كأَنَّ هَواكُم كانَ لي فيكُم عَذلا

كأَنَّ هَواكُم كانَ لي فيكُم عَذلا

فَلستُ بِراضٍ مِنكُم أبَداً فِعلا

فَلستُ بِراضٍ مِنكُم أبَداً فِعلا

As though my love for you were my reproach against you,

As if your love was meant to torment me

For I am never pleased with any deed of yours.

So I'll never be pleased with you

أخَذتُ تَجنِّيكُم عَليَّ وهَجركُم

أخَذتُ تَجنِّيكُم عَليَّ وهَجركُم

وأَعطَيتُكُم ذاكَ التَّملُّقَ والوَصلا

وأَعطَيتُكُم ذاكَ التَّملُّقَ والوَصلا

I accepted your unjust accusations against me and your desertion,

I endured your abandonment of me and your departure

And gave you that flattery and union.

While I gave you that flattery and union

وناقَلتُكم حالاً بِحالٍ لتَعلَموا

وناقَلتُكم حالاً بِحالٍ لتَعلَموا

إِذا ذُقتُم الحالَينِ أيُّهما أَحلَى

إِذا ذُقتُم الحالَينِ أيُّهما أَحلَى

And traded one state for another with you, so that you might know,

And I made you go from one state to another so you would know

Once you had tasted both states, which was sweeter.

Which of the two tastes sweeter

وَلمَّا استَجابَ النَّومُ لي قُلتُ مُسرِعاً

وَلمَّا استَجابَ النَّومُ لي قُلتُ مُسرِعاً

مكانَ انصرف يا لَيلُ يا لَيلُ قِف مَهلا

مكانَ انصرف يا لَيلُ يا لَيلُ قِف مَهلا

When sleep answered me, I said in haste,

And when sleep responded to me I said hastily

Instead of 'Depart, O night': 'O night, stop—linger!'

Instead of leaving, oh night, oh night, wait a while

سَألتُكَ لا تَبرَح قَليلاً فإنَّني

سَألتُكَ لا تَبرَح قَليلاً فإنَّني

سَأَلتُ الكَرى أَن يَهجُرَ الأعيُنَ النُّجلا

سَأَلتُ الكَرى أَن يَهجُرَ الأعيُنَ النُّجلا

I asked you not to leave for a little while, for I

I asked you not to go for a little while for I

Asked slumber to forsake the wide eyes.

Asked fate to make eyes abandon sleep

وَإن كُنتَ ممَّن يَتَّقي لَحظاتها

وَإن كُنتَ ممَّن يَتَّقي لَحظاتها

فعِدها بِضَوءِ الصُّبحِ واستَعملِ المَطلا

فعِدها بِضَوءِ الصُّبحِ واستَعملِ المَطلا

And if you are among those who fear their glances,

And if you're one who avoids its glances

Then promise them dawn's light, and put them off.

Replace it with the light of dawn and use the view

ويا زَمنَ العُشَّاقِ خُذها بِثارِهم

ويا زَمنَ العُشَّاقِ خُذها بِثارِهم

فَقَد أكثرَت في أهلِكَ الأسرَ والقَتلا

فَقَد أكثرَت في أهلِكَ الأسرَ والقَتلا

And O age of lovers, avenge them upon those eyes,

And oh time of lovers, take revenge for them

For they have multiplied captivity and slaughter among your people.

For you have captured many of your people and killed them

وأغيدَ أملَى طَرفه سِحرَ لَحظِهِ

وأغيدَ أملَى طَرفه سِحرَ لَحظِهِ

عَلى لَفظِه حتَّى تَعلَّمَ ما استَملا

عَلى لَفظِه حتَّى تَعلَّمَ ما استَملا

And a supple youth whose eye dictated the magic of his glance

And he recited, his eyelid enchanted his utterance

To his speech, till it learned the dictation it had sought.

Until it learned what it had dictated

عَجِبتُ وقَد رامَ النُّهوضَ لحِلمِهِ

عَجِبتُ وقَد رامَ النُّهوضَ لحِلمِهِ

كأن لَم يَكُن فيما مَضى يَعرِفُ الجَهلا

كأن لَم يَكُن فيما مَضى يَعرِفُ الجَهلا

I marveled at his forbearance when he tried to rise,

I'm amazed that when he got up to leave due to his forbearance

As though he had never known rashness in times past.

