يأبى ليَ الضَّيْم فرْعيَ السامي

يأبى ليَ الضَّيْم فرْعيَ السامي

إلى المعالي وأصْليَ النامي

إلى المعالي وأصْليَ النامي

My soaring branch will brook no wrong against me,

My lofty spirit refuses oppression

reaching toward high honors, nor will my flourishing root.

And strives for the heights and growth

إني إذا ما الصديقُ أكرمني

إني إذا ما الصديقُ أكرمني

ثُمَّ غدا يستردُّ إكرامي

ثُمَّ غدا يستردُّ إكرامي

Indeed, whenever a friend honors me,

When a friend honors me

then begins to reclaim the honor shown me,

Then takes back the honor

جعلتُ من لذِّتي مُراغمتي

جعلتُ من لذِّتي مُراغمتي

إيِّاه حتى يملَّ إرغامي

إيِّاه حتى يملَّ إرغامي

I make it one of my pleasures to defy

I find pleasure in resisting him

him, until he tires of humbling me.

Until he is weary of forcing me

وليس إلا بهجره أبداً

وليس إلا بهجره أبداً

والضنِّ عن بابه وإلمامي

والضنِّ عن بابه وإلمامي

This is only by shunning him forever,

I only shun him forever

and withholding my visits from his door,

Shut my door and ignore him

ورفع نفسي عن استماحته

ورفع نفسي عن استماحته

ببذلِ وجهي له وإعظامي

ببذلِ وجهي له وإعظامي

and holding myself above begging favors from him

Raise myself above begging him

by abasing my face before him and paying him homage,

By humbling and praising myself before him

ومنعِهِ لذَّةَ التَّعتُّبِ بال

ومنعِهِ لذَّةَ التَّعتُّبِ بال

عدلِ عليه في كل أحكامي

عدلِ عليه في كل أحكامي

and denying him the pleasure of reproach through

And deny him the pleasure of reproach

fairness toward him in all my judgments.

Dealing with him justly in all my affairs

ولا يراني هناك أندبُهُ

ولا يراني هناك أندبُهُ

بقرْعِ سنِّي وعضِّ إبْهامي

بقرْعِ سنِّي وعضِّ إبْهامي

Nor will he see me there lamenting him,

He will not see me complain of him

striking my tooth and biting my thumb.

By gnashing my teeth and biting my thumb

وكنتُ لا أصنع الصنيع أرى

وكنتُ لا أصنع الصنيع أرى

في عقبه ذِلَّتي للوَّامي

في عقبه ذِلَّتي للوَّامي

And I would never do a deed if I saw

I would not have done the favor, had I known

my humiliation in its wake before my reproachers.

It would later humble me before the blamer

أُخرجُ من خاطري معاهدَهُ

أُخرجُ من خاطري معاهدَهُ

بعد اشتغالي به وإغرامي

بعد اشتغالي به وإغرامي

I banish his familiar haunts from my mind,

I dismiss from my mind the pact

after my preoccupation with him and my infatuation,

After becoming preoccupied and infatuated with him

حتى أراه لدى التذكر وال

حتى أراه لدى التذكر وال

تذكيرِ حلماً مِنْ بعضِ أحلامي

تذكيرِ حلماً مِنْ بعضِ أحلامي

until I see him, when remembering and

Until I see him in recollection as nothing but

being reminded, as a dream among my dreams.

A dream from some of my dreams

وما من الحلمِ أن أُقِرَّ على ال

وما من الحلمِ أن أُقِرَّ على ال

ظُلْم وأسبابِه لظلّامي

ظُلْم وأسبابِه لظلّامي

Nor is it forbearance to acquiesce in

It is not dreamlike for me to accept

oppression and its causes at my oppressors' hands.

Injustice and causes of darkness for my oppressor

أوصلني الحلمُ بالتشحط للْ

أوصلني الحلمُ بالتشحط للْ

قسْمِ إذا كان شرّ أقسامي

قسْمِ إذا كان شرّ أقسامي

Forbearance has brought me to struggle over the

The dream led me to wriggle out

lot, when it is the worst of my lots.

When the portion was the worst of portions

وكَيْفَ أُغضي على الدَّنِيَّةِ والْ

وكَيْفَ أُغضي على الدَّنِيَّةِ والْ

فُرسُ خؤولي والرومُ أعمامي

فُرسُ خؤولي والرومُ أعمامي

And how can I shut my eyes to indignity, when the

How can I overlook evil and baseness

Persians are my maternal uncles and the Romans my paternal uncles?

While my horse is restless and the Romans encircle me

وقد تَتَوَّجْتُ من ولاء أبي ال

وقد تَتَوَّجْتُ من ولاء أبي ال

عباس تاجاً يسْمُو به السَّامي

عباس تاجاً يسْمُو به السَّامي

And I have crowned myself through allegiance to Abu al-

I was crowned by the loyalty of Abu al-Abbas

Abbas, with a crown that raises even the exalted.

With a crown elevated by the most high

يا قاتل الله عصبة جَعَلتْ

يا قاتل الله عصبة جَعَلتْ

إجرامَ دهري إليَّ إجرامي

إجرامَ دهري إليَّ إجرامي

Ah, may God smite the band that made

Oh killer of God, the gang who made

time's crimes against me into crimes of my own.

