1. أَمْرُ مَنْ يَطلُبِ الْخُلُودَ عَسِيرُ

    لاَ يُعَارُ الْخُلُودُ مَنْ يَسْتَعِيرُ

    The task of one who seeks immortality is hard.

    Immortality is not lent to one who seeks to borrow it.

  2. غَايَة الْفَنِّ لاَ ترَامُ وَمَا

    يُقرَبُ مِنْهَا إِلاَّ النَّبِيغُ الصَّبُورُ

    Art's ultimate goal is beyond reach, and none

    comes near it except the patient genius.

  3. أَدْهَشَ الْخَلْقَ رَافَئِيلُ وَلَمْ

    يَبْلُغْهُ مِنْه مَا شَاءَ التَّصويرُ

    Raphael astonished humankind, yet

    painting did not bring him what he desired of it.

  4. نَحْتُ فِيدَاسَ حَيَّرَ النَّاسَ حَتَّى

    لَغَدَتْ تَدَّعِي الْحَيَاةَ الصُّخورُ

    The sculpture of Phidias bewildered people, until

    indeed, the rocks began to claim life.

  5. ثُمَّ وَلَّى ذَاكَ الصُّناعُ وَمَا فِي

    نَفْسِهِ حَالٌ دُونَهُ التَقْصِيرُ

    Then that master craftsman departed; what lay in

    his soul was thwarted by inadequacy.

  6. أَشْعَرُ الْخَلْقِ كَانَ هُومِيرُ

    هَلْ أَدْرَكَ مِنْه كُلَّ الْمُنَى هُوميرُ

    Homer was the most poetic of humankind.

    Did Homer gain from it all he wished?

  7. لَمْ يَتِمَّ الذِي تَوَخَّاهُ جُوتِي

    لاَ وَلَمْ يَقضِ مَا اشْتَهَى شَكْسَبِيرُ

    What Goethe sought was never completed.

    No, nor did Shakespeare fulfill what he desired.

  8. فِي الْفِرنْسِيسِ هَلْ تقضَّى مَرامٌ

    لِمُجِيدٍ أَوِ اسْتَمَرَّ مَرِيرُ

    Among the French, was an ambition fulfilled

    for an accomplished artist, or did firm resolve endure?

  9. وَشكا عَجْزَهُمْ أَوْلُو السَّبقِ

    فِي غَرْبٍ وَشَرْقٍ وَأَنَّهمْ لَكَثِيرُ

    The foremost lamented their inability

    in West and East—and they are indeed many.

  10. لاَ يُحَاشَى أَبُو نُوَّاسُ وَبَشَّا

    رُ بْنُ بُرْدِ وَمَسْلِمٌ وَجَرِيرُ

    Abu Nuwas is no exception, nor Bashshar

    ibn Burd, Muslim, and Jarir.

  11. قَالَ شَيْئاً مِمَّا أَرَادَ حَبِيبٌ

    وَتَغَنَّى بِمَا تَسَنَّى الضَّرِيرُ

    Habib said something of what he intended,

    and the blind man sang what he could.

  12. وَأَتى مُعْجِزَاتِهِ الْمُتَنَبِّي

    وَهْيَ مِمَّا أَرادَ شَيءٌ يَسِيرُ

    Al-Mutanabbi wrought his miracles,

    and they were a small part of what he intended.

  13. جَاءَ شَوْقِي بِبَعْضِ مَا رَامَ مِنْهُ

    وَهْوَ فِي الحَقِّ للْقَرِيضِ أَمِيرُ

    Shawqi produced some of what he sought from it,

    and he is, in truth, the prince of verse.

  14. سَرَّهُ جُهْدُهُ فَلَمْ يَأْلُ جُهْداً

    وَأَبَى العَجْزَ أَنْ يَتِمَّ السُّرُورُ

    His effort pleased him, so he spared no effort,

    but incapacity refused to let his joy be complete.

