نهاري في عمر النوى كله جنح

نهاري في عمر النوى كله جنح

كما أن ليلى مذ نأوا ماله صبح

كما أن ليلى مذ نأوا ماله صبح

Throughout the span of separation, my day is all dusk,

My days in the span of time are all wings

just as my night, since they departed, has no dawn.

As Layla's nights since we parted have no dawn

إذا أنا لم أنظر إلى مَن أحبه

إذا أنا لم أنظر إلى مَن أحبه

فكل ذرور في جفوني لها قرح

فكل ذرور في جفوني لها قرح

If I do not look upon the one I love,

If I do not look upon the one I love

every medicinal powder on my eyelids is a wound to them.

Then every speck in my eyelids is a sore

رماني زماني من كنانة غدره

رماني زماني من كنانة غدره

بسهم له في كل جارحة جرح

بسهم له في كل جارحة جرح

My fate shot me from the quiver of its treachery

Time has cast me from its bosom perfidiously

with an arrow that wounds every limb.

With an arrow that wounds each limb

سقاني من الآفات كأساً رويّةً

سقاني من الآفات كأساً رويّةً

إذا لم أمت منها وعشتُ فما أصحو

إذا لم أمت منها وعشتُ فما أصحو

It gave me a brimming cup of calamities to drink;

It has made me drink from a brimming cup of woes

if I do not die of it but live, I never sober.

If I die not of it but live, I shall not recover

إلا في سبيل الله قلبٌ تقلبت

إلا في سبيل الله قلبٌ تقلبت

بصاحبه الأحزان والقلق البرح

بصاحبه الأحزان والقلق البرح

Ah, in God's cause is a heart whose owner has been tossed

Except in God's cause, a heart turns over

about by sorrows and agonizing unrest.

With sorrows and restless distress as its companion

نعى بمعزِّ الدين ناعٍ كأنما

نعى بمعزِّ الدين ناعٍ كأنما

لصيحته في سمع كل امرىء فدح

لصيحته في سمع كل امرىء فدح

A herald announced Muʿizz al-Dīn's death, as though

The death of the pillar of religion is lamented by a lamenter

his cry were a crushing blow in every man's ear.

As if his cry rings in every man's hearing

أصمَّ وأصمى سمعه وفؤاده

أصمَّ وأصمى سمعه وفؤاده

فلا عَذلٌ يُنهي ولا سلوة تمحو

فلا عَذلٌ يُنهي ولا سلوة تمحو

It deafened his hearing and mortally struck his heart;

Deaf and deafening are his hearing and heart

no rebuke can end it, nor consolation erase it.

So no reproach can stop him nor any solace wipe away

فلله عينا مَن رأى فم صارخٍ

فلله عينا مَن رأى فم صارخٍ

أمرَّ وأدهى منه يسجو بما يشحو

أمرَّ وأدهى منه يسجو بما يشحو

God bless the eyes of anyone who has seen a crier's mouth

God watch over him who saw the mouth of a shrieking crier

more bitter and dreadful than his, casting darkness with what it gapes to proclaim.

More bitter and grievous than it, chanting its dirge

أمن بعد فرخشاه ذى المجد والعلا

أمن بعد فرخشاه ذى المجد والعلا

يكون لباغي خلعه أبداً نجح

يكون لباغي خلعه أبداً نجح

Can there, after Farrukhshāh, possessor of glory and eminence,

After the valiant one of glory and loftiness

ever be success for one seeking his robes of honor?

Can a rebel stripping him have success ever?

فتىً ملأ الآفاق عدلا وسطوة

فتىً ملأ الآفاق عدلا وسطوة

كلا خلقيه في العلا شرف قُحّ

كلا خلقيه في العلا شرف قُحّ

A noble youth who filled the horizons with justice and might,

A youth who filled horizons with justice and might

both his traits, in their loftiness, were pure nobility.

Each of his traits a noble renown in the heights

سحاب يرجى كالسحاب ويتقى

سحاب يرجى كالسحاب ويتقى

صواعقهُ سحب ووابله سَحُ

صواعقهُ سحب ووابله سَحُ

A cloud, hoped for like clouds and feared for

A cloud hoped for like a cloud, feared

his thunderbolts—clouds in one, his downpour a torrent.

For its lightning, clouds and rains a downpour

أصار ديار المشركين لجيشه

أصار ديار المشركين لجيشه

دياراً فلا حربٌ لديهم ولا صلح

دياراً فلا حربٌ لديهم ولا صلح

He made the polytheists' lands, for his army,

He made the lands of the polytheists for his troops

homes; they had neither war nor peace.

Lands where they have neither war nor truce

وخافوه حتى ما يرى يحيا لهم

وخافوه حتى ما يرى يحيا لهم

نهارا لراع يوم أمنهم سرح

نهارا لراع يوم أمنهم سرح

They feared him until no herd of theirs could be seen alive

And they feared him until no day in which they live for them

by day with a shepherd, even on a day they felt safe.

