جَزِعتَ فَجَزع دَمعَ عَينِكَ بالدَّمِ

جَزِعتَ فَجَزع دَمعَ عَينِكَ بالدَّمِ

وَلا تَبكِ طَرزَ الحُسنِ إِلا بِمُعلَمِ

وَلا تَبكِ طَرزَ الحُسنِ إِلا بِمُعلَمِ

You were distraught; then streak your eye's tears with blood.

You were distressed, so your eyes shed tears of blood,

And weep for beauty's embroidery only with streaked tears.

And do not cry except with kohl of beauty,

فَلستَ مُطاعاً إِن تُعدَّ مُتَيَّماً

فَلستَ مُطاعاً إِن تُعدَّ مُتَيَّماً

إِذا كُنتَ لا تَأتي بِفِعل المُتَيَّمِ

إِذا كُنتَ لا تَأتي بِفِعل المُتَيَّمِ

For you will not be heeded if you would be counted a slave to love,

You will not be obeyed if you pretend to be sleepless,

if you do not act as a slave to love.

Unless you act like those who are sleepless,

وإِلا فَسَل إِنسانَ عَينكَ ما له

وإِلا فَسَل إِنسانَ عَينكَ ما له

إِلى كلِّ إِنسانٍ بقَلبِكَ يَرتَمي

إِلى كلِّ إِنسانٍ بقَلبِكَ يَرتَمي

Otherwise, ask the pupil of your eye what ails it,

Or else ask the person of your eye what is wrong with him,

that it flings itself at everyone, carrying your heart along.

To every person your heart rushes.

وعَينٍ تَركتُ النَّومَ كاللَّومِ عِندَها

وعَينٍ تَركتُ النَّومَ كاللَّومِ عِندَها

فَسِيَّانَ في البَغضاءِ نَومي ولُوَّمي

فَسِيَّانَ في البَغضاءِ نَومي ولُوَّمي

And many an eye beside which I forsook sleep, as I forsook reproach—

An eye for which I neglected sleep like blame upon it,

for my sleep and my reproachers are equally hateful.

So my sleep and my blame are equal in hatred.

دخَلتُ لَها لمَّا جَنَت تَحتَ ما جَنَت

دخَلتُ لَها لمَّا جَنَت تَحتَ ما جَنَت

وما استَحسَنَت ظُلمي وقلتُ لَها اكتُمي

وما استَحسَنَت ظُلمي وقلتُ لَها اكتُمي

When it sinned, I bore for its sake the burden of what it had done;

I entered upon her when she took shelter under her shelter,

and it did not think it right to wrong me. I told it, "Conceal it."

And she did not appreciate my injustice and I said to her "Conceal,"

ولم تَدرِ ما كِتمانُه وتَلَجلَجَت

ولم تَدرِ ما كِتمانُه وتَلَجلَجَت

فقُلتُ فإِن لَم تُحسِني فتَعَلَّمي

فقُلتُ فإِن لَم تُحسِني فتَعَلَّمي

And it did not know how to conceal it, and faltered;

And she did not know what to conceal and became confused,

so I said, "If you do not know how, then learn.

So I said "If you do not do good, then learn."

إِذا غصَّ جَفنٌ منك بالماءِ فاستُري

إِذا غصَّ جَفنٌ منك بالماءِ فاستُري

مَحاجِرَهُ عَن أعينِ الناسِ واسجُمي

مَحاجِرَهُ عَن أعينِ الناسِ واسجُمي

When an eyelid of yours chokes with water, hide

When an eyelid of yours is narrowed with water, then conceal

its sockets from people's eyes, and let the tears flow."

Its contours from the eyes of people and be silent.

وأغيدَ يأبَى حُسنُه أن يُقالَ لي

وأغيدَ يأبَى حُسنُه أن يُقالَ لي

كَما قيلَ إِن الحُبَّ ربَّتَما عَمي

كَما قيلَ إِن الحُبَّ ربَّتَما عَمي

And a supple youth whose beauty forbids anyone to tell me,

The most beautiful one refused that it be said to me

as has been said, that love is sometimes blind.