  15. كُلُّهُمْ لَمْ يَصِلْ إِلى مَا تَوَخَّى

    فَثَوَى فِي الطَّرِيقِ وَهْوَ حَسِيرُ

    None of them reached what he sought,

    so each lay down along the road, exhausted.

  16. وَلِكُلٍّ مَكَانَهُ مِنْ هَوَى النَّاسِ

    وَكلٌُّ بِالتَّكرُمَاتِ جَدِيرُ

    And each has his place in people's affections,

    and each is worthy of honors.

  17. هَذِه يَا أَحِبَّتي سَانِحَاتٌ

    لاَ تُمَارِي فِي الْحَقِّ وَالْحَقُّ نُورُ

    These, my dear friends, are passing thoughts

    that do not dispute truth—and truth is light.

  18. كانَ فِي الشِّعرِ لِي مَرَامٌ خطِيرُ

    فَعَدَا طَوْقِي الْمُرَامُ الخَطِيرُ

    I had a lofty ambition in poetry,

    but that lofty ambition exceeded my power.

  19. هَائِمٌ فِي الْوجُودِ أَسْاَلُهُ الوَحْيَ

    كَمَا يَسْأَلُ الغَنِيَّ الْفقِيرُ

    Wandering in existence, I ask it for inspiration,

    as the poor man asks of the rich.

  20. لَهْجُ مَا ادْخَرْتُ عَزْماً وَلَكِنْ

    مُرَادِي نَاءٍ وَبَاعِي قَصِيرُ

    Fervent, I have held back no resolve; yet

    my aim is distant, and my reach is short.

  21. أَكْبَرُونِي وَلَسْتُ أَكْبِرُ نَفْسِي

    أَنَا فِي الْفَنِّ مُسْتَفِيدٌ صَغِيرُ

    They have exalted me, but I do not exalt myself.

    In art, I am a humble learner.

  22. فَوْق شِعْرِي شِعْرُ وَفَوْقَ أَجَلَّ

    الشِّعرِ مَا قُدِّرَ الْبَدِيعُ الْقَدِيرُ

    There is poetry above mine, and above the noblest

    poetry lies what was ordained by the Originator, the Almighty.

  23. لاَ يَضِيقُ صَدْرُ شاعِرٍ بِأَخِيهِ

    يَكْرَهُ الْفَضْلُ أَنْ تَضِيقَ الصُّدُورُ

    A poet's heart is not cramped by his brother;

    excellence abhors constricted hearts.

  24. وَالسَّماوَاتُ لَوْ تَأَمَّلتَ فِيْهَا

    لَيْسَ تُحْصَى شُمُوسُهَا وَالْبُدُورُ

    And the heavens, if you contemplate them—

    their suns and full moons cannot be counted.

  25. كُلُّ جُرمٍ يَعْلُو وَيُصْبحُ نَجْماً

    فَلْكُهُ صَغيرٌ وَفيهِ يَدُورُ

    Every celestial body rises and becomes a star;

    its orbit is small, and within it it revolves.

  26. والنُّجومُ الَّتِي تَلُوحُ وَتُخْفَى

    رَبَوَاتٌ وَمَا يَضِيقُ الأَثِيرُ

    And the stars that appear and are hidden

    are myriads, yet the ether is not crowded.

  27. ذَاكَ أَسْمَى مَطَالِبَ الْمَجْدِ لاَ

    يُدْرِكُهُ مَدَّعٍ وَلاَ مَغْرُورُ

    That is the loftiest aspiration of glory; it is not

    attained by a pretender or a conceited man.

  28. عَجَبٌ مَا رَأَيْتُهُ فِي زَمَانِي

    مِنْ بُغَاثٍ مُسْتَنْسِرٍ لاَ يطِيرُ

    Strange is what I have seen in my time:

    weak birds posing as eagles, yet unable to fly.

