أَقَلُّ فَعالي بَلهَ أَكثَرَهُ مَجدُ

أَقَلُّ فَعالي بَلهَ أَكثَرَهُ مَجدُ

وَذا الجِدُّ فيهِ نِلتُ أَم لَم أَنَل جَدُّ

وَذا الجِدُّ فيهِ نِلتُ أَم لَم أَنَل جَدُّ

My least deeds—let alone my greatest—are glory.

The least of my deeds—let alone the greatest—is glory; / And this striving is true striving, whether I attain my goal or not.

And this earnest striving is good fortune, whether I attain my aim or not.

I shall claim my right with spear-points and veterans / Who seem like beardless youths from how long they remain veiled.

سَأَطلُبُ حَقّي بِالقَنا وَمَشايِخٍ

سَأَطلُبُ حَقّي بِالقَنا وَمَشايِخٍ

كَأَنَّهُمُ مِن طولِ ما اِلتَثَموا مُردُ

كَأَنَّهُمُ مِن طولِ ما اِلتَثَموا مُردُ

I shall seek my right with spears and veteran elders,

Heavy when they clash, light when they are summoned, / Many when they charge, yet few when they are counted.

Who seem beardless, so long have they kept their faces veiled.

And thrusts that make all other thrusts seem null, / And strikes whose heat turns scorching fire to cold.

ثِقالٍ إِذا لاقَوا خِفافٍ إِذا دُعوا

ثِقالٍ إِذا لاقَوا خِفافٍ إِذا دُعوا

كَثيرٍ إِذا شَدّوا قَليلٍ إِذا عُدّوا

كَثيرٍ إِذا شَدّوا قَليلٍ إِذا عُدّوا

Heavy when they meet the foe, light when summoned,

If I wish, I am encircled on every swimming steed / By men to whom death tastes as sweet as honey.

Many when they charge, few when counted;

I denounce the people of this age to the age itself; / Their most learned is dull-witted, their most prudent a knave.

وَطَعنٍ كَأَنَّ الطَعنَ لا طَعنَ عِندَهُ

وَطَعنٍ كَأَنَّ الطَعنَ لا طَعنَ عِندَهُ

وَضَربٍ كَأَنَّ النارَ مِن حَرِّهِ بَردُ

وَضَربٍ كَأَنَّ النارَ مِن حَرِّهِ بَردُ

And with thrusts beside which all thrusting seems no thrusting,

Their noblest is a dog, their sharpest-eyed is blind, / Their most vigilant sleeps like a leopard, their bravest is an ape.

And blows whose heat makes fire seem cold.

It is part of life’s misery for the freeborn soul / To face a foe whose friendship he cannot escape.

إِذا شِئتُ حَفَّت بي عَلى كُلِّ سابِحٍ

إِذا شِئتُ حَفَّت بي عَلى كُلِّ سابِحٍ

رِجالٌ كَأَنَّ المَوتَ في فَمِها شَهدُ

رِجالٌ كَأَنَّ المَوتَ في فَمِها شَهدُ

When I wish, around me on every swimming steed gather

In my heart is weariness of this world, though I have not drunk my fill, / And from its alluring beauties, though they draw near, I turn away.

Men in whose mouths death seems like honey.

My sole companions among men are grief and a tear, / Shed for the loved one lost—yet these two never leave me.

أَذُمُّ إِلى هَذا الزَمانِ أُهَيلَهُ

أَذُمُّ إِلى هَذا الزَمانِ أُهَيلَهُ

فَأَعلَمُهُم فَدمٌ وَأَحزَمُهُم وَغدُ

فَأَعلَمُهُم فَدمٌ وَأَحزَمُهُم وَغدُ

To this age I complain of its petty people:

Tears persist within my lids, as though my eyelids / Were a cheek for the eye of every weeping mourner.

For their most learned is a dullard, their most prudent a knave;

Indeed, a mere sip of water suffices me, / And I endure thirst as the desert ostriches endure.

