أين القصيد التي أبياتها خزف

أين القصيد التي أبياتها خزف

من القصيد التي أبياتها درر

من القصيد التي أبياتها درر

How far is poetry whose verses are earthenware

Where is the poem whose verses are pottery

from poetry whose verses are pearls!

Compared to the poem whose verses are pearls

اني وان كنت قد مارسته عمرا

اني وان كنت قد مارسته عمرا

ما قلت شيئا به اسمو وافتخر

ما قلت شيئا به اسمو وافتخر

Indeed, though I have practiced it for a lifetime,

Though I have practiced it for a lifetime

I have said nothing by which I might rise and take pride.

I have never said anything boastful about it

يا شعر كنت سلاحا لي اذود به

يا شعر كنت سلاحا لي اذود به

عني الاذى وبه قد كنت انتصر

عني الاذى وبه قد كنت انتصر

O poetry, you were my weapon, with which I warded off

Oh poetry, you were a weapon I used to defend

harm from myself, and with which I used to triumph.

Myself from harm and with you I was victorious

عليك مني سلام عرفه عبق

عليك مني سلام عرفه عبق

فانما عن قريب عنك لي سفر

فانما عن قريب عنك لي سفر

Peace to you from me, its fragrance sweet,

I bid you farewell, detected in the scent

for soon I am to journey away from you.

For soon I will depart from you

لقد بلغت من السبعين غايتها

لقد بلغت من السبعين غايتها

والقبر لي بعد هذا العمر ينتظر

والقبر لي بعد هذا العمر ينتظر

I have reached the full measure of seventy years,

I have reached the peak of seventy

and the grave awaits me after this lifetime.

And the grave after this life awaits me

الشعر قد كثرت فيه مقلدة

الشعر قد كثرت فيه مقلدة

وقلّ من نظموه مثلما شعروا

وقلّ من نظموه مثلما شعروا

Poetry has come to teem with imitators,

There are many imitators in poetry

and few have composed it as they felt.

And few who compose it as they feel it

الشعر اوشك ان يردى بما ضغطت

الشعر اوشك ان يردى بما ضغطت

عليه غلظة ناس فهو محتضر

عليه غلظة ناس فهو محتضر

Poetry is near to perishing from the pressure

Poetry is about to deteriorate from what

people's coarseness has laid upon it; it lies dying.

Thick-skinned people have forced on it, so it is dying

العقل مفتكر والقلب مرتجل

العقل مفتكر والقلب مرتجل

وما كمرتجل للشعر مفتكر

وما كمرتجل للشعر مفتكر

The mind deliberates, and the heart improvises,

Reason is thoughtful and the heart impromptu

and in poetry no thinker is like an improviser.

And nothing impromptu has a thoughtful reason

اجل اذا رمت في نهج الحياة هدى

اجل اذا رمت في نهج الحياة هدى

فالعلم نور اليه العقل يفتقر

فالعلم نور اليه العقل يفتقر

Yes, if you seek guidance along life's path,

Indeed if you follow the path of life wisely

then knowledge is a light the mind requires.

Then knowledge is the light reason lacks

العقل بالعلم لا بالشعر منتفع

العقل بالعلم لا بالشعر منتفع

والقلب بالشعر لا بالعلم مزدهر

والقلب بالشعر لا بالعلم مزدهر

The mind benefits from knowledge, not from poetry,

Reason benefits from knowledge, not poetry

and the heart flourishes through poetry, not through knowledge.

And the heart thrives on poetry, not knowledge

القلب للشعر تغذوه عواطفه

القلب للشعر تغذوه عواطفه

والرأس للعلم فيه السمع والبصر

والرأس للعلم فيه السمع والبصر

The heart is for poetry; its feelings nourish it,

The heart is nourished by poetry's passions

and the head is for knowledge; in it are hearing and sight.

And the head by knowledge's hearing and sight

وبلبل الروض اني كان منبره

وبلبل الروض اني كان منبره

فهو الخطيب فلا عيّ ولا حصر

فهو الخطيب فلا عيّ ولا حصر

And the garden's nightingale, wherever its pulpit stands,

The garden's nightingale, though its pulpit

is the orator, neither tongue-tied nor at a loss for words.

Was there, is the preacher, endless in number

وجدت في الروض بعد اللأى مرقده

وجدت في الروض بعد اللأى مرقده

فكان في بقعة قد حفها الزهر

فكان في بقعة قد حفها الزهر

I found its resting place in the garden after much difficulty;

I found after the loved ones their burial ground

and it was in a spot encircled by flowers.

So it was in a spot enveloped in flowers

اني ملم باخبار الحياة وما

اني ملم باخبار الحياة وما

عندي سوى الظن عما بعدها خبر

عندي سوى الظن عما بعدها خبر

I am familiar with the affairs of life, but

I am informed of life's affairs, and have

of what follows it I know nothing beyond conjecture.

No knowledge beyond guesses of what comes after

بت العلاقات بالدنيا ونعمتها

بت العلاقات بالدنيا ونعمتها

موتى قد احتضنت اجسادهم حفر

موتى قد احتضنت اجسادهم حفر

Ties with this world and its bliss have been severed

My ties to the world and its bounty are dead

by the dead whose bodies burial pits have embraced.

