قالوا تصبر قد يتوب الغادرُ

قالوا تصبر قد يتوب الغادرُ

قبل الحسابِ وقد يحجّ الفاجرُ

قبل الحسابِ وقد يحجّ الفاجرُ

They said: "Be patient; the traitor may repent

They said, be patient, the betrayer may repent

Before the reckoning, and the sinner may make pilgrimage."

Before Judgement, and the debauchee may go on pilgrimage

عجباً أينسىِ الغافلينَ هو أنهمُ

عجباً أينسىِ الغافلينَ هو أنهمُ

عما جَنتهُ ضغائنٌ وصغائرُ

عما جَنتهُ ضغائنٌ وصغائرُ

How strange! Does he make the heedless forget that they... [wording unclear]

How strange! The heedless forget that they

About what rancor and pettiness have wrought?

Will be held accountable for their grudges and petty faults

ايقامر المتسامحون بفكرهم

ايقامر المتسامحون بفكرهم

ان جاز أن يهب الثراءَ مقامر

ان جاز أن يهب الثراءَ مقامر

Do the forgiving gamble with their reason,

Do the forgiving gamble in their thinking

If a gambler can bestow wealth?

That it's acceptable for wealth to be granted to a gambler?

أيخادعون مخادعاً إحسانُه

أيخادعون مخادعاً إحسانُه

عبثٌ وأسخفُ ما حكاه مهاتُر

عبثٌ وأسخفُ ما حكاه مهاتُر

Do they try to outwit a deceiver? Kindness to him

Do they fool the deceiver? His benevolence is

Is futile—and the most absurd thing a quarrelsome fool ever said.

Futile, and more foolish than what old gossips relate

من مَّرغ الأدب اللبابَ جنونُه

من مَّرغ الأدب اللبابَ جنونُه

وعلى يديه غدا الخرابُ العامرُ

وعلى يديه غدا الخرابُ العامرُ

One whose madness dragged literature's very essence through the mire,

Insanity has twisted the minds of the astute

And at whose hands what flourished became a ruin.

And under his hands prosperity turned into ruins

وتحجرَ الشعرُ الكريم بنظمه

وتحجرَ الشعرُ الكريم بنظمه

فشكت أذاهُ مَقاولٌ ومشاعر

فشكت أذاهُ مَقاولٌ ومشاعر

And noble poetry turned to stone through his versifying,

And noble poetry turned to stone in his compositions

So tongues and feelings lamented the harm he did.

So that contractors and emotions complained of his harm

سَرقَ الروائعَ من مفاخرِ غيره

سَرقَ الروائعَ من مفاخرِ غيره

وأماتهَّن ولا يزال يفاخر

وأماتهَّن ولا يزال يفاخر

He stole masterpieces from others' proud achievements,

He stole the masterpieces of others' glories

And killed them, yet he still boasts.

And killed them, yet continues to boast

ما خفَّفَ الإثمَ الكبير سوابق

ما خفَّفَ الإثمَ الكبير سوابق

حاكى مقابحها وراح يكابر

حاكى مقابحها وراح يكابر

Precedents did not lessen the great sin;

Past misdeeds did not lessen the grave sin

He imitated their ugliness and persisted in arrogant denial.

He portrayed their ugliness and persisted in obstinacy

رُزءٌ تكَّررَ فالسفاهُة ملكها

رُزءٌ تكَّررَ فالسفاهُة ملكها

إرثٌ على السفهاء وَقفٌ دائر

إرثٌ على السفهاء وَقفٌ دائر

A calamity repeated—for folly's dominion

Mockery recurred, so foolishness owned it

Is an inheritance, an endowment circulating among fools.

