يَا قَاتَل اللَّهُ كُتَّابَ الدَّوَاوِيْنِ

يَا قَاتَل اللَّهُ كُتَّابَ الدَّوَاوِيْنِ

مَا يَسْتَجِيْزُونَ مِنْ كَسْرِ السَّكَاكِيْنِ

مَا يَسْتَجِيْزُونَ مِنْ كَسْرِ السَّكَاكِيْنِ

Oh, may God smite the bureau scribes!

O killer of scribes

What they deem permissible in breaking knives!

Who gain nothing from breaking pens

لَقَدْ دَهَانِي لَطِيْفٌ مِنْهُمُ خَتِلٌ

لَقَدْ دَهَانِي لَطِيْفٌ مِنْهُمُ خَتِلٌ

فِي ذَاتِ حَدٍّ كَحَدِّ السَّيْفِ مَسْنُونِ

فِي ذَاتِ حَدٍّ كَحَدِّ السَّيْفِ مَسْنُونِ

Indeed, a deft, deceitful fellow among them afflicted me

One of them has wronged me, a wily one

over a blade with an edge honed like a sword's.

With a sharp tongue like a sharpened sword

فَابَتَزَّنِيْهَا وَلَمْ أَشْعُرْ بِهِ عَبَثَاً

فَابَتَزَّنِيْهَا وَلَمْ أَشْعُرْ بِهِ عَبَثَاً

وَلَسْتُ لَوْ سَاءَنِي ظَنٌّ بِمَغْبُونِ

وَلَسْتُ لَوْ سَاءَنِي ظَنٌّ بِمَغْبُونِ

So he snatched it from me in mischief, without my noticing him.

He took me unawares though I felt nothing

And had suspicion troubled me, I would not have been duped.

I'd not feel cheated, though suspicions rose

وَأَقْفَرَتْ بَعْدَ عُمْرَانٍ بِمَوْقِعِهَا

وَأَقْفَرَتْ بَعْدَ عُمْرَانٍ بِمَوْقِعِهَا

مِنْهَا دَوَاةُ فَتًى بِالْكُتْبِ مَقْتُونِ

مِنْهَا دَوَاةُ فَتًى بِالْكُتْبِ مَقْتُونِ

And, after flourishing with it in place, now lies desolate

After its heyday, the place lies deserted

without it, the inkwell of a youth devoted to books.

Home of a lad bound fast to his books

يَبْكِي عَلَى مُدْيَةٍ أَوْدَى الزَّمَانُ بِهَا

يَبْكِي عَلَى مُدْيَةٍ أَوْدَى الزَّمَانُ بِهَا

كَانَتْ عَلَى جَائِرِ الأَيَّامِ تُعْدِيْنِي

كَانَتْ عَلَى جَائِرِ الأَيَّامِ تُعْدِيْنِي

He weeps over a knife that time has destroyed;

Who weeps for a city time has destroyed

it used to aid me against the tyranny of the days.

That once controlled wayward fortunes

كَانَتْ تُقَوِّمث أَقْلاَمِي وَتَنْحِتُهَا

كَانَتْ تُقَوِّمث أَقْلاَمِي وَتَنْحِتُهَا

بَرْيَاً وَتُسْخِطُهَا قَطَّاً فَتُرْضِيْنِي

بَرْيَاً وَتُسْخِطُهَا قَطَّاً فَتُرْضِيْنِي

It straightened my pens and whittled them,

It set my pens straight and carved them

sharpening them, angering them by nib-cutting, and so pleasing me.

Well, rejecting the flawed, pleasing me

وَأُضْحِكُ الطِّرْسَ وَالقِرْطَاسَ عَنء حُلَلٍ

وَأُضْحِكُ الطِّرْسَ وَالقِرْطَاسَ عَنء حُلَلٍ

تَنُوبُ لِلْعَيْنِ عَنْ نَوْرِ البَسَاتِيْنِ

تَنُوبُ لِلْعَيْنِ عَنْ نَوْرِ البَسَاتِيْنِ

And I make parchment and paper smile, displaying robes

I made parchment and paper laugh through fine garments

that stand in for garden blossoms to the eye.

That delighted the eye like garden blooms

وَإِنْ قَشَرْتُ بِهَا سَوْدَاءَ مِنْ صُحُفِي

وَإِنْ قَشَرْتُ بِهَا سَوْدَاءَ مِنْ صُحُفِي

عَادَتْ كَبَعْضِ خُدُودِ الخُرَّدِ العِيْنِ

عَادَتْ كَبَعْضِ خُدُودِ الخُرَّدِ العِيْنِ

And if I scrape with it a blackened page of mine,

And if I scraped the dark from my pages

it becomes like the cheeks of shy, wide-eyed maidens.

They returned like some gazelles' dark eyes

جَزْعُ النَّصَابِ لَطِيْفَاتٌ شَعَائِرُهَا

جَزْعُ النَّصَابِ لَطِيْفَاتٌ شَعَائِرُهَا

مُحَسَّنَاتٌ بِأَصْنَافِ التَّحَاسِيْنِ

مُحَسَّنَاتٌ بِأَصْنَافِ التَّحَاسِيْنِ

Its handle is onyx; its markings are delicate,

Coffers of provisions are delicate things

adorned with many kinds of embellishment.

Beauties with all kinds of ornaments

هَيْفَاءُ مُرْهَفَةٌ بَيْضَاءُ مُذْهَبَةٌ

هَيْفَاءُ مُرْهَفَةٌ بَيْضَاءُ مُذْهَبَةٌ

قَالَ الإِلهُ لَهَا سُبْحَانَهُ كُونِي

قَالَ الإِلهُ لَهَا سُبْحَانَهُ كُونِي

Slender, keen-edged, white, and gilded,

Slender, fair, gilded

God—glory be to Him—said to it, 'Be!'

