وَفِّر سِهامَكَ قَد أَصَبتَ مَقاتِلي

وَفِّر سِهامَكَ قَد أَصَبتَ مَقاتِلي

وَاِغضُض جُفونَكَ قَد عَرَفتَ مَخاتِلي

وَاِغضُض جُفونَكَ قَد عَرَفتَ مَخاتِلي

Spare your arrows: you have already struck my vital parts.

Spare your arrows, for you have struck down my warriors,

And lower your eyelids: you already know my hiding places.

And lower your eyelids, for you have known your contenders.

ما أَنكَرَت نَفسُ القَتيلِ مُصابَها

ما أَنكَرَت نَفسُ القَتيلِ مُصابَها

بَل أَنكَرَت غَضَباً بِوَجهِ القاتِلِ

بَل أَنكَرَت غَضَباً بِوَجهِ القاتِلِ

The slain one's soul did not resent its wound,

The soul of the slain did not deny its wounds,

but resented the anger on the killer's face.

Rather, it denied out of anger the face of the killer.

أَنتَ الحَبيبُ بِعَينِهِ فَإِذا بدا

أَنتَ الحَبيبُ بِعَينِهِ فَإِذا بدا

وَجهُ الصَباحِ فَأَنتَ عَينُ العاذِلِ

وَجهُ الصَباحِ فَأَنتَ عَينُ العاذِلِ

You are the beloved himself; but when there appears

You are the beloved in his eyes, so when the face

the face of morning, you are the very reproacher.

Of morning appears, you are the pupil of the censurer.

وَلَقَد كُفيتُ العَذلَ فيكَ لِشيمَةٍ

وَلَقَد كُفيتُ العَذلَ فيكَ لِشيمَةٍ

غَضَّت لِحاظَ الأَشوَسِ المُتَخايِلِ

غَضَّت لِحاظَ الأَشوَسِ المُتَخايِلِ

And I have indeed been spared reproach over you, through a trait

And I have been granted enough censure in you due to a trait

that lowered the gaze of the fierce-eyed swaggerer.

That irritated the glance of the coquettish and pretentious.

وَإِذا عَذَلتَ فَما ظَفِرتَ بِسامِعٍ

وَإِذا عَذَلتَ فَما ظَفِرتَ بِسامِعٍ

وَإِذا سُمِعتَ فَما ظَفِرتَ بِقائِلِ

وَإِذا سُمِعتَ فَما ظَفِرتَ بِقائِلِ

And when you reproach, you find no listener;

When you censure, you have not gained a listener,

and when you are heard, you find no one to reply.

And when you are heard, you have not gained a speaker.

لا أَشتَكي دَهراً تَميلُ صُروفُهُ

لا أَشتَكي دَهراً تَميلُ صُروفُهُ

فَكَم الشِكايَةُ مِن قَضيبٍ مائِلِ

فَكَم الشِكايَةُ مِن قَضيبٍ مائِلِ

I do not complain of time, whose fortunes sway;

I do not complain of a time whose circumstances shift,

for how much can one complain of a bending bough?

For how much complaining is there of a tilted rod?

أَشَكَرتُهُ في يَومِ نَغبَةِ راشِحِ

أَشَكَرتُهُ في يَومِ نَغبَةِ راشِحِ

وَأَذُمُّهُ مِن بَعدِ ديمَةِ وابِلِ

وَأَذُمُّهُ مِن بَعدِ ديمَةِ وابِلِ

Did I thank it on a day of a sip from a trickle,

I thanked it on the day of flowing plenty,

yet blame it after a steady downpour?

And I blame it after a time of pouring rain.

ما كانَ يُعلى ناظِري وَيَغُضُّهُ

ما كانَ يُعلى ناظِري وَيَغُضُّهُ

بِشرُ الكَريمِ وَلا عُبوسُ الباخِلِ

بِشرُ الكَريمِ وَلا عُبوسُ الباخِلِ

My gaze was never raised or lowered

It did not raise my gaze or lower it -

by the generous man's smile, nor by the miser's frown.

The cheer of the generous or the frown of the miser.

وَأَصونُ آمالي صِيانَةَ مَن يَرى

وَأَصونُ آمالي صِيانَةَ مَن يَرى

عُرفَ المُؤَمَّلِ دونَ شُكرِ الآمِلِ

عُرفَ المُؤَمَّلِ دونَ شُكرِ الآمِلِ

And I guard my hopes with the care of one who sees

And I protect my hopes, guarding one who sees

the benefactor's favor as less than the hopeful one's gratitude.

