تُطالِبُنِي نَفسي بِما غَيرُهُ الرّضا

تُطالِبُنِي نَفسي بِما غَيرُهُ الرّضا

وَأَيُّ الرّجالِ نَفسُهُ لا تطالبُهْ

وَأَيُّ الرّجالِ نَفسُهُ لا تطالبُهْ

My soul demands of me what is contrary to contentment;

My soul demands of me what others find contentment,

and what man is there whose soul makes no demands on him?

Yet what man's soul does not make demands of him?

وَما زلتُ مغلوبَ الهوى وسفاهةٌ

وَما زلتُ مغلوبَ الهوى وسفاهةٌ

على عاقلٍ أَنّ الهوى منه غالبُهْ

على عاقلٍ أَنّ الهوى منه غالبُهْ

I have always been overcome by passion; it is folly

Still I am conquered by passion and foolishness,

for a man of reason to have passion rule him.

As passion conquers the wise man against his will.

وَلم تكُ إِلّا في جَميلٍ مآربي

وَلم تكُ إِلّا في جَميلٍ مآربي

ومن ذا الذي لا تُستَزلُّ مآربُهْ

ومن ذا الذي لا تُستَزلُّ مآربُهْ

My aims have been only for what is noble;

My desires were only for the beautiful,

and who is there whose aims are never led astray?

Yet who is there whose desires do not lead him astray?

وَأَعلَم أَنّ المرءَ يَطويه لَحْدُهُ

وَأَعلَم أَنّ المرءَ يَطويه لَحْدُهُ

ومنشورةٌ سقْطاتُه ومعايبُه

ومنشورةٌ سقْطاتُه ومعايبُه

I know that a man's grave folds him away,

I know man is shrouded in his own grave,

while his lapses and faults lie spread abroad.

With his faults and transgressions exposed.

وَلَيسَ بِمَيْتٍ من مضى لسبيلهِ

وَلَيسَ بِمَيْتٍ من مضى لسبيلهِ

ولمّا تَمُتْ آثاره ومناقبُه

ولمّا تَمُتْ آثاره ومناقبُه

He is not dead who has gone his way,

He who has passed is not dead,

while his traces and virtues have not yet died.

While his traces and virtues live on.

وَمَن لَم تُهذّبْه تَجاريب دهرهِ

وَمَن لَم تُهذّبْه تَجاريب دهرهِ

فَما ضرَّه أَلّا تَكون تجاربُهْ

فَما ضرَّه أَلّا تَكون تجاربُهْ

Whoever the experiences of his lifetime have not refined

He whom the trials of fate did not refine,

would lose nothing by having had no experiences.

Was not harmed that he had no trials.

وَأَقنعُ مِن خِلّي بِظاهرِ وُدّه

وَأَقنعُ مِن خِلّي بِظاهرِ وُدّه

وَلَيسَ بِحْليٍ ما تضمّ ترائبُهْ

وَلَيسَ بِحْليٍ ما تضمّ ترائبُهْ

From my close friend I am content with his outward affection,

I am content with my friend's outward affection,

and what his breast encloses is no ornament.

Though what he hides cannot be called sincere.

وَإنِّيَ مِمَّنْ إِنْ نَبا عَنهُ مَنزلٌ

وَإنِّيَ مِمَّنْ إِنْ نَبا عَنهُ مَنزلٌ

نَبا وَنَجتْ عَنهُ عِجالاً ركائبُهْ

نَبا وَنَجتْ عَنهُ عِجالاً ركائبُهْ

I am one who, if a dwelling spurns him,

No good comes from a master who gives you only his dregs,

withdraws, his mounts speeding away from it in haste.

While in his heart bitterness creeps.

وَلَستُ بِمُستَبِق صديقاً تجهّمتْ

وَلَستُ بِمُستَبِق صديقاً تجهّمتْ

نواحي مُحيّاهُ أَوِ اِزوَرَّ جانبُهْ

نواحي مُحيّاهُ أَوِ اِزوَرَّ جانبُهْ

Nor will I keep a friend when a scowl darkens

I have no friend if I uncover his soul,

the features of his face, or he turns his side away.

And find I wish no friendship with him.

وَلا عاتِبٌ يَوماً عليهِ فَإنّما

وَلا عاتِبٌ يَوماً عليهِ فَإنّما

صَديقُك مَنْ صاحَبتَه لا تُعاتِبُهْ

صَديقُك مَنْ صاحَبتَه لا تُعاتِبُهْ

Nor will I ever reproach him, for

A man’s merit lies in what comes from him,

your friend is one you keep company with without reproaching him.

Not in his fathers or pedigree.

وَلا خَيرَ في مولىً يُعاطيكَ بِشْرَه

وَلا خَيرَ في مولىً يُعاطيكَ بِشْرَه

وَفي صَدرهِ غِلٌّ تدبّ عقاربُهْ

وَفي صَدرهِ غِلٌّ تدبّ عقاربُهْ

There is no good in an ally who offers you his smiling welcome,

I am purified, cleansed of dross though weak,

while his breast holds rancor, its scorpions creeping.