وَأَكرَمُهُم كَلبٌ وَأَبصَرُهُم عَمٍ

وَأَكرَمُهُم كَلبٌ وَأَبصَرُهُم عَمٍ

وَأَسهَدُهُم فَهدٌ وَأَشجَعُهُم قِردُ

وَأَسهَدُهُم فَهدٌ وَأَشجَعُهُم قِردُ

And their most generous is a dog, their keenest-sighted blind;

I strike toward my goal just as the spearhead strikes, / And fold up the distance as the swift camel folds the track.

And their most wakeful is a cheetah, their bravest a monkey.

I hold my soul too high to answer with backbiting; / For gossip is the exertion of those with no power to exert.

وَمِن نَكَدِ الدُنيا عَلى الحُرِّ أَن يَرى

وَمِن نَكَدِ الدُنيا عَلى الحُرِّ أَن يَرى

عَدُوّاً لَهُ ما مِن صَداقَتِهِ بُدُّ

عَدُوّاً لَهُ ما مِن صَداقَتِهِ بُدُّ

And among the world's afflictions for a noble man is to see

I pity certain folk for their stuttering ignorance, / And excuse their hatred, for they are my very opposites.

An enemy of his whom he has no choice but to befriend.

I am withheld from all but Ibn Muhammad / By favors he bestowed, too vast for gratitude to hold.

بِقَلبي وَإِن لَم أَروَ مِنها مَلالَةٌ

بِقَلبي وَإِن لَم أَروَ مِنها مَلالَةٌ

وَبي عَن غَوانيها وَإِن وَصَلَت صَدُّ

وَبي عَن غَوانيها وَإِن وَصَلَت صَدُّ

In my heart is weariness of it, though I have not drunk my fill.

They flowed without a promise, yet before they came, / His noble nature was a promise, though no word was spoken.

And I turn from its lovely women, even when they offer their love.

The sword forged in India—my companion—journeyed / To the sword forged by God, not by Indian smiths.

خَليلايَ دونَ الناسِ حُزنٌ وَعَبرَةٌ

خَليلايَ دونَ الناسِ حُزنٌ وَعَبرَةٌ

عَلى فَقدِ مَن أَحبَبتُ ما لَهُما فَقدُ

عَلى فَقدِ مَن أَحبَبتُ ما لَهُما فَقدُ

My two companions, instead of people, are sorrow and tears,

When he saw me approaching, he stirred in welcome, / A blade whose every facet is a cutting edge.

Over the loss of those I loved; these two I never lose.

I had never seen, before this, the sea walking toward a man, / Nor a human whom lions rose up to embrace.

تَلَجُّ دُموعي بِالجُفونِ كَأَنَّما

تَلَجُّ دُموعي بِالجُفونِ كَأَنَّما

جُفوني لِعَيني كُلِّ باكِيَةٍ خَدُّ

جُفوني لِعَيني كُلِّ باكِيَةٍ خَدُّ

My tears persist upon my eyelids, as though

As if the stubborn bows obey him out of love, / Or shun the touch of any fingers but his own.

My eyelids were a cheek for the eyes of every weeping woman.

He nearly strikes the mark before the shot is fired, / And holds the power to recall the arrow in its flight.

وَإِنّي لَتُغنيني مِنَ الماءِ نُغبَةٌ

وَإِنّي لَتُغنيني مِنَ الماءِ نُغبَةٌ

وَأَصبِرُ عَنهُ مِثلَ ما تَصبِرُ الرُبدُ

وَأَصبِرُ عَنهُ مِثلَ ما تَصبِرُ الرُبدُ

And indeed a sip of water suffices me,

He drives it through the knot, though it be tighter / Than a black hair hidden in the blackest night.

And I endure without it as gray ostriches endure.

My soul for him who is not swayed by deception, / Though the ruses and designs be manifold.

وَأَمضي كَما يَمضي السِنانُ لِطِيَّتي

وَأَمضي كَما يَمضي السِنانُ لِطِيَّتي

وَأَطوي كَما تَطوي المُجَلِّحَةُ العُقدُ

وَأَطوي كَما تَطوي المُجَلِّحَةُ العُقدُ

And I press toward my destination as a spearhead speeds,

He whose distance is poverty, whose nearness is wealth; / Whose honor is a free lord, and whose wealth is a slave.

