أمَّا عَلَى كرَمِ ابنَةِ الكرامِ

أمَّا عَلَى كرَمِ ابنَةِ الكرامِ

فَلتَنزِلَنَّ بِه عَلى حُكمِي

فَلتَنزِلَنَّ بِه عَلى حُكمِي

Now, in keeping with the generosity of a noble daughter,

As for the generosity of the noblemen's daughter,

you must surely submit in this to my judgment.

then, by it, you must submit to my judgment.

يَأتي بِعَزمِكَ في مُصارَمَتي

يَأتي بِعَزمِكَ في مُصارَمَتي

فتَحلّه وتَشُدّ مِن عَزمي

فتَحلّه وتَشُدّ مِن عَزمي

Your resolve comes bent on breaking with me,

It brings your resolve to sever ties with me;

yet you undo it and strengthen my resolve.

then you undo it and strengthen my resolve.

وتَبيتُ تَحمي ما استَبَحتُ لَها

وتَبيتُ تَحمي ما استَبَحتُ لَها

مِن مُهجَتي وتُبيحُ ما تَحمي

مِن مُهجَتي وتُبيحُ ما تَحمي

You spend the night guarding for her what I freely gave

And you spend the night guarding what I deemed lawful for her

of my lifeblood, yet you make free what you guard.

of my lifeblood, and making lawful what you guard.

والصُّبحُ صُلحٌ أَو فَكنتُ إِذا

والصُّبحُ صُلحٌ أَو فَكنتُ إِذا

عُوقِبتُ أعرفُ مَرَّةً جُرمي

عُوقِبتُ أعرفُ مَرَّةً جُرمي

And morning brings reconciliation; otherwise, if

And dawn is reconciliation—or then, when

I were punished, I would for once know my crime.

punished, I would for once know my offense.

يا مَن رَمى فأَقامَني غَرَضاً

يا مَن رَمى فأَقامَني غَرَضاً

لا تُنكِرنَّ عَليَّ أَن أَرمي

لا تُنكِرنَّ عَليَّ أَن أَرمي

O you who shot and set me up as a target,

O you who shot and made me a target,

do not reproach me for shooting back.

do not condemn me for shooting.

ولَقَد عَذَرتُكَ حينَ تَظلِمُني

ولَقَد عَذَرتُكَ حينَ تَظلِمُني

مِن حَيثُ ذُقتُ حَلاوةَ الظُّلمِ

مِن حَيثُ ذُقتُ حَلاوةَ الظُّلمِ

Indeed, I have excused you when you wrong me,

Indeed, I have excused you when you wrong me,

because I have tasted the sweetness of injustice.

because I have tasted the sweetness of injustice.

لمَّا رأَيتُ النائِباتِ لَها

لمَّا رأَيتُ النائِباتِ لَها

أَثَرٌ عَلى الصَّحناتِ كالرَّسمِ

أَثَرٌ عَلى الصَّحناتِ كالرَّسمِ

When I saw that calamities had left

When I saw that calamities had

their mark upon the courtyards, like an inscription,

left a mark on faces, like an inscription,

وعَلمتُ أَنَّ الناسَ كلَّهُمُ

وعَلمتُ أَنَّ الناسَ كلَّهُمُ

من كلِّ ما صَنَعَت عَلى عِلمِ

من كلِّ ما صَنَعَت عَلى عِلمِ

and knew that all the people

and knew that all the people

knew everything those calamities had wrought,

were aware of everything the calamities had done,

لم أُرجِع الشَّكوى وَقَد عَلِموا

لم أُرجِع الشَّكوى وَقَد عَلِموا

فأكونَ أبعَدَهم من الفَهمِ

فأكونَ أبعَدَهم من الفَهمِ

I did not renew my complaint, since they already knew—

I did not repeat my complaint, since they already knew,

lest I prove the least understanding among them.

lest I be the farthest of them from understanding.

فَوقَفتُ أَذكرُ كلَّ مَكرُمَةٍ

فَوقَفتُ أَذكرُ كلَّ مَكرُمَةٍ

سَلَفَت بِكُلِّ سَحابَةٍ تَهمِي

سَلَفَت بِكُلِّ سَحابَةٍ تَهمِي

So I stood recalling every noble deed

So I stood recalling every generous deed

that had outstripped every rain-pouring cloud,

that had come before with every cloud pouring rain,

وبَقِيَّةٍ منهنَّ سائِلَةٍ

وبَقِيَّةٍ منهنَّ سائِلَةٍ

كالنَّجمِ يَحمِلُها أَبو النَّجمِ

كالنَّجمِ يَحمِلُها أَبو النَّجمِ

and one remnant of those graces, still flowing,

and a remnant of them, still flowing,

like a star borne by Abū al-Najm.

like a star, borne by Abu al-Najm.

