لا الأمس يسلبك الخلود و لا الغد

هيهات أنت على الزمان مخلّد

Neither yesterday nor tomorrow deprive you of immortality,

Neither yesterday can steal your immortality, nor tomorrow;

Far be it! You are immortalized over time,

Far from it, you are eternalized above time.

تتجدّد الدّنيا و قلبك وحده

دنيا تعيد شبابها و تجدّد

The world is renewed yet your heart alone,

The world renews itself, while your heart alone

A world that restores its youth and renews,

Is a world that restores its youth and regenerates.

لك من خيالك عالم متناسق

بهج تعاود خلقه و تدوّد

From your imagination you have a harmonious world,

From your imagination, you possess a harmonious realm,

Delight that repeats its creation and smolders,

Joyous, which you recreate and continuously perfect.

أمّا البسيطة فهي فيه خميلة

ولع الرّبيع بها و رحت تغرّد

In it, simplicity is charming,

As for the earth, within it, it is a lush garden,

Spring is infatuated with it and chirps happily,

Which spring has enamored, and you began to sing.

و سكبت في الأنغام قلبك دمعة

لا كالدّموع و رحمة تتنهّد

And you poured into melodies a teardrop from your heart,

You poured your heart into the melodies as a tear,

Not like tears, but a sigh of compassion,

Not like ordinary tears, but a sighing mercy.

خلع الحياة على البلى فكأنّه

للبعث من قبل الأوان يمهّد

Life adorns decay as if

It bestowed life upon decay, as though it were

Preparing for resurrection before its time,

Paving the way for resurrection before its appointed time.

قيس و ليلى بعد طول كراهمت

ثغر يرفّ ووجنو تتورّد

After long resentment, Qais and Layla

Qays and Layla, after their long slumber,

A mouth that trembles, and a cheek that reddens,

A trembling lip and a blossoming cheek,

بعثا كعهدهما القديم فمن رأى

تلك العيون يرفّ فيها الإثمد

Revived as in their old days, so whoever saw

Were resurrected as in their ancient covenant; who then has seen

Those eyes with dew in them would melt,

Those eyes wherein the kohl flickers?

في كلّ قلفية حياة تجتلى

و منى تضوع و زفرة تتردّد

In every creek, a life manifests itself,

In every rhyme, a life is unveiled,

And wishes that sigh and murmurs that echo,

Where desires exude fragrance, and a sigh reverberates.

صور الجزيرة ما جلوت من العلى

و الحسن لا ما أوّلته الحسّد

The images of the peninsula unveiled from on high

The images of the Peninsula are what you revealed of its greatness,

And beauty not distorted by envy,

And of beauty, not what the envious misinterpreted:

الحبّ و الخيم المنيفة و القرى

و لبانة عند الغدير و موعد

Love, and the pleasant tents, and the villages,

Love, the lofty tents, and the hospitality,

And Labana at the creek, and the rendezvous,

A longing by the stream, and a rendezvous.

و سكينة الصحراء إلاّ هازجا

مرحا يعيد حداءه و يردّد

And the serenity of the desert, ever lively

And the stillness of the desert, save for a singer

Playful, restoring its vigor and repeating,

Joyfully repeating and echoing his camel-chant.

يا شاعر الدّنيا لقد أسكرتها

ماذا تغنّيها و ماذا تنشد

O poet of the world! You have intoxicated it

O poet of the world, you have intoxicated it;

What do you sing to it and what do you chant?

What do you sing to it, and what do you chant?

خفّت بزينتها إليك مشوقة

سكرى تعبّ كؤوسها و تعربد

Dimmed by its beauty, it appeals to you

It rushed to you in its adornments, yearning,

Intoxicated, its cups tiresome and muddled,

Drunk, draining its cups and reveling.

و جلت على الشعراء قبلك حسنها

لكن أراك شهدت ما لم يشهدوا

Revealing to poets before you its charm

It had displayed its beauty to the poets before you,

But I see you witnessed what they never witnessed,

But I see you witnessed what they never did.

الزاهدين بها ولو كشفت لهم

سرّ الحياة المجتلى لم يزهدوا

The ascetics would blame it, and if the secret

Those who renounced it—even if it had unveiled to them

Of manifest life was revealed, they would not renounce,

The manifest secret of life, they would not have abstained.