The path of the hopeful, not the thanks of the hopeful.

أَمّا وَصَدرُ الدينِ مَورِدُ هيمِها

أَمّا وَصَدرُ الدينِ مَورِدُ هيمِها

فَعَلَيهِ مَصدَرُها بِرَؤِّ الناهِلِ

فَعَلَيهِ مَصدَرُها بِرَؤِّ الناهِلِ

Now Sadr al-Din is the watering place for their thirsty camels;

As for the breast of religion being the outlet of its ardors,

so he must send them away with the drinker's thirst quenched.

Upon it is the origin with the sight of one who draws water.

وَإِذا ظَفِرتَ بِرَأيِهِ وَبِرَيِّهِ

وَإِذا ظَفِرتَ بِرَأيِهِ وَبِرَيِّهِ

أَمِنَت مُناكَ بِهِ خُمولَ الخامِلِ

أَمِنَت مُناكَ بِهِ خُمولَ الخامِلِ

And when you gain his counsel and his refreshment,

And if you attain its opinion and its piety,

your wishes, through him, are safe from the obscurity of the obscure.

Your purpose in it secures you from the laziness of the indolent.

يَمَّتُهُ فَعَقَدتَ نِيَّةَ قاطِنٍ

يَمَّتُهُ فَعَقَدتَ نِيَّةَ قاطِنٍ

أَوصافُهُ يَعقِدنَ نِيَّةَ راحِلِ

أَوصافُهُ يَعقِدنَ نِيَّةَ راحِلِ

I sought him out; then you formed the resolve of one who stays;

You tied its intention like one who settles,

his qualities fix the resolve of one who journeys.

Its traits tie the intention of one who departs.

آنَستُ نوراً مِن جَلالَةِ وَجهِهِ

آنَستُ نوراً مِن جَلالَةِ وَجهِهِ

حَلّى تَريبَةَ كُلَّ يَومِ عاطِلِ

حَلّى تَريبَةَ كُلَّ يَومِ عاطِلِ

I perceived a light from the majesty of his face

I sensed a light from the majesty of its face

that adorned the breast of every unadorned day.

That adorned the blemish of every idle day.

تِلكَ اليَدُ البَيضاءُ إِلّا أَنَّها

تِلكَ اليَدُ البَيضاءُ إِلّا أَنَّها

مِن طِرسِها حَيَّت بِسِحرٍ بابِلي

مِن طِرسِها حَيَّت بِسِحرٍ بابِلي

That is the white hand, except that it

That white hand, except that it

offered greetings from its page with Babylonian magic.

Stupefied me with Babylonian magic from its potency.

فَلَبِثتُ مِنها في أَوارِ هَواجِر

فَلَبِثتُ مِنها في أَوارِ هَواجِر

ما رُدَّ روحي في ظِلالِ أَصائِلي

ما رُدَّ روحي في ظِلالِ أَصائِلي

So, because of it, I remained in the blaze of noontides;

So I remained from it in the shelters of passions

my spirit was not restored in the shade of my late afternoons.

Until my soul was restored in the shades of my tribe.

جاءَت بِشِكَّةِ كُلِّ مَعنىً مُعجِزٍ

جاءَت بِشِكَّةِ كُلِّ مَعنىً مُعجِزٍ

وَأَتَت بِشَوكَةِ كُلِّ لَفظٍ هائِلِ

وَأَتَت بِشَوكَةِ كُلِّ لَفظٍ هائِلِ

It came with the weaponry of every inimitable meaning,

It came with the complaint of every astonishing meaning

and came with the might of every formidable word.

And arrived with the thorns of every formidable utterance.

رَدَّدتُها بَل خِفتُها فَرَدَدتُها

رَدَّدتُها بَل خِفتُها فَرَدَدتُها

وَالغَدرُ بادٍ عِندَ دَمعِ الصائِلِ

وَالغَدرُ بادٍ عِندَ دَمعِ الصائِلِ

I repeated it—rather, I feared it, so I returned it;

I recited it, rather I feared it, so I recited it,

and treachery shows when the assailant sheds tears.

And betrayal exists at the tears of one who laments.