يُطارحُني هَذا الزَمان بهمّهِ

يُطارحُني هَذا الزَمان بهمّهِ

كَأَنّ عَنائي عِندَهُ مِن أَهمِّهِ

كَأَنّ عَنائي عِندَهُ مِن أَهمِّهِ

This age trades its cares with me,

This time treats me carelessly as though

As though my suffering were among its chief concerns.

My troubles to it are of its least care.

شَكَوت زَماني مِن أَذى كُلّ ناقص

شَكَوت زَماني مِن أَذى كُلّ ناقص

خَؤون وَهُم لا شَكَّ أَبناء أُمِّهِ

خَؤون وَهُم لا شَكَّ أَبناء أُمِّهِ

I complained of my age, of the harm of every base,

I complained of my time for the harm of every blamer,

Treacherous man—they are, no doubt, sons of its mother.

Evils and worries are no doubt sons of their mother.

فَماذا عَسى أَنّي أَرى ما يَسُرُّني

فَماذا عَسى أَنّي أَرى ما يَسُرُّني

مِن الدَهر إِلّا زادَ بي برح غَمِّهِ

مِن الدَهر إِلّا زادَ بي برح غَمِّهِ

So what hope have I of seeing anything that pleases me

What then can I expect to see pleasing me

From time, when the torment of its grief only grows within me?

From fate but increase of its worries and grief?

أَلا لَيتَ شِعري هَل لأمريَ مُنجد

أَلا لَيتَ شِعري هَل لأمريَ مُنجد

إِذا اِغتالَني دَهري بِبَعض ملمّهِ

إِذا اِغتالَني دَهري بِبَعض ملمّهِ

Ah, would that I knew: is there a helper for my plight,

Oh, would that I knew! Is there a helper for my matter

When my age ambushes me with one of its calamities?

When my fate deceives me with some of its tricks?

لَقَد كانَ صَدري الرَحب فاِلتاعه الأَسا

لَقَد كانَ صَدري الرَحب فاِلتاعه الأَسا

بِأَضيق مِن وَخز الخياط وَسمّهِ

بِأَضيق مِن وَخز الخياط وَسمّهِ

Indeed, my breast was spacious, but grief wracked it,

My chest was spacious but the misfortunes straitened it

Making it narrower than a needle's puncture and its eye.

To narrower than the stitching of the seamstress.

أَتاحَت صُروف الدَهر ساءت فِعاله

أَتاحَت صُروف الدَهر ساءت فِعاله

إِليَّ لُصوصاً هُم بَواعث هَمِّهِ

إِليَّ لُصوصاً هُم بَواعث هَمِّهِ

The vicissitudes of time—evil were its deeds—brought

The turns of fate did evil so there came to me

Thieves upon me, the instigators of its cares.

Thieves who were causes of its worries.

فَلمّا رَأوني غائِباً أَسرَعوا إِلى

فَلمّا رَأوني غائِباً أَسرَعوا إِلى

بوييجي البالي الحريِّ برمّهِ

بوييجي البالي الحريِّ برمّهِ

So when they found me absent, they rushed toward

When they saw me absent they hastened to

My worn-out slipper, in need of mending.

My being in misery, confused, and perplexed.

أَحاطوا بِهِ ما بَين لصٍّ وَسارقٍ

أَحاطوا بِهِ ما بَين لصٍّ وَسارقٍ

وَكُلّ رَذيلٍ لا يُبالي بذمِّهِ

وَكُلّ رَذيلٍ لا يُبالي بذمِّهِ

They surrounded it, thieves and pilferers alike,

They surrounded it, thieves and robbers,

And every wretch who cares nothing for being censured.

And every villain who cares not for blame.

رَأوه فَكانوا أَحرص الناس رَغبَةً

رَأوه فَكانوا أَحرص الناس رَغبَةً

بتقبيله طوراً وَطوراً بشمِّهِ

بتقبيله طوراً وَطوراً بشمِّهِ

They saw it and were the keenest of men in their desire,

They saw it and were greediest of men in yearning

Now to kiss it, and now to smell it.

To kiss it again and again in passionate embrace.

وَأَمّا الَّذي أَخفاه حارَ بِوَضعِهِ

وَأَمّا الَّذي أَخفاه حارَ بِوَضعِهِ

فَفي جَيبه حيناً وَحيناً بِكمّهِ

فَفي جَيبه حيناً وَحيناً بِكمّهِ

And as for the one who hid it, he could not decide where to put it:

But that which it hid they were perplexed about its place

Sometimes in his pocket, sometimes in his sleeve.

Now in its pocket, now on its sleeve.

فَسرّح فيهِ شعرهُ فَكأنّهُ

فَسرّح فيهِ شعرهُ فَكأنّهُ

تَمسَّك من مسكِ الظبا بِأَنمّهِ

تَمسَّك من مسكِ الظبا بِأَنمّهِ

So he combed his hair in it, as though

It let loose its hair on him so that it was as though

He had perfumed himself with the most fragrant musk of gazelles.

It clung to musk of the gazelle with its mouth.

فَيَرفَعهُ طَوراً عَلى هام رَأسه

فَيَرفَعهُ طَوراً عَلى هام رَأسه

وَيَخفض شَوقاً صَدره عِندَ ضَمّهِ

وَيَخفض شَوقاً صَدره عِندَ ضَمّهِ

So he raises it at times to the crown of his head,

It would raise it up to the top of its head

And lowers his breast in longing as he clasps it.

And lower it lovingly to its breast when embracing.

