ذَريني إنَّ أَمرَكِ لَن يُطاعا

ذَريني إنَّ أَمرَكِ لَن يُطاعا

وما أَلفَيِتني حِلمي مُضاعا

وما أَلفَيِتني حِلمي مُضاعا

Leave me be: your bidding shall not be obeyed,

Leave me be, for your command will not be obeyed.

nor have you ever found my forbearance squandered.

Nor have you found me with my good judgment lost.

وما دَهري اطبَأَنَّكِ غيرَ أَنيِّ

وما دَهري اطبَأَنَّكِ غيرَ أَنيِّ

بَنَى لي والدي بَيتاً يَفاعا

بَنَى لي والدي بَيتاً يَفاعا

Never in my life have I hidden from you this:

Nor is it my way to coax you; it is only that

my father built me a house upon the heights.

my father built me a lofty house.

أَخَذتُ بِدَأبِه فَوَرِثتُ عنهُ

أَخَذتُ بِدَأبِه فَوَرِثتُ عنهُ

مَكارِمَ لَم تكُن منهُ ابتِداعا

مَكارِمَ لَم تكُن منهُ ابتِداعا

I followed in his way and inherited from him

I followed his practice and inherited from him

noble virtues that were no invention of his.

noble virtues that were no invention of his.

أَلاَ تِلكَ الثَّعالبُ قد تَوالَت

أَلاَ تِلكَ الثَّعالبُ قد تَوالَت

عَلَّي وحالفَت عُرجاً ضِباعا

عَلَّي وحالفَت عُرجاً ضِباعا

Behold, those foxes have come one after another against me

Lo, those foxes have gathered one after another

and allied themselves with limping hyenas,

against me, and allied with lame hyenas,

لتَمضُغَني العُداةُ فَمَرَّ لَحمي

لتَمضُغَني العُداةُ فَمَرَّ لَحمي

وأَفرَقَ مِن حِذاري أو أَتَاعا

وأَفرَقَ مِن حِذاري أو أَتَاعا

so that my enemies might chew me; but my flesh proved bitter,

so that my foes might chew me—but my flesh proved bitter,

and each, wary of me, either fled in fright or vomited.

and from dread of me they fouled themselves or vomited.

فأَن لَم تَندَمُوا فَثَكِلتُ عَمراً

فأَن لَم تَندَمُوا فَثَكِلتُ عَمراً

وهاجَرتُ الُمؤرِّقَ والسَّماعا

وهاجَرتُ الُمؤرِّقَ والسَّماعا

If you do not rue this, then may I be bereft of ʿAmr,

So if you do not regret it, may I be bereaved of Amr,

and may I forsake al-Muʾarriq and al-Sammāʿ;

and forsake the sleep-disturber and music;

ولا مَلَكَت يَدايَ عِنانَ طِرفٍ

ولا مَلَكَت يَدايَ عِنانَ طِرفٍ

ولا أَبصَرتُ مِن شَمسٍ شُعاعا

ولا أَبصَرتُ مِن شَمسٍ شُعاعا

may my hands never command the reins of a noble steed,

nor may my hands hold the reins of a noble steed,

nor may I behold a single ray of sunlight,

nor may I see a ray from the sun;

ولا وَضَعَت إليَّ عَلَى خَلاَءٍ

ولا وَضَعَت إليَّ عَلَى خَلاَءٍ

حَصَانٌ يومَ جِلوتَها قِناعا

حَصَانٌ يومَ جِلوتَها قِناعا

nor may a chaste woman, alone with me, lower

nor may there be laid aside before me, in private,

her veil on the day I unveil her as my bride.

a veil by a chaste woman on her bridal unveiling day.

وخطَّةَ ماجِدٍ كَلَّفتُ نَفسي

وخطَّةَ ماجِدٍ كَلَّفتُ نَفسي

إذا ضاقُوا رَحِبتُ بِهُم ذِراعا

إذا ضاقُوا رَحِبتُ بِهُم ذِراعا

I have charged myself with every noble undertaking;

And I charged myself with a noble man's duty:

when others were straitened, I opened my arms wide to them.

when they were in straits, I opened my arms wide to them.