أَتَغلِبُني ذاتُ الدَلالِ عَلى صَبري

أَتَغلِبُني ذاتُ الدَلالِ عَلى صَبري

إِذَن أَنا أَولى بِالقِناعِ وَبِالخِدرِ

إِذَن أَنا أَولى بِالقِناعِ وَبِالخِدرِ

Will the coquettish woman overcome my patience?

Does the one I love overcome my patience?

Then I am more deserving of the veil and the secluded chamber.

Then I am most deserving of contentment and tranquility.

تَتيهُ وَلي حِلمٌ إِذا ما رَكِبتُهُ

تَتيهُ وَلي حِلمٌ إِذا ما رَكِبتُهُ

رَدَدتُ بِهِ أَمرَ الغَرامِ إِلى أَمري

رَدَدتُ بِهِ أَمرَ الغَرامِ إِلى أَمري

She acts haughtily; yet I have forbearance—whenever I mount it,

I wander lost, though I have patience when I ride it,

I bring the rule of passion back under my own rule.

I can use it to return the matter of passion to my command.

وَما دَفعِيَ اللُوّامَ فيها سَآمَةٌ

وَما دَفعِيَ اللُوّامَ فيها سَآمَةٌ

وَلَكِنَّ نَفسَ الحُرِّ أَزجَرُ لِلحُرِّ

وَلَكِنَّ نَفسَ الحُرِّ أَزجَرُ لِلحُرِّ

It is not weariness that makes me repel those who blame me over her,

It is not boredom that drove me to blame her,

But a noble man's own soul is his sternest restraint.

But a free spirit is more apt to blame the free.

وَلَيلٍ كَأَنَّ الحَشرَ مَطلَعُ فَجرِهِ

وَلَيلٍ كَأَنَّ الحَشرَ مَطلَعُ فَجرِهِ

تَراءَت دُموعي فيهِ سابِقَةَ الفَجرِ

تَراءَت دُموعي فيهِ سابِقَةَ الفَجرِ

And a night whose dawn seemed to be the Day of Judgment—

On a night as if the dawn of the Resurrection has risen,

My tears appeared within it, ahead of the dawn.

My tears raced ahead of dawn.

سَرَيتُ بِهِ طَيفاً إِلى مَن أُحِبُّها

سَرَيتُ بِهِ طَيفاً إِلى مَن أُحِبُّها

وَهَل بِالسُها في حُلَّةِ السُقمِ مِن نُكرِ

وَهَل بِالسُها في حُلَّةِ السُقمِ مِن نُكرِ

I journeyed through it by night, a phantom, to the woman I love.

I walked like a specter to the one I love,

And is there anything strange in Suha wearing the robe of sickness?

What of my suspicion in the garb of sickness?

طَرَقتُ حِماها بَعدَ ما هَبَّ أَهلُها

طَرَقتُ حِماها بَعدَ ما هَبَّ أَهلُها

أَخوضُ غِمارَ الظَنِّ وَالنَظَرِ الشَزرِ

أَخوضُ غِمارَ الظَنِّ وَالنَظَرِ الشَزرِ

I visited her sanctuary by night after her household had risen,

I approached her tent after her people had departed,

Wading through the depths of suspicion and hostile sidelong looks.

Navigating the sea of speculation and piercing gaze.

فَما راعَني إِلّا نِساءٌ لَقَينَني

فَما راعَني إِلّا نِساءٌ لَقَينَني

يُبالِغنَ في زَجري وَيُسرِفنَ في نَهري

يُبالِغنَ في زَجري وَيُسرِفنَ في نَهري

Nothing alarmed me but women who met me,

None reproached me except for women who met me,

Going to extremes in rebuking me and to excess in scolding me.

Excessively chiding me and exaggerating in their prohibition.

يَقُلنَ لِمَن أَهوى وَآنَسنَ ريبَةً

يَقُلنَ لِمَن أَهوى وَآنَسنَ ريبَةً

نَرى حالَةً بَينَ الصَبابَةِ وَالسِحرِ

نَرى حالَةً بَينَ الصَبابَةِ وَالسِحرِ

They said to the one I love, having sensed something suspect:

To the one I love and felt intimacy they said in suspicion:

“We see a state between passionate longing and sorcery.”

"We see a state between youthfulness and sorcery."

إِلَيكُنَّ جاراتِ الحِمى عَن مَلامَتي

إِلَيكُنَّ جاراتِ الحِمى عَن مَلامَتي

وَذَرنَ قَضاءَ اللَهِ في خَلقِهِ يَجري

وَذَرنَ قَضاءَ اللَهِ في خَلقِهِ يَجري

“Desist from reproaching me, women neighboring the sanctuary,

Leave off blaming me, O neighbors of the camp,

And let God's decree run its course among His creatures.”

And let the decree of God in His creation take its course.

وَأَحرَجَني دَمعي فَلَمّا زَجَرتُهُ

وَأَحرَجَني دَمعي فَلَمّا زَجَرتُهُ

رَدَدتُ قُلوبَ العاذِلاتِ إِلى العُذرِ

رَدَدتُ قُلوبَ العاذِلاتِ إِلى العُذرِ

And my tears embarrassed me; then, when I restrained them,

My tears embarrassed me, so when I chided them,

I turned the reproaching women's hearts toward excusing me.