My lifetime's sins my own

من ضنَّ عنِّي ببذلِ نائلهِ

من ضنَّ عنِّي ببذلِ نائلهِ

ضنَنتُ عنه ببذلِ أيامي

ضنَنتُ عنه ببذلِ أيامي

Whoever begrudges giving me his bounty,

Who was miserly with me in granting his bounty

I begrudge giving him my days.

I was miserly with him by giving my days

تالله لا تلتقي الثلاثة وَصْ

تالله لا تلتقي الثلاثة وَصْ

ليه وإثراؤه وإعدامي

ليه وإثراؤه وإعدامي

By God, these three cannot coexist: my keeping ties

By God, the three will not coincide

with him, his wealth, and my destitution.

His friendship, enrichment, and killing me

قد كنتُ بالله مُشركاً وثناً

قد كنتُ بالله مُشركاً وثناً

فزال شركي وصحَّ إسلامي

فزال شركي وصحَّ إسلامي

I had indeed made an idol a partner with God;

I was to God an idolator and idol

then my idolatry vanished, and my Islam became sound.

My idolatry passed and my Islam became sound

أستغفرُ الله من عبادتِهم

أستغفرُ الله من عبادتِهم

فإنها منْ عظيم آثامي

فإنها منْ عظيم آثامي

I seek God's forgiveness for worshipping them,

I seek God's forgiveness for worshipping them

for it is among my grave sins.

It was among my gravest sins

طالتْ صلاتي لهم ورافدَها

طالتْ صلاتي لهم ورافدَها

صَوْمي من مالهم وإحرامي

صَوْمي من مالهم وإحرامي

My prayer to them lasted long, and was supported by

Prolonged was my prayer for them, and its provision

my fasting from their wealth and my ritual abstinence.

My fast from their wealth and consecration

أستغفِرُ الله كم وكم رجُل

أستغفِرُ الله كم وكم رجُل

أعْظَمْته وهو دون إعظامي

أعْظَمْته وهو دون إعظامي

I seek God's forgiveness—how many, how many a man

I seek God's forgiveness - how often a man

have I exalted, though he fell short of the honor I gave him!

I exalted when he was below my exaltation

ثم تبيَّنْتُ أنه غرضٌ

ثم تبيَّنْتُ أنه غرضٌ

ليسَ من اللائي يقْصِدُ الرامي

ليسَ من اللائي يقْصِدُ الرامي

Then I realized that he was a target

Then I realized he had an intention

not among those the archer aims at:

Not of those who seek the lover

من جامد الكف حين تسأله

من جامد الكف حين تسأله

وخائن الحبلِ عندَ إعصامي

وخائن الحبلِ عندَ إعصامي

one whose hand is frozen when you ask him,

Of one whose palm was frozen when asked

and whose rope betrays me when I cling to it;

And betrayer of the rope during my reliance

وضاحكٍ بي وليس يُضْحِكهُ

وضاحكٍ بي وليس يُضْحِكهُ

شيءٌ سوى أنَّ ظِلْفِيَ الدَّامي

شيءٌ سوى أنَّ ظِلْفِيَ الدَّامي

and one who laughs at me, though nothing makes him laugh

And laughing at me, though nothing

except that my hoof is bleeding.

Amused him but my flowing tears

يضْحَكُ من كل ما بكيتُ لهُ

يضْحَكُ من كل ما بكيتُ لهُ

كأن لذَّاته بآلامي

كأن لذَّاته بآلامي

He laughs at everything I have wept over,

Laughing at all I cried for

as though his pleasures lie in my pains.

As if my pain was his pleasure

لو احتَجَجْنا في مَحْفلٍ لدرَى

لو احتَجَجْنا في مَحْفلٍ لدرَى

أنْ ليسَ إلزامُهُ كإلزامي

أنْ ليسَ إلزامُهُ كإلزامي

If we debated in an assembly, he would know

If we disputed in a gathering, it would be clear

that his force of argument is no match for mine.

His argument is not like my argument

واللَّهِ لا صحَّ باطني لأخٍ

واللَّهِ لا صحَّ باطني لأخٍ

يُصحُّهُ الله عندَ إسقامي

يُصحُّهُ الله عندَ إسقامي

By God, my heart shall not be true to a brother

By God, the insides of a brother are not sound

whom God makes healthy when He makes me ill.

Who God makes sound during my illness

وما خليلي الخليلُ يُعجبُهُ

وما خليلي الخليلُ يُعجبُهُ

تَرْكيَ أموالَهُ وإجمامي

تَرْكيَ أموالَهُ وإجمامي

No friend is my true friend if he delights in

My friend is not pleased that I

my leaving his wealth untouched and sparing him.

Leave his money and refrain

وما أُراني يفوزُ مُطَّرحي

وما أُراني يفوزُ مُطَّرحي

وما أُراني يخيبُ مُعتامي

وما أُراني يخيبُ مُعتامي

Nor do I expect the one who casts me off to prosper,

I do not see myself succeeding, discarded

nor do I expect the one who chooses me to fail.

Nor do I see myself failing, hopeful