Bodies embraced by graves they dug

وطالما حارب الاحرار مرهفة

وطالما حارب الاحرار مرهفة

يراعها ثلة تعتو فما اندحروا

يراعها ثلة تعتو فما اندحروا

How often the free have been assailed with a sharpened

And the free have long fought with sensitivities

reed-pen by a tyrannical band—yet they were never routed.

Guarded by a gang who never retreated

ان القبور لا ولى بالألى عجزوا

ان القبور لا ولى بالألى عجزوا

عن الدفاع بدار الضيم فانتحروا

عن الدفاع بدار الضيم فانتحروا

Indeed, graves are more fitting for those who were unable

Indeed the graves, the helpless failed

to defend themselves in the abode of oppression, and so took their own lives.

To defend, in the land of injustice, so they killed themselves

تشدو الضغط في ارض العراق على

تشدو الضغط في ارض العراق على

حرية الشعب حتى كاد ينفجر

حرية الشعب حتى كاد ينفجر

Pressure has intensified in the land of Iraq on

Oppression tightens its grip on Iraq

the people's freedom, until they nearly burst.

On the people's freedom, until it almost erupted

لا يرجع الحق دمع العين منهمرا

لا يرجع الحق دمع العين منهمرا

فانه من جروح العجز معتصر

فانه من جروح العجز معتصر

Streaming tears from the eye do not restore one's rights,

Right will not cease flowing copiously

for they are wrung from the wounds of helplessness.

For it is from the wounds of weakness, pressed out

والشعب ان لم تحرره جراءته

والشعب ان لم تحرره جراءته

فلا يحرره الاعوال والعبر

فلا يحرره الاعوال والعبر

And if the people's boldness does not free them,

And if its tyranny does not liberate the people

wailing and tears will not free them.

Nothing liberates them but calamity and lessons

الشعب يشبه بركانا به حمم

الشعب يشبه بركانا به حمم

فان تفجر لا يبقى ولا يذر

فان تفجر لا يبقى ولا يذر

The people resemble a volcano with lava within it;

The people are like a volcano, containing magma

and if it erupts, nothing remains, and it leaves nothing.

If it erupts, nothing will remain or scatter

والشعب يطلب حقا منه مغتصبا

والشعب يطلب حقا منه مغتصبا

فليسعد السيف ان لم يسعد القدر

فليسعد السيف ان لم يسعد القدر

And the people demand a right usurped from them;

And the people demand their usurped rights

then let the sword aid them if fate does not.

So let the sword bring joy if fate does not

المعت للسيف في شعري وليس لنا

المعت للسيف في شعري وليس لنا

بل نحن كالشاء لا ناب ولا ظفر

بل نحن كالشاء لا ناب ولا ظفر

I have alluded to the sword in my poetry, yet we have none;

I do not praise the sword in my poetry, we

rather, we are like sheep, with neither fang nor claw.

Are but sheep, neither sharp-clawed nor bold

سيفعل الشعر ان جدت معارضة

سيفعل الشعر ان جدت معارضة

ما ليس يفعله الصمصامة الذكر

ما ليس يفعله الصمصامة الذكر

Poetry will do, if opposition arises,

Poetry will do what the spineless man

what the stout, keen-edged sword cannot do.

Cannot, if opposition becomes firm

وقد يجرده من شل ساعده

وقد يجرده من شل ساعده

وقد يليح به من ليس يقتدر

وقد يليح به من ليس يقتدر

And one whose forearm is paralyzed may unsheathe it,

It may strip the weakness from its arm

and one without strength may brandish it.

Or adorn one who cannot fight

والشعر ليس بمجد في كفاءته

والشعر ليس بمجد في كفاءته

ان اشغل القوم عنه اللهو والبطر

ان اشغل القوم عنه اللهو والبطر

And poetry is of no use, for all its power,

Poetry has no glory in its competence

if amusement and arrogance distract the people from it.

If people are distracted from it by frivolity and excess

لقد عثرنا لدى التأويب من شلل

لقد عثرنا لدى التأويب من شلل

فينا وادلج اقوام فما عثروا

فينا وادلج اقوام فما عثروا

We have stumbled on our daytime journey, from paralysis

We stumbled at the coda from paralysis

within us; other peoples traveled by night and did not stumble.

In us, and gangs attacked, but did not stumble

ولا صلاح لفرد او لاسرته

ولا صلاح لفرد او لاسرته

الا اذا ارتد عن عادته البشر

الا اذا ارتد عن عادته البشر

And there is no well-being for an individual or his family,

And no individual or family prospers

unless humankind turns away from its habitual ways.

Unless they desist from human nature

انا بعصر يعاب الصادقون به

انا بعصر يعاب الصادقون به

وليس يحمد الا الكاذب الاشر

وليس يحمد الا الكاذب الاشر

I am in an age when the truthful are censured,

I live in an age that rebukes the truthful

and none is praised except the insolent liar.

And praises none but the wicked and vile

للصادقين عقاب في مواطنهم

للصادقين عقاب في مواطنهم

كأنما الصدق ذنب

كأنما الصدق ذنب

For the truthful there is punishment in their homelands,

The truthful are punished in their homelands

as though truthfulness were a sin.

As if truthfulness were a sin

ما بال ليلتنا سوداء حالكة

ما بال ليلتنا سوداء حالكة

فهل تقرر ان لا يطلع القمر

فهل تقرر ان لا يطلع القمر

Why is our night so black, so pitch-dark?

Why is our night gloomy and murky

Has it then been decided that the moon shall not rise?

Has it decided the moon will not rise?