I returned the hearts of the blamers to excuse.

فَساءَلنَها ما اِسمي فَسَمَّت فَجِئنَني

فَساءَلنَها ما اِسمي فَسَمَّت فَجِئنَني

يَقُلنَ أَماناً لِلعَذارى مِنَ الشِعرِ

يَقُلنَ أَماناً لِلعَذارى مِنَ الشِعرِ

Then they asked her my name; she gave it, and they came to me,

They asked her my name so she told them, and they came to me

Saying, “Let the maidens be safe from poetry!”

Saying: "Poetry is a safety for virgins from men."

فَقُلتُ أَخافُ اللَهَ فيكُنَّ إِنَّني

فَقُلتُ أَخافُ اللَهَ فيكُنَّ إِنَّني

وَجَدتُ مَقالَ الهُجرِ يُزرى بِأَن يُزري

وَجَدتُ مَقالَ الهُجرِ يُزرى بِأَن يُزري

So I said, “I fear God in my dealings with you; indeed, I

I said: "I fear God regarding you, I have found

have found that abusive speech disgraces itself by disgracing others.”

The speech of estrangement becomes slight when slighted."

أَخَذتُ بِحَظِّ مَن هَواها وَبَينِها

أَخَذتُ بِحَظِّ مَن هَواها وَبَينِها

وَمَن يَهوَ يَعدِل في الوِصالِ وَفي الهَجرِ

وَمَن يَهوَ يَعدِل في الوِصالِ وَفي الهَجرِ

I accepted my share of love for her and separation from her,

I took my share of the one who loves her and is estranged,

And whoever loves is fair in union and in estrangement.

Who loves is fair in union and in separation.

إِذا لَم يَكُن لِلمَرءِ عَن عيشَةٍ غِنىً

إِذا لَم يَكُن لِلمَرءِ عَن عيشَةٍ غِنىً

فَلا بُدَّ مِن يُسرٍ وَلا بُدَّ مِن عُسرِ

فَلا بُدَّ مِن يُسرٍ وَلا بُدَّ مِن عُسرِ

If a man cannot do without living,

When one has no independence from livelihood,

Then there must be ease, and there must be hardship.

He must have ease as well as hardship.

وَمَن يَخبُرِ الدُنيا وَيَشرَب بِكَأسِها

وَمَن يَخبُرِ الدُنيا وَيَشرَب بِكَأسِها

يَجِد مُرَّها في الحُلوِ وَالحُلوَ في المُرِّ

يَجِد مُرَّها في الحُلوِ وَالحُلوَ في المُرِّ

And whoever experiences the world and drinks from its cup,

Whoever experiences the world and drinks from its cup

Finds its bitterness in sweetness, and sweetness in bitterness.

Finds its bitterness in the sweetness and the sweetness in the bitter.

وَمَن كانَ يَغزو بِالتَعِلّاتِ فَقرَهُ

وَمَن كانَ يَغزو بِالتَعِلّاتِ فَقرَهُ

فَإِنّي وَجَدتُ الكَدَّ أَقتَلَ لِلفَقرِ

فَإِنّي وَجَدتُ الكَدَّ أَقتَلَ لِلفَقرِ

And if anyone wages war on his poverty with excuses,

Whoever wages war on poverty with pretentiousness,

I, for my part, have found toil more deadly to poverty.

I have found that toil is most deadly to poverty.

وَمَن يَستَعِن في أَمرِهِ غَيرَ نَفسِهِ

وَمَن يَستَعِن في أَمرِهِ غَيرَ نَفسِهِ

يَخُنهُ الرَفيقُ العَون في المَسلَكِ الوَعرِ

يَخُنهُ الرَفيقُ العَون في المَسلَكِ الوَعرِ

And whoever seeks help in his affairs from someone other than himself,

Whoever seeks the aid of other than himself for his affairs,

His helpful companion will betray him on the rugged path.

Will be betrayed by the companion and aide on the rugged path.

وَمَن لَم يُقِم سِتراً عَلى عَيبِ غَيرِهِ

وَمَن لَم يُقِم سِتراً عَلى عَيبِ غَيرِهِ

يَعِش مُستَباحَ العِرضِ مُنهَتِكَ السِترِ

يَعِش مُستَباحَ العِرضِ مُنهَتِكَ السِترِ

And whoever does not draw a veil over another's fault,

Whoever does not maintain a veil over the fault of another

Will live with his honor open to violation and his veil torn away.

Lives with his honor violated and veil torn.

وَمَن لَم يُجَمِّل بِالتَواضُعِ فَضلَهُ

وَمَن لَم يُجَمِّل بِالتَواضُعِ فَضلَهُ

يَبِن فَضلُهُ عَنهُ وَيَعطَل مِنَ الفَخرِ

يَبِن فَضلُهُ عَنهُ وَيَعطَل مِنَ الفَخرِ

And whoever does not adorn his merit with humility,

Whoever does not adorn his merit with humility,

His merit will leave him, and he will be stripped of glory.

His merit becomes evident and deprived of boasting.