1. صنعةَ الشِّعرِ لقد عا

    فَتكِ نَفسي فاترُكيني

    O craft of poetry, you have been dis-

    dained by my soul; so leave me.

  2. أَدبِري عنِّي بِوَجهٍ

    والقَفَا منك أريني

    Turn your face away from me,

    and show me the back of your head.

  3. إستريحي وأريحي

    منكِ ذا الحظ الغبينِ

    Rest, and relieve

    this luckless man of yourself.

  4. سئمت رؤيةُ عيني

    من مُحياكِ اللَّعينِ

    My eye has grown weary of looking

    upon your accursed face.

  5. صنعةَ الشعر انظُري غي

    ري فإنِّي قد عَرَفتُك

    O craft of poetry, look to someone oth-

    er than me, for I have come to know you.

  6. وعصيرَ الصَّابِ صِرفاً

    ذُقته منكِ فَعِفتُك

    And the sap of bitter spurge, undiluted,

    I tasted from you, and so I loathed you.

  7. ولوَ انِّي رُمتُ وَصفاً

    لِشَقاءٍ لوَصَفتُك

    And if I sought a description

    of misery, I would describe you.

  8. أصرِفُ الأكدارَ والأح

    زانَ عنِّي إن صَرَفتُك

    I banish troubles and sor-

    rows from me if I banish you.

  9. عنكِ قَلبي قَد تَخَلَّى

    خَلِّني باللهَّ عَنكِ

    My heart has relinquished you;

    leave me free of you, for God's sake.

  10. أترُكِي مَن كانَ يَنوي

    أنه لن يَترُكَنكِ

    Leave the one who once intended

    never to leave you.

  11. اُنظري غيري فَغيري

    راغِبٌ في الوصلِ مِنكِ

    Look to another, for another

    desires union with you.

  12. أُجلبي النحسَ إليه

    وأَرِيه عيشَ ضَنكِ

    Bring ill fortune upon him,

    and show him a life of hardship.

  13. إجعليهِ إن تَبَدَّى

    لِذَوي الإثراءِ قالوا

    Make him such that, when he appears

    before the wealthy, they say:

  14. شاعرٌ بائسُ حَظٍّ

    شُغلُه قِيلٌ وقالُ

    'A poet with wretched luck,

    whose business is idle talk;

  15. باهتُ المَرأى كَئيبٌ

    ساءَ مِن مَرآهُ فالُ

    pale in appearance, gloomy—

    the sight of him bodes ill.'

  16. ثم غَضُّوا عنه طَرفاً

    وبوَجهٍ عنهُ مالوا

    Then they lower their gaze from him

    and turn their faces away.

  17. وتراهُم إن أتَاهَم

    منهمُ ضاقت صُدورُ

    You see them, when he comes to them,

    their breasts growing tight,

  18. ولَقَوهُ بِقُلوبٍ

    يَلتظى فيها السَّعيرُ

    and they meet him with hearts

    in which a raging fire blazes.

  19. فإذا أعرَضَ عَنهُم

    دَبَّ في القومِ السُّرورُ

    Then, when he turns away from them,

    joy spreads through the company,

  20. وانجَلت منهم ثَنايا

    بَسَمَت عنها الثُّغورُ

    and their front teeth come into view,

    as their mouths reveal them in smiles.

  21. والزَميه إِن تَوَلَّى

    مُفعَمَ القلب كآبه

    And cling to him if he turns away,

    his heart filled with sorrow,

  22. واخدَعيهِ بِوصالٍ

    منكِ يُنسيهِ اكتآبَه

    and deceive him with a union

    with you that makes him forget his gloom,

  23. واهماً من بَعدِ هَجوٍ

    أَنه صَفَّى حِسَابَه

    imagining, after a satire,

    that he has settled his account.

  24. وهوَ لولاكِ خَديناً

    لَم يُصِبهُ ما أصَابَه

    Yet, had you not been his companion,

    what befell him would never have befallen him.

  25. إجعلي منه حليفاً

    لسُهادٍ في اللَّيالي

    Make him an ally

    of sleeplessness through the nights,

  26. عاصراً فكرَهُ عَصراً

    في يَتيماتِ اللالي

    wringing out his thoughts

    for peerless pearls,

  27. مُجهِداً نَفسه حَتَّى

    يَجتَليها ذَاتَ بالِ

    straining himself until

    he beholds them, worthy of note,

  28. ثُم يُهديها إلى مَن

    بِقَريضٍ لا يُبالي

    then offers them to one

    who cares nothing for verse.

  29. فهى إن كانت نَسيباً

    صاغَها الصَّبُّ المُوَلَّهُ

    For if they are love verses,

    fashioned by the lovesick, bewildered lover

  30. لِحبيبِ القلبِ فيها

    بثَّ شكواهُ لَعَلَّه

    for his heart's beloved, wherein

    he pours out his complaint, perhaps the beloved

  31. سامَهُ هوناً وعنه

    أعرَض الإِعراضَ كُلَّه

    subjects him to humiliation, and from him

    turns utterly away,

  32. وكَوَى منه فُؤاداً

    وانثَنى عنه ومَلَّه

    and sears his heart,

    and turns from him, weary of him.

  33. وإذا كانت مديحاً

    مُطرياً فيه وزيراً

    And if they are praise,

    extolling a minister,

  34. بنَفيسِ الدُّرِّ تُزري

    وبِها جاءَ فَخورا

    putting precious pearls to shame,

    and he comes proudly bearing them,

  35. فَليَعُد مَغتَمَّ نَفسٍ

    َدامِىَ القلبِ كَسيرَا

    let him return with a grieving soul,

    bleeding at heart and broken,

  36. خَيبةَ الآمالِ يَلقَى

    لا جزاءً لا شُكورَا

    meeting disappointed hopes,

    neither reward nor thanks.

