أَيَدْفَعُني الدَهْرَ عَنْ مَطْلَبي

أَيَدْفَعُني الدَهْرَ عَنْ مَطْلَبي

ويُكْثِرُ من لُؤْمِه المَطْلَ بي

ويُكْثِرُ من لُؤْمِه المَطْلَ بي

Does Time drive me away from my goal,

Does fate push me away from my goal

and, in its meanness, keep putting me off,

And increase the misfortunes that hinder my quest?

ويَقْصِدُ صدِّي إِذا ما صَدَايَ

ويَقْصِدُ صدِّي إِذا ما صَدَايَ

أَرَادَ الوُرُودَ عَلَى مَشْرَبي

أَرَادَ الوُرُودَ عَلَى مَشْرَبي

and seek to bar me whenever my thirst

It heads for preventing me when I head

seeks to reach my watering-place?

To reach the watering place of my hopes.

وإِنْ رُمْتُ أَسْهَلَ شَيْءٍ عليهِ

وإِنْ رُمْتُ أَسْهَلَ شَيْءٍ عليهِ

تَرَاهُ يصلِّي عَلى أَشْعَبِ

تَرَاهُ يصلِّي عَلى أَشْعَبِ

And if I ask for what is easiest for it,

If I attempt the easiest thing against it

you see it praying for Ashʿab.

You see it praying against my paths.

وأَسأَلُه نَقْلَ أَخْلاَقِه

وأَسأَلُه نَقْلَ أَخْلاَقِه

فَيُنْشِدُ بَيْتَ أَبي الطيب

فَيُنْشِدُ بَيْتَ أَبي الطيب

And I ask it to change its character,

I ask it to improve its morals,

so it recites a verse of Abu al-Tayyib.

But it quotes Abu al-Tayyib's verse at me

ولم يدرِ أَنِّي كثيرُ الإِباءِ

ولم يدرِ أَنِّي كثيرُ الإِباءِ

وأَنَّ الرَّشِيدَ المرَجَّى أَبي

وأَنَّ الرَّشِيدَ المرَجَّى أَبي

And it did not know that I am full of proud defiance,

And does not know that I am very dignified

and that al-Rashid, in whom hope is placed, is my father,

And that the praiseworthy Caliph is my father.

وأَنِّي بِه قَد فَخرْتُ الأَنامَ

وأَنِّي بِه قَد فَخرْتُ الأَنامَ

بفضلِ النِّصابِ مَعَ المَنْصِبِ

بفضلِ النِّصابِ مَعَ المَنْصِبِ

and that, through him, I have surpassed all people in glory,

I boasted to people about him

by the excellence of my lineage and station;

Due to the combination of ancestry and office.

وأَنِّي لو شئتُ من سَعْدِه

وأَنِّي لو شئتُ من سَعْدِه

لأَنْعَلْتُ رِجْليَّ بالكَوكَب

لأَنْعَلْتُ رِجْليَّ بالكَوكَب

and that, had I wished, through his good fortune

If I wished, through his good fortune,

I would have shod my feet with a star.

I would shoe my feet with stars,

ولو شئتُ كَان لَديَّ الهِلالُ

ولو شئتُ كَان لَديَّ الهِلالُ

بِنَهْرِ المجرَّةِ كالمركب

بِنَهْرِ المجرَّةِ كالمركب

And had I wished, the crescent moon would have been mine,

If I wished, the new moon for me

like a boat on the river of the Milky Way.

Would be a boat on the Milky Way's river.

ولكنَّ لي أَرَباً لو أَرادَ

ولكنَّ لي أَرَباً لو أَرادَ

لصيَّرهُ غَيرَ مُسْتَصْعَب

لصيَّرهُ غَيرَ مُسْتَصْعَب

But I have a wish which, if he wished,

But I have a Lord who, if He willed,

he would make easy to attain.

Could make the difficult thing easy.

رجَوْتُ به أَن أَنَال العُلىَ

رجَوْتُ به أَن أَنَال العُلىَ

وأَن يُقْتَدَى الفَخْرُ مِنْ مَنْصِبِ

وأَن يُقْتَدَى الفَخْرُ مِنْ مَنْصِبِ

I hoped thereby to attain the heights,

I hoped through Him to attain the heights

and that the glory of office might be emulated,

And model glory after office.

