أَتَرضونَ يا أَهلَ بَغداذَ لي

وَعَنكُم حَديثُ النَدى يُسنَدُ

Do you consent, O people of Baghdad

That the talk of glory is attributed to me

بِأَنّي أَرحَلُ عَن أَرضِكُم

أَجوبُ البِلادَ وَأَستَرفِدُ

While I travel from your land

Roaming the countries and gaining knowledge

أَلا رَجُلٌ مِنكُم واحِدٌ

يُحَرِّكُهُ المَجدُ وَالسودَدُ

Is there not one man among you

Moved by glory and eminence

يُقَلِّدُني مِنَّةً يَستَرِقُّ

بِها حُرَّ شُكري وَيَستعبِدُ

To grant me a favor by which

My gratitude is bound and enslaved?

وَيَغضَبُ لي غَضبَةً مُرّةً

يَعودُ بِها المُصلِحَ المُفسِدُ

And be furiously angry on my behalf

With which the corrupt is reformed by the righteous

لَقَد شانَني أَدَبي بَينَكُم

كَما شينَ بِاللِحيَةِ الأَمرَدُ

Indeed, my literature has honored me among you

As the beard honors the emeralds

أَما لي مِنكُم سِوى شِعرُهُ

رَقيقٌ وَخاطِرُهُ جَيِّدُ

Is there anyone among you but for his poetry

Gentle and his mind excellent

يَسُرُّكُمُ أَن يُغَنّى

بِهِ وَيُطرِبُكُم أَنَّهُ يُنشَدُ

You are pleased for him to be sung about

And delighted that he recites

وَأُقسِمُ أَنَّ رَغيفاً لَدَيَّ

مِن قَولِكُمُ هَيِّداً جَيِّدُ

I swear a loaf for me

From your words, swaying, excellent

أَرى البَحرَ مُعتَرِضاً دونَكُم

وَما لي عَلى سيفِهِ مَورِدُ

I see the sea blocking you

And I have no way to cross his sword

وَيَبعَدُ خَيرُكُمُ إِن دَنَوتُ

عَنّي وَالشَرُّ لا يَبعَدُ

The best of you distance themselves if I come near

And the worst do not distance

وَأَشهَدُ في الرَوعِ يَومَ اللِقاءِ

وَإِن قُسِمَ الفَيءُ لا أَشهَدُ

And I witness on the day of encounter

Even if the spoils are divided, I do not witness

وَأَغرُسُ مَدحي فَلا أَجتَني

وَأَزرَعُ شُكري وَلا أَحصُدُ

I plant my praise but do not harvest it

I sow my gratitude but do not reap it

أَبيعُ ثَنائي وَكُتبي وَلا يَمُدُّ

إِلَيَّ بِرِفدٍ يَدُ

I sell my poems and books but no hand

Reaches out to me with provision

وَيوسِعني الدَهرُ ظُلماً وَلا

أُعانُ عَليهِ وَلا أُنجَدُ

Time treats me unjustly with its turns

As if its events were icy

زَمانٌ يُحَنِّقُني صَرفُهُ

كَأَنَّ حَوادِثَهُ مِبرَدُ

Does no generous man among you become alert for me

To assist me in it or make me happy?