It was as if he never knew ignorance in the past

وَما كانَ حِلماً من رَأيتُ وإنَّما

وَما كانَ حِلماً من رَأيتُ وإنَّما

تُحمِّلُهُ الأَردافُ من خلفِهِ ثِقلا

تُحمِّلُهُ الأَردافُ من خلفِهِ ثِقلا

It was not forbearance in the one I saw; rather,

And it wasn't forbearance I saw in him, but rather

His buttocks burdened him with weight from behind.

His backside carries a heavy load behind him

وللحبِّ غاياتٌ وأصعَبُها الرَّدى

وللحبِّ غاياتٌ وأصعَبُها الرَّدى

وقَد صارَ عِندي عندَما نالَني سَهلا

وقَد صارَ عِندي عندَما نالَني سَهلا

Love has its ends, and the hardest is death,

And for love there are goals, the most difficult of which is infatuation

Yet when it befell me, it became easy for me.

And it has become easy for me since it came to me effortlessly

سَماحةُ نَفسٍ بِالمنونِ جَعلتُها

سَماحةُ نَفسٍ بِالمنونِ جَعلتُها

لفَرعِ احتِجاجي عندَ مَن لامَني أَصلا

لفَرعِ احتِجاجي عندَ مَن لامَني أَصلا

My soul's willingness to yield to death I made

The generosity of a soul I have given to

The root of my argument's branch before whoever blamed me.

The branch of my argument against those who blamed me

كأنَّ رَدىً عذَّبتُ قَلبي بِحبِّه

كأنَّ رَدىً عذَّبتُ قَلبي بِحبِّه

ندىً فَكأنِّي كنتُ في حُبِّهِ الفَضلا

ندىً فَكأنِّي كنتُ في حُبِّهِ الفَضلا

As though the death with whose love I tormented my heart

As if with infatuation I have tortured my heart

Were bounty, and I, in loving it, were al-Fadl.

A dew, so it's as if I was its merit in the first place

وما مِثلُهُ مِن قَبل جادَ وإنَّما

وما مِثلُهُ مِن قَبل جادَ وإنَّما

يُقالُ أتَى بالجودِ من عرفَ البُخلا

يُقالُ أتَى بالجودِ من عرفَ البُخلا

And none like him has ever given before; rather,

And no one like him was generous before, but rather

'He has shown generosity' is said only of one who has known stinginess.

It is said he came with generosity from one who knew stinginess

ولَو لَم يَكُن بخلَ الزَّمانِ مُوفّداً

ولَو لَم يَكُن بخلَ الزَّمانِ مُوفّداً

إِلَيهِ الوَرى وَفداً لأَلزَمَه الفِعلا

إِلَيهِ الوَرى وَفداً لأَلزَمَه الفِعلا

And were the age's stinginess not sending

And if it weren't for the era's stinginess sending

People to him in delegations, he would compel it to do so.

The people delegation after delegation to him, he would've taken action

يُرى جودُه خَوفَ الغِنى عنه داعِياً

يُرى جودُه خَوفَ الغِنى عنه داعِياً

إِلى اللَّهِ أن لا يَرفَعَ القَحطَ والمَحلا

إِلى اللَّهِ أن لا يَرفَعَ القَحطَ والمَحلا

His bounty, fearing that people might no longer need him, is seen praying

His generosity is seen urging poverty upon himself

To God not to lift drought and dearth.

To implore God not to lift the drought and famine

علَى أنَّه ما عاشَ في الأَرضِ ضَامِنٌ

علَى أنَّه ما عاشَ في الأَرضِ ضَامِنٌ

إِذا ظمِئَت أن يَخلِفَ العارِضَ الوَبلا

إِذا ظمِئَت أن يَخلِفَ العارِضَ الوَبلا

Yet, so long as he lives on earth, he pledges,

For he does not live on earth guaranteeing

When it thirsts, to replace the rain-laden cloud,

That if she thirsts he will make up for the absent rain

شَفيقاً عَلى أبنائِها متَعَطِّفاً

شَفيقاً عَلى أبنائِها متَعَطِّفاً

عَلى أهلِها حتَّى يَراهُم لَه أَهلا

عَلى أهلِها حتَّى يَراهُم لَه أَهلا

Compassionate toward its children, showing kindness

Compassionate to her children, kind

To its people, till he sees them as his own kin.

To her people until he sees them as family

فَتىً حطَّتِ الآمالُ رَحلي بِبابِه

فَتىً حطَّتِ الآمالُ رَحلي بِبابِه

وما رَضيَت باباً تَحطُّ بِه رَحلا

وما رَضيَت باباً تَحطُّ بِه رَحلا

A youth at whose door hopes set down my saddle,

A gallant man whose hopes my saddle unpacked at his door

And would accept no other door at which to set a saddle down.