As it was said "Love made me blind."

لُه نَظَرٌ لَم يُبقِ منِّي سِوى الهَوى

لُه نَظَرٌ لَم يُبقِ منِّي سِوى الهَوى

ولَو كانَ منِّي لَم يَزَل فيهِ مَقسمي

ولَو كانَ منِّي لَم يَزَل فيهِ مَقسمي

He has a glance that left nothing of me but love;

He has a glance that left nothing of me but passion,

and were it part of me, my share would still remain in it.

And had it been up to me, it would always remain my oath.

ولَيلَةَ باتَ المالِكونَ جَوارِحي

ولَيلَةَ باتَ المالِكونَ جَوارِحي

سِوى مُقلَةٍ بقَّيتُها للتَّظَلُّمِ

سِوى مُقلَةٍ بقَّيتُها للتَّظَلُّمِ

And on a night when those who owned my limbs slept—

And a night when my limbs slept,

save an eye I had kept to voice my grievance—

Except for an eyelid that I kept for seeing in the dark.

ركبتُ وكانَ البَحرُ في البرِّ جارِياً

ركبتُ وكانَ البَحرُ في البرِّ جارِياً

عَلى الشَّمسِ في داجٍ من اللَّيلِ مُظلِمِ

عَلى الشَّمسِ في داجٍ من اللَّيلِ مُظلِمِ

I rode—the sea was flowing on land—

I rode while the sea was flowing on land,

upon the sun, in the pitch-black darkness of night.

Over the sun in a darkness from the night, obscure.

وصَيَّرتُ أخفافَ المَطايا بُطونَها

وصَيَّرتُ أخفافَ المَطايا بُطونَها

لَها فَوقَ وَجهِ الماءِ مِشيَةَ أرقَمِ

لَها فَوقَ وَجهِ الماءِ مِشيَةَ أرقَمِ

And I turned the mounts' padded feet into their bellies;

And I made the toes of the horses their bellies

over the water's face, they had a speckled serpent's gait.

Above the surface of the water, walking like dots.

ولَم يعلَموا ما جادَهُ الدَّمعُ فيهمُ

ولَم يعلَموا ما جادَهُ الدَّمعُ فيهمُ

بل اتَّهَموا جَدوى عليِّ بنِ مُلهَمِ

بل اتَّهَموا جَدوى عليِّ بنِ مُلهَمِ

Nor did they know what tears had drenched for their sake;

And they did not know what the tears yielded in them,

rather, they blamed the bounty of Ali ibn Mulham.

Rather they suspected the generosity of Ali son of Mulham.

فتىً لا يَرى يَومَ الوَغى كلَّ ضَيغَمٍ

فتىً لا يَرى يَومَ الوَغى كلَّ ضَيغَمٍ

إِذا رامَهُ إلا فَريسَةَ ضَيغَمِ

إِذا رامَهُ إلا فَريسَةَ ضَيغَمِ

A youth who, on battle's day, sees every lion

A young man who, on the day of battle, does not see

that comes at him as nothing but a lion's prey.

Every frowning face that attacks him but as prey for frowning.

لَهُ راحَتا جُودٍ إِذا ما أَغارَتا

لَهُ راحَتا جُودٍ إِذا ما أَغارَتا

عَلى العُدم لم تَسمَع زَماناً بمُعدَمِ

عَلى العُدم لم تَسمَع زَماناً بمُعدَمِ

He has two palms of bounty: whenever they raid

He has two hands of generosity that when they raid

poverty, you hear of no pauper for an age.

Destruction, time never heard of something destroyed.

