أُسَلِّمُ للأَيَّامِ أَم لا أُسَلِّمُ

أُسَلِّمُ للأَيَّامِ أَم لا أُسَلِّمُ

وأَحمِلُ ظُلْمَ الدَّهْرِ أَمْ أتظَلَّمُ

وأَحمِلُ ظُلْمَ الدَّهْرِ أَمْ أتظَلَّمُ

Shall I submit to the days, or not submit?

Shall I submit to the days, or shall I not submit?

And shall I bear time's injustice, or complain?

Shall I bear the injustice of time, or shall I protest?

بَكَيتُ على شِعْرٍ أُصيبَ كما بكى

بَكَيتُ على شِعْرٍ أُصيبَ كما بكى

على مالكٍ لمَّا أُصيبَ مُتَمِّمُ

على مالكٍ لمَّا أُصيبَ مُتَمِّمُ

I wept over poetry that was stricken, as did

I wept over poetry that was stricken, as Malik wept

Mutammim over Malik when he was struck down.

When his property was stricken, completing his elegy

تَعزَّيْتُ عن نَيْلِ الثَّراءِ بِفَضْلِهِ

تَعزَّيْتُ عن نَيْلِ الثَّراءِ بِفَضْلِهِ

وما مُعْدِمٌ أثرى من الفَضْلِ مُعْدِمُ

وما مُعْدِمٌ أثرى من الفَضْلِ مُعْدِمُ

I consoled myself with its excellence for wealth unattained,

I was consoled for not attaining wealth through its merit

and no pauper enriched by excellence is destitute.

For no destitute man was made wealthy through merit

أُجانِبُ فيه لذَّتي ومَكاسبي

أُجانِبُ فيه لذَّتي ومَكاسبي

وأهجُرُ فيه النَّومَ والناسُ نُوَّمُ

وأهجُرُ فيه النَّومَ والناسُ نُوَّمُ

I forgo my pleasure and my earnings for its sake,

I distance my pleasure and gains from it

and forsake sleep for it while people slumber.

And forsake sleep for it while people slumber

إذا ما المعاني أَومَضَتْ لي بُروقُها

إذا ما المعاني أَومَضَتْ لي بُروقُها

وساعَدَها وَشْيُ الكَلامِ المُنَمنَمُ

وساعَدَها وَشْيُ الكَلامِ المُنَمنَمُ

When the lightning of meanings flashed for me,

When meanings flash their lightning bolts at me

and the finely patterned embroidery of speech assisted them,

And the delicate wording of prose aids them

رَأَيْتُ التهابَ الحَلْيِ في جِيدِ غادَةٍ

رَأَيْتُ التهابَ الحَلْيِ في جِيدِ غادَةٍ

تَرائِبُها من تَحتِهِ تَبَتَسَّمُ

تَرائِبُها من تَحتِهِ تَبَتَسَّمُ

I saw the blaze of jewelry on a young beauty's neck,

I saw the glow in the cheek of a lovely gazelle

her bosom smiling from beneath it.

Her dimples smiling beneath it

نِظامٌ منَ السِّحْرِ الحلالِ مُخَيِّلٌ

نِظامٌ منَ السِّحْرِ الحلالِ مُخَيِّلٌ

لِسامِعِهِ أنَّ الكَواكِبَ تُنظَمُ

لِسامِعِهِ أنَّ الكَواكِبَ تُنظَمُ

A string of lawful magic, making it seem

An enchanting order of halal magic

to its listener that the stars are being strung.

That makes its listener believe the stars are strung together

فَلمَّا اغتَدَى كالسَّيفِ أَخلَصَ صَيْقَلٌ

فَلمَّا اغتَدَى كالسَّيفِ أَخلَصَ صَيْقَلٌ

ظُباه وكالرُّمْحِ انتحاه مُقَوِّمُ

ظُباه وكالرُّمْحِ انتحاه مُقَوِّمُ

Then, when it became like a sword whose polisher had burnished

When it grew fierce as a sword, a polisher honed it

its edges, and like a spear tended by a straightener,

And straightened it like a spear made straight

وعاذَتْ برَيَّاه النُّفوسُ كأنَّه

وعاذَتْ برَيَّاه النُّفوسُ كأنَّه

نَسيمٌ على أيدي الصَّبا يُتَنَسَّمُ

نَسيمٌ على أيدي الصَّبا يُتَنَسَّمُ

and souls sought refuge in its fragrance, as though it were

Souls seek refuge in its breeze as though it were

a breeze breathed in, borne on the east wind's hands,

A soft wind in the hands of the morning breeze

تَحلَّى به قَوْمٌ سِوايَ فكذَّبوا

تَحلَّى به قَوْمٌ سِوايَ فكذَّبوا

وهل يَلِدُ الشُّهْبَ المَلامِحِ أدهَمُ

وهل يَلِدُ الشُّهْبَ المَلامِحِ أدهَمُ

others adorned themselves with it, and so lied.

A people my equal adorned themselves with it but denied it

And can a black steed sire offspring with pale features?

Does the shooting star give birth to dark features?

وشُنَّتْ عليه للمَجانينِ غارَةٌ

وشُنَّتْ عليه للمَجانينِ غارَةٌ

فأصبحَ نَهباً بينَهم يُتَقَسَّمُ

فأصبحَ نَهباً بينَهم يُتَقَسَّمُ

And a raid by madmen was unleashed upon it,

Against it was launched by the insane a raid

so it became plunder divided among them.

