خُذْ مِنْ حَديثي مَا يُغْنِيكَ عَنْ نَظَرِي

خُذْ مِنْ حَديثي مَا يُغْنِيكَ عَنْ نَظَرِي

فَإِنَّه سَمَرٌ نَاهِيكَ مِنْ سَمَرِ

فَإِنَّه سَمَرٌ نَاهِيكَ مِنْ سَمَرِ

Take from my words what will spare you looking at me;

Take from my words what suffices you from my sight

For it is evening talk—and what evening talk!

For it is a night-talk that distracts you from night-talk

كَمْ مِنْ أَبٍ قَدْ غَدا أُمّاً لِمَعْشَرِهِ

كَمْ مِنْ أَبٍ قَدْ غَدا أُمّاً لِمَعْشَرِهِ

فَأَعْجَبْ لإِعْطَاءِ لَفْظِ الأُّمّ للذَّكَرِ

فَأَعْجَبْ لإِعْطَاءِ لَفْظِ الأُّمّ للذَّكَرِ

How many a father has become a mother to his people!

How many fathers have become mothers to their groups

So marvel at bestowing the word 'mother' on a male.

So strange is attributing the word "mother" to males

وَنَاطِحٍ بِقُرُونٍ لَا قُرُونَ لَهُ

وَنَاطِحٍ بِقُرُونٍ لَا قُرُونَ لَهُ

وَكَبْشِ قَوْمٍ بِنَقْلِ العِلْمِ مُشْتَهَرِ

وَكَبْشِ قَوْمٍ بِنَقْلِ العِلْمِ مُشْتَهَرِ

And one who butts with horns, though he has no horns,

And those who butt with horns though hornless are they

And a people's ram, renowned for transmitting knowledge.

And rams of a people famous for carrying knowledge

وَرُبّ حَامِلِ وِزْرٍ غَيْر مُجْتَرِمٍ

وَرُبّ حَامِلِ وِزْرٍ غَيْر مُجْتَرِمٍ

وَلائطٍ وَهُوَ عَفُّ الذَّيْلِ والنَّظَرِ

وَلائطٍ وَهُوَ عَفُّ الذَّيْلِ والنَّظَرِ

And many a bearer of sin's burden, guilty of no crime,

And many a bearer of others’ burdens without being upright

And a sodomite, yet chaste of hem and gaze,

And many a debauched and loose in morals and sight

يَدبُّ لِلْفَرْجِ أَحْياناً وآونةً

يَدبُّ لِلْفَرْجِ أَحْياناً وآونةً

مِنَ التَّخلُّفِ يَأْتِي المُرْدَ في الدُّبرِ

مِنَ التَّخلُّفِ يَأْتِي المُرْدَ في الدُّبرِ

He creeps toward the private parts at times, and at others,

Creeping to the genitals sometimes and at times

Lagging behind, he approaches beardless youths from the rear.

From being left behind comes the returning at the rear

وضارِبٍ لي أَهْواهُ وأُكْرمُهُ

وضارِبٍ لي أَهْواهُ وأُكْرمُهُ

أَراهُ يَحْضُرُ عِنْدِي وَهْوَ في السَّفَرِ

أَراهُ يَحْضُرُ عِنْدِي وَهْوَ في السَّفَرِ

And one who strikes for me, whom I love and honor,

And one who beats me his passions while I honor him

I see him present with me, though he is traveling.

I see him attend while he is travelling afar

وَكَمْ بَليدٍ بِظَهْرِ الغَيْبِ حَدَّثنا

وَكَمْ بَليدٍ بِظَهْرِ الغَيْبِ حَدَّثنا

وَذِي ذَكاءٍ رَأَيْناهُ مِنَ الحُمُرِ

وَذِي ذَكاءٍ رَأَيْناهُ مِنَ الحُمُرِ

And many a dullard has spoken to us from out of sight,

And many a dull have we talked with behind the unseen

And one endowed with intelligence whom we have seen among asses.