ويَوم لِقاءٍ ثلَّمَ الضَّربُ سَيفَهُ

ويَوم لِقاءٍ ثلَّمَ الضَّربُ سَيفَهُ

ليَومِ ثَناءٍ ليسَ بالمُتَثَلّمِ

ليَومِ ثَناءٍ ليسَ بالمُتَثَلّمِ

And on a day of combat, blows notched his sword,

And a day of meeting when the strokes split his sword

for a day of praise that bears no notch.

For a day of praise that has no pretender.

فكَم مِن كميٍّ قالَ لمَّا استَحارَهُ

فكَم مِن كميٍّ قالَ لمَّا استَحارَهُ

عَليهِ العِدى قَولاً إِلى الصِّدقِ يَنتَمي

عَليهِ العِدى قَولاً إِلى الصِّدقِ يَنتَمي

For many an armored warrior spoke, when incited

So how many archers whose help was sought

against him by the foes, words rooted in truth:

When the enemies overwhelmed him, said words tending to truth:

ألَم يكُ فيما خاطَبَتكُم سُيوفُهُ

ألَم يكُ فيما خاطَبَتكُم سُيوفُهُ

بهِ قبلَ هَذا حُجَّةٌ للمُسَلِّمِ

بهِ قبلَ هَذا حُجَّةٌ للمُسَلِّمِ

"Was there not, in what his swords said to you

"Did not his swords addressing you before this

before now, proof for one prepared to yield?

Contain enough proof for one who surrenders?"

ذَروني وَأوقاتَ السَّلامَةِ إنَّها

ذَروني وَأوقاتَ السَّلامَةِ إنَّها

قلائِلُ من يَطلُب بِها السّلم يَسلَمِ

قلائِلُ من يَطلُب بِها السّلم يَسلَمِ

Leave me to the times of safety; they are

"Leave me and the times of safety, they are

few: whoever seeks peace in them will be safe.

Few, the one who seeks peace through them will have safety."

فَما كُنتُ ممَّن يُطعِمُ الطَّيرَ لَحمَه

فَما كُنتُ ممَّن يُطعِمُ الطَّيرَ لَحمَه

بسَيفِ فَتىً مِن طَعمِه كانَ مَطعَمي

بسَيفِ فَتىً مِن طَعمِه كانَ مَطعَمي

For I was never one to feed the birds my flesh

For I was not one who feeds the birds his flesh

by the sword of a youth whose food sustained me."

With the sword of a young man whose taste was my taste.

وكَم فَلكٍ للجودِ دارَ فلَم يَزَل

وكَم فَلكٍ للجودِ دارَ فلَم يَزَل

يُديرُ لِسانِي بالمَدائِحِ في فَمي

يُديرُ لِسانِي بالمَدائِحِ في فَمي

And many an orb of bounty has revolved, and never ceased

And how many orbits of generosity revolved and did not cease

to turn my tongue with praises in my mouth.

To turn my tongue with praise in my mouth.

قَطعتُ إليكَ المُستَجيبينَ أنفُساً

قَطعتُ إليكَ المُستَجيبينَ أنفُساً

عليهِ ولَم يُسرِع لَها في التَّقَدُّمِ

عليهِ ولَم يُسرِع لَها في التَّقَدُّمِ

I outstripped, on my way to you, those responsive in spirit,

I have cut off to you those who respond with themselves

upon it, though it did not hasten ahead for them.

Upon it, and they did not hasten to precede in sacrifice.

أبا حَسنٍ فارفِق عَليهِم لِيُدرِكوا

أبا حَسنٍ فارفِق عَليهِم لِيُدرِكوا

فَليسَ الكَريمُ الطَّبعِ كالمُتَكرِّمِ

فَليسَ الكَريمُ الطَّبعِ كالمُتَكرِّمِ

O Abu Hasan, ease up on them so they may catch up;

O Abul Hasan, so be gentle with them to let them attain

for the generous by nature is not like one who affects generosity.

For the generous is not like the pretender.