So it became among them divided spoils

هي الغارَةُ العُظمى التي بسيوفِها

هي الغارَةُ العُظمى التي بسيوفِها

أُبيحَ حِمى الآدابِ وهو مُحرَّمُ

أُبيحَ حِمى الآدابِ وهو مُحرَّمُ

It is the greatest raid, by whose swords

It was the greatest raid whose swords

the sanctuary of letters was laid open, though inviolable.

Made violating the sanctity of literature lawful though forbidden

أرى الجَوْرَ قد عَمَّ الأنامَ بأَسْرِهِمْ

أرى الجَوْرَ قد عَمَّ الأنامَ بأَسْرِهِمْ

فلا عَدْلَ إلا للظُّبا حينَ تَحكُمُ

فلا عَدْلَ إلا للظُّبا حينَ تَحكُمُ

I see injustice has engulfed all mankind,

I see injustice has spread among all people

so justice belongs only to sword-edges when they judge.

So there is no justice but when wolves judge

أَيُدْفَعُ عن حَلْيِ البَلاغَةِ مُعْرِبٌ

أَيُدْفَعُ عن حَلْيِ البَلاغَةِ مُعْرِبٌ

ويَرْفُلُ في وَشْيِ الفَصاحَةِ أَعْجَمُ

ويَرْفُلُ في وَشْيِ الفَصاحَةِ أَعْجَمُ

Is an articulate man barred from rhetoric's jewels,

Will an eloquent one protect the ornament of rhetoric

while an inarticulate man struts in eloquence's brocade?

While the vulgar boast in the delicacy of eloquence?

هوَ النَّقَدُ المسلوبُ من غارَةِ الوَغَى

هوَ النَّقَدُ المسلوبُ من غارَةِ الوَغَى

ولكنَّهُ في غارَةِ الشعرِ ضَيْغَمُ

ولكنَّهُ في غارَةِ الشعرِ ضَيْغَمُ

He is the sheep carried off in a raid of war,

It is criticism robbed by the raid of chaos

but in a raid on poetry he is a lion.

But in the raid of poetry it is impregnable

يَفوتُ الحديدُ النَّابِ والظِّفرِ إن سَطا

يَفوتُ الحديدُ النَّابِ والظِّفرِ إن سَطا

فما ضَرَّه إن راحَ وهو مُقَلَّمُ

فما ضَرَّه إن راحَ وهو مُقَلَّمُ

He outdoes the sharp-fanged, sharp-clawed beast when he attacks;

Steel misses the fang and claw if it extends

so no harm befalls him if he goes forth with his claws clipped.

So how could it be harmed if it goes clipped?

دَعُوا الأْنجُمَ الزُّهْرَ التي أَعجَزَتْكُمُ

دَعُوا الأْنجُمَ الزُّهْرَ التي أَعجَزَتْكُمُ

لمَطْلِعِها ما دامَ للشعرِ أنجُمُ

لمَطْلِعِها ما دامَ للشعرِ أنجُمُ

Leave the radiant stars that proved beyond your powers

Leave the blooming stars that confounded you

to their rising-place, as long as poetry has stars.

As long as poetry has stars at its rising

ولا تُحْفِظُوا رَبَّ الحِفاظِ لأنَّه

ولا تُحْفِظُوا رَبَّ الحِفاظِ لأنَّه

حَلَتْ لكُمُ أخلاقُه وهو عَلْقَمُ

حَلَتْ لكُمُ أخلاقُه وهو عَلْقَمُ

And do not provoke the man of honor merely because

Do not preserve the Preserver of preservers for His traits

his manners have tasted sweet to you, though he is bitter colocynth.

Have dissolved for you and He is intractable

يَمُجٌّ لكم شهدَ الكَلامِ لِسانُه

يَمُجٌّ لكم شهدَ الكَلامِ لِسانُه

وما مَجَّ يَوماً قبلَه الشَّهْدَ أَرقَمُ

وما مَجَّ يَوماً قبلَه الشَّهْدَ أَرقَمُ

His tongue spits forth for you the honey of speech,

His tongue oozes poisoned honey for you

and no speckled serpent ever spat honey before him.

And no honey was ever so poisoned before it

رَدَدْتُ سِهامَ الذَّمِّ عنكم مُذَمَّماً

رَدَدْتُ سِهامَ الذَّمِّ عنكم مُذَمَّماً

وبعضُ قوافي الشِّعْرِ سَهْمٌ مُسَمَّمُ

وبعضُ قوافي الشِّعْرِ سَهْمٌ مُسَمَّمُ

I turned the arrows of reproach away from you, myself reviled,

I deflected the arrows of blame from you though pierced

and some rhymes of poetry are poisoned arrows.

And some rhymed verse is an arrow feathered

رَأيتُكُمُ مَوتَى فكَفْكَفْتُ غَربَها

رَأيتُكُمُ مَوتَى فكَفْكَفْتُ غَربَها

وهل ناظرَ الأمواتَ حينَ تَكَلَّم

وهل ناظرَ الأمواتَ حينَ تَكَلَّم

I saw you as dead men, so held back their sharp points.

I saw you dead so I checked my sobbing

And has anyone debated with the dead when speaking?

Does one who sees the dead speak when they mumble?

وإن تَسْأَلوني قَطرةً من مَحاسنٍ

وإن تَسْأَلوني قَطرةً من مَحاسنٍ

فحَوضيَ من ماءِ المحاسنِ مُفعَمُ

فحَوضيَ من ماءِ المحاسنِ مُفعَمُ

And if you ask me for a drop of beauty,

If you ask me for a drop of virtues

then my pool is brimful of the water of beauty.

My pool is filled with the water of virtues