جنى عليك الحسنُ يا وردتي

جنى عليك الحسنُ يا وردتي

وطيبُ ريَّاكِ فذقْتِ العذابْ

وطيبُ ريَّاكِ فذقْتِ العذابْ

Beauty has wronged you, my rose,

O my rose, your beauty has done you wrong

And the sweetness of your fragrance—so you tasted torment.

And the goodness of your nurture made you suffer

لولاهما لم تُقطفي غَضّةً

لولاهما لم تُقطفي غَضّةً

بل لا نطوى في الروض عنك الشباب

بل لا نطوى في الروض عنك الشباب

But for them both, you would not have been plucked while tender;

Had it not been for them, you’d not be plucked still fresh

Rather, youth would have slipped away from you in the garden.

Else, youth would not turn from you in the garden

لو لاهما مرّ بكِ العاشقونْ

لو لاهما مرّ بكِ العاشقونْ

لا ينظرونْ

لا ينظرونْ

But for them both, lovers would have passed you by,

Had it not been for them, lovers had passed you by

Without a glance.

Not looking,

وربما أعرض عنكِ الندى

وربما أعرض عنكِ الندى

وجازكِ الطيرُ فما غرّدا

وجازكِ الطيرُ فما غرّدا

And perhaps the dew would have turned away from you,

And perhaps dew would have ignored you

And birds would have passed you by without singing.

And birds flown by, not singing

عُرفتِ بالفضلِ وكم فاضلٍ

عُرفتِ بالفضلِ وكم فاضلٍ

جنى عليه الفضل يا وردتي

جنى عليه الفضل يا وردتي

You were known for virtue—and how many a virtuous soul

You were known for your excellence, and how excellent

Has been wronged by virtue, my rose!

Is one whom excellence has wronged, O my rose

روضتُكِ الغنّاءُ يا وردتي

روضتُكِ الغنّاءُ يا وردتي

قد أَنبتتْ من كل زوْجٍ بهيجْ

قد أَنبتتْ من كل زوْجٍ بهيجْ

Your lush garden, my rose,

Your blooming garden, O my rose

Has brought forth every delightful kind.

Has grown from every lovely pair

تنفّسَ الصبُّح بأزهارها

تنفّسَ الصبُّح بأزهارها

عن ضاحكِ اللَّون زكيّ الأَريجْ

عن ضاحكِ اللَّون زكيّ الأَريجْ

Dawn breathed through its flowers,

The dawn breaths in its flowers

Revealing laughing color and sweet fragrance.

Laughing, pure colored, aromatic

نَسرينُها ورندُها والأَقاحْ

نَسرينُها ورندُها والأَقاحْ

كلٌّ مُباحْ

كلٌّ مُباحْ

Its wild roses, its laurels, and the daisies—

Its lilies, anemones, and poppies

All are free for the taking.

Are all permitted

تَنقْلُ عنها نَسَماتُ الصَّبا

تَنقْلُ عنها نَسَماتُ الصَّبا

تحيةً لكلِّ قلبٍ صَبا

تحيةً لكلِّ قلبٍ صَبا

The east wind's breezes carry from it

The morning breezes carry from it

A greeting to every heart in love.

Greetings to every youthful heart

وطوَّفَ الناسُ بأرجائها

وطوَّفَ الناسُ بأرجائها

فوقفوا عندكِ يا وردتي

فوقفوا عندكِ يا وردتي

And people roamed through its grounds,

And people walked about its edges

Then stopped beside you, my rose.

And stopped at you, O my rose

لله ما أصدقها حكمةً

لله ما أصدقها حكمةً

فاه بها المجهولُ في عهدهِ

فاه بها المجهولُ في عهدهِ

By God, how true a maxim,

By God, how true is its wisdom

Uttered by one unknown in his own day:

Through it, the ignorant found guidance in his time

تشتاق أيارَ نفوس الورى

تشتاق أيارَ نفوس الورى

وإنما الشوقُ إلى وردِهِ

وإنما الشوقُ إلى وردِهِ

The souls of humankind long for May,

The souls of people yearn for its days

Yet their longing is only for its roses.

Yet longing is but for its roses

تعزيةٌ أودعَ فيها الضَّريْر

تعزيةٌ أودعَ فيها الضَّريْر

حُكْمَ البصيرْ

حُكْمَ البصيرْ

A consolation in which the blind man placed

It contains solace the troubled have deposited

The judgment of the clear-sighted.

The wisdom of the seeing for the blind

ألم يكنْ في قومِه كوكباً

ألم يكنْ في قومِه كوكباً

لاحَ ليمحو نورُه الغيهبا

لاحَ ليمحو نورُه الغيهبا

Was he not a star among his people,

Was he not a star among his people

That shone so his light might dispel the deep darkness?

Shining to erase the darkness

فما لهم آلَهُم فضُلهُ

فما لهم آلَهُم فضُلهُ

حتى لقد آذَوْه يا وردتي

حتى لقد آذَوْه يا وردتي

What ailed them? His virtue pained them,

Why then did they not value his superiority

Till they even harmed him, my rose.

That they even hurt you, O my rose

تحكُم النَّاس بمستضعفٍ

تحكُم النَّاس بمستضعفٍ

سرُّ من الأَسرار لا يُدركُ

سرُّ من الأَسرار لا يُدركُ

People's tyranny over one deemed weak

People judge the weak harshly

Is one of the mysteries that cannot be fathomed.

A secret from the secrets not realized

يا وردتي وربَّ سَهْلٍ بدا

يا وردتي وربَّ سَهْلٍ بدا

طريقُه يُهلِك مَنْ يسلُكُ

طريقُه يُهلِك مَنْ يسلُكُ

My rose, many a thing that seemed easy

O my rose, many a plain seems easy

Has a path that destroys whoever treads it.

Yet its way destroys those who take it

هلْ حسبوا غضَك لمّا دنا

هلْ حسبوا غضَك لمّا دنا

سهلَ الجنى

سهلَ الجنى

Did they think your tender bloom, when it drew near,

Did they think you weak when you drew near

Easy to pluck?

Easy to pick

كلاَّ بل النَّفسُ التي تَضْعُفُ

كلاَّ بل النَّفسُ التي تَضْعُفُ

تصطنعُ البأْسَ فلا تعرفُ

تصطنعُ البأْسَ فلا تعرفُ

No! Rather, the soul that grows weak

No! But the soul that weakens

Feigns strength, and so goes unrecognized.

Feigns ferocity though it knows not

والسرُّ في بطشِ الورى خوفُهمْ

والسرُّ في بطشِ الورى خوفُهمْ

مِنْ هذِهِ الأَشواكِ يا وردتي

مِنْ هذِهِ الأَشواكِ يا وردتي

And the secret of people's brutality is their fear

And the secret in the people's tyranny is their fear

Of these thorns, my rose.

Of these thorns, O my rose