  29. دَعْ مِنَ الْفَخْرِ مَا تَعَاطَاهُ

    مَزْهُوٌ بِتَرْدِيدِ شِعْرِهِ وَفَخُورُ

    Leave aside the boasting indulged in by

    one vain and proud of reciting his own verse,

  30. وَصِفاتٌ لِبْثُهَا يَقْرَعُ الطَّبلَ

    الْمُدَوِّيَ وَيُضْرَبُ الطُّنبُورُ

    and the qualities he broadcasts by beating a drum

    that thunders, while the tambur is played.

  31. يَكْرَهُ الْفَضْلُ مَا يُعيدُ وَيُبْدِي

    مِنْ دَعَاوَى فَنِّيةٍ هِي زُورُ

    Excellence abhors what he repeats and proclaims

    of artistic claims that are false.

  32. هِيَ فِي الْمَجْدِ رُتبَةُ فُرِضَتْ

    فَرْضاً وَلَمْ يَشْهَدِ الْحِسَابَ الضَّمِيرُ

    It is a rank in glory imposed

    by force, with conscience absent from the reckoning.

  33. لَيْسَ حُكْمُ الْجُمْهُورِ فِيهَا بِحُكْمٍ

    وَلِحِينٍ قَدْ يُخْدَعُ الْجُمْهُورُ

    The public's judgment on it is no true judgment;

    and for a time, the public may be deceived.

  34. سَلْ فُحُولَ الْقَرِيضِ ممَّن بِهِمْ

    أَنَلْ مَجْداً هَذَا الزمَانُ الأَخِيرُ

    Ask the masters of verse, those through whom

    this latter age has won glory:

  35. هَلْ لِمَحْمُودٍ هَلْ لِحَافِظَ إِبرَاهِيمَ

    فِيمَنْ أَجَادَ شِعْراً نَظِيرُ

    Has Mahmoud—has Hafiz Ibrahim—

    a peer among those who excelled in poetry?

  36. وَمِنَ الْعُرْبِ لاَ يُحَاشى امْرُؤَ الْقَيْسِ

    وَيَنأَى عَنِ القِياسِ جَرِيرُ

    And among the Arabs, Imru' al-Qays is no exception,

    and Jarir is beyond comparison.

  37. رَجْعَةٌ رَجْعَةٌ إِلى الْفَنِّ

    إِنَّ الْفَنَّ فِيهِ الإِنْصَافُ وَالتَّقْدِيرُ

    Back, back to art!

    For in art dwell fairness and appreciation.

  38. إِنَّ هَذَا الإِكْرَامَ لِلفَنِّ لاَ لِي

    وَالْمُرَامُ الذِي ابْتغَيْتُمْ كَبِيرُ

    This honor is for art, not for me,

    and the aim you sought is great.

  39. أَيُّ قِسْطٍ أَوْلَيْتُمُونِي مِنْهُ

    هُوَ فَضْلٌ عَلَى قَلِيلي كَثِيرُ

    Whatever share of it you have bestowed upon me

    is a great favor beyond my small contribution.

  40. ذَاكَ قوْلِي وَلَيْسَ ينقصُ شُكْرِي

    وَأَخُوكمْ كَمَا عَلِمْتُمْ شَكُورُ

    That is what I say, and it does not lessen my gratitude;

    and your brother, as you know, is grateful.

  41. غَيْرَ أَنِّي أَخْشى تَخَطِّي حَدِّي

    وَهُوَ ضِعْفٌ مِنِّي فَهَلْ لِي عَذِيرُ

    Yet I fear overstepping my bounds,

    and this is a weakness in me; will anyone excuse me?

  42. إِنَّ هَذَا التَمْثالَ يَا رَافِعِيهِ

    لَجزَاءٌ عَلَى الْقَلِيلِ كَثِيرُ

    This statue, O you who raise it,

    is surely a great reward for little.

  43. ذاكَ فَضْلٌ مِنْكُمْ وَمَا زالَ حَقّاً

    إِنَّ مَا يَفعَل الْكَبِيرُ كَبِيرُ

    That is generosity from you, and it has always been true:

    indeed, what a great man does is great.