تبيتُ أحاديثُ الهوى لك تُفتَري

تبيتُ أحاديثُ الهوى لك تُفتَري

فيُصبحُ عنها جانبُ الزورِ أزوَرا

فيُصبحُ عنها جانبُ الزورِ أزوَرا

Tales of love are fabricated for you through the night,

My love's tales kept you up at night, so you spun lies

so at dawn falsehood's side is more crooked because of them.

Come morning, the side of falsehood was all the more false

خلَطتُ ببَردِ الليلِ بردَ رُضابِه

خلَطتُ ببَردِ الليلِ بردَ رُضابِه

فأين به عنِّي إذا الهجرُ هجَّرا

فأين به عنِّي إذا الهجرُ هجَّرا

I mingled his saliva's coolness with the coolness of night;

I mixed the night's cold with the cold of its shadows

how far from me it is when estrangement comes at noon!

So where could it go from me if estrangement was estranged?

سقى اللَهُ ليلاً بل سَقى كلَّ سامرٍ

سقى اللَهُ ليلاً بل سَقى كلَّ سامرٍ

إذا طال ليلٌ لم يُقصّر فقصَّرا

إذا طال ليلٌ لم يُقصّر فقصَّرا

May God bless a night with rain—rather, every nighttime companion,

God watered a night, nay He watered every night owl

who, when a night grew long, did not fall short, but shortened it.

When a long night lingered, it did not shorten, so it shortened

كأن صباحاً غارَ ليلةَ زارني

كأن صباحاً غارَ ليلةَ زارني

فَفاجَأني من وَجههِ مُتفجِّرا

فَفاجَأني من وَجههِ مُتفجِّرا

It was as though dawn grew jealous the night he visited me,

As though morning had attacked the night I was visited

and surprised me, bursting forth from his face.

So it surprised me with its explosively radiant face

دع الفلكَ الدوارَ بالصبح والدجى

دع الفلكَ الدوارَ بالصبح والدجى

ألستَ ترى هذا أخفَّ وأدوَرا

ألستَ ترى هذا أخفَّ وأدوَرا

Leave aside the sphere revolving with dawn and darkness;

Leave the rotating cosmos in the dawn and darkness

do you not see that this one is lighter and turns more swiftly?

Do you not see this one is lighter and swifter?

وذكَّر أسماءَ الغَواني اجتِراؤها

وذكَّر أسماءَ الغَواني اجتِراؤها

على الفَتكِ إن الفتكَ كان مذكَّرا

على الفَتكِ إن الفتكَ كان مذكَّرا

What made the beauties' names masculine was their daring

And remind the names of the flirts to refrain

to slay—for slaying was masculine.

From murder—for murder was made masculine

فأصبحت ألقي كلَّ بيضاء أبيضاً

فأصبحت ألقي كلَّ بيضاء أبيضاً

حساماً وأُغشي كلَّ سمراء أسمَرا

حساماً وأُغشي كلَّ سمراء أسمَرا

So every fair beauty I meet is a white

So I came to face every white woman with a whiter scimitar

keen sword, and every dusky beauty I approach, a dusky spear.

And cover every brown woman with something browner

ويا ربَّ ملقٍ في هَواها ملامةً

ويا ربَّ ملقٍ في هَواها ملامةً

ترى العذرَ في أبياتها مُتعذِّرا

ترى العذرَ في أبياتها مُتعذِّرا

And how many a man casts reproach upon love for her—

And O Lord of one fallen into her love blameworthy

you find an excuse impossible in the verses of that reproach.

You see the excuse in her verses difficult

كشفتُ لها وجهَ احتجاجي بوجهِها

كشفتُ لها وجهَ احتجاجي بوجهِها

فأسرَعَ في القَولِ انقلاباً وغَيَّرا

فأسرَعَ في القَولِ انقلاباً وغَيَّرا

I unveiled my argument's face to that reproach through her face,

I revealed to her my face of objection with her own face

and he hastened to reverse his words and change them.

So she quickly turned in speech, changed, and altered

يُسائِل عن شَأني فينهلُّ شأنُه

يُسائِل عن شَأني فينهلُّ شأنُه

فيا لكَ منه مُرعِداً صار ممطِرا

فيا لكَ منه مُرعِداً صار ممطِرا

He asks about my condition, and his tear-duct streams;

It asks about my condition so its condition overflows

what a thunderer he was, now turned to rain!

What a rumbling cloud it became when it rained!

وجاد فأجرى جَعفراً من جُفونه

وجاد فأجرى جَعفراً من جُفونه

كأن بِعَينيهِ أبا الفضل جَعفرا

كأن بِعَينيهِ أبا الفضل جَعفرا

He poured freely, making a stream flow from his eyelids,

It flowed generous, so it ran saffron from its eyelids

as though Abu al-Fadl Ja'far were within his eyes.

As though its eyes bore Abul Fadl Ja’far

أخو كلِّ عافٍ حلَّ فهو قسيمُه

أخو كلِّ عافٍ حلَّ فهو قسيمُه

أرى القسمَ لا يَبقى إذا ما تكرَّرا

أرى القسمَ لا يَبقى إذا ما تكرَّرا

A brother to every supplicant who arrives, he shares with him;

The brother of all the well-off, he shares with them

I see that a share does not last when sharing is repeated.

I see the shares do not remain if they are repeated

وماء ندىً يكسُو فيُسبَلُ حوضُه

وماء ندىً يكسُو فيُسبَلُ حوضُه

وفي كلِّ ماءٍ كلُّ من خاضَ شَمَّرا

وفي كلِّ ماءٍ كلُّ من خاضَ شَمَّرا

And bounty's water clothes, so robes trail at its pool,

And a dewy water covers, so its basin pours forth

while in every other water, every wader tucks up his robes.

