رواغي رواغُ الخائِف القلبِ لا السالي

رواغي رواغُ الخائِف القلبِ لا السالي

وهجريَ هجر النافر الجأش لا القالي

وهجريَ هجر النافر الجأش لا القالي

My evasion is that of one fearful at heart, not one unconcerned;

Stay away, stay away o frightened heart, not relaxed

and my withdrawal is that of one whose spirit recoils, not one who hates.

And abandon, abandon the aversion of the anxious, not calm

ولو شئت شبَّهتَ الذي أستحقُّه

ولو شئت شبَّهتَ الذي أستحقُّه

بحالك هاتيك الجليلة لا حالي

بحالك هاتيك الجليلة لا حالي

Had you wished, you would have matched what is due to me

And if you wished, you would have compared what I deserve

to that exalted station of yours, not to mine,

To your state, that sublime one, not mine

فرفَّعتَ من قدري وخفَّضتَ عيشتي

فرفَّعتَ من قدري وخفَّضتَ عيشتي

وأمَّنْتَ روْعاتي وحقَّقتَ آمالي

وأمَّنْتَ روْعاتي وحقَّقتَ آمالي

raising my standing and easing my life,

So you raised my worth and lowered my livelihood

and allaying my terrors and fulfilling my hopes.

And secured my fears and fulfilled my hopes

ولو كان هذا أو أقل قليله

ولو كان هذا أو أقل قليله

لكان لزومُ البابِ ما عشتُ من بالي

لكان لزومُ البابِ ما عشتُ من بالي

Had this happened, or even the least little part of it,

And if this or even less was little

remaining at your door as long as I lived would have been my concern.

Staying at the door would have been, if I lived, out of my concern

أرِدني لذاك الطَّولِ لا لي فإنه

أرِدني لذاك الطَّولِ لا لي فإنه

عظيمٌ وزِنْ حمدي وإنْ خَفَّ مثقالي

عظيمٌ وزِنْ حمدي وإنْ خَفَّ مثقالي

Want me for that bounty's sake, not mine, for it

Return me to that generosity, not to me, for it is

is great; weigh my praise, even if my weight is light.

Great, and weigh my praise, even if my weight is little

وإن لم تردني فانصرافي إذن غداً

وإن لم تردني فانصرافي إذن غداً

يوافق ما تهوى فيَسكُنُ بلبالي

يوافق ما تهوى فيَسكُنُ بلبالي

And if you do not want me, then my departure tomorrow

And if you do not return me, then my withdrawal tomorrow

will accord with what you desire, so my turmoil will subside.

Will coincide with what you wish, so my thoughts are settled

وما بي سخائي عنك لكن تتبُّعي

وما بي سخائي عنك لكن تتبُّعي

رضاك وهل يسخو بمثلك أمثالي

رضاك وهل يسخو بمثلك أمثالي

Nor do I willingly give you up; I only pursue

And it is not about my generosity from you, but my pursuit

your pleasure—would men like me willingly give up one like you?

Of your approval, does anyone like me become generous?

وهل أنا إلا كالطريدِ طردتَهُ

وهل أنا إلا كالطريدِ طردتَهُ

إذا طردتني عن فنائك أوْجالي

إذا طردتني عن فنائك أوْجالي

And am I not simply like an outcast you have driven away,

And am I not like prey you have expelled

when my fears drive me from your courtyard?

If you expel me from your courtyard, my places of return.

محاسنك احفظها وإنْ كنتُ قد محت

محاسنك احفظها وإنْ كنتُ قد محت

مقابحُ أعمالي محاسنَ أعمالي

مقابحُ أعمالي محاسنَ أعمالي

Preserve your good deeds, even if, in my case,

Keep your virtues, even if I have erased

my bad deeds have effaced my good ones.

The ugliness of my deeds, the virtues of my deeds

فأحسِنْ ولا تخلل فأنتَ أهلُهُ

فأحسِنْ ولا تخلل فأنتَ أهلُهُ

وهبْ ليَ صفحاً عن سقاطي وإحلالي

وهبْ ليَ صفحاً عن سقاطي وإحلالي

So do good and do not fall short, for you are worthy of it;

So do good and do not mix in, you are its people

and grant me pardon for my lapses and transgressions.

And grant me pardon for my shortcoming and my substitution

وإني لأعطِي الظنّ فيك حقوقَهُ

وإني لأعطِي الظنّ فيك حقوقَهُ

إذا جُلْتُ في أحوال فكريَ أجْوالي

إذا جُلْتُ في أحوال فكريَ أجْوالي

And I do give my trust in you its full due,

And I give expectations their rights about you

when I make my rounds through the changing states of my thought.

