مَهلاً أَبا حَسَنٍ مَهلاً فَتى العَرَبِ

مَهلاً أَبا حَسَنٍ مَهلاً فَتى العَرَبِ

مَهلاً فَتى الشِعرِ مَهلاً يا فَتى الأَدَبِ

مَهلاً فَتى الشِعرِ مَهلاً يا فَتى الأَدَبِ

Easy, Abu Hasan, easy, youth of the Arabs;

Hold on Abu Hasan, hold on O youth of Arabs

easy, youth of poetry, easy, O youth of letters.

Hold on O poet of verse, hold on O lad of literature

لا تَحمِلَنّي عَلى حَدباءَ مُعضِلَةٍ

لا تَحمِلَنّي عَلى حَدباءَ مُعضِلَةٍ

فَيَركَبُ الشِعرَ ظَهراً غَيرَ ذي حَدَبِ

فَيَركَبُ الشِعرَ ظَهراً غَيرَ ذي حَدَبِ

Do not force me onto a humped, intractable mount,

Do not make me climb rugged hills

for poetry is ridden as a back without a hump.

Where poetry would ride other than its own terrain

لَئِن وَثِقتَ بِحلمي ساعَةَ الغَضَبِ

لَئِن وَثِقتَ بِحلمي ساعَةَ الغَضَبِ

خَطَبتَ بي فَأَنا العالي عَلى الخُطَبِ

خَطَبتَ بي فَأَنا العالي عَلى الخُطَبِ

If, trusting my forbearance in the hour of anger,

If you trust in my forbearance in the hour of anger

you declaimed about me, I stand above such speeches.

You have proposed to me, yet I stand above proposals

هل يَأَخُذُ الزّاخِرُ الفَيّاض مِن وَشَلٍ

هل يَأَخُذُ الزّاخِرُ الفَيّاض مِن وَشَلٍ

وَيُخلَطُ الصّفرُ بِالصافي مِنَ الذَهَبِ

وَيُخلَطُ الصّفرُ بِالصافي مِنَ الذَهَبِ

Does the brimming, overflowing sea draw from a trickle?

Can the flowing stream take from the stagnant pool?

And is brass mixed with pure gold?

Or the pure gold be mixed with the dull ore?

وَكَيفَ يَدخُل في عَرضِ المَواكِبِ مَن

وَكَيفَ يَدخُل في عَرضِ المَواكِبِ مَن

يَنشَقُّ عَنهُ غُبارُ الجَحفَلِ اللَجِبِ

يَنشَقُّ عَنهُ غُبارُ الجَحفَلِ اللَجِبِ

And how can one mingle among the cavalcades—

How can one enter the train of processions

one whom the dust of the clamorous host parts to reveal?

When the dust of arduous marches rises from him?

أَم كَيفَ يَسلُبُ حَقَّ القَولِ قائِلهُ

أَم كَيفَ يَسلُبُ حَقَّ القَولِ قائِلهُ

مَن لَم يَزَل وَهوَ يَكسو الناسَ مِن سَلَبِ

مَن لَم يَزَل وَهوَ يَكسو الناسَ مِن سَلَبِ

Or how can the speaker be robbed of his right to his words

Or how can one who robs the right of speech from its speaker

by one who has always clothed people in spoils?

Take it, when he has always clothed people in plunder?

مَن جَزَّ كَلباً فَمُحتاجٌ إِلى وَبَرٍ

مَن جَزَّ كَلباً فَمُحتاجٌ إِلى وَبَرٍ

وَلاقِطُ البَعرِ مُحتاجٌ إِلى حَطَبِ

وَلاقِطُ البَعرِ مُحتاجٌ إِلى حَطَبِ

Whoever shears a dog has need of fur,

One who rewards a dog is in need of kindness

and the gatherer of dung has need of firewood.

And the collector of camel dung needs fuel

وَالشِعرُ ظَهرُ طَريقٍ أَنتَ راكِبُهُ

وَالشِعرُ ظَهرُ طَريقٍ أَنتَ راكِبُهُ

فَمِنهُ مُنشَعِبٌ أَو غَير مُنشَعِبِ

فَمِنهُ مُنشَعِبٌ أَو غَير مُنشَعِبِ

And poetry is a road's surface, which you ride along;

Poetry is the steed you ride

some of it branches off, or else runs unbranched.

Branching out from it or not branching out

وَرُبَّما ضَمَّ بَينَ الرَكبِ مَنهَجَهُ

وَرُبَّما ضَمَّ بَينَ الرَكبِ مَنهَجَهُ

وَأَلصَقَ الطُنُبَ العالي إلى الطُنُبِ

وَأَلصَقَ الطُنُبَ العالي إلى الطُنُبِ

And sometimes its course draws the riders together

And sometimes it brings the distant parts of the train together

and joins the lofty tent-rope to another tent-rope.

And joins the tall camel saddle to the camel saddle

أَظَنَّ دَعوَتَهُ في الشِعرِ جائِزَةً

أَظَنَّ دَعوَتَهُ في الشِعرِ جائِزَةً

لَهُ عَلَيَّ كَما جازَت عَلى النَسَبِ

لَهُ عَلَيَّ كَما جازَت عَلى النَسَبِ

Did he think his claim in poetry was admissible

I think his invitation to poetry is permissible

for him against me, as it had been in matters of lineage?

Binding on me just as kinship ties are binding