تمرَّستَ " بالأولى " فكنتَ المُغامِرا

تمرَّستَ " بالأولى " فكنتَ المُغامِرا

وفكَّرتَ " بالأخرى " فكنتَ المُجاهِرا

وفكَّرتَ " بالأخرى " فكنتَ المُجاهِرا

You grappled with "the first" and became the adventurer;

You indulged in "the first" so you became the adventurer

and reflected on "the other" and became the outspoken one.

And you thought of "the other" so you became the dissenter

وفضَّلتَ عيشاً بين تلك وهذه

وفضَّلتَ عيشاً بين تلك وهذه

به كنتَ ، بل لولاهُ ، ما كنتَ شاعرا

به كنتَ ، بل لولاهُ ، ما كنتَ شاعرا

And you preferred a life between that and this;

And you preferred a life between this and that

it made you what you were—indeed, without it, you would not have been a poet.

With it you were, in fact without it, you would not have been a poet

وما الشِّعرُ إلاَّ ما تفتَّقَ نُورهُ

وما الشِّعرُ إلاَّ ما تفتَّقَ نُورهُ

عن الذهنِ مشبوباً ، عن الفكر حائرا

عن الذهنِ مشبوباً ، عن الفكر حائرا

And poetry is only that whose light bursts forth

And poetry is nothing but what its light burst forth

from the mind, aflame; from thought, bewildered;

From the mind perplexed, from the thought wandering

عن النفس جاشت فاستجاشت بفيضها

عن النفس جاشت فاستجاشت بفيضها

عن القلبِ مرتجَّ العواطفِ زاخراً

عن القلبِ مرتجَّ العواطفِ زاخراً

from the soul that surges, then stirs with its overflow;

From the soul overflowing so it overflowed with its abundance

from the heart, quivering with feeling, brimming over;

From the heart pulsating with overflowing emotions

وما زجَّ في شتَّى المَهاوي بربِّه

وما زجَّ في شتَّى المَهاوي بربِّه

وقحَّمهُ " النَهجينِ " قصداً ، وجائرا

وقحَّمهُ " النَهجينِ " قصداً ، وجائرا

and that which hurls its master into many kinds of abyss,

And it never yoked the different abysses with its Lord

and drives him down "the two paths," the straight and the crooked.

And carved it with the "two paths" intentionally, and unjustly

وما هو بالحبلِ الذي رُحتَ مرغِماً

وما هو بالحبلِ الذي رُحتَ مرغِماً

" أوائلَه " أنْ تلتقي و " الأواخرا"

" أوائلَه " أنْ تلتقي و " الأواخرا"

Nor is it a rope, with you intent on forcing

And it is not like the rope you were forced

its "beginnings" to meet its "ends."

To meet "its beginnings" and "the ends"

وكنتَ جريئاً حين يدعوكَ خاطرٌ

وكنتَ جريئاً حين يدعوكَ خاطرٌ

مِن الفكر أن تدعو إليك المَخاطرا

مِن الفكر أن تدعو إليك المَخاطرا

And you were bold when a thought called upon you,

And you were bold when a notion calls you

arising from thought, to summon dangers to yourself;

From the mind to call dangers to you

على ثقةٍ أنْ لستَ في الناس واجداً

على ثقةٍ أنْ لستَ في الناس واجداً

على مِثله – إلاَّ القليلَ – مُناصراً

على مِثله – إلاَّ القليلَ – مُناصراً

certain that you would not find among people

Trusting that among the people you will not find

a supporter for anything like it—except a few.

Anyone supporting you - except a few

وكنتَ صريحاً في حياتكَ كلِّها

وكنتَ صريحاً في حياتكَ كلِّها

وكانَ – ومازالَ – المصارِحُ نادراً

وكانَ – ومازالَ – المصارِحُ نادراً

And you were frank throughout your life;

And you were honest in your whole life

and one who speaks frankly was—and remains—rare.

And - it was and still is - the candid are rare

فانْ شابَها ما لم تجدْ عنه نُدحةً

فانْ شابَها ما لم تجدْ عنه نُدحةً

شَفَعْتَ به حُكم الظروف مُسايرا

شَفَعْتَ به حُكم الظروف مُسايرا

So if something you could not avoid marred it,

So if it was marred with what you did not find commendable

you coupled it with circumstance's decree, acquiescing.

You defended it with the rule of circumstances conforming

فقد كنتَ عن وحي الضرورةِ ناطقاً

فقد كنتَ عن وحي الضرورةِ ناطقاً

وقد كنتَ عن محضِ الطبيعة صادراً

وقد كنتَ عن محضِ الطبيعة صادراً

For you spoke at necessity's prompting,

For you spoke of the inspiration of necessity

and acted from unalloyed nature.

And you issued from pure nature

وقد كنتَ في تلك " الأماديحِ " شاتماً

وقد كنتَ في تلك " الأماديحِ " شاتماً

محيطاً " بأربابِ " القرائحِ كافرا

محيطاً " بأربابِ " القرائحِ كافرا

And in those "panegyrics" you were reviling

And in those "praises" you were blasphemous

a milieu, disbelieving in the "lords" of poetic talent.