While impurities and dregs have fallen away.

وَلا صاحبٌ لي إنْ كشفتُ ضميرَه

وَلا صاحبٌ لي إنْ كشفتُ ضميرَه

ودِدْتُ وِداداً أنّنِي لا أُصاحبُهْ

ودِدْتُ وِداداً أنّنِي لا أُصاحبُهْ

Nor is he my companion if, on laying bare his thoughts,

For me are the towering, lofty heights,

I earnestly wish I were not his companion.

As I climb their summits and mountains.

وَفَضلُ الفَتى ما كان منه وفضلةٌ

وَفَضلُ الفَتى ما كان منه وفضلةٌ

عَلى مَجدهِ آباؤه ومناسبُهْ

عَلى مَجدهِ آباؤه ومناسبُهْ

A man's merit is what comes from himself; mere additions

How many who sought me I surpassed,

to his glory are his forefathers and his kinship ties.

No fugitive escapes me when I give chase!

خَلصتُ خلوصَ التِّبرِ ضوعفَ سبكُهُ

خَلصتُ خلوصَ التِّبرِ ضوعفَ سبكُهُ

وَطاحَتْ بهِ أَقذاؤُه وشوائبُهْ

وَطاحَتْ بهِ أَقذاؤُه وشوائبُهْ

I have become pure as raw gold whose smelting was repeated,

All men watch me with awe,

and whose dross and impurities fell away in the process.

Never have I sought one that I watch in turn.

لِيَ الشاهِقاتُ الباسقاتُ من الذُّرا

لِيَ الشاهِقاتُ الباسقاتُ من الذُّرا

وَفي مَحتِدِي هاماتُه وغواربُهْ

وَفي مَحتِدِي هاماتُه وغواربُهْ

Mine are the lofty, towering summits,

When fate stripped men bare,

and in my lineage lie glory's crowns and crests.

They knew of calamities from which claws do not retreat.

وَكَم طالِبٍ لِي فُتُّه وَسَبقتُهُ

وَكَم طالِبٍ لِي فُتُّه وَسَبقتُهُ

وَلَم يَنجُ منّي هاربٌ أنَا طالِبُهْ

وَلَم يَنجُ منّي هاربٌ أنَا طالِبُهْ

How many a pursuer of mine I have eluded and outstripped;

Perplexed, their minds could not see the path ahead,

yet no fugitive I pursue has escaped me.

Nor guide them despite their rage.

وَراقبني كُلُّ الرّجالِ بسالةً

وَراقبني كُلُّ الرّجالِ بسالةً

وما فيهمُ مَنْ بتُّ يوماً أُراقبُهْ

وما فيهمُ مَنْ بتُّ يوماً أُراقبُهْ

All men have feared me for my valor,

I am the spear, nay the spearhead itself!

yet I have never spent a night fearing any of them.

My blows land with no shield to stop them.

وَقَد علم الأقوام لمّا عراهُمُ

وَقَد علم الأقوام لمّا عراهُمُ

مِنَ الدّهر خطبٌ لا تُرَدُّ مخالبُهْ

مِنَ الدّهر خطبٌ لا تُرَدُّ مخالبُهْ

The peoples knew, when there befell them

How many battlefields I stood amidst,

a calamity of time whose claws could not be repelled,

With no route of escape shut off from me.

وَضَلّتْ وُجوه الرّأي عنه فلم تَبِنْ

وَضَلّتْ وُجوه الرّأي عنه فلم تَبِنْ

لِراكبه بالرّغم أين مذاهبُهْ

لِراكبه بالرّغم أين مذاهبُهْ

and the paths of counsel went astray before it, leaving unclear

From lethal, raging seas I protected them,

to its unwilling rider where its courses lay,

Turning aside the waves crashing upon them.

بِأنّي فيهِ الرّمحُ بل كسنانِهِ

بِأنّي فيهِ الرّمحُ بل كسنانِهِ

أو السّيفُ لا تنبو عليه مضاربُهْ

أو السّيفُ لا تنبو عليه مضاربُهْ

that in it I was the spear—nay, like its point—

or the sword whose striking edges never glance off it.

وكم مَوقفٍ في نَصرهم قمتُ وسْطَه

وكم مَوقفٍ في نَصرهم قمتُ وسْطَه

وما زال مسدوداً عليَّ مهاربُهْ

وما زال مسدوداً عليَّ مهاربُهْ

And at the heart of many a stand in their defense I stood,

while its escape routes remained barred to me.

وَسَيلٍ منَ الموتِ الزُّؤامِ حميتُهمْ

وَسَيلٍ منَ الموتِ الزُّؤامِ حميتُهمْ

شَذاه وَقَد سالَتْ عَليهم مذانبُهْ

شَذاه وَقَد سالَتْ عَليهم مذانبُهْ

And many a torrent of dreadful death—I shielded them

from its ravages, though its channels had already poured over them.