نظروا إلى خير الوجود و حسنه

شزرا كما نظر الضياء الأرمد

They looked at the best of existence and its beauty

They looked upon the goodness of existence and its beauty

Askance, as the blind look at the light,

Askance, as the sore-eyed gazes at the light.

أطريت فتنتها فدع في غيّه

من راح يعذل حسنها و يفنّد

You unleashed its seductions, so leave be

You praised its charm, so leave in his delusion

Those who came to denounce its beauty and undo it,

Whoever sets out to censure and refute its beauty.

العبقريّة شعلة من نارها

حمراء ناضرة اللّظى تتوقّد

Genius is a red flame, vivid, from its fire

Genius is but a spark from its fire,

That kindles and blazes,

Red, with radiant flames, burning fiercely.

و الشّعر و النّغم الشجيّ و رحمة

تسع الوجود و نقمة تتوعّد

And poetry, and plaintive melody, and compassion

And poetry, sorrowful melody, and a mercy

That embraces existence, and vengeance that threatens,

That encompasses existence, and a threatening vengeance.

يا فتنة الدنيا يذمّك معشر

و الحقّ كلّ الحقّ في أن يحمدوا

O temptation of the world! A group blames you

O charm of the world, a faction disparages you,

And the truth, the whole truth, is that they should praise,

Yet truth, all truth, lies in their praising you.

ألهب نبوغك في الحياة و حبّها

و أنا الضمين بأنّه لا يخمد

Ignite your brilliance in life and love it

Ignite your genius in life and its love,

While I guarantee it will not fade,

For I am the guarantor that it shall never be extinguished.

الكنز بين يديك فانثر درّه

إنّي أراه يزيد حين يبدّد

The treasure is in your hands, so scatter its pearls

The treasure is in your hands, so scatter its pearls;

I see it increase as it is dispersed,

Indeed, I see it increasing when it is dispersed.

ظلم الجمال أبا عليّ من رأى

أنّ الجمال غواية تتودّد

The one who saw beauty as seduction, wronged me

He has wronged beauty, O Abu Ali, whoever believes

And you ascended in images of bliss, counting them

That beauty is a temptation seeking to seduce.

و سموت في صور النعيم تعدّها

من نعمة الله التي لا تجحد

Among God's blessings that cannot be denied

You ascended through the images of bliss, counting them

The truth and creativity are of its breaths

Among the graces of God that cannot be denied.

الحقّ و الإبداع من نفحاتها

و الهير من أسمائها و السؤدد

And nobility and happiness are among its names,

Truth and creativity are among its breezes,

Love of beauty is acceptable worship

And goodness is among its names, alongside glory.

حبّ الجمال عبادة مقبولة

و الله يلمح في الجمال و يعبد

And God glimpses in beauty and is worshipped,

The love of beauty is an accepted worship,

O poet of the world! Your call is abundant

And God is glimpsed in beauty and is worshipped.

يا شاعر الدّنيا نديّك حافل

و الجمع مصغ و المواكب حشّد

And the crowds listen, the processions amassed,

O poet of the world, your assembly is crowded,

Awaiting your magic, O formidable one,

The gathering listens, and the processions are thronged.

ينتظرون السّحر من جبّاره

هيهات دون السّحر باب موصد

Alas! Without magic, the door is barred,

They await the magic from its mighty master;

They complain to you while you are hostage to death

Alas, without the magic, the door remains locked.

يشكى إليك و أنت رهن منيّة

و تزار في عنت الخطوب و تقصد

And endure the adversities of misfortunes and aim,

Complaints are brought to you while you are a hostage to death,

The sword is hoped for even when sheathed

You are visited and sought out in the hardship of calamities.

و لقد يرجّى السيف و هو ملثّم

و لقد يهاب اللّيث و هو مصفّد

And the lion is feared even when shackled,

And indeed, the sword is hoped for even when it is sheathed,

So go as spring went over the meadows

And indeed, the lion is feared even while it is chained.

فاذهب كما ذهب الرّبيع على الرّبى

منه يد و على القلوب له يد

With a hand on them, and over hearts, a hand,

So depart, just as the spring departs over the hills,

And you have command in rhetoric, time acknowledges,

Leaving a hand upon them, and a hand upon the hearts.

و لك الإمارة في البيان يقرّها

أمس الزّمان و لا يضيق بها الغد

Neither past nor future too narrow for it,

Yours is the principality of eloquence, acknowledged

By the yesterdays of time, and tomorrow shall not find it too narrow.