When I reflect in the conditions of my thought cycles

إخالك لو عاينتني في حفيرتي

إخالك لو عاينتني في حفيرتي

بكيتَ عظامي الباليات وأوصالي

بكيتَ عظامي الباليات وأوصالي

I imagine that, were you to see me in my grave,

If you saw me in my grave

you would weep over my moldering bones and limbs,

You would have wept for my worn out bones and joints

وسرك أن أحيا كما كنتُ مرةً

وسرك أن أحيا كما كنتُ مرةً

ببذلِ الفداءِ الجزل والثمن الغالي

ببذلِ الفداءِ الجزل والثمن الغالي

and rejoice to have me live as once I did,

And your secret is that I live as I once was

by giving a lavish ransom and paying a high price.

By giving abundant ransom and expensive price

فلا تجفُني حيّاً ولا تبكِ رمَّتي

فلا تجفُني حيّاً ولا تبكِ رمَّتي

كمنصرِفٍ عني يسائلُ أطلالي

كمنصرِفٍ عني يسائلُ أطلالي

So do not shun me alive, nor weep over my remains,

So do not abandon me alive or cry over my ruin

like one who turns away from me, then questions my ruins.

Like one turning away from me, questioning my ruins

ولا تتمنَّ العيشَ لي وهو فائتٌ

ولا تتمنَّ العيشَ لي وهو فائتٌ

وتَبْتزَّنِيهِ عامداً وهْو سِربالي

وتَبْتزَّنِيهِ عامداً وهْو سِربالي

Nor wish me life when it is lost,

And do not wish life for me when it has passed

yet deliberately strip me of it while it is my garment.

And bargain it from me intentionally when it is my shroud

تحدثت الأَملاء أنك حابِسي

تحدثت الأَملاء أنك حابِسي

على غيرِ إجرامٍ وأنك مغتالي

على غيرِ إجرامٍ وأنك مغتالي

The assembled men have said that you are holding me captive

Rumors spoke that you have imprisoned me

for no crime, and that you are treacherously killing me.

Without crime and that you have assassinated me

وما قِيلُ أملاء الرجالِ وقالُهُم

وما قِيلُ أملاء الرجالِ وقالُهُم

بأسهلَ من قيلي عليك ومن قالي

بأسهلَ من قيلي عليك ومن قالي

Nor are the talk and chatter of men's gatherings

And what the rumors of men said and their speech

any easier to bear than my own talk and chatter against you.

Is easier than what I said about you and my speech

فأبقِ على أحدوثةِ الصنعِ إنها

فأبقِ على أحدوثةِ الصنعِ إنها

صنيعُك تشكو لا صنيعي وأقوالي

صنيعُك تشكو لا صنيعي وأقوالي

So preserve the tale of your kindness, for it

So stay upon the novelty of your making, it

complains of your conduct, not my conduct or words.

Is your making complaining, not mine and my words

ولا تهجُ أفعالاً حِساناً فعلتها

ولا تهجُ أفعالاً حِساناً فعلتها

لأنّي امرؤ أخطأتُ في بعض أفعالي

لأنّي امرؤ أخطأتُ في بعض أفعالي

And do not satirize the fine deeds you have done

And do not criticize actions you have beautifully done

because I am a man who has erred in some of his deeds.

Because I am a man who erred in some of my actions

فإن هجاءَ المرءِ بالفعلِ نفسَهْ

فإن هجاءَ المرءِ بالفعلِ نفسَهْ

هو الشيء يبقي والمقولُ هو البالي

هو الشيء يبقي والمقولُ هو البالي

For a man's satirizing himself through his deeds

For criticizing a man with the action itself

is what lasts; spoken words are what wear away.

Is what remains, while speech is fleeting

وما قلتُ لولا ما تظنّي سوى الذي

وما قلتُ لولا ما تظنّي سوى الذي

أراه جديراً أن يحسّنَ أحوالي

أراه جديراً أن يحسّنَ أحوالي

But for what you suspect of me, I would have said only what

And I would not have said, if not for what you suspect of me, other than what

I deem fit to improve my circumstances.

I see worthy to improve my conditions

فلا تكره السوءَى من القولِ مغرياً

فلا تكره السوءَى من القولِ مغرياً

بها الناس صلاها لديك مع الصالي

بها الناس صلاها لديك مع الصالي

So do not hate foul speech while inciting

So do not dislike the suspicion of speech, enticing

people to it; you share its fire with the one who burns,

The people by it, making good connections with the reconciler

كمبغض أمرٍ غامسٍ فيه نفسَه

كمبغض أمرٍ غامسٍ فيه نفسَه

وقد كان عنه في ذَرى المنظر العالي

وقد كان عنه في ذَرى المنظر العالي

like one who hates a thing yet plunges himself into it,

Like one immersed hating something, in himself

though he had been clear of it, atop a lofty lookout.

When he had been away from it at the highest observation