An inheritance for fools, and a recurring endowment

شقيت بهم مصرُ الأسيفهُ حقبةً

شقيت بهم مصرُ الأسيفهُ حقبةً

طالت وكلُ بالغرور يجاهر

طالت وكلُ بالغرور يجاهر

Sorrowing Egypt suffered because of them for an age

With them, ill-fated Egypt suffered an era

That stretched on, while each flaunted his conceit:

That was prolonged, and each one arrogantly declared

من كل أرعن مالهُ أو كيدهُ

من كل أرعن مالهُ أو كيدهُ

سيفٌ على الأحرار صَلتٌ باتر

سيفٌ على الأحرار صَلتٌ باتر

Every reckless fool whose wealth or guile

Every insolent one, his money or his schemes

Was a naked, cleaving sword against the free.

A sword upon the free, a blunted blade

حتى أتى البطل الأشمّ كأنّه

حتى أتى البطل الأشمّ كأنّه

تُّل الخرائبِ جَفَّ فيه النَّاضرُ

تُّل الخرائبِ جَفَّ فيه النَّاضرُ

Until the lofty hero came, as though he were

Until the gallant hero came, as if

A mound of ruins where fresh growth had dried up.

He is the remover of ruins, drying the overflowing

فَرضَ الضريبةَ للسلامة من أذَّى

فَرضَ الضريبةَ للسلامة من أذَّى

سُوَرَ التملق والتملقُ آسرُ

سُوَرَ التملق والتملقُ آسرُ

He imposed a tax for safety from harm:

He levied a tax for protection from harm

Surahs of flattery—and flattery holds one captive.

He locked the gates of flattery, and flattery was captive

فتكاثر الغلمان حول سريره

فتكاثر الغلمان حول سريره

مترنمين كما يشاء الساحر

مترنمين كما يشاء الساحر

So the youths multiplied around his throne,

So the youth multiplied around his throne

Singing as the sorcerer wished,

Chanting as the sorcerer wills

ومرتلين له الخشوع كأنّه

ومرتلين له الخشوع كأنّه

في كل شعوذةِ إمامٌ نادر

في كل شعوذةِ إمامٌ نادر

And chanting submission to him, as though he were

And singing to him submissively, as if

In every act of charlatanry, an exceptional imam.

He is the greatest Imam in every magic

وهو الممثل كم يسئ ويشتكى

وهو الممثل كم يسئ ويشتكى

أنَّ المساء هو النبيلُ الطَّاهر

أنَّ المساء هو النبيلُ الطَّاهر

And he, the actor—how often he does wrong and complains

He is the actor, how badly he performs, and complains

That he is the wronged one, noble and pure.

That the evening is the noble, the pure one

جيلٌ من الأدباء ضُحىَ نَفعهُ

جيلٌ من الأدباء ضُحىَ نَفعهُ

كيما تُعبَّقَ بالنفاق مجامر

كيما تُعبَّقَ بالنفاق مجامر

A generation of writers had its benefit sacrificed

A generation of literati, whose usefulness was lost

So that censers might be perfumed with hypocrisy.

So that hypocrisy would be perfumed in gambling dens

تَخذَ السفيهُ من التبجح حُجَّةَ

تَخذَ السفيهُ من التبجح حُجَّةَ

للعبقريةِ وهو لاهٍ ساخر

للعبقريةِ وهو لاهٍ ساخر

The fool took boastfulness as proof

The foolish took boasting as evidence

Of genius, while he was heedless and mocking.

Of genius, while he is an absent buffoon

وَجنىَ كما يجني الوباءُ على الحجى

وَجنىَ كما يجني الوباءُ على الحجى

وعلى التفوّقِ سُمُّهُ المتطايرُ

وعلى التفوّقِ سُمُّهُ المتطايرُ

And, like a plague, it ravaged reason

And he reaped benefits like a plague upon the distinguished

And excellence—his drifting poison.

And upon excellence flew its scattered poison

سَدَّ الطريقَ على مدى إبداهم

سَدَّ الطريقَ على مدى إبداهم

فالفُّن قبلهمو الفقيرُ الخاسرُ

فالفُّن قبلهمو الفقيرُ الخاسرُ

He blocked the path to the full reach of their creativity,

He blocked the way throughout their duration

So art, before them, was the impoverished loser.