And many a bright have we seen among the donkeys

وَكَمْ بَدا عاقِلٌ يَوْماً وَليْسَ لَهُ

وَكَمْ بَدا عاقِلٌ يَوْماً وَليْسَ لَهُ

فِكْرٌ وَلَيْسَ بِمَنْسُوبٍ إلى البَشَرِ

فِكْرٌ وَلَيْسَ بِمَنْسُوبٍ إلى البَشَرِ

And many a rational being has appeared one day, though he has

And many a wise has appeared one day with no intellect

No thought, nor does he belong to humankind.

And is not attributed to humans in his lineage

وَكَمْ نَظرْتُ لِوَجْهٍ لَيْسَ في بَدنٍ

وَكَمْ نَظرْتُ لِوَجْهٍ لَيْسَ في بَدنٍ

وَكَمْ سَمِعْتُ بِصَخْرٍ لَيْسَ مِنْ حَجَرِ

وَكَمْ سَمِعْتُ بِصَخْرٍ لَيْسَ مِنْ حَجَرِ

And how often I have looked at a face that is not part of a body,

And I have seen many a face without a body

And how often I have heard of Sakhr, who is not made of stone.

And I have heard of many a rock not of stone

وَرُبَّ ناظِمِ أَشْعارٍ وَلَيْسَ لَهُ

وَرُبَّ ناظِمِ أَشْعارٍ وَلَيْسَ لَهُ

شِعْرٌ فَهلْ مِثْلُ هذا سارَ في السِّيرِ

شِعْرٌ فَهلْ مِثْلُ هذا سارَ في السِّيرِ

And many a composer of poems who has

And many a versifier of poetry yet no poetry has he

No poetry—has the like of this ever circulated in chronicles?

Has the like of this walked well in conduct?

وَمُمْسِكٍ بِيَدَيْهِ النَّجْمَ يَقْلَعُهُ

وَمُمْسِكٍ بِيَدَيْهِ النَّجْمَ يَقْلَعُهُ

وَلَيْسَ لِلْمَرْءِ نَيْل الأَنْجُمِ الزُّهُرِ

وَلَيْسَ لِلْمَرْءِ نَيْل الأَنْجُمِ الزُّهُرِ

And one who grasps the star with his two hands and uproots it,

And one who holds the stars with his hands uprooting them

Yet a person cannot attain the shining stars.

Yet no man can obtain the bright stars

وَلابسٍ وَهوَ عَارٍ لا رِدَاء لَهُ

وَلابسٍ وَهوَ عَارٍ لا رِدَاء لَهُ

كِسْوَتُه أَطْلساً مِنْ أَخْشَنِ الشَّعَرِ

كِسْوَتُه أَطْلساً مِنْ أَخْشَنِ الشَّعَرِ

And one clothed, yet naked, with no cloak,

And one who wears clothes while naked, no garb has he

His clothing is satin made from the coarsest hair.

His clothes coarse haircloth of the harshest hair

وَعابِدينَ مِنَ المِحْرابِ قَدْ هَربُوا

وَعابِدينَ مِنَ المِحْرابِ قَدْ هَربُوا

تُرَى المَسيحُ يُوافِيهمْ على قَدَرِ

تُرَى المَسيحُ يُوافِيهمْ على قَدَرِ

And worshippers who have fled the prayer niche,

And worshippers in the niche who have fled

I wonder—does the Messiah come to them as fate decrees?

Would Christ find them according to their worth?

وَمُدْبِرينَ وما وَلُّوا ولا اجْتَرمُوا

وَمُدْبِرينَ وما وَلُّوا ولا اجْتَرمُوا

وَيُنْسَبُونَ بِلا شكٍّ إِلى دبَرِ

وَيُنْسَبُونَ بِلا شكٍّ إِلى دبَرِ

And those retreating, though they have neither turned away nor committed a crime,

And those who turn their backs yet committed no sins

And are linked, beyond doubt, to sores on the back.