أَما يَنتَبِه لي مِنكُم كَريمٌ

فَيُسعِفَني فيهِ أَو يُسعِدُ

I will wait patiently

Perhaps its results will be praised

سَأَحتَقِبُ الصَبرَ مُستَأنِياً

لَعَلَّ عَواقِبَهُ تُحمَدُ

And if the market of my praise to you is shut down

The market of books does not shut down

وَإِن كَسُدَت سوقُ مَدحي لَكُم

فَسوقُ الدَفاتِرِ لا تَكسُدُ

And I will leave you for a city

In which, in adversities, there is one who provides

وَأَرحَلُ عَنكُم إِلى بَلدَةٍ

بِها في الشَدائِدِ مَن يَرفِدُ

I will settle in its place among its people

With virtue in it, not denied

أَحِلُّ مَحَلّي مِن أَهلِها

بِفَضلٍ فيها وَلا يُجحَدُ

To a city where troubles do not stand

With the free man in it, nor sit

إِلى بَلدَةٍ لا تَقومُ الخُطوبُ

بِالحُرِّ فيها وَلا تَقعَدُ

The water of generosity in it does not become bitter

The wind of noble deeds does not still

فَماءُ السَماحِ بِها لا يَغيضُ

وَريحُ المَكارِمِ لا تَركُدُ

Neither do starving lions die in it

Nor dogs become aggressive

وَلا الأَسَدُ الوَردُ فيها يَموتُ

جوعاً وَلا الكَلبُ يَستَأسِدُ

Its days make peace with its people

So the sword of troubles in it is sheathed

يُسالِمُ أَيّامُها أَهلَها

فَسَيفُ الخُطوبِ بِها مُغمَدُ

May God protect Baghdad from an abode

In which every noble act is missed

لَحى اللَهُ بِغَداذَ مِن مَوطِنٍ

بِهِ كُلُّ مَكرُمَةٍ تُفقَدُ

This is the house - neither is my living in it

Shady, nor is my time in it wasted

هِيَ الدارُ لا ظِلُّ عَيشي بِها

ظَليلٌ وَلا زَمَني أَغيدُ

The breeze of passions in it is cool

And the market of poetry in it is cooler

نَسيمُ الهَوِيِّ بِها بارِدٌ

وَسوقُ القَريضِ بِها أَبرَدُ

And the morals of its inhabitants are like fresh water

But their hands are frozen

وَأَخلاقُ سُكّانِها كَالزُلالِ

وَلَكِنَّ أَيديهِمُ جَلمَدُ

So the palms of cultured men are clenched

And the face of humanity is cold

فَكَفُّ العَوارِفُ مَقبوضَةُ البَنانِ

وَوَجهُ النَدى أَربَدُ

The clouds of noble deeds do not drizzle

And the fire of injustices is not extinguished

وَسُحبُ المَكارِمِ لا تَستَهِلُّ

وَنارُ المَظالِمِ لا تَخمَدُ

Every day in it the lower class is seen

In charge but not suitable for it

يُرى كُلَّ يَومٍ بِها سِفلَةٌ

يَسودُ وَلَمَ يَنمِهِ سودَدُ

He struggles without his origin and kin supporting him

And he is abandoned by family and allies

يُناضِلُ مِن دونِهِ وَفرُهُ

وَيَخذُلُهُ الأَصلُ وَالمَحتِدُ

He admires the scent of his clothes

While his origin and birth are wicked

وَيُعجِبُهُ طيبُ أَثوابِهِ

وَقَد خَبُثَ الأَصلُ وَالمَولِدُ

His actions rival kings

While his fathers’ baseness testifies against him

يُباري المُلوكَ وَأَفعالُهُ

بِخِسَّةِ آبائِهِ تَشهَدُ

He focuses on whitening his clothes

While the face of time because of him is blackened

وَيَعنى بِمُبيَضٍّ أَثوابِهِ

وَوَجهُ الزَمانِ بِهِ أَسوَدُ

And while you see him in a condition

That the envious admire his gentleness

فَبَينا تَراهُ عَلى حالَةٍ

يَرِقُّ لِرِقَّتِها الحُسَّدُ

Until you see him appointed

With the inkwell behind him and the desk in front

إِلى أَن تَراهُ وَقَد أَمَّهُ

الدَواةُ وَمِن خَلفِهِ المُسنَدُ

I settled in it unwillingly, not settling

When people settle and I do not contract

حَلَلتُ بِها كارِهاً لا أَحُلُّ

إِذا الناسُ حَلّوا وَلا أَعقُدُ

As the black stone settled in the grasp

Of the Qarmatian, may his greetings be stoned

كَما حَلَّ في قَبضَةِ القَرمَطِيِّ

تَحيّاتِهِ الحَجَرُ اّلأَسوَدُ

It is as if when I resided

In its outskirts for some time, seated,

كَأَنّي لَمّا لَزِمتُ الجُلوسَ

بِأَكنافِها زَمِنٌ مُقعَدُ

The affliction grew long against one humiliated

And the likes of me does not sleep on injustice

يَطولُ المَطالُ عَلى ذِلَّةٍ

وَمِثلي عَلى الضَيمِ لا يَرقُدُ

I have no resolve to rise up

With which my blanket at night would be folded

وَلا لي لِلعَزمِ مِن نَهضَةٍ

يَكونُ سَميري بِها الفَرقَدُ

The envious bite their palms because of it

And the likes of me are envied for the like of it

يَعَضُّ الحَسودُ بِها كَفَّهُ

وَمِثلي عَلى مِثلِها يُحسَدُ