أَمْرُ مَنْ يَطلُبِ الْخُلُودَ عَسِيرُ

لاَ يُعَارُ الْخُلُودُ مَنْ يَسْتَعِيرُ

The quest for immortality is hard

Immortality is not lent to one who borrows

غَايَة الْفَنِّ لاَ ترَامُ وَمَا

يُقرَبُ مِنْهَا إِلاَّ النَّبِيغُ الصَّبُورُ

The pinnacle of art cannot be reached

And none comes near it but the patient genius

أَدْهَشَ الْخَلْقَ رَافَئِيلُ وَلَمْ

يَبْلُغْهُ مِنْه مَا شَاءَ التَّصويرُ

Raphael amazed creation, but

He could not accomplish all he wished in painting

نَحْتُ فِيدَاسَ حَيَّرَ النَّاسَ حَتَّى

لَغَدَتْ تَدَّعِي الْحَيَاةَ الصُّخورُ

Phydias carved till he confounded people

And made rocks seem to claim life

ثُمَّ وَلَّى ذَاكَ الصُّناعُ وَمَا فِي

نَفْسِهِ حَالٌ دُونَهُ التَقْصِيرُ

Then that great artist died, and not

His own shortcoming kept him from perfection

أَشْعَرُ الْخَلْقِ كَانَ هُومِيرُ

هَلْ أَدْرَكَ مِنْه كُلَّ الْمُنَى هُوميرُ

Homer, most ingenious of mortals

Did Homer attain all that he desired?

لَمْ يَتِمَّ الذِي تَوَخَّاهُ جُوتِي

لاَ وَلَمْ يَقضِ مَا اشْتَهَى شَكْسَبِيرُ

Goethe's hopes remained unfulfilled

Nor did Shakespeare achieve all he wanted

فِي الْفِرنْسِيسِ هَلْ تقضَّى مَرامٌ

لِمُجِيدٍ أَوِ اسْتَمَرَّ مَرِيرُ

Did a masterwork come to fruition in France

Or did disappointment persist?