And are attributed undoubtedly to turning their backs

وَصالِحين رأيتُ الخَمْرَ عِنْدَهُمُ

وَصالِحين رأيتُ الخَمْرَ عِنْدَهُمُ

قَدْ حَلَّلوُهُ بِلا خَوْفٍ ولا حَذَرِ

قَدْ حَلَّلوُهُ بِلا خَوْفٍ ولا حَذَرِ

And righteous people with whom I have seen wine,

And pious ones I have seen wine with them

Which they have made lawful, without fear or caution.

They made it lawful without fear or caution

وسَالِحينَ وما زالتْ طَهارَتُهُم

وسَالِحينَ وما زالتْ طَهارَتُهُم

وَآمِنينَ وَقْد أَمْسُوا ذوي خَطَرِ

وَآمِنينَ وَقْد أَمْسُوا ذوي خَطَرِ

And those defecating, whose ritual purity has not been lost,

And armed ones whose purity still remains

And those in safety, though they have come to be in peril.

And safe ones who have become exposed to danger

وتَاركٍ كَرْشاً في البَيْتِ مُنْفَرِداً

وتَاركٍ كَرْشاً في البَيْتِ مُنْفَرِداً

مِنْ بَطْنِهِ وهُوَ لا يَخْشَى مِنَ الضَّرَرِ

مِنْ بَطْنِهِ وهُوَ لا يَخْشَى مِنَ الضَّرَرِ

And one who leaves a paunch in the house, separated

And one who leaves a pot in the house alone

From his belly, while he fears no harm.

From his belly and he fears no harm

وَجَالِسينَ على ظَهْرِ الهَريسَةِ قَدْ

وَجَالِسينَ على ظَهْرِ الهَريسَةِ قَدْ

وَافَاهُمُ السّمْنُ ما فيها مِنَ الشَّجَرِ

وَافَاهُمُ السّمْنُ ما فيها مِنَ الشَّجَرِ

And those seated on the back of harisa porridge have

And those who sit atop an empty water skin as though

Had ghee come to them—the trees it contains.

Fat has reached them from what trees were in it

وَنَازِلينَ بِأَرْضٍ قَدْ أَصَابهُمُ

وَنَازِلينَ بِأَرْضٍ قَدْ أَصَابهُمُ

غَيْمٌ بِلا بَلَلٍ والقَومْ في مَطَرِ

غَيْمٌ بِلا بَلَلٍ والقَومْ في مَطَرِ

And those lodging in a land have been overtaken

And those descending upon a land befallen by a cloud

By a cloud, without wetness, though the people are in rain.

Without wetness while the people are in rain

وَتابِعينَ إِماماً وهُوَ مِنْ خَشَبٍ

وَتابِعينَ إِماماً وهُوَ مِنْ خَشَبٍ

وَقَدْ يُؤَنَّثُ في وَصْفٍ وفي خَبَرِ

وَقَدْ يُؤَنَّثُ في وَصْفٍ وفي خَبَرِ

And those following a leader, though he is made of wood,

And followers of an Imam who is made of wood

And may take feminine forms in description and predication.

And he may be feminized in an attribute or in news

عَجائبٌ ما لها حَدٌّ فَقُلْ وَأَطِلْ

عَجائبٌ ما لها حَدٌّ فَقُلْ وَأَطِلْ

إِنْ شِئْتَ أو فاقْتَصِدْ في القَوْلِ واقْتَصِرِ

إِنْ شِئْتَ أو فاقْتَصِدْ في القَوْلِ واقْتَصِرِ

Wonders without limit—so speak, and speak at length,

Wonders without limit, so say and prolong

If you wish; or be measured in speech and keep it brief.

Or economize in speech and be brief

كَأَنَّها لاِبْنِ يَعْقُوبٍ صِفَات عُلا

كَأَنَّها لاِبْنِ يَعْقُوبٍ صِفَات عُلا

لِذَاكَ إحصاؤُها أَعْيا على البَشَرِ

لِذَاكَ إحصاؤُها أَعْيا على البَشَرِ

As though they were lofty attributes of Ibn Yaqub,

As if they are for Jacob’s son traits of elevation

Thus counting them has proved beyond human power.

So enumerating them made the humans weary