لَولا جوارُ الناسِ في يَدِه

لَولا جوارُ الناسِ في يَدِه

جرتِ الخُطوبُ بِها عَلى الرَّسمِ

جرتِ الخُطوبُ بِها عَلى الرَّسمِ

Were the people’s refuge not in his hand,

But for the people's refuge in his hand,

calamities would have run their accustomed course against it.

calamities would have run their usual course with it.

يا لَيتَها فَعلَت وَلو فَعَلَت

يا لَيتَها فَعلَت وَلو فَعَلَت

ما مُنِّعَت بِسَلامَةِ السَّلمِ

ما مُنِّعَت بِسَلامَةِ السَّلمِ

Would that they had! Yet even had they done so,

Would that they had! And had they done so,

peace remaining sound would not have held them back.

it would not have been shielded by the safety of peace.

وأقبَّ كالسِّرحانِ أربَعُه

وأقبَّ كالسِّرحانِ أربَعُه

تَعدو عَلى الأَعداءِ والعُدمِ

تَعدو عَلى الأَعداءِ والعُدمِ

And a hollow-flanked steed, wolf-like, whose four legs

And a lean-bellied steed, wolf-like, whose four legs

charge against enemies and against want.

race against enemies and poverty.

لمَّا رَكِبتَ جَعلتَ صَهوَتَه

لمَّا رَكِبتَ جَعلتَ صَهوَتَه

بَينَ الفَوارِسِ مَجلِسَ الحُكمِ

بَينَ الفَوارِسِ مَجلِسَ الحُكمِ

When you mounted it, you made its back

When you mounted, you made its back

a judgment-seat among the horsemen,

among the horsemen, a seat of judgment,

في مَوقِفٍ يُقضى لجاهِلِه

في مَوقِفٍ يُقضى لجاهِلِه

يا بَدرُ فيه عَلى ذَوي الحِلمِ

يا بَدرُ فيه عَلى ذَوي الحِلمِ

in a stand where judgment favors its ignorant man,

in a field where judgment favors its rash man,

O Badr, against men endowed with prudence,

O Badr, there against the forbearing,

حَيفاً عَلى الجاني فَواعَجَبا

حَيفاً عَلى الجاني فَواعَجَبا

لِلضَّربِ يَتبعُ حُجَّةَ الخَصمِ

لِلضَّربِ يَتبعُ حُجَّةَ الخَصمِ

with bias against the offender—how astonishing

unjustly to the offender—how wondrous

that blows should follow the adversary’s argument!

the blows that follow the adversary's argument!

لا حَزمَ عِنَدكَ كلَّما بَخِلوا

لا حَزمَ عِنَدكَ كلَّما بَخِلوا

ويُلقِّبونَ البُخلَ بالحَزمِ

ويُلقِّبونَ البُخلَ بالحَزمِ

In your eyes there is no prudence whenever men grow stingy

You have no such 'prudence' whenever they are stingy,

and give stinginess the name of prudence.

while they call stinginess prudence.

ومناقِبٌ بَلَغَت سِعايَتُها

ومناقِبٌ بَلَغَت سِعايَتُها

أَقصى بِحارِ النَّثرِ والنَّظمِ

أَقصى بِحارِ النَّثرِ والنَّظمِ

And noble qualities whose renown has reached

And virtues whose renown has reached

the farthest seas of prose and verse.

the farthest seas of prose and verse—

أصبَحتَ تَستُرها وكَيفَ بِها

أصبَحتَ تَستُرها وكَيفَ بِها

وطِرازُ مَجدِكَ بَيِّنُ الرَّقمِ

وطِرازُ مَجدِكَ بَيِّنُ الرَّقمِ

You have come to conceal them—but how can you,

you now conceal them—but how could you,

when the embroidery of your glory shows among the patterns?

when your glory's embroidery bears so clear a pattern?

يُلوى بِكَ الخَطبُ المُلِمُّ كَما

يُلوى بِكَ الخَطبُ المُلِمُّ كَما

يُلوى النَّجيبُ بحَلقَةِ الخَزمِ

يُلوى النَّجيبُ بحَلقَةِ الخَزمِ

A pressing crisis is turned aside by you, just as

Through you, impending calamity is turned aside, just as

a noble camel is turned by the ring through its pierced nose.

a thoroughbred camel is turned by the ring of its nose-tether.