جُعِلتُ فِداك الدَّهْرُ أغرزَ نابَهُ

جُعِلتُ فِداك الدَّهْرُ أغرزَ نابَهُ

بشِلْوِ فتىً فيه نُدوبُ عِضاضِ

بشِلْوِ فتىً فيه نُدوبُ عِضاضِ

May I be your ransom! Time has sunk its fang

I sacrifice myself for you, time has bared its fangs

Into a young man's torn body, marked with bite scars.

At a gallant youth, in whom are wounds of suffering

قضَى زَمني جَوراً عليّ وكم تَرى

قضَى زَمني جَوراً عليّ وكم تَرى

شِكايَةَ قاضٍ من نِكايةِ قاض

شِكايَةَ قاضٍ من نِكايةِ قاض

My time has ruled unjustly against me; how often do you see

My days have passed unjustly upon me, and how many do you see

A judge complain of harm inflicted by a judge?

A judge's complaint from a judge's vengeance

رَجوتُ وما زال الزّمانُ مُعانِداً

رَجوتُ وما زال الزّمانُ مُعانِداً

يَخوضُ بيَ الأَهوالَ كُلَّ مَخاض

يَخوضُ بيَ الأَهوالَ كُلَّ مَخاض

I hoped—while Time remained hostile,

I hoped but time kept on being hostile

Wading with me through terrors at every ford—

Plunging me into every torment

رَحيليَ عنكم راضياً فأُتيحَ لي

رَحيليَ عنكم راضياً فأُتيحَ لي

رَحيلُكمُ عنّي وما أنا راض

رَحيلُكمُ عنّي وما أنا راض

To leave you content; instead, I was granted

My leaving you satisfied, so I was allowed

Your departure from me, while I was not content.

Your leaving me, and I am not satisfied

ولي دينُ جُودٍ غَيرَ أَنّىَ ساكتٌ

ولي دينُ جُودٍ غَيرَ أَنّىَ ساكتٌ

وتَرْكُ التَّقاضي للكريمِ تَقاض

وتَرْكُ التَّقاضي للكريمِ تَقاض

A debt of generosity is owed to me, but I keep silent;

I have a debt of generosity, though I am silent

And with a generous man, not demanding payment is itself a demand.

To leave claiming to the noble is satisfaction

ولولا انقِطاعي اليومَ في دارِ غُرْبةٍ

ولولا انقِطاعي اليومَ في دارِ غُرْبةٍ

مَكانَ التّقاضي كان عنه تَغاض

مَكانَ التّقاضي كان عنه تَغاض

And were I not stranded today in a foreign land,

If I were not away today in a foreign land

I would overlook it instead of demanding payment.

Instead of claiming I would overlook

فما لي إلى الأوطانِ قُدْرةُ راجعٍ

فما لي إلى الأوطانِ قُدْرةُ راجعٍ

ولا ليَ في الأسفارِ أُهبَةُ ماض

ولا ليَ في الأسفارِ أُهبَةُ ماض

For I have no means to return to my native lands,

I have no strength to return to homelands

Nor have I the equipment to set out on journeys.

Nor readiness for travels passed

فجُدْلي وسُحبُ الجود إن هي أمطرتْ

فجُدْلي وسُحبُ الجود إن هي أمطرتْ

أَتَى الشُّكْرُ في آثارِها برِياض

أَتَى الشُّكْرُ في آثارِها برِياض

So be generous to me—for if the clouds of generosity rain,

My rain of generosity if it poured down

Gratitude will come in their wake, bearing gardens—

Gratitude would come in its trails, gardens

بحَمّالِ أثقالٍ إذا ارتحَلَ الفتَى

بحَمّالِ أثقالٍ إذا ارتحَلَ الفتَى

قَطوعِ طِوالٍ يَتَّصلْنَ عِراض

قَطوعِ طِوالٍ يَتَّصلْنَ عِراض

With a bearer of heavy loads when a young man journeys,

With a carrier of burdens, when the youth travels

A traverser of long, broad expanses that join one another.

Long distances joined, plains

إذا هو أَضحَى تحت رَحْلِ مُسافِرٍ

إذا هو أَضحَى تحت رَحْلِ مُسافِرٍ

مضى كمضاءِ الحارثِ بْنِ مُضاض

مضى كمضاءِ الحارثِ بْنِ مُضاض

When it is beneath a traveler's saddle,

If he becomes under a traveler's mount

It journeys on as al-Harith ibn Mudad did.

He goes like the going of Al-Harith bin Mudath

ودُمْ للعُلا مادام في الدَّهرِ كاتبٌ

ودُمْ للعُلا مادام في الدَّهرِ كاتبٌ

يَخُطُّ سواداً فيه فوقَ بياض

يَخُطُّ سواداً فيه فوقَ بياض

And live on for glory as long as this world has a scribe

Praise the heights as long as in time there is a writer

Who traces black upon white within it.

Who pens blackness in which over white