ما ذُقتُ قَطُّ أَمَرَّ مِن أَمري

ما ذُقتُ قَطُّ أَمَرَّ مِن أَمري

في البُسرِ وَالسيلانِ وَالتَمرِ

في البُسرِ وَالسيلانِ وَالتَمرِ

I have never tasted anything more bitter than my plight

I have never tasted anything more bitter than this

with unripe dates, date syrup, and ripe dates.

Amidst prosperity, affluence, and dates

جازَ المَخاوِفَ وَالشُراةَ وَأَص

جازَ المَخاوِفَ وَالشُراةَ وَأَص

حابُ البَدارِقِ مِن بَني عَمرِو

حابُ البَدارِقِ مِن بَني عَمرِو

It passed the dangers, the Shurāt, and

I braved fears, bandits, and the tents

the escort-men from Banu ʿAmr,

Of the Banu ‘Amr, amidst the winds

وَالريحَ في تِلكَ الذَنائِبِ ما

وَالريحَ في تِلكَ الذَنائِبِ ما

بَينَ اِختِلافِ المَدِّ وَالجَزرِ

بَينَ اِختِلافِ المَدِّ وَالجَزرِ

and the wind in those river branches,

In those twisting valleys, between

amid the alternating flood and ebb of the tide,

The rising and ebbing tides

وَالمَوجَ أَمثالَ الجِبالِ إِذا ال

وَالمَوجَ أَمثالَ الجِبالِ إِذا ال

مَلّاحِ شَقَّلَ فيهِ لِلعَبرِ

مَلّاحِ شَقَّلَ فيهِ لِلعَبرِ

and waves like mountains, when the

And waves like mountains, when the sailor

boatman maneuvered through them for the crossing.

Furrows through them seeking deliverance

حَتّى إِذا وَصَلَ المَشومُ إِلى

حَتّى إِذا وَصَلَ المَشومُ إِلى

نَهرِ المُعَلّى جانِبَ الجِسرِ

نَهرِ المُعَلّى جانِبَ الجِسرِ

Until, when the ill-fated shipment reached

Until when the ill-omened one reached

Nahr al-Muʿallā, beside the bridge,

The exalted river's bank, by the bridge

دَهَمَتنِيَ الآفاتُ فيهِ وَلَم

دَهَمَتنِيَ الآفاتُ فيهِ وَلَم

أَفطَن بِها مِن حَيثُ لا أَدري

أَفطَن بِها مِن حَيثُ لا أَدري

calamities assailed me there, and I was not

Misfortunes befell me there, though

alert to them; they came from a quarter unknown to me.

I was unaware, I know not whence

وَأَتَوهُ غِلمانٌ زَبانِيَةٌ

وَأَتَوهُ غِلمانٌ زَبانِيَةٌ

يَتَتابَعونَ تَتابُعَ القَطرِ

يَتَتابَعونَ تَتابُعَ القَطرِ

And servant boys, wardens of Hell, came to it,

And talkative slave boys came

following one another like falling raindrops,

Successively like drops of rain

حَتّى لَقَد رَفَعوا لِيومِهِمُ

حَتّى لَقَد رَفَعوا لِيومِهِمُ

ما حَطَّهُ المَلّاحُ في شَهرِ

ما حَطَّهُ المَلّاحُ في شَهرِ

until, on that day of theirs, they indeed carried off

Until they had loaded for their day

what the boatman had set down in a month.

What the sailor had lowered in a month

فَدَعوا التَغافُلَ إِن سَأَلتُكُمُ

فَدَعوا التَغافُلَ إِن سَأَلتُكُمُ

وَاِشفوا بِرَدِّ جَوابِكُم صَدري

وَاِشفوا بِرَدِّ جَوابِكُم صَدري

So stop feigning ignorance if I question you,

So spare me your negligence, if I ask you

and soothe my breast by giving me your reply.

