ما كان يَدري كيفَ يصبحُ هاجِرا

ما كان يَدري كيفَ يصبحُ هاجِرا

والغرُّ تجعلُه التجارِبُ ماهِرا

والغرُّ تجعلُه التجارِبُ ماهِرا

He did not know how to become one who spurns,

He did not know how he would become an emigrant

and experience makes the naive adept.

And strangeness would make him skilled through experiences

رشأ سمِعتُ لصُدغه ولخدِّه

رشأ سمِعتُ لصُدغه ولخدِّه

في هذه الدنيا حَديثاً سائِرا

في هذه الدنيا حَديثاً سائِرا

A gazelle-fawn—of his temple and his cheek I have heard

I heard the rumor about his cheek and face

a tale that circulates throughout this world.

Spreading in this life

فإذا رأيتَ عليه طَرفاً واقعاً

فإذا رأيتَ عليه طَرفاً واقعاً

فاعلَم بأن هناكَ قلباً طائِرا

فاعلَم بأن هناكَ قلباً طائِرا

So if you see a gaze falling upon him,

So if you see him with downcast eyes

know that there is a heart taking flight.

Know that there is a flying heart within

لو لم تكُن عَيني دليلةَ عينِه

لو لم تكُن عَيني دليلةَ عينِه

لم يصِبح المكسورُ منها كاسِرا

لم يصِبح المكسورُ منها كاسِرا

Had my eye not been the guide to his,

Were it not for my guiding eyes

its broken gaze would not have become a breaker.

The broken one would not become whole

أنشِطتَ تقتُلُني كأنك لم تكن

أنشِطتَ تقتُلُني كأنك لم تكن

يا طرفَه ذاك الضعيفَ الفاتِرا

يا طرفَه ذاك الضعيفَ الفاتِرا

Have you grown lively, killing me, as though you had never been,

Your glances that kill me as if you had never been

O his gaze, that weak and languid one?

O you of languid and weary eyes

ولمثل ذلك كنتُ أذخُر سَلوتي

ولمثل ذلك كنتُ أذخُر سَلوتي

فطلَبتُها فوجدتُ رسماً داثِرا

فطلَبتُها فوجدتُ رسماً داثِرا

And for just such a thing I had stored up my solace;

And for the like of that I was hoarding my provisions

I sought it, only to find an effaced trace.

I sought them but found only faint traces

فجعلتُ حين غُلِبتُ أصفح عن دمي

فجعلتُ حين غُلِبتُ أصفح عن دمي

هل يصفحُ الإنسانُ إلا قادِرا

هل يصفحُ الإنسانُ إلا قادِرا

So, when vanquished, I began to pardon the shedding of my blood;

So when I was overcome I forgave my blood

does anyone pardon unless they have power?

Does a man forgive except when able?

ومدامةٍ صبَّحتُها بعصابةٍ

ومدامةٍ صبَّحتُها بعصابةٍ

يتناقلونَ بها زجاجاً دائِرا

يتناقلونَ بها زجاجاً دائِرا

And wine I greeted at dawn with a band of companions,

And a night of drinking I spent with a company

passing around glass cups of it.

Passing around glass after glass

كان الصباحُ كأنه في نُورهم

كان الصباحُ كأنه في نُورهم

ليلٌ وكانوا فيه صُبحاً زاهِرا

ليلٌ وكانوا فيه صُبحاً زاهِرا

Morning seemed, amid their radiance,

The morning was as if in its light

like night, while they were a radiant dawn within it.

Night, and they were in it a shining dawn

فكأنما خمَّارها أضحى لها

فكأنما خمَّارها أضحى لها

من بعضِ أخلاقِ الندامى عاصِرا

من بعضِ أخلاقِ الندامى عاصِرا

So it was as though its vintner had made it

As if their wine-pourer had become for them

by pressing some of the drinking companions' virtues.

One who extracts from the qualities of the penitent

حتى إذا ما السكر خالَطهم غدا

حتى إذا ما السكر خالَطهم غدا

كلٌّ يقيم على الرواح مَعاذرا

كلٌّ يقيم على الرواح مَعاذرا

Until, when drunkenness mingled with them,

Until when drunkenness mixed with them, each

each began offering excuses for departure.

Set up excuses for himself

وبقيتُ أشربُها فريداً راضياً

وبقيتُ أشربُها فريداً راضياً

بجميل ذكركَ يا فريدُ معاشِرا

بجميل ذكركَ يا فريدُ معاشِرا

And I remained, drinking it alone, content

While I continued drinking it alone and content

with fair remembrance of you, O Farid, for company.