Dawns, a shepherd whose day they spoiled with pasturing

شجاعٌ له الإخلاص لله شيمة

شجاعٌ له الإخلاص لله شيمة

يصاحبها النصر المؤزر والفتح

يصاحبها النصر المؤزر والفتح

A brave man, with sincere devotion to God as his trait,

Valiant, devotion to God his trait

attended by mighty victory and conquest.

Alongside victory, mighty aid, and openings

إذا صادم الأبطال يوم نزاله

إذا صادم الأبطال يوم نزاله

فلا سيف يغنيهم لديه ولا رمح

فلا سيف يغنيهم لديه ولا رمح

When he clashed with champions on the day of combat,

When he joins heroes on the day of battle

no sword could help them against him, nor any spear.

No sword or spear avails them against him

فتىً كان إن أعيا الرجال قضية

فتىً كان إن أعيا الرجال قضية

كفاها وأغنى من بديهته اللَّمح

كفاها وأغنى من بديهته اللَّمح

A noble youth who, when a matter baffled men,

A youth who if men grew weary of a cause

settled it—a flash of his quick intuition sufficed.

It sufficed him, his brilliance providing

وليس يريك الجد منه فضاضاة

وليس يريك الجد منه فضاضاة

كما لا ينافي الحقَّ من قوله المزح

كما لا ينافي الحقَّ من قوله المزح

His earnestness shows you no harshness,

Nor does earnestness show in him discomposure

just as the jesting in his speech does not contradict truth.

As sincerity does not negate his jest in speech

ولا يملك السخط المبرّحُ عفوه

ولا يملك السخط المبرّحُ عفوه

ويملكه في سخطه العفو والصفح

ويملكه في سخطه العفو والصفح

Nor does tormenting anger master his forgiveness;

He whose forgiveness does not own anger unleashed

forgiveness and pardon rule him in his anger.

And owns it unleashed with pardon and clemency

متى كان هذا الدهر سمحا بمثله

متى كان هذا الدهر سمحا بمثله

إلا إنه بالغدر في مثله سمح

إلا إنه بالغدر في مثله سمح

When was this age ever generous with his like?

When did time smile on one like him

Yet it is generous in treachery toward his like.

Except it betrayed with perfidy one like him

جفا الغمض أجفاني وجفت مدامعي

جفا الغمض أجفاني وجفت مدامعي

فلا نضخ يشفي بالبكا ولا نضح

فلا نضخ يشفي بالبكا ولا نضح

Sleep shunned my eyelids, and my tear ducts dried up;

Tearless, my eyes are dry, my tears dried up

neither a flood of weeping heals me, nor a trickle.

So no outpouring can heal with weeping or pour

وأنكرت طعم الماء منذ عدمته

وأنكرت طعم الماء منذ عدمته

فكل زلال في فمي بعده ملح

فكل زلال في فمي بعده ملح

And water's taste has seemed strange since I lost him;

And I knew not the taste of water since his loss

every pure draught in my mouth, after him, is salt.

So every freshwater in my mouth after him is salt

وصرت إذا نصحٌ أتاني وقيل لي

وصرت إذا نصحٌ أتاني وقيل لي

تسلَّ بما أوتيت أغراني النصح

تسلَّ بما أوتيت أغراني النصح

And now, whenever advice comes and I am told,

When sincere advice came to me and I was told

'Take comfort in what you were given,' the counsel inflames my grief.

Console yourself with what you've been given, the advice seemed to mock

عزيزٌ على مثلي إذا صار شعره

عزيزٌ على مثلي إذا صار شعره

مرائي فيه بعدما أعوز المدح

مرائي فيه بعدما أعوز المدح

It is painful for one like me when his poetry becomes

Dear to one like me, when his hair

elegies for him, after praise has grown impossible.

Became my mirror, though praise had lapsed

ولو أنني عمرت في شرح فضله

ولو أنني عمرت في شرح فضله

على عمري مثليه لم ينقض الشرح

على عمري مثليه لم ينقض الشرح

Even if I lived on, expounding his excellence,

Had I lived expounding his merit

for twice my lifetime beyond my own, the account would not end.

A life like his, the exposition would not exhaust

عفاءٌ على الدنيا فما حسن عيشة

عفاءٌ على الدنيا فما حسن عيشة

لأبنائها حسنٌ ولا قبحُها قبح

لأبنائها حسنٌ ولا قبحُها قبح

Ruin upon this world! No beauty of life

Lofty above the world, so neither life

for its children is beauty, nor is its ugliness ugliness.

Of its sons is fair, nor its foulness foul

تضرُّ وقد تأتي بنفعٍ مصرَّد

تضرُّ وقد تأتي بنفعٍ مصرَّد

وتسمح أحياناً ويغلبها الشُّح

وتسمح أحياناً ويغلبها الشُّح

It harms, though it may bring a scant benefit,

It harms though it may profit on occasion

and is generous at times, but miserliness overcomes it.

And is generous at times, mostly miserly

فشتان منها العزُّ والذل للفتى

فشتان منها العزُّ والذل للفتى

وشتان من أخلاقها المنع والمنح

وشتان من أخلاقها المنع والمنح

How far apart are its honor and humiliation for a man,

Far from it honor and abasement for the youth

and, among its ways, how far apart are withholding and giving.

And far from its nature bounty and stint