So art before them is the destitute loser

جَعلَ السياسةَ سُلَّماً لصعوده

جَعلَ السياسةَ سُلَّماً لصعوده

ولكم تصاعد بالسياسة عاثر

ولكم تصاعد بالسياسة عاثر

He made politics a ladder for his ascent,

He made politics a ladder for his ascent

And how many a stumbling man has risen through politics!

Yet how many stumble in ascent through politics?

مَن ذا يعوّضهم وماذا يَرتَجىِ

مَن ذا يعوّضهم وماذا يَرتَجىِ

إن غُيبوا يومَ الرثاءِ الشاعر

إن غُيبوا يومَ الرثاءِ الشاعر

Who will compensate them, and what can he hope for—

Who can compensate them, and what is hoped for

The poet, on the day of mourning, if they are gone?

If they pass away on the day of the poet's elegy?

بل أى تكفير لجانٍ كافر

بل أى تكفير لجانٍ كافر

إن راحَ يبكى أو تباكي الكافر

إن راحَ يبكى أو تباكي الكافر

Rather, what atonement is there for an unbelieving criminal,

What atonement for committees of unbelievers

If the unbeliever begins to weep, or merely feigns weeping?

If one who weeps or makes unbelievers weep goes away?

أسفى على وطني المذَال عَظيمهُ

أسفى على وطني المذَال عَظيمهُ

يَشقىَ وينعمُ بالنفاق الصاغر

يَشقىَ وينعمُ بالنفاق الصاغر

My sorrow for my humiliated homeland—its great man

I lament for my greatly disgraced homeland

Suffers, while the petty man prospers through hypocrisy.

It suffers and enjoys the hypocrisy of the petty

والمخلص الحر الغيور مآله

والمخلص الحر الغيور مآله

نفىٌ تنوع أو مماتٌ جائر

نفىٌ تنوع أو مماتٌ جائر

And the sincere, free, zealous man's fate

And the fate of the sincere, free and zealous

Is exile in varied forms, or an unjust death.

Is either varied exile or unjust death

الظلم مهما زُينت الوانه

الظلم مهما زُينت الوانه

ظلمٌ وظلمُ الفكر عاتٍ عاهر

ظلمٌ وظلمُ الفكر عاتٍ عاهر

Injustice, however its colors are embellished,

However injustice is adorned in its colors

Is injustice; and oppression of thought is tyrannical and debauched.

It remains injustice, and injustice of thought is a shameless harlot

واذا تنكر للمواهب مُدَّعٍ

واذا تنكر للمواهب مُدَّعٍ

سفهاً وصفق للدعىِ القادرُ

سفهاً وصفق للدعىِ القادرُ

And if a pretender turns his back on talent

And if it denies talents to a pretentious one

Foolishly, and the powerful man applauds the impostor,

Out of foolishness, and claps for the claimant of ability

وغدا التصُّنعُ فوقَ كل أصالةٍ

وغدا التصُّنعُ فوقَ كل أصالةٍ

واِلغُّر دان له الأبُّى الثائر

واِلغُّر دان له الأبُّى الثائر

And affectation comes to stand above all originality,

And pretentiousness became above all authenticity

And the proud rebel bows to the callow fool,

And vileness submitted to the unyielding rebel

وَتخاذَل الأدباءُ يوم تعاونٍ

وَتخاذَل الأدباءُ يوم تعاونٍ

ومشى علهيم فاجرٌ وُمغامر

ومشى علهيم فاجرٌ وُمغامر

And writers fail one another on a day for cooperation,

And the literati were cowardly on a day of cooperation

And a wicked man and an adventurer tread upon them,

And a debauchee walked over them as a gambler

فالعدل ظلمٌ والمهانةُ ربُمَّا

فالعدل ظلمٌ والمهانةُ ربُمَّا

هينت بهم ولقد تُهان مقابِر

هينت بهم ولقد تُهان مقابِر

Then justice is injustice, and humiliation may

So justice is injustice, and humiliation perhaps

Be made light of by them; indeed, even graves are dishonored.

Degraded them, and indeed graveyards were dishonored