قُل لِلمَلِيّ الَّذي قَد نامَ عَن سَهَري

قُل لِلمَلِيّ الَّذي قَد نامَ عَن سَهَري

وَمَن بِجِسمي وَحالي عِندَهُ سَقَمُ

وَمَن بِجِسمي وَحالي عِندَهُ سَقَمُ

Tell the wealthy man who has slept through my sleeplessness,

Tell the king who has slept from my wakefulness,

And him in whose eyes my body and condition are sick:

And whom my body and state have made ill,

تَنامُ عَنّي وَعَينُ النَجمِ ساهِرَةٌ

تَنامُ عَنّي وَعَينُ النَجمِ ساهِرَةٌ

وَاَحَرُّ قَلباهُ مِمَّن قَلبُهُ شَبِمُ

وَاَحَرُّ قَلباهُ مِمَّن قَلبُهُ شَبِمُ

You sleep, heedless of me, while the star's eye stays awake.

You sleep while the star's eye is wakeful,

Ah, my burning heart, for one whose heart is icy!

And my heart is more inflamed than one whose heart is frigid.

فَالحُبُّ حَيثُ العِدى وَالأُسدُ رابِضَةٌ

فَالحُبُّ حَيثُ العِدى وَالأُسدُ رابِضَةٌ

فَلَيتَ أَنّا بِقَدرِ الحُبِّ نَقتَسِمُ

فَلَيتَ أَنّا بِقَدرِ الحُبِّ نَقتَسِمُ

For love lies where foes and lions crouch.

For love is where enmity lies, and the lion crouches,

If only we shared in proportion to love!

If only we could share love’s decree.

فَهَل تُعينُ عَلى غَيٍّ هَمَمتُ بِهِ

فَهَل تُعينُ عَلى غَيٍّ هَمَمتُ بِهِ

في طَيِّهِ أَسَفٌ في طَيِّهِ نِعَمُ

في طَيِّهِ أَسَفٌ في طَيِّهِ نِعَمُ

Will you then help with a folly I have resolved upon?

Will you help me with an intention I have resolved?

Within its folds is sorrow; within its folds are blessings.

In its winding path there is regret, in its winding path bounty.

حُبُّ السَلامَةِ يَثني عَزمَ صاحِبِهِ

حُبُّ السَلامَةِ يَثني عَزمَ صاحِبِهِ

إِذا اِستَوَت عِندَهُ الأَنوارُ وَالظُلَمُ

إِذا اِستَوَت عِندَهُ الأَنوارُ وَالظُلَمُ

Love of safety bends its possessor's resolve.

The love of safety makes its owner abandon resolve,

When light and darkness are alike to him.

When darkness and light are the same to him.

فَإِن جَنَحتَ إِلَيهِ فَاِتَّخِذ نَفَقاً

فَإِن جَنَحتَ إِلَيهِ فَاِتَّخِذ نَفَقاً

لَيَحدُثَنَّ لِمَن وَدَّعتُهُم نَدَمَ

لَيَحدُثَنَّ لِمَن وَدَّعتُهُم نَدَمَ

If you incline toward it, then make yourself a tunnel.

So if you lean towards it, make a tunnel,

Regret will surely come to those I bade farewell.

You will make those I bid farewell regretful.

رِضى الذَليلِ بِخَفضِ العَيشِ يَخفِضُهُ

رِضى الذَليلِ بِخَفضِ العَيشِ يَخفِضُهُ

وَقَد نَظَرتُ إِلَيهِ وَالسُيوفُ دَمُ

وَقَد نَظَرتُ إِلَيهِ وَالسُيوفُ دَمُ

The abject man's contentment with life's ease brings him low.

The humiliation of lowly life makes him lowly,

And I have looked upon him while the swords were blood.

And I have looked at him while swords shed blood.

إِنَّ العُلى حَدَّثَتني وَهيَ صادِقَةٌ

إِنَّ العُلى حَدَّثَتني وَهيَ صادِقَةٌ

إِنَّ المَعارِفَ في أَهلِ النُهى ذِمَمُ

إِنَّ المَعارِفَ في أَهلِ النُهى ذِمَمُ

Indeed, glory spoke to me, and she was truthful:

Highness has told me, and she is truthful,

Indeed, ties of acquaintance among the wise are obligations.

That affinities among the immoral are blemishes.

أَهَبتُ بِالحَظِّ لَو نادَيتُ مُستَمِعاً

أَهَبتُ بِالحَظِّ لَو نادَيتُ مُستَمِعاً

وَأَسمَعَت كَلِماتي مَن بِهِ صَمَمُ

وَأَسمَعَت كَلِماتي مَن بِهِ صَمَمُ

I called out to fortune—if only I had called to a listener!

I ventured in fortune, if I called one listening,

And my words made the deaf hear.

And made my words heard by one deaf.

لَعَلَّهُ إِن بَدا فَضلي وَنَقصُهُمُ

لَعَلَّهُ إِن بَدا فَضلي وَنَقصُهُمُ

أَدرَكتُها بِجَوادٍ ظَهرُهُ حَرَمُ

أَدرَكتُها بِجَوادٍ ظَهرُهُ حَرَمُ

Perhaps he, if my merit and their deficiency become clear—

Perhaps if my merit appeared, and their deficiency,

I reached it on a steed whose back is a sanctuary.

I would attain it with a generous steed, its back inviolable.

أُعَلِّلُ النَفسَ بِالآمالِ أَطلُبُها

أُعَلِّلُ النَفسَ بِالآمالِ أَطلُبُها

لَو أَنَّ أَمرُكُمُ مِن أَمرِنا أَمَمُ

لَو أَنَّ أَمرُكُمُ مِن أَمرِنا أَمَمُ

I console my soul with hopes I pursue.

