عَناني من الهَمِّ ما قَد عَناني

عَناني من الهَمِّ ما قَد عَناني

فَأَعطَيتُ صَرفَ اللَيالي عِناني

فَأَعطَيتُ صَرفَ اللَيالي عِناني

Such grief has beset me—such grief has beset me!

My sorrow overwhelmed me with grief

So I gave the vicissitudes of the nights my reins.

So I let the nights take their course

أَلفَتُ الدموعَ وَعِفتُ الهجوع

أَلفَتُ الدموعَ وَعِفتُ الهجوع

فَعَينايَ عَينانِ نَضّاخَتانِ

فَعَينايَ عَينانِ نَضّاخَتانِ

I grew accustomed to tears and loathed slumber,

I grew accustomed to tears and famishment

So my two eyes are two gushing springs,

My eyes became two fountains

لِسَقمٍ أَلَحَّ عَلى سيدٍ

لِسَقمٍ أَلَحَّ عَلى سيدٍ

بِهِ قَد غَفرتُ ذُنوبَ الزَمانِ

بِهِ قَد غَفرتُ ذُنوبَ الزَمانِ

Because of an illness that has relentlessly plagued a lord,

For an illness that persisted upon my master

For whose sake I have forgiven the sins of Time.

With it, I forgive the sins of time

أَحاطَ بِرِجلَيهِ جوراً عَلَيهِ

أَحاطَ بِرِجلَيهِ جوراً عَلَيهِ

وَأَنّى وَنَعلاهُما الفَرقَدانِ

وَأَنّى وَنَعلاهُما الفَرقَدانِ

It has gripped his two feet, doing him wrong—

It has unfairly shackled his feet

But how, when their sandals are the two Farqad stars?

Where are his slippers with heels?

وَكَيفَ سطا بِهِما وَاِستَطال

وَكَيفَ سطا بِهِما وَاِستَطال

وَأَرضُ بِساطِهِما النَيِّرانِ

وَأَرضُ بِساطِهِما النَيِّرانِ

And how could it assail them and act so arrogantly,

How could he walk with them when

When the ground beneath their carpet is the sun and moon?

The ground beneath them was fire?

وَهَلّا تَجاوَزَهُ قاصِداً

وَهَلّا تَجاوَزَهُ قاصِداً

إِلى عصبةٍ عَصبت بِالهَوانِ

إِلى عصبةٍ عَصبت بِالهَوانِ

And why did it not pass him by, heading

Why did he not ignore them and head

Toward a band bound in humiliation?

Towards a group bound by disgrace?

اِذا ما سَعى لطلاب العلى

اِذا ما سَعى لطلاب العلى

فَكُلُّ أَوانٍ هُمُ في توانِ

فَكُلُّ أَوانٍ هُمُ في توانِ

Whenever he strives in pursuit of the heights,

Whenever he sought the highest knowledge

They are, at every moment, sunk in indolence.

Procrastination plagued them

وَسَوفَ توفيه كفُّ الشفاء

وَسَوفَ توفيه كفُّ الشفاء

بِما أَنشَأَت بِاسمِهِ من أَمانِ

بِما أَنشَأَت بِاسمِهِ من أَمانِ

And the hand of healing will give him his full due,

His healing hand will fulfill its duty

With the assurance of safety it has issued in his name.

With the safety he created through his name

وَتَفقأ فيهِ عيونُ الزَمان

وَتَفقأ فيهِ عيونُ الزَمان

عَزيزَ المحلِّ رَفيعَ المَكانِ

عَزيزَ المحلِّ رَفيعَ المَكانِ

And Time's eyes will be put out on his account,

And time's eyes will burst with tears

Honored in standing, exalted in rank.

For one so dear and of the highest stature

وَيَبقى جَمالا لِاِقرانِهِ

وَيَبقى جَمالا لِاِقرانِهِ

وقد قَصروا عَنهُ أَلفَي قِرانِ

وقد قَصروا عَنهُ أَلفَي قِرانِ

And he will remain an adornment to his peers,

His beauty remains for his peers

Though they fall two thousand conjunctions short of him.

Though they fall short, even two generations

أَتَتنيَ بِالأَمسِ أبياتُهُ

أَتَتنيَ بِالأَمسِ أبياتُهُ

تُمَلِّلُ روحي بِروحِ الجنانِ

تُمَلِّلُ روحي بِروحِ الجنانِ

His verses came to me yesterday,

Yesterday, his verses came to me

They weary my soul with the breeze of the gardens,

To soothe my soul with the bliss of heavens

كَبُرد الشَبابِ وَبَرد الشَراب

كَبُرد الشَبابِ وَبَرد الشَراب

وَظِلِّ الأَمانِ وَنَيل الأَماني

وَظِلِّ الأَمانِ وَنَيل الأَماني

Like the mantle of youth and the coolness of wine,

Like the coolness of youth, the chill of wine

And the shade of safety and the fulfillment of wishes,

The shade of safety, the attainment of wishes

وَعَهد الصِبا وَنَسيم الصَبا

وَعَهد الصِبا وَنَسيم الصَبا

وَصَفو الدنانِ وَرَجعِ القيانِ

وَصَفو الدنانِ وَرَجعِ القيانِ

And the days of youth and the breeze of the east wind,

And the days of youth, the morning breeze

And the clear wine of the jars and the refrains of singing girls.

The sweetness of life and return of consciousness

فَلَو أَنَّ أَلفاظَها جُسِّمَت

فَلَو أَنَّ أَلفاظَها جُسِّمَت

لَكانَت عقودَ نحورِ الغَواني

لَكانَت عقودَ نحورِ الغَواني

So if their words were given bodily form,

If their words were embodied

They would be necklaces about the throats of beautiful women.

They would adorn the necks of maidens

فَيا لَيتَ عمريَ في عُمرِهِ

فَيا لَيتَ عمريَ في عُمرِهِ

يُزادُ وَلَو أَنَّهُ حُقبَتانِ

يُزادُ وَلَو أَنَّهُ حُقبَتانِ

Oh, would that my lifetime, to his lifetime,

Oh how I wish my life lasted his lifetime

Could be added, even if it were two ages!

Even if only two eras more

فَيا مُهجَةً قَدمَت دونه

فَيا مُهجَةً قَدمَت دونه

بِغانيةٍ عِند ذكر الغَواني

بِغانيةٍ عِند ذكر الغَواني

O soul offered up in his stead,

So I am an admirer who came after him

For a beautiful woman, when beautiful women are mentioned.

With yearning, when great men are mentioned

أُجيبُ عن الشِعرِ مُستَرسِلاً

أُجيبُ عن الشِعرِ مُستَرسِلاً

بِطَبعٍ شُجاعٍ وَقَلبٍ جَبانِ

بِطَبعٍ شُجاعٍ وَقَلبٍ جَبانِ

I respond to the poetry without restraint,

I respond to poetry with an easy style

With a bold poetic nature and a timid heart.

With brave composition and a coward's heart

فَلَولا سُكوني الى فَضلِهِ

فَلَولا سُكوني الى فَضلِهِ

قَبضتُ بَناني بِقَبضي لساني

قَبضتُ بَناني بِقَبضي لساني

So, were it not for my trust in his generosity,

If not for my composure due to his merit

I would have restrained my fingertips as I restrained my tongue.

I would have clenched my teeth and bit my tongue