And in every water, all who waded were decisive

عساكَ ظننتَ العُسر فضلاً فحُزتَه

عساكَ ظننتَ العُسر فضلاً فحُزتَه

وحُزتَ له مَناً فأصبحتَ مُعسِرا

وحُزتَ له مَناً فأصبحتَ مُعسِرا

Perhaps you thought hardship a virtue, and acquired it,

May you have thought difficulty an excess, so you took it

and gained favor for it, so you became impoverished.

And took for it a refuge, and you became rich

سبقتَ بني الجودِ الذينَ اتَّبعتَهُم

سبقتَ بني الجودِ الذينَ اتَّبعتَهُم

فيا عَجباً إذ صارَ قدّامُهم وَرا

فيا عَجباً إذ صارَ قدّامُهم وَرا

You surpassed the sons of generosity whom you followed;

You surpassed the generous ones who followed you

what a marvel: their front has become the rear!

So what wonder is it if they became behind you?

فلو أنَّني في السالفين محكَّمٌ

فلو أنَّني في السالفين محكَّمٌ

وفيكَ لما قدَّمتُ إلا المؤخَّرا

وفيكَ لما قدَّمتُ إلا المؤخَّرا

Were I appointed arbiter concerning the men of old,

If I were the arbiter among the ancients

and you, I would give precedence only to the later one.

I would not have put forward any but the latest

تَرى في العَطايا كلَّ جَورٍ مُعدلاً

تَرى في العَطايا كلَّ جَورٍ مُعدلاً

وبين الرعايا كلَّ عدلٍ مجوَّرا

وبين الرعايا كلَّ عدلٍ مجوَّرا

In giving, you deem all injustice just,

You see in gifts every crookedness set right

and among the subjects, all justice unjust.

And between subjects every justice bent

ولما أرادَ اللَهُ خيراً بمعشَرٍ

ولما أرادَ اللَهُ خيراً بمعشَرٍ

أرادَك إذ صاروا لك اليوم مَعشَرا

أرادَك إذ صاروا لك اليوم مَعشَرا

When God wished good for a people,

And when God wanted good for a people

He chose you, since today they have become your people.

He wanted you, so today they are your people

وكم خبرٍ لو صحَّ لم يبقِ منهُمُ

وكم خبرٍ لو صحَّ لم يبقِ منهُمُ

لمُستَخبِرٍ عَنهُم وعَنكَ مخبِّرا

لمُستَخبِرٍ عَنهُم وعَنكَ مخبِّرا

How many a report, had it proved true, would have left none of them

And how many reports—if true—would not leave

to inform an inquirer about them and you.

For one inquiring of them and of you a reporter

أتاهُم على صدر النهار تحفُّهُ

أتاهُم على صدر النهار تحفُّهُ

غياهبُ ليلٍ لم يكن قطُّ مُقمِرا

غياهبُ ليلٍ لم يكن قطُّ مُقمِرا

It reached them at the beginning of day, surrounded

Hardship came upon them at noon with its gifts

by the deep darkness of a night never once moonlit.

Nights of darkness that were never lit up by the moon

فلمَّا دجى ليلٌ وأقتَم نوره

فلمَّا دجى ليلٌ وأقتَم نوره

تداركَه رأي الإمام فأَسفَرا

تداركَه رأي الإمام فأَسفَرا

When night grew dark and its light grew murky,

So when a night grew dark and its light dimmed

the Imam's judgment came to its rescue, and it brightened.

The Imam's perception came to its aid and it brightened

وأيام رَوعٍ رُعتَها فتلوَّنَت

وأيام رَوعٍ رُعتَها فتلوَّنَت

ولم يطلعِ المعروفُ إلا منكَّرا

ولم يطلعِ المعروفُ إلا منكَّرا

And days of terror—you terrified them, and they changed color;

And days of turmoil were turbulent and shifted

and the familiar appeared only in an unrecognizable guise.

The known good did not rise except as the unknown

وما صارَ منها أشهبُ اللونِ أدهماً

وما صارَ منها أشهبُ اللونِ أدهماً

من النَّقع حتى صارَ بالدم أشقَرا

من النَّقع حتى صارَ بالدم أشقَرا

No gray-hued one among them turned black

And it did not become from them grayish black

from dust until it had turned chestnut-red with blood.

From anguish until it became bloody blond

وكم لك في نَصرِ الإمامة مَورداً

وكم لك في نَصرِ الإمامة مَورداً

ولو لم يكُن في اللَه ما كان أصدَرا

ولو لم يكُن في اللَه ما كان أصدَرا

How many a watering-place you have entered in defense of the Imamate,

And how many a stance you have in supporting the Imamate—

which, had it not been for God's sake, would not have let you return.

Even if there were no God, it would still be most rare

مساعٍ كقولي فيك تُحسَب سَهلةً

مساعٍ كقولي فيك تُحسَب سَهلةً

ولو رامَها مُستَسهلٌ لَتَوعَّرا

ولو رامَها مُستَسهلٌ لَتَوعَّرا

Deeds that, like my verse about you, are thought easy,

Efforts like my words about you thought easy

yet if one who deems them easy attempted them, he would find rough going.

If one prone to easiness attempted them, they'd be difficult

إذا ما تَناسى ذِكرَها فاح نشرُها

إذا ما تَناسى ذِكرَها فاح نشرُها

ولم أرَ ذكراً قبلها مُتعطِّرا

ولم أرَ ذكراً قبلها مُتعطِّرا

Whenever one feigns forgetting their remembrance, their fragrance spreads,

If forgetting mention of it was overlooked, its publication overflowed

and never before them have I seen remembrance wearing perfume.

And I did not see any mention before it more fragrant