نظرتْ في وجوه شعري وجوهٌ

نظرتْ في وجوه شعري وجوهٌ

أُوسِعت قبلَ خلقِها تقبيحا

أُوسِعت قبلَ خلقِها تقبيحا

Faces gazed into the faces of my verse,

I looked into the faces of my poetry, faces

lavishly endowed with ugliness before their creation.

That were made ugly before their creation

فغدتْ وهي زاريات عليه

فغدتْ وهي زاريات عليه

والذي أنكرتْه منها أُتيحا

والذي أنكرتْه منها أُتيحا

So they became scornful of it,

So they went to it in distress

and what they condemned had come from themselves.

And what it denied of them was granted

أبصرتْ في صِقاله صُوَراً منـ

أبصرتْ في صِقاله صُوَراً منـ

ـه قِباحاً فأظهرت تكليحا

ـه قِباحاً فأظهرت تكليحا

In its polish they saw images from

I saw in its polish images from it

it—ugly ones—and so they displayed a scowl.

Of ugliness, so it showed clear reproach

شهد الله أنها عند ذاكم

شهد الله أنها عند ذاكم

أعنتتْ سالماً وعرَّت صحيحا

أعنتتْ سالماً وعرَّت صحيحا

God bears witness that, at that moment,

God witnessed that at that time

they afflicted the unharmed and blemished the healthy.

It helped the blameless and stripped the corrupt

عايَنتْ فيه قبحها فاجتوتْه

عايَنتْ فيه قبحها فاجتوتْه

ظالماتٍ هناك ظلماً صريحا

ظالماتٍ هناك ظلماً صريحا

They saw their own ugliness in it and so loathed it,

It looked upon its ugliness so it covered it

acting unjustly there, with blatant injustice.

With oppressive shadows, clear oppression

ورأته وجوهُ قوم وِضاءٍ

ورأته وجوهُ قوم وِضاءٍ

فرأت وجهَه وضيئاً صبيحا

فرأت وجهَه وضيئاً صبيحا

And the faces of radiant people saw it,

And bright-faced people saw it

and found its face radiant and fair.

And saw its face radiant and clear

هكذا المنظر الصقيل يؤدِّي

هكذا المنظر الصقيل يؤدِّي

ما يوازي به بليغاً فصيحا

ما يوازي به بليغاً فصيحا

Thus the polished mirror conveys

Thus does the polished view lead

what stands before it, with eloquence and clarity.

To matching it with an eloquent rhetorician

والمَرايا تُري الجميل جميلاً

والمَرايا تُري الجميل جميلاً

وكذاكم تُري القبيح قبيحا

وكذاكم تُري القبيح قبيحا

And mirrors show the beautiful as beautiful,

Mirrors show the beautiful as beautiful

and likewise show the ugly as ugly.

And so they show the ugly as ugly

هاكها يا سعيدُ غراءَ عذرا

هاكها يا سعيدُ غراءَ عذرا

ءَ تداوي بها الفؤاد القريحا

ءَ تداوي بها الفؤاد القريحا

Take her, O Saʿīd, radiant and virginal,

With which to treat the heart's wound

with her you heal the wounded heart:

An example for weak minds

مَثلاً للعقول تضعُفُ والشعْـ

مَثلاً للعقول تضعُفُ والشعْـ

ـرُ يُصفَّى فلا تراه قليحا

ـرُ يُصفَّى فلا تراه قليحا

a parable for minds that falter, while poetry

And poetry is purified, no longer vile

is refined, so you do not see it as ugly.