كُلُّ خطْبٍ إِذا تخطَّاك عَمْدا

كُلُّ خطْبٍ إِذا تخطَّاك عَمْدا

وتعدَّاك إِنَّه مَا تعدَّى

وتعدَّاك إِنَّه مَا تعدَّى

Every calamity, if it deliberately passes you by

Whenever adversity deliberately crosses your path

and spares you, has indeed not overstepped its bounds.

And goes beyond you, it has not gone beyond

أَحْسَن الدَّهرُ إِذ غدا البدرُ فيه

أَحْسَن الدَّهرُ إِذ غدا البدرُ فيه

بصغيرٍ مِنْ الكواكب يُفْدى

بصغيرٍ مِنْ الكواكب يُفْدى

Time did well when, in its course, the full moon

The age was best when the full moon rose in it

came to be ransomed by a small star.

With a small price of stars to be ransomed

فلئن كُنْت تُوسِعُ الدَّهر ذمّاً

فلئن كُنْت تُوسِعُ الدَّهر ذمّاً

فبِبُقْيَاك أُوسِعُ الدَّهْر حَمْدا

فبِبُقْيَاك أُوسِعُ الدَّهْر حَمْدا

If indeed you heap blame upon Time,

So if you make the age spacious with blame

because you were spared, I heap praise upon Time.

With your survival, I make the age spacious with praise

لي مِن الحلْق كلِّهم أَلفُ بدٍّ

لي مِن الحلْق كلِّهم أَلفُ بدٍّ

وإِذا غبت لم أَجد عَنْك بُدَّا

وإِذا غبت لم أَجد عَنْك بُدَّا

For all creation I have a thousand substitutes;

Of all people, I have a thousand with whom I am bored

yet when you are absent, I find no substitute for you.

And when you are absent, I find no substitute

يا قضِيباً يميسُ سُكْراً وَدلاًّ

يا قضِيباً يميسُ سُكْراً وَدلاًّ

وأَرَاهُ يَمِيسُ همّاً وَوَجْدا

وأَرَاهُ يَمِيسُ همّاً وَوَجْدا

O slender bough, swaying in intoxication and coy grace,

O rod that intoxicates with joy and guides

yet I see it sway with grief and anguish.

And I see it intoxicating with worries and fervor

لا تغَيِّض بالحزْنِ مَاءً لِخدٍّ

لا تغَيِّض بالحزْنِ مَاءً لِخدٍّ

طالما كان مِنْ حَبَائك يَنْدَى

طالما كان مِنْ حَبَائك يَنْدَى

Do not drain with grief the moisture of a cheek

Do not diminish with sorrow the water for a cheek

so often made dewy by your bounty.

As long as it has been watered from your clouds

لا ولا تبكِ إِنَّني سوف أَفْدِي

لا ولا تبكِ إِنَّني سوف أَفْدِي

ك بدَمْعِي دمعاً وبالخَدِّ خدّاً

ك بدَمْعِي دمعاً وبالخَدِّ خدّاً

No, do not weep; indeed, I shall ransom

No, and do not cry, for I will ransom

you—your tears with my tears, your cheek with mine.

You with my tears, a tear for a tear and a cheek for a cheek

أَنا نظَّمت عٍقْدَ لَثْمٍ بَخَدَّيْ

أَنا نظَّمت عٍقْدَ لَثْمٍ بَخَدَّيْ

كَ فنثَّرت من دُمُوعك عِقدَا

كَ فنثَّرت من دُمُوعك عِقدَا

I strung a necklace of kisses upon both cheeks

I strung a necklace of kissing your cheeks

of yours; then you scattered a necklace of your tears.

But your tears scattered the necklace

أَنت تيها تَصُدُّ عَنْ طَرب النَّفْ

أَنت تيها تَصُدُّ عَنْ طَرب النَّفْ

سِ فَلِمَ صِرْتَ للْهمومِ تَصدَّى

سِ فَلِمَ صِرْتَ للْهمومِ تَصدَّى

In pride you turn away from the soul's delight;

You, lost, fend off the ecstasy of the soul

so why have you begun to court sorrows?

So why have you succumbed to worries?

كُنت أَنهاكَ أَنْ تصدَّ وَعَنْ حُزْ

كُنت أَنهاكَ أَنْ تصدَّ وَعَنْ حُزْ

نِكَ هذا أَنْهَاكَ أَلاَّ تَصَدَّى

نِكَ هذا أَنْهَاكَ أَلاَّ تَصَدَّى

I once forbade you to turn away; but as for the grief

I wanted you to fend off and from your sorrow

of yours, this I forbid you: do not court it.

This made you unable to fend off

فَهَب الهَمَّ بَعْضَ عُشَّاقِكَ الأَشْ

فَهَب الهَمَّ بَعْضَ عُشَّاقِكَ الأَشْ

قَيْن جَدّاً بل الأَضلِّين قَصْداً

قَيْن جَدّاً بل الأَضلِّين قَصْداً

So count sorrow among your lovers, the most

So let some of your most ardent lovers

ill-fated in fortune—nay, the most misguided in purpose.

Really, rather the most lost, suffer this worry

إِنَّ أَوْلَى أَن تَجْعَلَ الحُزْنَ عَبْداً

إِنَّ أَوْلَى أَن تَجْعَلَ الحُزْنَ عَبْداً

كُلُّ مَوْلىً غَدا له الحسنُ عبْدا

كُلُّ مَوْلىً غَدا له الحسنُ عبْدا

Surely, most worthy of making sorrow a slave

It is more fitting to make sorrow your slave

is every master to whom beauty has become a slave.

Every master the beauty has enslaved

يا غزالاً رنا وصبحاً تجلَّى

يا غزالاً رنا وصبحاً تجلَّى

وهلالاً علا وبدراً تبدَّى

وهلالاً علا وبدراً تبدَّى

O gazelle that gazes, and dawn that shines forth,

O gazelle who sang morning and night appeared

and crescent that rises, and full moon that appears,

And crescent that rose and full moon that shone

موسمُ الوَرْدِ جاءَنَا ولعَمْرِي

موسمُ الوَرْدِ جاءَنَا ولعَمْرِي

إِن لي دائماً بخدَّيك وَرْدَا

إِن لي دائماً بخدَّيك وَرْدَا

the season of roses has come to us; by my life,

The season of roses came upon us and by my life

indeed, I always have roses upon your two cheeks.

I always have your cheeks as roses

فأَجبْ نَقْضِ حقَّه باجْتِمَاعٍ

فأَجبْ نَقْضِ حقَّه باجْتِمَاعٍ

يَجْعَلُ الوَعْدَ من يُسلِّيك نَقْدَا

يَجْعَلُ الوَعْدَ من يُسلِّيك نَقْدَا

So respond; let us pay its due by meeting,

So respond to redeeming his right with a gathering

where the one who comforts you turns promise into ready coin.

That makes the promise a cash substitute from the one comforting you

لا تَلُمْني على هَواكَ فَعِنْدِي

لا تَلُمْني على هَواكَ فَعِنْدِي

لَكَ مِنْه ما لم يَدَعْ لي عِنْدَا

لَكَ مِنْه ما لم يَدَعْ لي عِنْدَا

Do not blame me for loving you, for I have

Do not blame me for loving you, for with me

so much of it for you that it leaves me no will to resist.

Is what has left no excuse for you