ما يُصبِحُ العاذِلُ مَعذورا

ما يُصبِحُ العاذِلُ مَعذورا

إلا إذا أصبَحتَ مَهجورا

إلا إذا أصبَحتَ مَهجورا

The censurer never finds himself excused

The reproacher is not excused

The abandoned lover cannot be blamed

unless you have found yourself forsaken.

unless you have become forsaken.

Unless you become abandoned too

فزُر ولَو زُوراً تَجد قَولَه

فزُر ولَو زُوراً تَجد قَولَه

عِندي كَما تَعرفُه زورا

عِندي كَما تَعرفُه زورا

So visit—even if only in pretense—and you will find his claim

So visit, even in pretense; you will find his statement

So visit me, even if falsely, you'll find my words

as false in my judgment as you know it to be.

false in my view, as you know it to be.

As you know them, falsehoods

ولا تكوننَّ عَلى صَبوَتي

ولا تكوننَّ عَلى صَبوَتي

معوِّلاً في الحبِّ مَغرورا

معوِّلاً في الحبِّ مَغرورا

And do not ever rely upon my infatuation,

And never, on the strength of my infatuation,

And do not depend on my youth

deluded in love.

rely in love and be deceived.

In love, being conceited

إنِّي إذا ما نارُ عَزمٍ خبَت

إنِّي إذا ما نارُ عَزمٍ خبَت

فلم ترَ العينُ لها نورا

فلم ترَ العينُ لها نورا

For whenever a fire of resolve in me dies down

For when the fire of resolve dies down in me,

When the fire of determination dies out

and the eye can see no light from it,

and the eye no longer sees its light,

And the eye sees no light for it

كنتَ جَديراً أن تَرى ناقَتي

كنتَ جَديراً أن تَرى ناقَتي

حامِلةً في كورِها كِيرا

حامِلةً في كورِها كِيرا

you would rightly behold my she-camel

you might well see my she-camel

You would deserve to see my she-camel

carrying a furnace in her saddle-frame.

carrying bellows in her saddle.

Carrying skins in her saddlebags

وكم فراقٍ رَفَعت عيسُه

وكم فراقٍ رَفَعت عيسُه

ذيلَ اشتِياقٍ كان مَجرورا

ذيلَ اشتِياقٍ كان مَجرورا

How many a parting whose pale camels have lifted

And many a parting's pale camels have lifted

And how much separation did she bear

the trailing hem of a longing that dragged behind!

the hem of longing that had trailed behind.

With the tail of yearning being dragged

وإنَّما يُهدَمُ صَبري إذا

وإنَّما يُهدَمُ صَبري إذا

كان فُؤادي بكَ مُعمُورا

كان فُؤادي بكَ مُعمُورا

My patience is shattered only when

And my patience is broken only when

But my patience breaks down

my heart is inhabited by you.

my heart is filled with you.

When my heart is filled with you

لأَجلدنَّ العَينَ حدّاً عَلى

لأَجلدنَّ العَينَ حدّاً عَلى

ما صَنعَت والعين تَعزيزا

ما صَنعَت والعين تَعزيزا

I shall surely flog the eye as a prescribed punishment

I shall surely lash the eye as a prescribed penalty for

I will chastise the eye with discipline

for what it did—and punish the eye at discretion too—

what it has done, and lash the eye for reinforcement,

For what it did, the eye deserves punishment

وإن كفاهُ بعضُ ما كان من

وإن كفاهُ بعضُ ما كان من

ضَربكَ تَوهيناً وتَشهيرا

ضَربكَ تَوهيناً وتَشهيرا

though some of the blows you dealt it may have sufficed

even if some of what came from

And if some of what happened, your belittling me and disgracing me

to humiliate and expose it publicly.

your blows sufficed to weaken and publicly shame him.

Sufficed, that would have been enough

يا صاحبَ البيتِ الذي كلُّ من

يا صاحبَ البيتِ الذي كلُّ من

باتَ به أصبَحَ مَخمورا

باتَ به أصبَحَ مَخمورا

O master of the house in which everyone

O master of the house where everyone

Oh companion of the house, all who spend the night

who spends the night awakens drunk,

who spends the night there wakes drunk.