And I cover ground as the boldly advancing, sturdy camels do.

He initiates acts of kindness unbesought, / And withholds them from those whose blame is actually praise.

وَأَكبِرُ نَفسي عَن جَزاءٍ بِغيبَةٍ

وَأَكبِرُ نَفسي عَن جَزاءٍ بِغيبَةٍ

وَكُلُّ اِغتِيابٍ جُهدُ مَن مالُهُ جُهدُ

وَكُلُّ اِغتِيابٍ جُهدُ مَن مالُهُ جُهدُ

And I deem myself too noble to retaliate with backbiting,

He scorns to mention the envious, deeming them beneath him, / As if, among creation, they had not yet been created.

And all backbiting is the utmost effort of one whose means are meager.

Enemies feel safe from him, not from his weakness, / But because his vengeance is measured only by the sin.

وَأَرحَمُ أَقواماً مِنَ العِيِّ وَالغَبا

وَأَرحَمُ أَقواماً مِنَ العِيِّ وَالغَبا

وَأَعذِرُ في بُغضي لِأَنَّهُمُ ضِدُّ

وَأَعذِرُ في بُغضي لِأَنَّهُمُ ضِدُّ

And I pity some people for their inarticulacy and stupidity,

If Sayyar ibn Mukram has passed away, / Then you are the rose water that remains when the rose is gone.

And excuse them for hating me, since they are my opposites.

He and his sons are gone, and you alone inherit their virtue; / A thousand, when summed together, make but a single one.

وَيَمنَعُني مِمَّن سِوى اِبنِ مُحَمَّدٍ

وَيَمنَعُني مِمَّن سِوى اِبنِ مُحَمَّدٍ

أَيادٍ لَهُ عِندي تَضيقُ بِها عِندُ

أَيادٍ لَهُ عِندي تَضيقُ بِها عِندُ

And I am kept from anyone but Ibn Muhammad

Theirs were radiant faces and generous hands, / Abundant knowledge and tongues of eloquence.

By his favors with me, too vast for the word 'with' to contain.

And green mantles, and authority obeyed, / And planted brown spears, and sleek, high-bred steeds.

تَوالى بِلا وَعدٍ وَلَكِنَّ قَبلَها

تَوالى بِلا وَعدٍ وَلَكِنَّ قَبلَها

شَمائِلُهُ مِن غَيرِ وَعدٍ بِها وَعدُ

شَمائِلُهُ مِن غَيرِ وَعدٍ بِها وَعدُ

They come in succession without a promise, yet before them

As long as I live, they have not died, nor their forebears— / Tamim ibn Murr, and Udd, the son of Tabikha.

His character is a promise of them, though no promise is made.

What appears is but a fraction of what I mention, / And what is seen is but a fraction of what lies hidden from me.

سَرى السَيفُ مِمّا تَطبَعُ الهِندُ صاحِبي

سَرى السَيفُ مِمّا تَطبَعُ الهِندُ صاحِبي

إِلى السَيفِ مِمّا يَطبَعُ اللَهُ لا الهِندُ

إِلى السَيفِ مِمّا يَطبَعُ اللَهُ لا الهِندُ

The sword India forges journeyed by night as my companion

Through him I rebuke those who blame me for my devotion; / For the best of creation deserves the love of the best.

To the sword God forges, not India.

So stand aside from Ali and his paths, / You sons of baseness, that the mighty king may pass.

فَلَمّا رَآني مُقبِلاً هَزَّ نَفسَهُ

فَلَمّا رَآني مُقبِلاً هَزَّ نَفسَهُ

إِلَيَّ حُسامٌ كُلُّ صَفحٍ لَهُ حَدُّ

إِلَيَّ حُسامٌ كُلُّ صَفحٍ لَهُ حَدُّ

Then, when he saw me approaching, he set himself in motion

It is not in your nature to contend for glory, / Just as musk and incense are not found in common soil.

Toward me—a keen sword whose every flat is an edge.