And it would not accept any door to unpack at except his

لِكُلِّ رَبيعٍ فَصلُهُ ورَبيعُهُ

لِكُلِّ رَبيعٍ فَصلُهُ ورَبيعُهُ

مُقيمٌ عَلَينا ما عَرَفنا لَه فَصلا

مُقيمٌ عَلَينا ما عَرَفنا لَه فَصلا

Every spring has its season, but his spring

For every spring has its season, and its spring

Abides with us; we have never known it to end.

Stays with us - we never knew it had a season

أَخو هِمَّةٍ طالَت عُلواً كأنَّها

أَخو هِمَّةٍ طالَت عُلواً كأنَّها

دُعاءٌ مُجابٌ باتَ يَرفَعُ فاستَعلا

دُعاءٌ مُجابٌ باتَ يَرفَعُ فاستَعلا

A man of aspiration so lofty that it seems

A brother of high ambitions that rise so high it is as if

An answered prayer that kept lifting him till he rose high.

They are a supplication that spends the night rising up wishing to ascend

وذكرٌ يَجولُ الأَرضَ حتَّى كأنَّه

وذكرٌ يَجولُ الأَرضَ حتَّى كأنَّه

يُحاوِلُ في هَذا الزَّمانِ لَه مِثلا

يُحاوِلُ في هَذا الزَّمانِ لَه مِثلا

And renown that roams the earth, as though it

And a mention that roams the earth until it is as if

Were seeking his equal in this age.

He is trying in this time to find its equivalent

وعَزمٌ إِذا نارُ الحَوادِثِ عُوقِبَت

وعَزمٌ إِذا نارُ الحَوادِثِ عُوقِبَت

عَلى حادِثٍ مِن فِعلِها فَبِهِ تُصلى

عَلى حادِثٍ مِن فِعلِها فَبِهِ تُصلى

And a resolve: if the fire of calamities were punished

And determination - so if the fire of tribulations is punished

For a calamity it had caused, it would be scorched in that resolve.

For an incident of its doing, it is prayed for through him

خلائِق تُبقي صالِحاً يا ابنَ صالِحٍ

خلائِق تُبقي صالِحاً يا ابنَ صالِحٍ

مِن الذِّكرِ لا يَفنى بمُكثٍ ولا يَبلَى

مِن الذِّكرِ لا يَفنى بمُكثٍ ولا يَبلَى

Virtues that preserve, O son of Salih, a worthy

Praiseworthy qualities make a righteous man live, oh son of the righteous

Remembrance that neither perishes with time nor wears away.

Through mention that does not fade with time or wear

وتَدنو مِن العافينَ حتَّى كأنَّها

وتَدنو مِن العافينَ حتَّى كأنَّها

ولا هَزلَ فيها تَجمع الجدَّ والهَزلا

ولا هَزلَ فيها تَجمع الجدَّ والهَزلا

And draw close to those seeking bounty, until they seem—

And it draws near to the healthy until it is as if

Though no jest is in them—to unite earnestness and jest.

There is no jest in bringing together seriousness and jest

عَجِبتُ لشِعرٍ صحَّ لي فيكَ نَظمُهُ

عَجِبتُ لشِعرٍ صحَّ لي فيكَ نَظمُهُ

بِعَقلي ومَا عايَنتهُ يُبهِرُ العَقلا

بِعَقلي ومَا عايَنتهُ يُبهِرُ العَقلا

I marveled that I could compose verse about you

I'm amazed by poetry whose meter was corrected for me by

With my mind, though what I witnessed overwhelms the mind.

My mind though I did not perceive it dazzling the mind

يُعرِّضُني للدَّهرِ صَرفٌ جَعَلتُهُ

يُعرِّضُني للدَّهرِ صَرفٌ جَعَلتُهُ

وإِياكَ عِندَ الحَمدِ والذمِّ لي شُغلا

وإِياكَ عِندَ الحَمدِ والذمِّ لي شُغلا

A turn of fortune exposes me to Time; I have made it

It makes me reject fate which I have made

And you my concern in praise and blame.

Me and you, in praise or condemnation, busy

وما جارَتِ الأيامُ إِذ كانَ عدلُها

وما جارَتِ الأيامُ إِذ كانَ عدلُها

مِن الجَورِ لكِن جارَ من سامَها العَدلا

مِن الجَورِ لكِن جارَ من سامَها العَدلا

The days were not unjust, for their justice lay

And the days have not been just when their justice

In injustice; unjust, rather, was he who demanded justice from them.

Meant injustice, but the one they wronged called for justice