Awaken drunk in it

ألحقني الناسَ عَلى قارحٍ

ألحقني الناسَ عَلى قارحٍ

صَفراءَ لا تَعرفُ تَقصيرا

صَفراءَ لا تَعرفُ تَقصيرا

join me to the company upon a mature

Let me catch up with the others on a mature steed,

Attach me to fierce she-camels

yellow wine-steed that never falls short.

a yellow one that never falls short.

Yellow, unknowing of shortcoming

أربَعُها خمسٌ يدٌ حُلِّيت

أربَعُها خمسٌ يدٌ حُلِّيت

بالحسنِ تَختيماً وتَسويرا

بالحسنِ تَختيماً وتَسويرا

Its four become five: a hand adorned

Its four legs are five fingers—a hand adorned

Four yet five hands adorned

with beauty, with signet rings and bracelets.

with beauty, ringed and braceleted.

With beauty, stamped and braced

يَرفعُها بالكأسِ ذو مُقلَةٍ

يَرفعُها بالكأسِ ذو مُقلَةٍ

مَقدورَةٍ تحمِلُ مَقدورا

مَقدورَةٍ تحمِلُ مَقدورا

One endowed with a well-proportioned eye raises it with the cup—

It is raised with the cup by one whose eye

Raised with the cup by one of lovely softness

an eye bearing a destined doom.

is fated, bearing what fate has decreed.

Holding a filled bowl

فلا تَسَلني كيفَ أمسيتُ بال

فلا تَسَلني كيفَ أمسيتُ بال

حاملِ والمَحمولِ مَسرورا

حاملِ والمَحمولِ مَسرورا

So do not ask me how I came to spend the evening, delighted

So do not ask how I spent the evening with the

So do not ask me how I came to be

with both the bearer and the thing borne.

bearer and the borne, delighted.

The bearer and the borne, happily

ولا تَخَف ما يَصنَعُ الدهرُ بي

ولا تَخَف ما يَصنَعُ الدهرُ بي

من بعدِ ما استَنصَرت مَنصورا

من بعدِ ما استَنصَرت مَنصورا

And do not fear what Time may do to me

And do not fear what time may do to me

And fear not what fate does to me

after I sought aid from Mansur, the victorious,

after I sought Mansur's aid,

After I sought victory and found a victorious one

وبعدَ ما كرَّ نَداهُ مَعي

وبعدَ ما كرَّ نَداهُ مَعي

وضاعفَ الكرة تَكريرا

وضاعفَ الكرة تَكريرا

and after his bounty charged back to me

and after his bounty charged beside me

And after fortune turned to me

and doubled its return time after time.

and redoubled its charge, time after time.

And redoubled the turns

واستَخبِر الأيامَ عن صَرفِها

واستَخبِر الأيامَ عن صَرفِها

في أيهم أصبحَ مَحصورا

في أيهم أصبحَ مَحصورا

Ask the days about their vicissitudes:

And ask the days about their changing fortune:

And ask the days about their twists and turns

in which of them have they become confined?

in which of them is it now confined?

In which of them I came to be confined

لتأمَنِ الآمالُ في مَسلكٍ

لتأمَنِ الآمالُ في مَسلكٍ

أم مَنهلٍ قَطعاً وتَغويرا

أم مَنهلٍ قَطعاً وتَغويرا

So that hopes may safely travel any path

Let hopes be safe along a path

So hopes are secured in a path

or watering-place, secure from severance and drying up.

or at a watering place, from blockage and drying up.