And soothe my breast by answering me

كَيفَ اِستَخَرتُم مَع تَفَرُّدِكُم

كَيفَ اِستَخَرتُم مَع تَفَرُّدِكُم

دونَ الوَرى بِالتِيَّهِ وَالكِبرِ

دونَ الوَرى بِالتِيَّهِ وَالكِبرِ

How could you deem it right, being unmatched

How did you judge it right, with your uniqueness

among all mankind in haughtiness and pride,

Above all creation, in arrogance and pride

أَن تُعرِضوا مِن غَيرِ ما سَبَبٍ

أَن تُعرِضوا مِن غَيرِ ما سَبَبٍ

تَتَشَبَّثونَ بِهِ وَلا عُذرِ

تَتَشَبَّثونَ بِهِ وَلا عُذرِ

to interfere, without any reason

To spurn me without cause

you could cling to, and without excuse,

With no excuse you cling to or reason

لِهَدِيَّةٍ جاءَت لِشاعِرِكُم

لِهَدِيَّةٍ جاءَت لِشاعِرِكُم

مِن غَيرِكُم مَنزورَةِ القَدرِ

مِن غَيرِكُم مَنزورَةِ القَدرِ

with a gift that came to your poet

A gift that came to your poet

from someone other than you, scant in worth?

From other than you, of cherished worth

حَتّى كَأَنّي ما نَظَمتُ لَكُم

حَتّى كَأَنّي ما نَظَمتُ لَكُم

في مَدحِكُم بَيتاً مِنَ الشِعَرِ

في مَدحِكُم بَيتاً مِنَ الشِعَرِ

So it is as though I never composed for you

It's as if I never wove for you

a single line of poetry in your praise.

In your praise a verse of poetry

وَكَسَوتُكُم حُلَلاً مُفوَّفَةً

وَكَسَوتُكُم حُلَلاً مُفوَّفَةً

بِالحَمدِ مِن نَظمي وَمِن نَثري

بِالحَمدِ مِن نَظمي وَمِن نَثري

And I clothed you in finely striped robes

Or clothed you in perfumed robes

of praise, from my verse and from my prose,

With praise in my verse and prose

وَنَشَرتُ في الأَحياءِ ذِكرَكُمُ

وَنَشَرتُ في الأَحياءِ ذِكرَكُمُ

فَضَّ التِجارِ لَطيمَةَ العِطرِ

فَضَّ التِجارِ لَطيمَةَ العِطرِ

and spread your fame among the communities,

Or spread among the settlements the mention of you

as merchants unseal a casket of perfume.

Beyond the perfume sellers' musk bags

قَسَماً بِمَن قَصَدَ الحَجيجُ لَهُ

قَسَماً بِمَن قَصَدَ الحَجيجُ لَهُ

وَالبَيتِ ذي الأَستارِ وَالحِجرِ

وَالبَيتِ ذي الأَستارِ وَالحِجرِ

I swear by Him to whom the pilgrims journey,

By the one to whom the pilgrims' aspire

and by the House with its coverings and the Hijr:

And the House of curtains and stones

ما دُمتُ أَنظُرُ في وُجوهِكُمُ

ما دُمتُ أَنظُرُ في وُجوهِكُمُ

إِن كُنتُ أُفلِحُ آخِرَ الدَهرِ

إِن كُنتُ أُفلِحُ آخِرَ الدَهرِ

so long as I keep looking upon your faces,

As long as I look upon your faces

I shall never prosper, to the very end of time.

Will I attain success in my latter days

وَلَأَبكِيَنَّ وَهَذِهِ مَعَكُم

وَلَأَبكِيَنَّ وَهَذِهِ مَعَكُم

حالي لِما ضَيَّعتَ مِن عُمري

حالي لِما ضَيَّعتَ مِن عُمري

And I shall surely weep—such is, with you,

And I will weep—such is my state with you—

my lot—for what you have wasted of my life.

For what you wasted of my life

وَسَتَعلَمونَ مَنِ الغَبينُ إِذا

وَسَتَعلَمونَ مَنِ الغَبينُ إِذا

فارَقتُكُم وَعَرَفتُمُ قَدري

فارَقتُكُم وَعَرَفتُمُ قَدري

And you will know who is the loser when

And you will know who is foolish when

I leave you and you recognize my worth.

I leave you and you recognise my worth