فَلَم أَرَ قَبلي مَن مَشى البَحرُ نَحوَهُ

فَلَم أَرَ قَبلي مَن مَشى البَحرُ نَحوَهُ

وَلا رَجُلاً قامَت تُعانِقُهُ الأُسدُ

وَلا رَجُلاً قامَت تُعانِقُهُ الأُسدُ

For I had never seen the sea walk toward anyone before me,

Nor a man whom lions rose to embrace.

كَأَنَّ القِسِيَّ العاصِياتِ تُطيعُهُ

كَأَنَّ القِسِيَّ العاصِياتِ تُطيعُهُ

هَوىً أَو بِها في غَيرِ أُنمُلِهِ زُهدُ

هَوىً أَو بِها في غَيرِ أُنمُلِهِ زُهدُ

As though rebellious bows obeyed him

Out of love, or disdain for any fingertips but his.

يَكادُ يُصيبُ الشَيءَ مِن قَبلِ رَميِهِ

يَكادُ يُصيبُ الشَيءَ مِن قَبلِ رَميِهِ

وَيُمكِنُهُ في سَهمِهِ المُرسَلِ الرَدُّ

وَيُمكِنُهُ في سَهمِهِ المُرسَلِ الرَدُّ

He almost hits the target before shooting,

And can recall his arrow once loosed.

وَيُنفِذُهُ في العَقدِ وَهوَ مُضَيَّقٌ

وَيُنفِذُهُ في العَقدِ وَهوَ مُضَيَّقٌ

مِنَ الشَعرَةِ السَوداءِ وَاللَيلُ مُسوَدُّ

مِنَ الشَعرَةِ السَوداءِ وَاللَيلُ مُسوَدُّ

And he sends it through a tightly drawn knot

Of a black hair, while the night is pitch-black.

بِنَفسي الَّذي لا يُزدَهى بِخَديعَةٍ

بِنَفسي الَّذي لا يُزدَهى بِخَديعَةٍ

وَإِن كَثُرَت فيها الذَرائِعُ وَالقَصدُ

وَإِن كَثُرَت فيها الذَرائِعُ وَالقَصدُ

My life be ransom for him whom no deception beguiles,

Even when its devices and designs abound;

وَمَن بُعدُهُ فَقرٌ وَمَن قُربُهُ غِنىً

وَمَن بُعدُهُ فَقرٌ وَمَن قُربُهُ غِنىً

وَمَن عِرضُهُ حُرٌّ وَمَن مالُهُ عَبدُ

وَمَن عِرضُهُ حُرٌّ وَمَن مالُهُ عَبدُ

And whose distance is poverty, and whose nearness is wealth;

And whose honor is free, and whose wealth is a slave.

وَيَصطَنِعُ المَعروفَ مُبتَدِئً بِهِ

وَيَصطَنِعُ المَعروفَ مُبتَدِئً بِهِ

وَيَمنَعُهُ مِن كُلِّ مَن ذَمُّهُ حَمدُ

وَيَمنَعُهُ مِن كُلِّ مَن ذَمُّهُ حَمدُ

And he bestows kindness on his own initiative,

And withholds it from anyone whose blame is praise.

وَيَحتَقِرُ الحُسّادَ عَن ذِكرِهِ لَهُم

وَيَحتَقِرُ الحُسّادَ عَن ذِكرِهِ لَهُم

كَأَنَّهُمُ في الخَلقِ ما خُلِقوا بَعدُ

كَأَنَّهُمُ في الخَلقِ ما خُلِقوا بَعدُ

And he deems the envious too low to mention,

As though among creation they had not yet been created.

وَتَأمَنَهُ الأَعداءُ مِن غَيرِ ذِلَّةٍ

وَتَأمَنَهُ الأَعداءُ مِن غَيرِ ذِلَّةٍ

وَلَكِن عَلى قَدرِ الَّذي يُذنِبُ الحِقدُ

وَلَكِن عَلى قَدرِ الَّذي يُذنِبُ الحِقدُ

And his enemies are safe from him, but not through weakness;

But his resentment is measured by the wrong committed.