Or source, definitely deviated

أبرزَتِ الأنجُمَ هِمَّاتُه

أبرزَتِ الأنجُمَ هِمَّاتُه

فاتَّخذت أبراجها دُورا

فاتَّخذت أبراجها دُورا

His aspirations brought forth the stars,

His aspirations brought the stars into view,

The stars revealed their worries

and they took the constellations as their homes,

then took their zodiacal towers as homes,

And took their mansions as homes

مُدبراتٌ بِالندى وَالردى

مُدبراتٌ بِالندى وَالردى

كأنَّها السَّبعةُ تَدبيرا

كأنَّها السَّبعةُ تَدبيرا

directing generosity and death

governing through bounty and death,

Managing the dew and calamity

as though they were the Seven Planets in their governance,

as though they were the seven planets in governance,

As if they are the seven directors

بنائِلٍ لو طُلتَ شم الذُّرى

بنائِلٍ لو طُلتَ شم الذُّرى

كان به طولكَ مَغمُورا

كان به طولكَ مَغمُورا

through a largesse which, were you to overtop the lofty summits,

with bounty such that, if you overtopped the lofty peaks,

With kneeling camels, if you let the smoky haze long

would submerge even your great height—

your height would be submerged in it.

Your height would be engulfed

كالبحرِ لا تدركُ من مائِه

كالبحرِ لا تدركُ من مائِه

غَوراً ولو رفَّعتَ تَشميرا

غَوراً ولو رفَّعتَ تَشميرا

like the sea, whose water’s depths you cannot fathom

Like the sea: you cannot reach, in its waters,

Like the sea, you cannot fathom its depths

however high you roll your garments to plunge in.

the bottom, even if you hitch your garments high.

Even if you roll up your sleeves

لكنَّ ذا يوجبُ في قُربِه

لكنَّ ذا يوجبُ في قُربِه

حَمداً وذا يوجِب تَكثيرا

حَمداً وذا يوجِب تَكثيرا

Yet this, in his presence, obliges praise,

But this one, when approached, calls for

But this necessitates gratitude in its nearness

and this obliges praise to be multiplied.

praise, while that one calls for increase.

And that necessitates magnification

أبلِغ أبا نَصرٍ بأنَّ الذي

أبلِغ أبا نَصرٍ بأنَّ الذي

حمَّلتَني حمَّلتُه العِيرا

حمَّلتَني حمَّلتُه العِيرا

Tell Abu Nasr that what

Tell Abu Nasr that what

Inform Abu Nasr that what

you charged me to carry, I loaded upon the caravan.

you loaded upon me, I loaded upon the caravan.

You burdened me with, I carried the load

فنَقلته رحلةً رحلةً

فنَقلته رحلةً رحلةً

سَعياً لها بالشكرِ مَشكورا

سَعياً لها بالشكرِ مَشكورا

I conveyed it journey after journey,

So I carried it, journey by journey,

And so I conveyed it trip by trip

striving for it, thanked for my gratitude.

an effort for it in gratitude, gratefully acknowledged.

Seeking it in thanks, being thanked

وقارنَ الحمدَ ثناءً بِما

وقارنَ الحمدَ ثناءً بِما

أولَى فَنادَيتُهما سِيرا

أولَى فَنادَيتُهما سِيرا

Praise accompanied thanks, extolling what

And praise was paired with tribute for what

And compared praise to what

he bestowed; so I called to them both, “Travel!”

he bestowed; so I called to them both: 'Go!'

He deserved, so I walked them both

كلُّ امرئٍ يُذكرني جُوده

كلُّ امرئٍ يُذكرني جُوده

لكن بهذا صرتُ مَذكورا

لكن بهذا صرتُ مَذكورا

Every man’s generosity causes me to mention him,

Every man's generosity reminds me of him,

Every person who mentions my generosity to me

but through this man I myself have become renowned.

but through this man I became renowned.

But through this I became the mentioned one

لا غُيِّرَت حالُ يَدٍ أصبحَت

لا غُيِّرَت حالُ يَدٍ أصبحَت

تُسرعُ في الأحوالِ تَغييرا

تُسرعُ في الأحوالِ تَغييرا

May the condition of a hand never be changed

May a hand's fortune never be changed—a hand now

The state of a hand did not change, it remained

that hastens to change the conditions of others.

swift in changing fortunes.

Quick in changing states