Encompassing the "owners" of talents blaspheming

وإلاَّ فأنتَ المانعُ الصُغرِ " عن يدٍ

وإلاَّ فأنتَ المانعُ الصُغرِ " عن يدٍ

أبتْ أنْ تُحلَّى في الجِنان أساورا"

أبتْ أنْ تُحلَّى في الجِنان أساورا"

Otherwise, you are the one who shields from abasement "a hand

Otherwise you are the one preventing the arrogance of a "hand

that refused to be adorned with bracelets in Paradise."

That refused to be adorned in gardens with bracelets"

وإنَّكَ أنقى من نُفوسِ خبيثةٍ

وإنَّكَ أنقى من نُفوسِ خبيثةٍ

تُراوِدُ بالصَّمت المريبِ المَناكرا

تُراوِدُ بالصَّمت المريبِ المَناكرا

And you are purer than wicked souls

And you are purer than wicked souls

that court abominations through suspicious silence.

Who silently plot dubious denial

تَعيبُ على الشِّعرِ التَّحايا رقيقةً

تَعيبُ على الشِّعرِ التَّحايا رقيقةً

وتلثُم من " بغلٍ هجينٍ " حوافرا

وتلثُم من " بغلٍ هجينٍ " حوافرا

They fault poetry for tender greetings,

Criticizing poetry for its delicate coyness

yet kiss the hooves of a "mongrel mule."

And kissing from "a hybrid mule" its hooves

تُريدُ القوافي المؤنساتِ غفيفةً

تُريدُ القوافي المؤنساتِ غفيفةً

وقد أشغرتْ – للفاحشاتِ – الضمائرا

وقد أشغرتْ – للفاحشاتِ – الضمائرا

They want the comforting rhymes to be chaste,

Wanting rhymes to be mellifluous

though they have splayed their consciences open to lewd acts.

While it bared - for obscenities - consciences

وتُنكر أنْ يُستنشقَ الشعرُ " نفحةً "

وتُنكر أنْ يُستنشقَ الشعرُ " نفحةً "

وقد فَغرتْ أشداقَها والمناخرا

وقد فَغرتْ أشداقَها والمناخرا

They object to poetry being inhaled as a "fragrant breath,"

And denying that poetry be "scented"

though they have opened wide their jaws and nostrils.

While it opened its jaws and nostrils

وتطوي على " أُمِّ الدَّنايا " مَباطناً

وتطوي على " أُمِّ الدَّنايا " مَباطناً

وتُلقي عليها من إباءٍ مظاهرا

وتُلقي عليها من إباءٍ مظاهرا

They enfold the "mother of vile deeds" within their inner depths,

And it folds over the "mother of worldly life" hiding

and cast over them outward shows of proud self-respect,

And casts over it a pretense of morals

كما أسدلتْ ليلاً " هلوكٌ " مُلحَّةٌ

كما أسدلتْ ليلاً " هلوكٌ " مُلحَّةٌ

على مخدعِ العُهرِ الحريرَ ستائرا

على مخدعِ العُهرِ الحريرَ ستائرا

as an importunate "wanton" lets fall by night

As promiscuous ones lowered at night "dissolute"

silken curtains over the bedchamber of whoredom.

Over the chamber of fornication silk curtains

من العارِ أنْ نرضى التذبذبَ صامتاً

من العارِ أنْ نرضى التذبذبَ صامتاً

دنيئاً ، خبيثاً ، والغاً ، متصاغرا

دنيئاً ، خبيثاً ، والغاً ، متصاغرا

It is shameful for us to accept silent equivocation—

It's shameful that we accept vacillation silently

base, wicked, lapping, self-abasing—

Baser, wickeder, misleading, and belittling

على حينَ نأبى أن تحرِّكَ شاعراً

على حينَ نأبى أن تحرِّكَ شاعراً

ضرورةُ حالٍ بدَّلَتْ منه خاطرا

ضرورةُ حالٍ بدَّلَتْ منه خاطرا

while refusing to let a poet be moved

While we refuse that the necessity of a situation that changed a notion

by the necessity of a circumstance that has changed his mind.

Would provoke in a poet a verse

وإنيّ إذْ أُهدي إليكَ تحيَّتي

وإنيّ إذْ أُهدي إليكَ تحيَّتي

أهزُّ بكَ الجْيلَ العَقوقَ المُعاصِرا

أهزُّ بكَ الجْيلَ العَقوقَ المُعاصِرا

And as I offer you my greeting,

And as I send you my greetings

through you I shake this ungrateful contemporary generation.

I shake with you the ungrateful contemporary generation

أهزُّ بكَ الجيلَ الذي لا تهزُّه

أهزُّ بكَ الجيلَ الذي لا تهزُّه

نوابغُه ، حتى تزورَ المقابرا

نوابغُه ، حتى تزورَ المقابرا

Through you I shake the generation that is not shaken

I shake with you the generation that will not be shaken

by its geniuses until they go to their graves.

By its geniuses, until they visit the graves