قَطَعتُ بسَيري كلَّ يهماءَ مفزَعِ

قَطَعتُ بسَيري كلَّ يهماءَ مفزَعِ

وجُبتُ بخيلي كلَّ صرماءَ بلقعِ

وجُبتُ بخيلي كلَّ صرماءَ بلقعِ

In my travels I crossed every terrifying, trackless wilderness.

I have cut through every desolate wilderness,

I cut across every terrifying, trackless waste with my marching,

And with my horses I traversed every barren, desolate waste.

And crossed with my tribe every barren plain.

And roamed with my steeds through every waterless, barren void.

وثلَّمتُ سيفي في رؤوسٍ وأذرُعٍ

وثلَّمتُ سيفي في رؤوسٍ وأذرُعٍ

وحطّمتُ رمحي في نحورٍ وأضلُع

وحطّمتُ رمحي في نحورٍ وأضلُع

And I notched my sword on heads and arms,

My sword has tasted the blood of heads and arms,

I blunted the edge of my sword against heads and arms,

And shattered my spear in throats and ribs.

And my spear has rent the breasts and ribs of foes.

And shattered the shaft of my spear within throats and ribs.

وصيّرتُ رأيي بعد عزميَ رائِدي

وصيّرتُ رأيي بعد عزميَ رائِدي

وخلّفت آراءً توالَت بمَسمَعي

وخلّفت آراءً توالَت بمَسمَعي

And once resolved, I made my judgment my guide,

After resolving, I guided my steed by my will,

I made my own judgment—backed by resolve—my sole guide,

And left behind the opinions that came in succession to my ears.

And turned from the counsels that assailed my ears.

And cast behind me the opinions that clamored in my ears.

ولم أتَّرِكْ أمراً أخافُ اغتيالَه

ولم أتَّرِكْ أمراً أخافُ اغتيالَه

ولا طمعَت نفسي إلى غير مطمَع

ولا طمعَت نفسي إلى غير مطمَع

And I left no matter unchecked whose treachery I feared,

I feared not to undertake any dangerous act,

I never abandoned a course for fear of its betrayal,

Nor did my soul covet anything unattainable.

Nor did my soul covet any but its own wish.

Nor did my soul ever covet what was unworthy of desire.

وفارقتُ مصراً والأُسَيْوِدُ عينُهُ

وفارقتُ مصراً والأُسَيْوِدُ عينُهُ

حذارَ مسيري تستهلُّ بأدمُع

حذارَ مسيري تستهلُّ بأدمُع

And I left Egypt, while the little black man's eye

I left Egypt when violence filled its eye,

I departed Egypt while the eye of that petty black slave

Streamed with tears in dread of my departure.

Fearing my journey would begin with tears.

Streamed with tears in dread of my departure.

ألم تفهم الخُنثى مقالي وأنَّني

ألم تفهم الخُنثى مقالي وأنَّني

أُفارقُ من أقلي بقلبٍ مُشَيَّعِ

أُفارقُ من أقلي بقلبٍ مُشَيَّعِ

Did the hermaphrodite not understand my words, and that I

Does not the effeminate being understand my words?

Did that effeminate creature not comprehend my words, and know

Part from those I loathe with a dauntless heart?

That I part with a farewell from a wrung heart,

That I leave the one I loathe with a heart full of resolve?

ولا أرعوي إلا إلى من يودّني

ولا أرعوي إلا إلى من يودّني

ولا يطّبيني منزلٌ غيرُ مُمرعِ

ولا يطّبيني منزلٌ غيرُ مُمرعِ

Nor do I turn back except to one who loves me,

And incline only to one who loves me,

I turn my rein to no one but he who wishes me well,

Nor does a dwelling entice me unless its pasture is lush.

And no home delights me save an abode of freedom.

And no abode tempts me save one of fertile bloom.

أبا النتنِ كم قيَّدتني بمواعِدٍ

أبا النتنِ كم قيَّدتني بمواعِدٍ

مخافَة نظمٍ للفُؤادِ مُرَوِّع

مخافَة نظمٍ للفُؤادِ مُرَوِّع

O Father of Stench, how often you shackled me with promises,

O you who binds me with a pact

O Father of Stench! How often you shackled me with promises,

For fear of verse that would terrify the heart!

To fear a verse that shakes my heart!

In terror of a verse that would strike panic in your heart.

وقدَّرتَ من فرطِ الجهالة أنّني

وقدَّرتَ من فرطِ الجهالة أنّني

أُقيمُ على كذبٍ رصيفٍ مُضَيَّعِ

أُقيمُ على كذبٍ رصيفٍ مُضَيَّعِ

And you supposed, out of sheer ignorance, that I

You judged in the ignorance that holds you back,

You reckoned, in the excess of your ignorance, that I

Would stay, relying on well-constructed, futile lies.

That I still stand on a shore of lies,

Would remain for the sake of elaborate, wasted lies—

أقيمُ على عبدٍ خَصِيٍّ مُنافِقِ

أقيمُ على عبدٍ خَصِيٍّ مُنافِقِ

لئيمٍ رديءِ الفعلِ للجودِ مُدّعي

لئيمٍ رديءِ الفعلِ للجودِ مُدّعي

Would I stay with a hypocritical eunuch slave,

That I dwell with a mutilated slave, a hypocrite,

Remain with a castrated, hypocritical slave,

Base, vile in deed, laying claim to generosity,

Vile in acts, though posing as virtuous and liberal.

A base wretch of foul deeds who falsely claims nobility.

وأترُكُ سيفَ الدولَةِ الملِكَ الرضا

وأترُكُ سيفَ الدولَةِ الملِكَ الرضا

كريمَ المحيّا أروعاً وابنَ أروع

كريمَ المحيّا أروعاً وابنَ أروع

And abandon Sayf al-Dawla, the worthy king,

While I leave the sword of state and the pleasing king,

While I abandon Sayf al-Dawla, the well-pleasing King,

Noble of countenance, majestic, and the son of a majestic man?

Most generous, of noblest line, and noblest descent,

Noble of countenance, magnificent, and son of the magnificent.

فتىً بحرُهُ عذبٌ ومقصِدُه غِنىً

فتىً بحرُهُ عذبٌ ومقصِدُه غِنىً

ومَرتَعُ مرعى جودهِ خيرُ مرتَعِ

ومَرتَعُ مرعى جودهِ خيرُ مرتَعِ

A youth whose sea is sweet, and seeking him brings wealth,

A sea whose water is sweet, and whose wealth is plenty,

A knight whose sea of bounty is sweet, whose goal is wealth,

And the grazing-ground in his bounty's pasture is the finest grazing-ground.

The best pasture, the most excellent dwelling.

And the grazing ground of his generosity is the finest pasture.

تظَلُّ إذا ما جئتَهُ الدهرَ آمناً

تظَلُّ إذا ما جئتَهُ الدهرَ آمناً

بخيرِ مكانٍ بل بأشرَفِ موضعِ

بخيرِ مكانٍ بل بأشرَفِ موضعِ

You remain, whenever you come to him, safe for all time,

If you come to him in time of need, you will shade yourself

If you come to him, you shall remain forever safe,

In the best of places—nay, in the noblest abode.

In the best refuge, nay, the most noble place.

In the best of places—nay, in the most honorable station.