I blame the soul for hopes I seek from it,

If only your situation were close to ours!

If only your command was under our command.

غالى بِنَفسي عِرفاني بِقيمَتِها

غالى بِنَفسي عِرفاني بِقيمَتِها

حَتّى ضَرَبتُ وَمَوجُ المَوتِ يَلتَطِمُ

حَتّى ضَرَبتُ وَمَوجُ المَوتِ يَلتَطِمُ

My knowledge of its worth set a high price on my soul.

I valued myself, recognized my worth,

Until I struck, while death's waves crashed together.

Until I struck while the wave of death crashes.

ما كُنتُ أُثِرُ أَن يَمتَدَّبي زَمَنٌ

ما كُنتُ أُثِرُ أَن يَمتَدَّبي زَمَنٌ

شُهبُ البُزاةِ سَواءٌ فيهِ وَالرَخَمُ

شُهبُ البُزاةِ سَواءٌ فيهِ وَالرَخَمُ

I would not have chosen to live on into an age

I did not expect time to crawl over me,

In which gray falcons and vultures are equal.

The meteors of champions are equal in it to pebbles.

أَعدَى عَدُوَّكَ أَدنى مِن وَثِقتَ بِهِ

أَعدَى عَدُوَّكَ أَدنى مِن وَثِقتَ بِهِ

فَلا تَظُنَّنَّ أَنَّ اللَيثَ يَبتَسِمُ

فَلا تَظُنَّنَّ أَنَّ اللَيثَ يَبتَسِمُ

Your worst enemy is the closest of those you have trusted.

Deem your fiercest enemy nearer than your confidence in him,

So never think that the lion is smiling.

So do not expect that the lion smiles.

وَحُسنُ ظَنِّكَ بِالأَيّامِ مُعجِزَةٌ

وَحُسنُ ظَنِّكَ بِالأَيّامِ مُعجِزَةٌ

أَن تَحسُبَ الشَحمَ فيمَن شَحمَهُ وَرَمُ

أَن تَحسُبَ الشَحمَ فيمَن شَحمَهُ وَرَمُ

And your good opinion of the days is a weakness.

Your good opinion of days working wonders

To suppose there is fat in one whose fat is swelling.

Is to consider fat on one whose fat has dried up.

إِن كانَ يَنجَعُ شَيءٌ في ثَباتِهِمُ

إِن كانَ يَنجَعُ شَيءٌ في ثَباتِهِمُ

فَما لِجُرحٍ إِذا أَرضاكُمُ أَلَمُ

فَما لِجُرحٍ إِذا أَرضاكُمُ أَلَمُ

If anything can help them remain steadfast,

If anything helps in their resolve,

Then a wound is painless if it pleases you.

What pain is there if wounds please you?

يا وارِداً سُؤرَ عَيشٍ صَفوُهُ كَدَرٌ

يا وارِداً سُؤرَ عَيشٍ صَفوُهُ كَدَرٌ

وَشَرُّ ما يَكسَبُ الإِنسانُ ما يَصِمُ

وَشَرُّ ما يَكسَبُ الإِنسانُ ما يَصِمُ

O you who come to drink the dregs of a life whose clarity is murk,

O you who came upon evil living whose purity is turbidity,

And the worst a person earns is what disgraces him.

The worst thing man earns is what deafens.

فَيما اِعتِراضُكَ لُجَّ البَحرِ تَركَبُهُ

فَيما اِعتِراضُكَ لُجَّ البَحرِ تَركَبُهُ

وَاللَهُ يَكرَهُ ما تَأتونَ وَالكَرَمُ

وَاللَهُ يَكرَهُ ما تَأتونَ وَالكَرَمُ

Why, then, do you cross the sea's depths, riding upon it?

So why do you oppose the sea’s billows and ride them?

And God and nobility abhor what you do.

While God dislikes what you do, and generosity.

وَيا خَبيراً عَلى الأَسرارِ مُطَّلِعاً

وَيا خَبيراً عَلى الأَسرارِ مُطَّلِعاً

فيكَ الخِصامُ وَأَنتَ الخَصمُ وَالحَكَمُ

فيكَ الخِصامُ وَأَنتَ الخَصمُ وَالحَكَمُ

And O knowledgeable one, well aware of secrets,

O you expert on secrets, well-informed,

The dispute concerns you, and you are both adversary and judge.

You are the adversary, the opponent, and the judge.

قَد رَشَّحوكَ لِأَمرٍ لَو فَطِنتَ لَهُ

قَد رَشَّحوكَ لِأَمرٍ لَو فَطِنتَ لَهُ

تَصافَحَت فيهِ بيضُ الهِندِ وَاللَمَمُ

تَصافَحَت فيهِ بيضُ الهِندِ وَاللَمَمُ

They have nominated you for a task—if only you understood it—

They have nominated you for a matter which, if you were aware of it,

In it, India's white swords and locks of hair shook hands.

The whites of India and motley would handshake on.

فَاِفطَن لِتَضمينِ لَفظٍ فيكَ أَحسُبُهُ

فَاِفطَن لِتَضمينِ لَفظٍ فيكَ أَحسُبُهُ

قَد ضُمِّنَ الدُرَّ إِلّا أَنَّهُ كَلِمُ

قَد ضُمِّنَ الدُرَّ إِلّا أَنَّهُ كَلِمُ

So heed the quoted phrase about you, which I deem

So be aware of implying a word I reckon

To have been filled with pearls, though it is made of words.

Was implied by a pearl, except that it is speech.