هَلِ الصَّبرُ مُجْدٍ حينَ أدَّرِعُ الصَّبْرا

هَلِ الصَّبرُ مُجْدٍ حينَ أدَّرِعُ الصَّبْرا

وهل ناصرٌ للشِّعْرِ يُوسِعُه نَصْرا

وهل ناصرٌ للشِّعْرِ يُوسِعُه نَصْرا

Does patience avail when I don patience as armor?

Is patience truly glorious when I don the armor of patience,

And is there a champion for poetry who gives it ample aid?

And is there a supporter for poetry who will support it widely?

تَحَيَّفَ شِعْري يا ابنَ فهدٍ مُصالِتٌ

تَحَيَّفَ شِعْري يا ابنَ فهدٍ مُصالِتٌ

ظلومٌ فقد أُعدِمْتُ منه وقد أَثرَى

ظلومٌ فقد أُعدِمْتُ منه وقد أَثرَى

A brazen assailant has plundered my poetry, O son of Fahd,

My poetry has been distorted, O Ibn Fahd, by a wrongdoer

an oppressor: I have been impoverished by him, while he has grown rich.

So I have been destroyed by it, yet it has enriched him,

وفي كلِّ يومٍ لِلْغَبِيَّيْنِ غارَةٌ

وفي كلِّ يومٍ لِلْغَبِيَّيْنِ غارَةٌ

تُرَوِّعُ ألفاظي المحجَّلةَ الغُرَّا

تُرَوِّعُ ألفاظي المحجَّلةَ الغُرَّا

And every day the two fools mount a raid

And every day the foolish ones raid

that terrifies my white-stockinged, white-blazed words.

My veiled, delicate words, frightening them,

إذا عَنَّ لي مَعنىً تَضاحَكَ لَفظُه

إذا عَنَّ لي مَعنىً تَضاحَكَ لَفظُه

كما ضاحَكَ النُّوَّارُ في رَوْضِه الغُدْرا

كما ضاحَكَ النُّوَّارُ في رَوْضِه الغُدْرا

When an idea occurs to me, its wording smiles,

If a meaning smiles at me, its wording laughs

as blossoms in their meadow smile at the pools.

As the traitor laughed in his treacherous garden,

غَريبٌ كَسَطْرِ البَرْقِ لَمَّا تبسَّمَتْ

غَريبٌ كَسَطْرِ البَرْقِ لَمَّا تبسَّمَتْ

مَخائِلُه للفِكْرِ أودَعْتُه سَطرا

مَخائِلُه للفِكْرِ أودَعْتُه سَطرا

Rare, like a line of lightning—when there smiled

Strange like a line of lightning when

its intimations upon my mind, I set it down in a line.

Its images smiled at the mind, so I made it a line,

فوَجهٌ من الفتيانِ يمسَحُ وَجهَه

فوَجهٌ من الفتيانِ يمسَحُ وَجهَه

وصَدْرٌ من الأقوامِ يُسكِنُهُ صَدْرا

وصَدْرٌ من الأقوامِ يُسكِنُهُ صَدْرا

Then a notable among the young men strokes its face,

So a cheek of youths he wipes his cheek

and a chief among the people lodges it in his breast.

And a chest of people he settles his chest,

تناوَلَهُ مُثْرٍ من الجَهْلِ مُعْدِمٌ

تناوَلَهُ مُثْرٍ من الجَهْلِ مُعْدِمٌ

من الحِلْمِ معذورٌ متى خَلعَ العُذرا

من الحِلْمِ معذورٌ متى خَلعَ العُذرا

One rich in ignorance took it up, yet destitute

A destroyer, ignorant, took it,

in good sense, excusable whenever he casts off the bridles.

Forgiven for his lack of wisdom when he cast off propriety,

فبعَّدَ ما قَرَّبْتُ منه غَباوَةً

فبعَّدَ ما قَرَّبْتُ منه غَباوَةً

ورَدَّدَ ما سهَّلْتُ من لَفْظِهِ وَعْرا

ورَدَّدَ ما سهَّلْتُ من لَفْظِهِ وَعْرا

So, stupidly, he made remote what I had brought near in it,

So he made remote what I brought near in ignorance

and made what I had smoothed in its wording rough again.

And he made difficult what I made easy of its expression and meter,

فمهلاً أبا عثمان مهلاً فإنَّما

فمهلاً أبا عثمان مهلاً فإنَّما

يَغارُ على الأشعارِ مَنْ عَشِقَ الشَّعْرا

يَغارُ على الأشعارِ مَنْ عَشِقَ الشَّعْرا

So gently, Abu Uthman, gently! For only

So wait, Abu Othman, wait, for indeed,

one who loves poetry guards poems jealously.

It is only those who love poetry who envy the poems,

لأّطفأتُما تلك النُّجومَ بأَسرِها

لأّطفأتُما تلك النُّجومَ بأَسرِها

ودنَّستُما تلكَ المَطارِفَ والأُزْرا

ودنَّستُما تلكَ المَطارِفَ والأُزْرا

You two have surely extinguished all those stars,

I would have extinguished all those stars entirely,

and sullied those bordered cloaks and waist-wraps.

And I would have defiled those glances and visits,

فوَيحَكُما هلاَّ بِشَطْرٍ قَنِعتُما

فوَيحَكُما هلاَّ بِشَطْرٍ قَنِعتُما

وأبقَيْتُما لي من مَحاسِنِها شَطرا

وأبقَيْتُما لي من مَحاسِنِها شَطرا

So woe to you both! Why did you not settle for half,

Woe unto you! Why not be content with half

and leave me half of their beauties?

And leave me some of its beauties half?

لَئِنْ وَتَرَتْ كَفِّي سعيدَ بنَ هاشمٍ

لَئِنْ وَتَرَتْ كَفِّي سعيدَ بنَ هاشمٍ

فقد نالَ من شِعْري بغارَتِه الوِترا

فقد نالَ من شِعْري بغارَتِه الوِترا

If indeed my hand has wronged Sa'id ibn Hashim,

If my palm misses Sa'eed bin Hashim,

he has indeed exacted revenge from my poetry through his raid.

Then it has attained from my poetry his being cut off.