With the beauty of your company, O unique friend

إني لَتعذبُ لي صفاتُكَ واثقاً

إني لَتعذبُ لي صفاتُكَ واثقاً

بالصدقِ فيها ناظماً أو ناثِرا

بالصدقِ فيها ناظماً أو ناثِرا

Indeed, your qualities are sweet to me, and I am confident

Indeed your attributes torment me, confident

of their truth, whether composing verse or prose.

Of the truth in them, composer or disseminator

للَه بحر ندىً إذا بحرُ الرَّدى

للَه بحر ندىً إذا بحرُ الرَّدى

أمسى يعبُّ غدا عليه زاخِرا

أمسى يعبُّ غدا عليه زاخِرا

God be praised for that sea of bounty! When the sea of death

God has an ocean of dew, so when the ocean of perdition

surges at dusk, he rises above it, overflowing at dawn.

Became turbulent, it foamed over it

يقظاتُه وهباتُه وصفاتُه

يقظاتُه وهباتُه وصفاتُه

موجودةٌ في ساحليهِ جواهِرا

موجودةٌ في ساحليهِ جواهِرا

His vigilance, his gifts, and his qualities

His vigils, his gifts, his attributes

are found as jewels upon his two shores.

Are present on its shores as jewels

ولربَّ سُحب كريهةٍ كلَّفتها

ولربَّ سُحب كريهةٍ كلَّفتها

حملَ النجيعِ وكان منها ماطِرا

حملَ النجيعِ وكان منها ماطِرا

And many were the battle-clouds you charged

And many an ugly cloud He charged

with bearing gore, which rained down from them.

With bearing rain and it rained from them

وجعلتَ تخطر تحتَها في جحفلٍ

وجعلتَ تخطر تحتَها في جحفلٍ

مازال يعقِدها غُباراً ثائِرا

مازال يعقِدها غُباراً ثائِرا

And you went striding proudly beneath them amid a vast army

And you marched under them in throngs

that kept forming them from billowing dust.

That dust still stirred up

والسحبُ تُفنيها الرياحُ وهذه

والسحبُ تُفنيها الرياحُ وهذه

سحبٌ تكونُ رياحُهن حوافِرا

سحبٌ تكونُ رياحُهن حوافِرا

And winds dispel clouds, but these

And the clouds are scattered by the winds while these

are clouds whose winds are hooves.

Are clouds whose steeds are the winds

يا ليت أنك كنتَ تلقى تحتها

يا ليت أنك كنتَ تلقى تحتها

فيمَن تُلاقيه الزمانَ الجائِرا

فيمَن تُلاقيه الزمانَ الجائِرا

If only you could meet beneath them,

Oh would that you had encountered under them

among those you confront, unjust Time,

Him whom time treats unjustly

كي تستريحَ عُفاة جودِك أنهم

كي تستريحَ عُفاة جودِك أنهم

كسَروا من الشكوى إليك دفاتِرا

كسَروا من الشكوى إليك دفاتِرا

so seekers of your bounty might find relief, for they

That the barefoot of your generosity may rest

have worn out notebooks with their complaints to you.

For they have broken to you registers of complaint

ما إن سمعتَ أبا الوَحيد بواحدٍ

ما إن سمعتَ أبا الوَحيد بواحدٍ

جمع الأسودَ فقادَهن عساكِرا

جمع الأسودَ فقادَهن عساكِرا

You have never heard, Abu al-Wahid, of anyone

No sooner did you hear Abu Al-Wahid with one

who gathered lions and led them as armies.

Who gathered the lions and led them as troops

لقد انفرَدت فكنت وحدَك سامعاً

لقد انفرَدت فكنت وحدَك سامعاً

ثم انفرَدتُ فكنتُ وحدي شاعِرا

ثم انفرَدتُ فكنتُ وحدي شاعِرا

You indeed stood alone, so you alone were the listener;

You singled yourself out, so you alone listened

then I stood alone, so I alone was the poet.

Then I singled myself out, so I alone was a poet

فلَطالما كثُرت أقاويلُ الورى

فلَطالما كثُرت أقاويلُ الورى

فأتيتُ بالنَّزر القليلِ مُكاثِرا

فأتيتُ بالنَّزر القليلِ مُكاثِرا

For people's sayings have so often multiplied,

For long have the opinions of mankind abounded

so I brought a scant few, rivaling their abundance.

Yet I brought just a little, vying