهوى الحِمَاما

خُلقتُ مُشَيَّعاً أَهوى الحِمَاما

وأكره أنْ ألومَ وأَنْ أُلامَا

وأكره أنْ ألومَ وأَنْ أُلامَا

I was born fearless, enamored of death;

I was created courageous, loving death,

I hate to blame, and hate to be blamed.

and I hate to blame or be blamed.

واَطّرِحُ الفضولَ فضولَ مالي

واَطّرِحُ الفضولَ فضولَ مالي

وفضلُ القولِ أَحسَبُهُ غَرامَا

وفضلُ القولِ أَحسَبُهُ غَرامَا

I cast away excess—even the surplus of my wealth—

And I cast aside excess—the surplus of my wealth;

and reckon excess in speech a costly debt.

and excess speech I count a loss.

وقد شقيتْ صُروفُ الدَّهْرِ مني

وقد شقيتْ صُروفُ الدَّهْرِ مني

بماضٍ يملأ الهمَّ اعتزامَا

بماضٍ يملأ الهمَّ اعتزامَا

Time’s vicissitudes have suffered at my hands,

And time's vicissitudes have suffered at my hands,

through a keen resolve that fills high ambitions with determination.

through a resolute man who fills his cares with resolve,

وأَشوَشَ لو أَلانَ الطَّرفَ يوماً

وأَشوَشَ لو أَلانَ الطَّرفَ يوماً

إلى طمعٍ لما عَدِمَ الكِرامَا

إلى طمعٍ لما عَدِمَ الكِرامَا

Fierce am I: if ever my gaze softened

and a fierce man who, had he softened his gaze one day

toward greed, I would not be counted among the noble.

toward desire for gain, would not have lacked generous men.

اِذاً لتعرضتْ لِيَ بالعَطَايا

اِذاً لتعرضتْ لِيَ بالعَطَايا

أكُفٌّ ما ترومُ لها مَرامَا

أكُفٌّ ما ترومُ لها مَرامَا

Then hands would surely come before me laden with gifts,

Then gifts would have been offered to me

hands whose heights no ambition could attain.

by hands seeking no gain for themselves.

رأَيتُ اللهَ أَجدر أَنْ يُرجَّى

رأَيتُ اللهَ أَجدر أَنْ يُرجَّى

وشَمسَ الملةِ الملك الهُمامَا

وشَمسَ الملةِ الملك الهُمامَا

I have found God worthier of all hope,

I deemed God worthier of hope,

and sovereignty’s sun—the high-hearted king.

and Shams al-Milla, the valiant king.

أَغرُّ إذا بلوتَ بلوتَ منهُ

أَغرُّ إذا بلوتَ بلوتَ منهُ

فتىً بالمجدِ صَبّاً مُستهامَا

فتىً بالمجدِ صَبّاً مُستهامَا

Illustrious: when you test him, you discover in him

Radiant—when you test him, you find in him

a youth passionately, rapturously enamored of glory.

a youth in love with glory, utterly enthralled.

أَرَاكَ اللهُ سُؤْلَكَ في أُناسٍ

أَرَاكَ اللهُ سُؤْلَكَ في أُناسٍ

نفحتَ لهم وما قاموا مَقامَا

نفحتَ لهم وما قاموا مَقامَا

May God show you what you desire among a people

May God show you your wish fulfilled concerning people

on whom you lavished gifts, though they rose to no worthy station.

you showered with gifts, though they took no worthy stand.

هم كَفَروا نَوالكَ بَعْدَ عدمٍ

هم كَفَروا نَوالكَ بَعْدَ عدمٍ

ووجه الأرض ما كَفَرَ الغَمامَا

ووجه الأرض ما كَفَرَ الغَمامَا

They were ungrateful for your bounty after want,

They were ungrateful for your bounty after destitution,

though the face of the earth is never ungrateful to the raincloud.

yet the face of the earth has never been ungrateful to the clouds.

وأَنتَ تَهُزُّ بطشكَ في خَفَاءٍ

وأَنتَ تَهُزُّ بطشكَ في خَفَاءٍ

ولو شئتَ اختليتَ بهِ العِظامَا

ولو شئتَ اختليتَ بهِ العِظامَا

You brandish your might in secret,

And you brandish your might in secret,

though, if you wished, you could hew bones apart with it.

though, if you wished, you could mow down the mighty with it.

تَنامُ وأَنتَ تعلمُ حينَ تُغْفى

تَنامُ وأَنتَ تعلمُ حينَ تُغْفى

بما يَستَطْرِقُ الطَّيف المَنَامَا

بما يَستَطْرِقُ الطَّيف المَنَامَا

You sleep, yet when you doze you know

You sleep, yet know, as you doze,

how the phantom makes its way into the dream,

how the dream-phantom finds its way into sleep.

وكلُّ ضريبةٍ الاكَ تُغْشَى

وكلُّ ضريبةٍ الاكَ تُغْشَى

ومن ذا يَضْرِبُ السيفَ الحُسَامَا

ومن ذا يَضْرِبُ السيفَ الحُسَامَا

and every formidable man whom the horizon covers,

And every target but you is assailed,

and who it is that wields the keen-edged sword.

and who could strike the keen-edged sword?

ورائعةٍ تَخَالُ أُسودَ نَزْحٍ

ورائعةٍ تَخَالُ أُسودَ نَزْحٍ

لِخيفَتِهَا اِذا شَرَدَتْ نَعامَا

لِخيفَتِهَا اِذا شَرَدَتْ نَعامَا

And in many a terror, you take the lions of far-off lands

And many a terror—at which you would take the lions of Nazh

for ostriches, when they scatter in fear of it.

for ostriches as they scattered in fear of it—

شَددتَ لها حبالَ نُهىً وَصَبراً

شَددتَ لها حبالَ نُهىً وَصَبراً

وقد قعدَ الحليمُ لها وَقَامَا

وقد قعدَ الحليمُ لها وَقَامَا

For it you drew tight the cords of prudence and patience,

you faced by tightening the cords of reason and patience,

while the forbearing man sat and stood before it.

while the wise man sat down and stood up before it.

إذا استقضيتُ مَدْحَكَ في قَرِيضٍ

إذا استقضيتُ مَدْحَكَ في قَرِيضٍ

جمعتُ الشَّذْرَ والدُّرَ التُّؤامَا

جمعتُ الشَّذْرَ والدُّرَ التُّؤامَا

When I seek to exhaust your praise in verse,

When I seek to praise you fully in verse,

I gather gold beads and paired pearls.

I gather gold beads and paired pearls.

ولم أَنهضْ وقد اتعبتَ فكري

ولم أَنهضْ وقد اتعبتَ فكري

بوصفكَ جلَّ وصفكَ أَنْ يُرامَا

بوصفكَ جلَّ وصفكَ أَنْ يُرامَا

Yet I have not risen to the task, though I have wearied my thought

Yet I have not risen to the task, though you have wearied my mind

in describing you: your praise is too exalted to be attempted.

in portraying you—your portrayal is beyond reach.

فَلا سَلَبتْكَ حِدَّتَكَ الليالي

فَلا سَلَبتْكَ حِدَّتَكَ الليالي

وَطاب لكَ النعيمُ بها وَدَامَا

وَطاب لكَ النعيمُ بها وَدَامَا

May the nights, then, never rob you of your keen edge,

So may the nights never rob you of your edge,

and may bliss through them be sweet to you and endure.

and may bliss be sweet for you through them, and endure.