أيا سابقاً طلّابُ غايتِه حَسْرَى

أيا سابقاً طلّابُ غايتِه حَسْرَى

ويا واحِداً أمدادُ نعمتِه تَتْرَى

ويا واحِداً أمدادُ نعمتِه تَتْرَى

O foremost one, whose goal leaves its seekers weary,

O you who preceded seeking his goal in anguish

And O peerless one, whose bounty's gifts come in succession,

And O you whose grace gifts keep flowing

ومَنْ أذنب الأيامَ حتّى إِذا انتهتْ

ومَنْ أذنب الأيامَ حتّى إِذا انتهتْ

إِلى يومهِ الميمونِ كان لها عُذْرَا

إِلى يومهِ الميمونِ كان لها عُذْرَا

And you who made the days guilty, until, when they reached

He who sinned days till when they ended

Your auspicious day, it became their excuse;

To his auspicious day, for it he had an excuse

ومن يُوسِعُ الأيّامَ بأسَاً ونائلاً

ومن يُوسِعُ الأيّامَ بأسَاً ونائلاً

ويملأ في ديوانِه العَيْنَ والصَّدْرَا

ويملأ في ديوانِه العَيْنَ والصَّدْرَا

And you who fill the days with valor and bounty,

And he who makes days expansive with harm and attaining

And in your court fill both eye and breast—

And fills in his record the eye and the chest

أترضَى لمثلي أن يعيشَ مطَرَّحاً

أترضَى لمثلي أن يعيشَ مطَرَّحاً

لدى معشرٍ لا يَعرِفونَ له قَدْرَا

لدى معشرٍ لا يَعرِفونَ له قَدْرَا

Are you content that one like me should live cast aside

Would you be pleased that one like me lives sprawled

Among people who do not recognize his worth?

Among a people who know not his worth

قلوبُهمُ من جهلِهمْ في أَكِنَّةٍ

قلوبُهمُ من جهلِهمْ في أَكِنَّةٍ

وآذانُهم من غَيّهمْ مُلِئَتْ وَقْرَا

وآذانُهم من غَيّهمْ مُلِئَتْ وَقْرَا

Their hearts, through their ignorance, are under veils,

Their hearts from ignorance are in seclusion

And their ears, through their waywardness, are filled with deafness.

And their ears from arrogance are filled and deaf

إِذا سَمعِوا بالفضلِ يوماً تربَّدَتْ

إِذا سَمعِوا بالفضلِ يوماً تربَّدَتْ

وجوهُهمُ سُوداً قسائِمُها غُبْرَا

وجوهُهمُ سُوداً قسائِمُها غُبْرَا

If ever they hear of excellence, dark grow

When they hear of merit, their faces chill

Their faces—black, their features dust-gray.

Black, their cheeks dusty from gloom

يُغالونَ بي عن غيرِ علمٍ وإنَّما

يُغالونَ بي عن غيرِ علمٍ وإنَّما

يرَون مُقامي بين أظهُرِهم فَخْرَا

يرَون مُقامي بين أظهُرِهم فَخْرَا

They make much of me without understanding; they merely

They wrong me without knowledge, for they only

Regard my presence in their midst as a source of pride.

See my position among them as pride

ولو عَرَفُوا مقدارَ فضلي ألِفْتُهمْ

ولو عَرَفُوا مقدارَ فضلي ألِفْتُهمْ

ولم ألتمسْ منهم ثَواباً ولا أجْرَا

ولم ألتمسْ منهم ثَواباً ولا أجْرَا

And had they known the measure of my merit, I would have grown fond of them,

And if they knew the extent of my merit, I'd befriend them

And would have sought from them neither reward nor payment.

And not seek from them reward or wage

وما أنا إلا كالكريمةِ كُلَّما

وما أنا إلا كالكريمةِ كُلَّما

رأتْ كُفْأَها في المجدِ أرخصتِ المَهْرا

رأتْ كُفْأَها في المجدِ أرخصتِ المَهْرا

And I am but like a noblewoman who, whenever

I'm but like the noble lady, whenever

She sees her equal in glory, lowers the dower.

She saw her match in glory, she lowered the dowry

فهل فيكَ أن تفتَكَّني من إِسارِهم

فهل فيكَ أن تفتَكَّني من إِسارِهم

فإنّيَ بينَ القومِ من جُمْلةِ الأسرى

فإنّيَ بينَ القومِ من جُمْلةِ الأسرى

Can you, then, ransom me from their bonds?

So do you have it in you to deliver me from their captivity?

For I, among these people, am one of the captives.

For I am among the people taken prisoner

تمُرُّ الليالي لستُ أسمعُ عندَهمْ

تمُرُّ الليالي لستُ أسمعُ عندَهمْ

من الفضلِ نظماً يونقُ السمعَ أو نثرا

من الفضلِ نظماً يونقُ السمعَ أو نثرا

The nights pass; I do not hear among them

The nights pass, I hear not from them

Fine verse or prose that delights the ear.

Of merit, prose that would grace the hearing or verse

وما ساقَني فقرٌ إليكَ وإنَّما

وما ساقَني فقرٌ إليكَ وإنَّما

أبَى لي عزوفُ النفسِ أن أعرِفَ الفقرا

أبَى لي عزوفُ النفسِ أن أعرِفَ الفقرا

And poverty did not drive me to you; rather,

And poverty drove me not to you, but rather

My soul's aloofness would not let me know poverty.

My soul's aloofness refused to know poverty

وما أبتغي إلا الكرامةَ إنها

وما أبتغي إلا الكرامةَ إنها

سجيَّةُ نفسٍ مِرَّةٍ مُلِئَتْ كِبْرا

سجيَّةُ نفسٍ مِرَّةٍ مُلِئَتْ كِبْرا

And I seek nothing but dignity, for it is

I seek none but honors, for it is

The nature of a resolute soul filled with pride.

The nature of a bitter soul filled with pride