وَيَضحك بابوجي عَلَيهِ بِجَيبِهِ

وَيَضحك بابوجي عَلَيهِ بِجَيبِهِ

كَما ضحك الزَهر الأَنيقِ بكمِّهِ

كَما ضحك الزَهر الأَنيقِ بكمِّهِ

And my slipper laughs at him in his pocket,

My being laughs at it in its pocket

As the lovely blossom laughed within its calyx.

As the elegant flower laughs in its bud.

وَلَو كانَ ذا أَنف أشمّ لَما اِعتَدى

وَلَو كانَ ذا أَنف أشمّ لَما اِعتَدى

فَكانَ لريح الذُلّ عَين أشمّهِ

فَكانَ لريح الذُلّ عَين أشمّهِ

Had he possessed a proud, high-bridged nose, he would not have transgressed;

Had it a nose to smell it would not have transgressed.

So he was the very keenest sniffer of humiliation's scent.

So the smell of disgrace has the keenest nose!

يُناديهِ مستي قف وَخُذني مُصاحِباً

يُناديهِ مستي قف وَخُذني مُصاحِباً

وَلا تَقف من ذا الأَمر غَير أَتَمّهِ

وَلا تَقف من ذا الأَمر غَير أَتَمّهِ

My leather sock calls to him: “Stop, and take me as a companion;

It calls him my beloved! Stop and take me as companion

And do not stop short of completing this affair.”

And do not stop from this matter before perfecting it!

وَلَيسَ بذي سَمعٍ وَمَستيَ أخرس

وَلَيسَ بذي سَمعٍ وَمَستيَ أخرس

وَهَل يسمعُ المخراس أُذن أَصمّهِ

وَهَل يسمعُ المخراس أُذن أَصمّهِ

Yet he has no hearing, and my leather sock is mute;

But it has no hearing and my beloved is deaf,

And can its deafest listener's ear hear the utterly mute?

And can the deaf hear the reproach of the critic?

أَتى صائِماً حَتّى إِذا جاعَ شامه

أَتى صائِماً حَتّى إِذا جاعَ شامه

فَأَفطر فيهِ وَهوَ جُرعة سمّهِ

فَأَفطر فيهِ وَهوَ جُرعة سمّهِ

He came fasting, until he grew hungry and sniffed it,

It came fasting until when hungry it broke its fast on it,

Then broke his fast on it—a draught of poison for him.

And it is a deadly poisonous draft.

وَلَو صامَ عَنهُ للدُجا تمَّ صَومهُ

وَلَو صامَ عَنهُ للدُجا تمَّ صَومهُ

وَهَل لَيسَ صَوم ثابت لمتمِّهِ

وَهَل لَيسَ صَوم ثابت لمتمِّهِ

Had he fasted from it till nightfall, his fast would have been complete;

Had it fasted from it, its fasting for the two worlds would be complete,

And is not a fast valid for the one who completes it?

And is the fasting of the steadfast not perfect?

فَإِن يَك أَحفى أخمصيَّ بِنَقصه

فَإِن يَك أَحفى أخمصيَّ بِنَقصه

فَإِنّي سَأَحذوا الرَأس مِنهُ بِتمّهِ

فَإِنّي سَأَحذوا الرَأس مِنهُ بِتمّهِ

So if he has left both my soles bare through its loss,

If it makes my heel suffer from its deficiency,

Then I shall shoe his head with the whole of it.

Then I will surely cut its head off with determination.

أَيَسطو عَلى بابوج مِثليَ سارق

أَيَسطو عَلى بابوج مِثليَ سارق

وَلَم يَخشَ إِغراقاً بِتَيّارِ يَمِّهِ

وَلَم يَخشَ إِغراقاً بِتَيّارِ يَمِّهِ

Would a thief seize the slipper of one like me,

Does it dare to steal from my being like a thief

Without fearing drowning in the current of his sea?

And not fear drowning in the currents of its ocean?

إِذا أَغرقته مِنهُ لجّة زاخر

إِذا أَغرقته مِنهُ لجّة زاخر

عَلى مدّهِ اِستَلقاه جزر خضمِّهِ

عَلى مدّهِ اِستَلقاه جزر خضمِّهِ

Should the deep of his surging sea drown him

When I drown it with the abundant billows

At its flood tide, his ocean's ebb will receive him.

In its tide, it throws him on the ebb of its flood.

وَمَن لي بِمَن يُرجى لِتِبيان سارق

وَمَن لي بِمَن يُرجى لِتِبيان سارق

فيوضحه وَصفاً إِذا لَم يُسَمّهِ

فيوضحه وَصفاً إِذا لَم يُسَمّهِ

And who can find me someone I may rely on to expose the thief,

And who can I hope will explain the thief

And identify him by description if he does not name him?

To elucidate him in description if not naming him?

وَإِن لَم يصرّح بِاِسمِهِ فَليكنّهِ

وَإِن لَم يصرّح بِاِسمِهِ فَليكنّهِ

وَإِن لَم يَكُن يلغز بِهِ فَليعمّهِ

وَإِن لَم يَكُن يلغز بِهِ فَليعمّهِ

And if he does not state his name openly, let him give his byname;

And if he does not name him outright then let him hint at him,

And if he does not make a riddle of him, let him veil his identity.

And if he doesn't hint then let him indicate generally!

سَأَفري القَفا مِنهُ بِمَفريّ نَعلِهِ

سَأَفري القَفا مِنهُ بِمَفريّ نَعلِهِ

وَأَنزَعه وَجهاً بِصَفع أغمّهِ

وَأَنزَعه وَجهاً بِصَفع أغمّهِ

I shall slash the back of his neck with a piece cut from his sandal,

I will uncover its foot with the remover of its slipper

And strip him of his face with a slap most grievous to him.

And pull it off by a resounding slap.