يُرجف القرد بأني

يُرجف القرد بأني

زائل العقل موسوَسْ

زائل العقل موسوَسْ

The monkey spreads rumors that I am

The monkey trembles, thinking

bereft of reason, plagued by obsessions.

I've lost my mind, delusional.

حاولَ القردُ لعَمْري

حاولَ القردُ لعَمْري

عكْسَ أمرٍ ليس يُعْكَسْ

عكْسَ أمرٍ ليس يُعْكَسْ

By my life, the monkey has tried

The monkey tried, for my sake,

to reverse a matter that cannot be reversed.

To reverse what can't reverse.

أتُراهُ يَتَظنَّى

أتُراهُ يَتَظنَّى

أن عينَ الشمس تُطمس

أن عينَ الشمس تُطمس

Do you think he imagines

Does he imagine, I wonder,

that the sun's eye can be blotted out?

That the sun's eye can be blinded,

إنْ أوسْوَسْ فحقيقٌ

إنْ أوسْوَسْ فحقيقٌ

يُسْعَدُ القرد وأُنْحَس

يُسْعَدُ القرد وأُنْحَس

If I am obsessed, I have good reason:

If he whispers? For in truth,

the monkey is blessed with luck, and I am ill-starred.

Monkeys prosper, while I'm cursed.

أصبحَ الناشِئُ ممن

أصبحَ الناشِئُ ممن

يتغنَّى وهو أخرس

يتغنَّى وهو أخرس

Al-Nashiʾ has become one of those

The youth now sings though he's

who sing despite being mute,

Mute, a hypocrite among men

نافِقاً عند أناس

نافِقاً عند أناس

تَعِسوا والدهرُ أتعس

تَعِسوا والدهرُ أتعس

popular among people—

Made wretched, while time itself

wretched are they, and the age more wretched still.

Is most wretched. Say to him from me,

قلْ لَه عني وإن أص

قلْ لَه عني وإن أص

بحتُ أطْرَى وأُكَيَّس

بحتُ أطْرَى وأُكَيَّس

Tell him for me, though I have become

Though I've become most errant and wise,

lavishly praised and deemed clever:

Curse time if you wish, do wrong, act proud,

تِه على الدهرِ وقل ما

تِه على الدهرِ وقل ما

شِئتَ واظلمْ وتغَطْرس

شِئتَ واظلمْ وتغَطْرس

Lord it over the age, and say what

Nothing of you is sacred to me,

you wish; be unjust and insolent.

Yours is the sacred zeal.

لم يُقدس منك شيءٌ

لم يُقدس منك شيءٌ

ولك الجَدُّ المقدس

ولك الجَدُّ المقدس

Nothing in you has been hallowed,

How could my doubts not grow strong

yet yours is hallowed luck.

When your poems are studied?

كيف لا يشتدُّ وَسوا

كيف لا يشتدُّ وَسوا

سِي وأشعارُك تُدرَس

سِي وأشعارُك تُدرَس

How could my obsession not grow fiercer

The sun's light cannot be snuffed out,

while your verses are studied,

While shadows can be grasped.

وضياءُ الشمس لا يُق

وضياءُ الشمس لا يُق

بَس والظلماءُ تُقبَس

بَس والظلماءُ تُقبَس

and the sun's radiance goes unborrowed,

I never thought myself anything,

while darkness is borrowed?

While the likes of you I esteem.

لم أكن أنْفس شيئاً

لم أكن أنْفس شيئاً

وعلى مثلك أنْفَس

وعلى مثلك أنْفَس

I never used to begrudge anything,

I'm told you've become a poet,

but I begrudge it to the likes of you.

My lungs are too narrow to breathe.

قيل لي إنك شُعِّر

قيل لي إنك شُعِّر

تَ فَضاق المتنفس

تَ فَضاق المتنفس

I was told that you had been made a poet,

Then I comforted my heart

and my breathing space grew tight.

After it was confused and stalled.

ثم عَزيت فؤادي

ثم عَزيت فؤادي

بعدما حار وأبلس

بعدما حار وأبلس

Then I consoled my heart

I said: As long as our brother's

after it had been bewildered and despaired.

Not unhorsed, we are well.

قلتُ إنا لَبِخيرٍ

قلتُ إنا لَبِخيرٍ

إنْ أخونا لم يُفَرَّس

إنْ أخونا لم يُفَرَّس

I said, 'We are surely well off,

The days of woe have not gained

if our brother has not been made a horseman.'

Like you, except when bankrupt.

ما اقتنى مثلك دهر ال

ما اقتنى مثلك دهر ال

سوء إلا حين أفلس

سوء إلا حين أفلس

The age of evil never acquired your like

except when it went bankrupt.