God said "Be!" and it was

مَخْطُوفَةُ الخَصْرِ تَحْكِي فِي تَخَصُّرِهَا

مَخْطُوفَةُ الخَصْرِ تَحْكِي فِي تَخَصُّرِهَا

خَصْرَ البَدِيْعِ بَدِيْعٌ فِي الخَفَاتِيْنِ

خَصْرَ البَدِيْعِ بَدِيْعٌ فِي الخَفَاتِيْنِ

Nipped at the waist, in its slenderness it resembles

Her cinched waist relates in its cinching

the waist of the exquisite Badiʿ in caftans.

The waist of creativity—creative in its slenderiness

كَأَنَّهَا حِيْنَ يَشْجِيْنِي تَذَكُرُهَا

كَأَنَّهَا حِيْنَ يَشْجِيْنِي تَذَكُرُهَا

فِي القَلْبِ مِنِّي وَفِي الأَحْشَاءِ تَفْرِيْنِي

فِي القَلْبِ مِنِّي وَفِي الأَحْشَاءِ تَفْرِيْنِي

As though, when remembering it saddens me,

It's as if, when passion seizes me, she remembers

it were cutting me apart within my heart and entrails.

In my heart and penetrates my deepest places

لَكِنَّ مِقَطِّي أَمْسَى شَامِتَاً جَذِلاً

لَكِنَّ مِقَطِّي أَمْسَى شَامِتَاً جَذِلاً

وَكَانَ فِي ذِلَّةٍ مِنْهَا وَفِي هُونِ

وَكَانَ فِي ذِلَّةٍ مِنْهَا وَفِي هُونِ

But my pen-cutting block has become gloating and glad,

But my critic has become gloating and craven

though it once suffered abasement and humiliation from it.

And felt only humility and abasement from her

فَصِيْنَ حَتَّى يُضَاهِي فِي صَيَانَتِهِ

فَصِيْنَ حَتَّى يُضَاهِي فِي صَيَانَتِهِ

جَاهِي لِصَوْنِيْهِ عَمَّنْ لاَ يُدَانِيْنِي

جَاهِي لِصَوْنِيْهِ عَمَّنْ لاَ يُدَانِيْنِي

So it was protected until, in its safeguarding, it rivals

Guard her so your guarding rivals

my standing, which I guard from those who cannot equal me.

My zeal to protect her from those who envy me

فَلَسْتُ عَنْهَا بِسَالٍ مَا حَيِيْتُ وَلاَ

فَلَسْتُ عَنْهَا بِسَالٍ مَا حَيِيْتُ وَلاَ

بِوَاجِدٍ عِوَضَاً مِنْهَا يُسَلِّيْنِي

بِوَاجِدٍ عِوَضَاً مِنْهَا يُسَلِّيْنِي

So I shall not forget it so long as I live, nor

I cannot forget her, alive,

find a replacement for it that consoles me.

Or find a substitute to console me

فَلَو يَرُدُّ فِدَاءٌ مَا فُجِعْتُ بِهِ

فَلَو يَرُدُّ فِدَاءٌ مَا فُجِعْتُ بِهِ

مِنْهَا فَدَيْنَاهُ بِالدُّنْيَا وَبِالدِّيْنِ

مِنْهَا فَدَيْنَاهُ بِالدُّنْيَا وَبِالدِّيْنِ

For if ransom could bring back what I was bereaved of,

If a ransom could redeem my grief for her

we would redeem it with this world and with faith.

We'd ransom her with world and religion.

صحوت عن كل شيء كان يعجبني

صحوت عن كل شيء كان يعجبني

الاستماع أحاديث المحبينا

الاستماع أحاديث المحبينا

I have sobered from everything that used to delight me—

I have awoken from everything that pleased me

[except] listening to lovers' tales.

Listening to lovers' tales

إذا شكا بعضهم وحداً بكيت له

إذا شكا بعضهم وحداً بكيت له

وإن دعا قلت بالاخلاص أمينا

وإن دعا قلت بالاخلاص أمينا

When one of them complained of loneliness, I wept for him;

When one complained of loneliness, I wept for him

and if he prayed, I sincerely said, 'Amen.'

If he prayed I sincerely said "Amen"

مَا ذَاكَ إِلاَّ لأَنِّي قَدْ لَقِيْتُ كَمَا

مَا ذَاكَ إِلاَّ لأَنِّي قَدْ لَقِيْتُ كَمَا

لاَقُوْا وَكَابَدْتُ مَا قَدْ كَابَدُوا حِيْنَا

لاَقُوْا وَكَابَدْتُ مَا قَدْ كَابَدُوا حِيْنَا

That is only because I have suffered, just as

That is only because I, like them,

they suffered, and endured what they endured for a time.

Have suffered what they suffered once

لَكِنَّنِي لَمْ يَكُنْ لِي مَنْ يَسَاعِدُنِي

لَكِنَّنِي لَمْ يَكُنْ لِي مَنْ يَسَاعِدُنِي

وَهَا أَنَا مُسْعِدٌ مَنْ كَانَ مَحْزُونَا

وَهَا أَنَا مُسْعِدٌ مَنْ كَانَ مَحْزُونَا

But I had no one to help me,

But there was no one to help me

and here I am, consoling whoever is sorrowful.

While I give aid to those in sadness