وأَن أَلبسَ العزِّ مُسْتَمْتِعاً

وأَن أَلبسَ العزِّ مُسْتَمْتِعاً

وأَن أَطْرحَ الذُّلَّ عن مَنْكبي

وأَن أَطْرحَ الذُّلَّ عن مَنْكبي

and to wear honor, delighting in it,

And to wear might enjoying myself

and to cast humiliation off my shoulder.

And throw off humiliation from my shoulders.

ومن لم يكن في العُلا نَاصِباً

ومن لم يكن في العُلا نَاصِباً

يُرَى وهْوَ في القَوم لم يُنْصَبِ

يُرَى وهْوَ في القَوم لم يُنْصَبِ

And whoever does not toil for eminence

Whoever does not aspire for the heights

is seen among the people, not raised to office.

Appears not to have been given office among the people.

ومن لم يَسرْ نَحوها لَم يسرْ

ومن لم يَسرْ نَحوها لَم يسرْ

بنُجحٍ لقَصْدٍ ولا مَطْلَبِ

بنُجحٍ لقَصْدٍ ولا مَطْلَبِ

And whoever does not journey toward it will not rejoice

Whoever does not head toward them will not succeed

at success in any purpose or pursuit.

In fulfilling any purpose or goal.

ومن لم يسُد في الصِّبا لم يَسُدْ

ومن لم يسُد في الصِّبا لم يَسُدْ

إِذا صَار في حِلْيةِ الأَشْيَب

إِذا صَار في حِلْيةِ الأَشْيَب

And whoever does not lead in youth will not lead

Whoever does not block in youth will not block

when he takes on the adornment of the gray-haired.

When he is in the garb of old age.

فيا سيِّدي إِنَّني عَاتِبٌ

فيا سيِّدي إِنَّني عَاتِبٌ

عَلَيْكَ ولو شِئْتَ لَمْ أَعْتِب

عَلَيْكَ ولو شِئْتَ لَمْ أَعْتِب

So, my lord, I am reproachful

My master, I blame you,

toward you; had you wished, I would not have reproached you.

Although, if you wished, I would not blame.

لقد أَسكَرَتْني خُمورُ الخُمولِ

لقد أَسكَرَتْني خُمورُ الخُمولِ

وأَنت تحلِّلُ لي مَشْرَبي

وأَنت تحلِّلُ لي مَشْرَبي

Indeed, the wines of obscurity have intoxicated me,

The wines of indolence have intoxicated me

and you declare my drink lawful for me.

While you make drinking lawful for me.

أَيطلعُ فَجْر سُعُودِي وَلاَ

أَيطلعُ فَجْر سُعُودِي وَلاَ

أَفِرُّ إِليه من الغَيْهَبِ

أَفِرُّ إِليه من الغَيْهَبِ

Does the dawn of my good fortune rise, yet

Does the dawn of my good fortune appear

I do not flee toward it from the darkness?

That I may flee to it from the glooms?

بحقِّك إِما عَصَيْتَ الحُنُوَّ

بحقِّك إِما عَصَيْتَ الحُنُوَّ

وجَوَّزْتَ في تَرْكِه مَذهبي

وجَوَّزْتَ في تَرْكِه مَذهبي

By your honor, if you spurn tenderness

By your right, either you have disobeyed affection

and sanction my course in forsaking it,

And deemed abandoning it permissible,

وهوَّنْتَ أَمْرَ فِرَاقي عَلَيْكَ

وهوَّنْتَ أَمْرَ فِرَاقي عَلَيْكَ

فما هوَّنَ المرءُ لم يَصْعُبِ

فما هوَّنَ المرءُ لم يَصْعُبِ

and make my departure a light matter to you—

Or you made separation from you easy for yourself,

for whatever one makes light of will not prove hard—

But, when one makes it easy, it does not become difficult.

فإِنْ قُلْتَ لاَ ثُمَّ أَبْصَرْتَني

فإِنْ قُلْتَ لاَ ثُمَّ أَبْصَرْتَني

عَتِبْتُ عَلَيك فلا تَعْتِب

عَتِبْتُ عَلَيك فلا تَعْتِب

then if you say 'No,' and afterward see me

If you say no, then see me—

reproaching you, do not reproach me.

I blame you, so do not blame me!