لَو كانَ لي أَمرٌ يُطاوَعُ لَم يَشِن

لَو كانَ لي أَمرٌ يُطاوَعُ لَم يَشِن

ظَهرَ الطَريقِ يَدَ الحَياةِ مُنَجِّمُ

ظَهرَ الطَريقِ يَدَ الحَياةِ مُنَجِّمُ

Had I authority that was obeyed, no astrologer would sully

If I had power to be obeyed, the palms

the open road for as long as life endured—

Of the life-giver's hands would not be harmed

أَعمى بَخيلٌ أَو بَصيرٌ فاجِرٌ

أَعمى بَخيلٌ أَو بَصيرٌ فاجِرٌ

نوءُ الضِلالِ بِهِ مُرِبٌّ مُثجَمُ

نوءُ الضِلالِ بِهِ مُرِبٌّ مُثجَمُ

a blind miser or a sighted libertine.

By a blind miser or an immoral seer

The storm of error lingers over him, pouring torrents.

Whose darkness leads him to be veiled and reserved

يَغدو بِزَخرَفَةٍ يُحاوِلُ مَكسَباً

يَغدو بِزَخرَفَةٍ يُحاوِلُ مَكسَباً

فَيُديرُ أَسطَرلابَهُ وَيُرَجِّمُ

فَيُديرُ أَسطَرلابَهُ وَيُرَجِّمُ

He goes forth with gilded deceit, seeking gain;

He goes out in vanity, attempting to gain

so he turns his astrolabe and makes conjectures.

So he moves his astrolabe and makes predictions

وَقَفَت بِهِ الوَرهاءُ وَهيَ كَأَنَّها

وَقَفَت بِهِ الوَرهاءُ وَهيَ كَأَنَّها

عِندَ الوُقوفِ عَلى عَرينٍ تَهجُمُ

عِندَ الوُقوفِ عَلى عَرينٍ تَهجُمُ

A foolish woman stopped beside him, as though she

The foolish woman stopped him, as if

were charging into a lion's den as she stopped.

When stopping at a den, she would attack

سَأَلَتهُ عَن زَوجٍ مُتَغَيِّبٍ

سَأَلَتهُ عَن زَوجٍ مُتَغَيِّبٍ

فَاِهتاجَ يَكتُبُ بِالرِقانِ وَيُعجِمُ

فَاِهتاجَ يَكتُبُ بِالرِقانِ وَيُعجِمُ

She asked him about a husband who was away;

She asked him of an absent husband

so he grew excited, writing with colored ink and dotting the letters.

So he was aroused, writing in cryptic letters

وَيَقولُ ما اِسمُكِ وَاِسمُ أُمُّكِ إِنَّني

وَيَقولُ ما اِسمُكِ وَاِسمُ أُمُّكِ إِنَّني

بِالظَنِّ عَمّا في الغُيوبِ مُتَرجمُ

بِالظَنِّ عَمّا في الغُيوبِ مُتَرجمُ

And he says, "What is your name and your mother's name? Indeed, I am

And saying what is your name, and your mother's name? Verily I

an interpreter, by conjecture, of what lies unseen."

In the unseen, am an interpreter of conjectures

يولي بِأَنَّ الجِنَّ تَطرُقُ بَيتَهُ

يولي بِأَنَّ الجِنَّ تَطرُقُ بَيتَهُ

وَلَهُ يَدينُ فَصيحُها وَالأَعجَمُ

وَلَهُ يَدينُ فَصيحُها وَالأَعجَمُ

He swears that the jinn visit his house by night,

Claiming that jinn frequent his house

and their eloquent and inarticulate alike submit to him.

And he has two eloquent, one foreign and one Arabic

وَالمَرءُ يَكدَحُ في البِلادِ وَعِرسُهُ

وَالمَرءُ يَكدَحُ في البِلادِ وَعِرسُهُ

في المِصرِ تَأكُلُ مِن طَعامٍ يوجَمُ

في المِصرِ تَأكُلُ مِن طَعامٍ يوجَمُ

And a man toils through the lands, while his wife

While a man struggles abroad, his bride

in town eats food that gives cause for misgiving.

At home eats food that is tasteless

أَفَما يَكُرُّ عَلى مَعيشَتِهِ الفَتى

أَفَما يَكُرُّ عَلى مَعيشَتِهِ الفَتى

إِلّا بِما نَبَذَت إِلَيهِ الأَنجُمُ

إِلّا بِما نَبَذَت إِلَيهِ الأَنجُمُ

Does a young man, then, pursue his livelihood

Does not the young man resent his livelihood

only through what the stars have flung his way?

Except for what the stars have apportioned to him?