فَإِن يَكُ سَيّارُ بنُ مُكرَمٍ اِنقَضي

فَإِن يَكُ سَيّارُ بنُ مُكرَمٍ اِنقَضي

فَإِنَّكَ ماءُ الوَردِ إِن ذَهَبَ الوَردُ

فَإِنَّكَ ماءُ الوَردِ إِن ذَهَبَ الوَردُ

So if Sayyar ibn Mukram has passed away,

Then you are rosewater, even if the rose has gone.

مَضى وَبَنوهُ وَاِنفَرَدتَ بِفَضلِهِم

مَضى وَبَنوهُ وَاِنفَرَدتَ بِفَضلِهِم

وَأَلفٌ إِذا ما جُمِّعَت واحِدٌ فَردُ

وَأَلفٌ إِذا ما جُمِّعَت واحِدٌ فَردُ

He and his sons have passed; you alone possess their excellence,

And a thousand, gathered together, are one single man.

لَهُم أَوجُهٌ غُرٌّ وَأَيدٍ كَريمَةٌ

لَهُم أَوجُهٌ غُرٌّ وَأَيدٍ كَريمَةٌ

وَمَعرِفَةٌ عِدٌّ وَأَلسِنَةٌ لُدُّ

وَمَعرِفَةٌ عِدٌّ وَأَلسِنَةٌ لُدُّ

They have radiant faces and generous hands,

And knowledge like an unfailing spring, and tongues fierce in debate;

وَأَردِيَةٌ خُضرٌ وَمُلكٌ مُطاعَةٌ

وَأَردِيَةٌ خُضرٌ وَمُلكٌ مُطاعَةٌ

وَمَركوزَةٌ سُمرٌ وَمُقرَبَةٌ جُردُ

وَمَركوزَةٌ سُمرٌ وَمُقرَبَةٌ جُردُ

And green cloaks, and kings who are obeyed;

And planted brown spears, and sleek horses kept near at hand.

وَما عِشتُ ما ماتوا وَلا أَبَواهُمُ

وَما عِشتُ ما ماتوا وَلا أَبَواهُمُ

تَميمُ بنُ مُرٍّ وَاِبنُ طابِخَةٍ أُدُّ

تَميمُ بنُ مُرٍّ وَاِبنُ طابِخَةٍ أُدُّ

And while I live, they are not dead, nor their two forefathers,

Tamim ibn Murr, and Udd, son of Tabikha.

فَبَعضُ الَّذي يَبدو الَّذي أَنا ذاكِرٌ

فَبَعضُ الَّذي يَبدو الَّذي أَنا ذاكِرٌ

وَبَعضُ الَّذي يَخفى عَلَيَّ الَّذي يَبدو

وَبَعضُ الَّذي يَخفى عَلَيَّ الَّذي يَبدو

So what I recount is only part of what appears,

And what appears is only part of what is hidden from me.

أَلومُ بِهِ مَن لامَني في وِدادِهِ

أَلومُ بِهِ مَن لامَني في وِدادِهِ

وَحُقَّ لِخَيرِ الخَلقِ مِن خَيرِهِ الوُدُّ

وَحُقَّ لِخَيرِ الخَلقِ مِن خَيرِهِ الوُدُّ

With it I rebuke whoever rebuked me for loving him,

And love is due to the best of creation for his goodness.

كَذا فَتَنَحَّوا عَن عَلِيٍّ وَطُرقِهِ

كَذا فَتَنَحَّوا عَن عَلِيٍّ وَطُرقِهِ

بَني اللُؤمِ حَتّى يَعبُرَ المَلِكُ الجَعدُ

بَني اللُؤمِ حَتّى يَعبُرَ المَلِكُ الجَعدُ

Thus, stand aside from Ali and his paths,

Sons of baseness, until the curly-haired king passes.

فَما في سَجاياكُم مُنازَعَةُ العُلى

فَما في سَجاياكُم مُنازَعَةُ العُلى

وَلا في طِباعِ التُربَةِ المِسكُ وَالنَدُّ

وَلا في طِباعِ التُربَةِ المِسكُ وَالنَدُّ

For it is not in your natures to contend for lofty glory,

Nor are musk and fragrant incense inherent in soil.