  37. بل لَه الفَضلُ عَلَيهِ

    إن له بالسَّمعِ أَلقَى

    Rather, the minister does him a favor

    if he lends him an ear.

  38. قَبَّحَ اللهُ زماناً

    عاشَ فيه الحُرُّ رِقَّا

    May God disgrace an age

    in which the free man lived as a slave,

  39. وتَرى رَبَّ القَوافي

    يُسعِدُ الغَيرَ ويَشقَى

    and you see the master of rhymes

    bring others joy while he suffers.

  40. فَلنَلُذ بالصَّمتِ فيه

    إِنَّهُ خَيرٌ واَبقى

    So let us take refuge in silence in it;

    it is better and more lasting.

  41. ما عَدا إن رُمتُ وَصفاً

    لِعَظيمِ العُظَماءِ

    Except when I seek to describe

    the greatest of the great:

  42. أَقبِلي إذ ذَاكَ عَنِّي

    واشبِهيه في السَّخاءِ

    then come forth on my behalf,

    and resemble him in generosity.

  43. دُررَ القولِ امنَحيني

    واغمُريني بِالعطَاءِ

    Grant me pearls of speech,

    and overwhelm me with gifts.

  44. ثم أَوحِي لِي بمَا لم

    به توحِي لِسِوائي

    Then inspire me with what you have never

    inspired in anyone else.

  45. فيه إن قلتُ مديحاً

    نال مدحي كُلَّ مَدحِ

    If I speak his praise,

    my praise wins every commendation.

  46. وكفاني أننَّي في

    روضِه طائرُ صَدحِ

    And it suffices me that, in

    his garden, I am a singing bird,

  47. أتَغنى بِمديحي

    له مُمساىَ وصُبحي

    singing my praises

    of him at evening and at dawn.

  48. ولقد يزهو صَدوحٌ

    بغِناء فوقَ صَرحِ

    Indeed, a songbird may exult

    in singing atop a palace.

  49. بل أنا إِن قلتُ شِعراً

    جِئتهُ طالبَ دَرسِ

    Rather, whenever I speak verse,

    I come to him seeking a lesson,

  50. وتَلقَّاني بأفكا

    رِ لها إشعاعُ شَمسِ

    and he welcomes me with thou-

    ghts radiant as the sun.

  51. فهو لي صيقلُ فِكرٍ

    وهو ريحانةُ نَفسي

    He is the polisher of my thought,

    and the sweet basil of my soul.

  52. يَتجلَّى له نورٌ

    إن ذاك النورَ قُدسي

    A light reveals itself to him;

    that light is indeed sacred.

  53. رُبَّ تقوى رُبَّ نجوى

    رُبَّ عِلمٍ رُبَّ حِلمِ

    How much piety, how much private communion!

    How much knowledge, how much forbearance!

  54. رُب صَفوٍ رُبَّ عفوٍ

    رُبَّ حَزمٍ رُبَّ عَزمِ

    How much serenity, how much forgiveness!

    How much prudence, how much determination!

  55. رُبَّ جودٍ رُبَّ مَجدٍ

    رُبَّ حَسمٍ رُبَّ رَحمِ

    How much generosity, how much glory!

    How much decisiveness, how much mercy!

  56. رُبَّ سَيفٍ رُبَّ ضَيفٍ

    رُبَّ إفحامٍ لِخَصمِ

    How many swords, how many guests!

    How often an adversary is silenced!

  57. كِدتُ أنسى منهُ إبدا

    عَهُ فِي ميدانِ نُكتَه

    I almost forgot his crea-

    tivity in the realm of wit,

  58. وبديعُ النُّكتِ الطا

    رِقُ للأَذهانِ بَغتَه

    and the marvel of his wit that stri-

    kes minds unawares.

  59. جهرةً طوراً وطَوراً

    يودِعُ النكتةَ صَمتَه

    Sometimes aloud, and sometimes

    he lodges the jest in his silence;

  60. ليسَ يَدريها سِوى مَن

    كانَ صَفو الذِّهن نَعتَه

    none understands it except one

    whose defining trait is clarity of mind.

  61. إسألِ التاريخَ عن إق

    ماعِهِ لِلفتنَتَينِ

    Ask history about his sup-

    pression of the two rebellions,

  62. إذ يدَى نَصرٍ وكَسرٍ

    مَدَّ لِلمَملَكَتَينِ

    when two hands—of victory and defeat—

    he stretched toward the two kingdoms.

  63. بِأَبي مُسلِم يُدعى

    في لسانِ الأُمَّتَينِ

    He is called Abu Muslim

    in the speech of both nations,

  64. ولسانُ الغَربِ نَادا

    هُ خُضوعاً مَرَّتَينِ

    and the tongue of the West hailed

    him twice in submission.

  65. صنعةَ الشِّعرِ امنَحيني

    من يَواقِيت النِّظامِ

    O craft of poetry, grant me

    some rubies of verse.

  66. بِرَصينِ القَولِ جُودي

    إنه فخرُ الأنامِ

    Be generous with well-wrought speech;

    he is the pride of humankind,

  67. وهمامٌ مِن هُمامِ

    مِن همامٍ من هُمامِ

    and a noble hero sprung from a noble hero,

    from a noble hero, from a noble hero.

  68. غُرَرَ الشِّعرِ هَبيني

    إنَّه الباشا التُّهامي

    Bestow on me the choicest verses:

    he is Pasha al-Tuhami.