رَجمُ التَنائِفِ بِالرِكابِ أَعَزُّ مِن

رَجمُ التَنائِفِ بِالرِكابِ أَعَزُّ مِن

كَسبٍ يَحُقُّ لِرَبِّهِ لَو يُرجَمُ

كَسبٍ يَحُقُّ لِرَبِّهِ لَو يُرجَمُ

Pelting across the desert wastes on riding camels is nobler than

Stoning the transgressor with shoes is nobler

gain whose owner would rightly be stoned.

Than a gain that rightly deserves its owner stoned

آهٍ لِأَسرارِ الفُؤادِ غَوالِياً

آهٍ لِأَسرارِ الفُؤادِ غَوالِياً

في الصَدرِ أَستُرُ دونَها وَأُجَمجِمُ

في الصَدرِ أَستُرُ دونَها وَأُجَمجِمُ

Ah, for the heart's secrets, so precious—

Oh the secrets of my heart deceitfully

within my breast I screen them off and speak in murmurs.

Hidden in my chest, their cover I silence

عَجَباً لِكاذِبِ مَعشَرٍ لا يَنثَني

عَجَباً لِكاذِبِ مَعشَرٍ لا يَنثَني

غَبَّ العُقوبَةِ وَهوَ أَخرَسُ أَضجَمُ

غَبَّ العُقوبَةِ وَهوَ أَخرَسُ أَضجَمُ

How strange, a people's liar who will not desist

A wonder, for the liar of a group that does not desist

after punishment, though mute and crooked-mouthed!

Escaping punishment though he is dumb and silent

كَيفَ التَخَلُّصُ وَالبَسيطَةُ لُجَّةٌ

كَيفَ التَخَلُّصُ وَالبَسيطَةُ لُجَّةٌ

وَالجَوُّ بِالنَوائِبِ يَسجُمُ

وَالجَوُّ بِالنَوائِبِ يَسجُمُ

How can one escape, when the earth is a deep sea

How to be liberated when the simple minded are thickheaded

and the sky pours down calamities?

And the atmosphere heavy with calamities and misfortune?

فَسَدَ الزَمانُ فَلا رَشادٌ ناجِمٌ

فَسَدَ الزَمانُ فَلا رَشادٌ ناجِمٌ

بَينَ الأَنامِ وَلا ضَلالٌ مُنجِمُ

بَينَ الأَنامِ وَلا ضَلالٌ مُنجِمُ

The age has grown corrupt: no right guidance emerges

The times are corrupt, no guidance arises

among mankind, nor does error abate.

Among the people, nor misguidance either

أَسرِج وَأَلجِم لِلفِرارِ فَكُلُّهُم

أَسرِج وَأَلجِم لِلفِرارِ فَكُلُّهُم

فيما يَسوءُكَ مُسرِجٌ أَو مُلجِمُ

فيما يَسوءُكَ مُسرِجٌ أَو مُلجِمُ

Saddle and bridle for flight, for every one of them

Prepare and muzzle for escape, for they are all

is saddling or bridling for what will hurt you.

Bridlers or muzzlers of what is bad for you

وَالخَيرُ أَزهَرُ ما إِلَيهِ مُسارِعٌ

وَالخَيرُ أَزهَرُ ما إِلَيهِ مُسارِعٌ

وَالشَرُّ أَكدَرُ لَيسَ عَنهُ مُحجِمُ

وَالشَرُّ أَكدَرُ لَيسَ عَنهُ مُحجِمُ

Goodness is radiant, yet none rushes toward it,

While good is the most blossoming thing hastened toward

and evil is murky, yet none draws back from it.

Evil is gloomier with none from it abstaining

ضَحِكوا إِلَيكَ وَقَد أَتَيتَ بِباطِلٍ

ضَحِكوا إِلَيكَ وَقَد أَتَيتَ بِباطِلٍ

وَمَتى صَدَقتَ فَهُم غِضابٌ رُجَّمُ

وَمَتى صَدَقتَ فَهُم غِضابٌ رُجَّمُ

They smiled at you, though you had come with falsehood;

They laugh at you though you spoke falsely

and whenever you speak truth, they are angry, hurling stones.

Yet when you were truthful, they were enraged

يَحميكَ مِنهُم أَن تَمُرَّ عَلَيهُمُ

يَحميكَ مِنهُم أَن تَمُرَّ عَلَيهُمُ

فَإِذا حَلَوتَ عَدَت عَلَيكَ العُجَّمُ

فَإِذا حَلَوتَ عَدَت عَلَيكَ العُجَّمُ

Being bitter to them shields you from them;

It protects you from them, that you pass by them

but once you grow sweet, the speechless beasts attack you.

But if you got too close, the non-Arabs would attack you