وَشكا عَجْزَهُمْ أَوْلُو السَّبقِ

فِي غَرْبٍ وَشَرْقٍ وَأَنَّهمْ لَكَثِيرُ

The great pioneers of East and West complained

Of their inadequacy though they were so many

لاَ يُحَاشَى أَبُو نُوَّاسُ وَبَشَّا

رُ بْنُ بُرْدِ وَمَسْلِمٌ وَجَرِيرُ

None surpassed Abu Nuwas, Bashshar

Muslim and Jarir in fine poetry

قَالَ شَيْئاً مِمَّا أَرَادَ حَبِيبٌ

وَتَغَنَّى بِمَا تَسَنَّى الضَّرِيرُ

Habib expressed some of what he intended

And the blind man sang the tunes he fancied

وَأَتى مُعْجِزَاتِهِ الْمُتَنَبِّي

وَهْيَ مِمَّا أَرادَ شَيءٌ يَسِيرُ

Al-Mutanabbi wrought miracles with his verse

Yet but little of what he sought was done

جَاءَ شَوْقِي بِبَعْضِ مَا رَامَ مِنْهُ

وَهْوَ فِي الحَقِّ للْقَرِيضِ أَمِيرُ

Shawqi brought a part of what he aspired to

And truthfully he was peerless in verse

سَرَّهُ جُهْدُهُ فَلَمْ يَأْلُ جُهْداً

وَأَبَى العَجْزَ أَنْ يَتِمَّ السُّرُورُ

His effort delighted him and still he strove on

Declining to allow frustration to spoil his joy

كُلُّهُمْ لَمْ يَصِلْ إِلى مَا تَوَخَّى

فَثَوَى فِي الطَّرِيقِ وَهْوَ حَسِيرُ

All fell short of their ambitions and died

Regretful on their way, distraught

وَلِكُلٍّ مَكَانَهُ مِنْ هَوَى النَّاسِ

وَكلٌُّ بِالتَّكرُمَاتِ جَدِيرُ

Yet each has his place in people's affections

And each deserves respect

هَذِه يَا أَحِبَّتي سَانِحَاتٌ

لاَ تُمَارِي فِي الْحَقِّ وَالْحَقُّ نُورُ

My friends, these are truths

Beyond contention, for truth is light

كانَ فِي الشِّعرِ لِي مَرَامٌ خطِيرُ

فَعَدَا طَوْقِي الْمُرَامُ الخَطِيرُ

I had great hopes for my poetry

But my soaring ambitions escaped me

هَائِمٌ فِي الْوجُودِ أَسْاَلُهُ الوَحْيَ

كَمَا يَسْأَلُ الغَنِيَّ الْفقِيرُ

Roving in existence, I ask inspiration

As the destitute asks the wealthy

لَهْجُ مَا ادْخَرْتُ عَزْماً وَلَكِنْ

مُرَادِي نَاءٍ وَبَاعِي قَصِيرُ

I have drive and determination

Yet my will is frail and my means meager

أَكْبَرُونِي وَلَسْتُ أَكْبِرُ نَفْسِي

أَنَا فِي الْفَنِّ مُسْتَفِيدٌ صَغِيرُ

They honor me, but I'm not greater than myself

For in art I'm a minor beneficiary

فَوْق شِعْرِي شِعْرُ وَفَوْقَ أَجَلَّ

الشِّعرِ مَا قُدِّرَ الْبَدِيعُ الْقَدِيرُ

Above my verse is finer verse, and beyond

The best poetry lies what the Almighty has decreed

لاَ يَضِيقُ صَدْرُ شاعِرٍ بِأَخِيهِ

يَكْرَهُ الْفَضْلُ أَنْ تَضِيقَ الصُّدُورُ

No poet's heart should be grudged his brother

Excellence abhors constricted hearts

وَالسَّماوَاتُ لَوْ تَأَمَّلتَ فِيْهَا

لَيْسَ تُحْصَى شُمُوسُهَا وَالْبُدُورُ

The heavens, if you observe them

Have countless suns and moons

كُلُّ جُرمٍ يَعْلُو وَيُصْبحُ نَجْماً

فَلْكُهُ صَغيرٌ وَفيهِ يَدُورُ

Every orb ascends to become a star

Small though its sphere, revolving

والنُّجومُ الَّتِي تَلُوحُ وَتُخْفَى

رَبَوَاتٌ وَمَا يَضِيقُ الأَثِيرُ

The stars that shine and disappear

Are but motes, infinity allows no limits

ذَاكَ أَسْمَى مَطَالِبَ الْمَجْدِ لاَ

يُدْرِكُهُ مَدَّعٍ وَلاَ مَغْرُورُ

That is the highest of glory's goals

Unattainable by pretender and deluded

عَجَبٌ مَا رَأَيْتُهُ فِي زَمَانِي

مِنْ بُغَاثٍ مُسْتَنْسِرٍ لاَ يطِيرُ

What wonders I've seen in my time

Fledglings screeching, unable to fly

دَعْ مِنَ الْفَخْرِ مَا تَعَاطَاهُ

مَزْهُوٌ بِتَرْدِيدِ شِعْرِهِ وَفَخُورُ

Spare me the empty boasts

Of the arrogant quoting their verses, proud

وَصِفاتٌ لِبْثُهَا يَقْرَعُ الطَّبلَ

الْمُدَوِّيَ وَيُضْرَبُ الطُّنبُورُ

And attributes advertised to beat

The resounding drums and blare of trumpets

يَكْرَهُ الْفَضْلُ مَا يُعيدُ وَيُبْدِي

مِنْ دَعَاوَى فَنِّيةٍ هِي زُورُ

Excellence scorns repetitive claptrap

And bogus claims of artistry, pure fraud

هِيَ فِي الْمَجْدِ رُتبَةُ فُرِضَتْ

فَرْضاً وَلَمْ يَشْهَدِ الْحِسَابَ الضَّمِيرُ

In glory they gained a status

Imposed arbitrarily, no conscience bore witness

لَيْسَ حُكْمُ الْجُمْهُورِ فِيهَا بِحُكْمٍ

وَلِحِينٍ قَدْ يُخْدَعُ الْجُمْهُورُ

Popular opinion is no measure here

For crowds can often be misled

سَلْ فُحُولَ الْقَرِيضِ ممَّن بِهِمْ

أَنَلْ مَجْداً هَذَا الزمَانُ الأَخِيرُ

Ask the doyens of verse who gave

Renown to this recent age of ours

هَلْ لِمَحْمُودٍ هَلْ لِحَافِظَ إِبرَاهِيمَ

فِيمَنْ أَجَادَ شِعْراً نَظِيرُ

Did Mahmoud, did Hafez Ibrahim

Match those eminent in poetry?

وَمِنَ الْعُرْبِ لاَ يُحَاشى امْرُؤَ الْقَيْسِ

وَيَنأَى عَنِ القِياسِ جَرِيرُ

Of the Arabs none surpassed Imru' al-Qais

Or rivaled Jarir in excellence

رَجْعَةٌ رَجْعَةٌ إِلى الْفَنِّ

إِنَّ الْفَنَّ فِيهِ الإِنْصَافُ وَالتَّقْدِيرُ

Return, return to the art

Wherein lie balance and respect

إِنَّ هَذَا الإِكْرَامَ لِلفَنِّ لاَ لِي

وَالْمُرَامُ الذِي ابْتغَيْتُمْ كَبِيرُ

This honor is for art, not for me

And you have nobly sought the greater goal

أَيُّ قِسْطٍ أَوْلَيْتُمُونِي مِنْهُ

هُوَ فَضْلٌ عَلَى قَلِيلي كَثِيرُ

I am scarcely deserving of your gift

Though it be far above my modest merit

ذَاكَ قوْلِي وَلَيْسَ ينقصُ شُكْرِي

وَأَخُوكمْ كَمَا عَلِمْتُمْ شَكُورُ

Such are my words, and this does not diminish

My gratitude, for you know I'm thankful

غَيْرَ أَنِّي أَخْشى تَخَطِّي حَدِّي

وَهُوَ ضِعْفٌ مِنِّي فَهَلْ لِي عَذِيرُ

Only I fear exceeding my status

A weakness, but is there an excuse?

إِنَّ هَذَا التَمْثالَ يَا رَافِعِيهِ

لَجزَاءٌ عَلَى الْقَلِيلِ كَثِيرُ

This statue, O you who raised it

Rewards the little with the great

ذاكَ فَضْلٌ مِنْكُمْ وَمَا زالَ حَقّاً

إِنَّ مَا يَفعَل الْكَبِيرُ كَبِيرُ

A generosity from you, and ever the right

Of the magnanimous to act magnanimously