هكذا كانَ فعلَها الحمقاءُ

هكذا كانَ فعلَها الحمقاءُ

ربَّما تَحْلقُ اللّحى الكيمياءُ

ربَّما تَحْلقُ اللّحى الكيمياءُ

Thus did that foolish alchemy behave:

Thus had the foolish one done it.

Thus did the foolish one shave her beard

perhaps alchemy shaves beards.

Sometimes alchemy shaves off beards.

Perhaps alchemy can make the beard grow

أفكان الإِكسير والشَّعر والبَعْرُ

أفكان الإِكسير والشَّعر والبَعْرُ

وهذي المقالة الشَّنعاء

وهذي المقالة الشَّنعاء

Was alchemy, then, elixir, hair, and dung,

Was it, then, the elixir, the hair, and the dung,

Was it the elixir, poetry, youth

and this hideous doctrine?

And this outrageous claim?

And this ugly poem

كانَ عهدي به ولا لحية ال

كانَ عهدي به ولا لحية ال

تيس وفي حَلْقِها يقلُّ الجزاء

تيس وفي حَلْقِها يقلُّ الجزاء

I had known him with nothing but the beard of a

When I knew him, he had not even the beard of a

My covenant with him was beardless

he-goat—and shaving it would be too slight a punishment.

Goat; little is the recompense for shaving it.

A ram whose shearing brings little reward

ليتَ شِعري أُريقَ ماءٌ عليها

ليتَ شِعري أُريقَ ماءٌ عليها

قبلَ هذا أَمْ ليس ثمَّةَ ماء

قبلَ هذا أَمْ ليس ثمَّةَ ماء

Would that I knew: had water been poured upon it

I wonder: was water poured over it

I wish I knew if water was poured on it

before this, or was there no water there?

Before this, or is there no water?

Before this or if there was no water

لم يعانِ الزّرنيخَ وهو لعمري

لم يعانِ الزّرنيخَ وهو لعمري

فيه للداء في الذقون دواء

فيه للداء في الذقون دواء

He never worked with arsenic, though, by my life,

He did not work with arsenic, though, by my life,

It didn't undergo sublimation, though

in it lies a cure for the malady of chins.

It holds a cure for the disease in chins.

In vinegar, it cures what ails the gums

ذَهَبَ الشَّعر والشُّعور وأَمسى

ذَهَبَ الشَّعر والشُّعور وأَمسى

يَتَخَفَّى ومشيُه استحياء

يَتَخَفَّى ومشيُه استحياء

His hair and his sense were gone, and he began

His hair and his wits vanished, and he began

The hair and feeling are now gone

to hide himself and walk in shame.

To hide himself, walking in shame.

And he creeps about in embarrassment

وادَّعى أنَّه أُصيبَ بداءٍ

وادَّعى أنَّه أُصيبَ بداءٍ

صَدقَ القولُ إنَّما الحَلْقُ داء

صَدقَ القولُ إنَّما الحَلْقُ داء

He claimed that he had been stricken with an illness.

And he claimed that he had been stricken with a disease.

Claiming to be afflicted with a disease

The claim was true: shaving itself is an illness.

The claim was true: shaving is nothing but a disease.

True, shaving is a disease!

أيّ داء إذ ذاك أعظمُ منه

أيّ داء إذ ذاك أعظمُ منه

والمجانين عنده حكماء

والمجانين عنده حكماء

What illness could then be greater than that?

What disease, then, could be worse than this?

What greater disease than this?

Beside him, madmen are sages.

And beside him, madmen are sages.

Madmen seem wise to him

وترجّى للحَلْق أمراً محالاً

وترجّى للحَلْق أمراً محالاً

ولقَدْ خابَ ظنُّه والرَّجاء

ولقَدْ خابَ ظنُّه والرَّجاء

He hoped shaving would bring an impossible result,

And he hoped for something impossible from shaving,

He hoped vainly for the impossible

but his expectation and hope were sorely disappointed.

And indeed his expectation and hope came to nothing.

His hopes and wishes came to nothing

ما سَمِعْنا اللّحى بها حجر ال

ما سَمِعْنا اللّحى بها حجر ال

قوم وفي الدّبر تُوضَعُ الأَجزاء

قوم وفي الدّبر تُوضَعُ الأَجزاء

We had never heard that beards were the stone of the

We never heard of beards containing the stone of the

We never heard of beards by which

alchemists, while the ingredients are placed in the rump.

People; and the ingredients are placed in the anus.

Stones are thrown and buttocks exposed

زاعماً أنَّهم أَشاروا إليها

زاعماً أنَّهم أَشاروا إليها

ولهذا جرى عليها القضاء

ولهذا جرى عليها القضاء

He claimed that they had pointed him toward it,

Claiming that they had pointed to it,

Claiming they were pointed to

and that this was why judgment fell upon the beard.

And so the judgment fell upon it.

And so sentence was passed on them

أَخَذَ العلمَ عن حقيرٍ فقير

أَخَذَ العلمَ عن حقيرٍ فقير

هو والسَّارح البهيم سواء

هو والسَّارح البهيم سواء

He learned the science from a contemptible pauper;

He took his knowledge from a contemptible pauper,

He learned from a humble, poor man

he and a grazing brute are alike.

He and a grazing beast are alike.

Who, and the wandering beast, are equal

طلب السّعد بالشَّقاء وهي

طلب السّعد بالشَّقاء وهي

هات مع الجهل تسعد الأَشقياء

هات مع الجهل تسعد الأَشقياء

He sought happiness through misery—but far

He sought good fortune through misery—but never

Seeking bliss through misery

from it! How could the wretched prosper with ignorance?

Will the wretched prosper in ignorance.

Give me ignorance to make the wretched happy

ذهبتْ لحية المريد ضياعاً

ذهبتْ لحية المريد ضياعاً

وعَلَيْها بَعْدَ الضياع العفاء

وعَلَيْها بَعْدَ الضياع العفاء

The disciple’s beard was lost for nothing;

The disciple's beard went to waste,

The mystic's beard is lost without a trace

and now that it is lost, may oblivion cover it.

And after its loss, may dust cover it.

And after loss comes total baldness