إِذا ما غَضوبٌ غاضَبَت كُلَّ رَيبَةٍ

إِذا ما غَضوبٌ غاضَبَت كُلَّ رَيبَةٍ

وَكانَت لَميسٌ لا تَقِرُّ عَلى اللَمسِ

وَكانَت لَميسٌ لا تَقِرُّ عَلى اللَمسِ

If Ghadub has quarrelled with every cause for suspicion,

When anger rages and every suspicion is inflamed,

and Lamis did not consent to touch,

And there is a touch that knows no rest,

فَقَد حازَتا فَضلَ الحَياةِ وَعُدَّتا

فَقَد حازَتا فَضلَ الحَياةِ وَعُدَّتا

مَكانَ الثُرَيّا في المَكارِمِ وَالشَمسِ

مَكانَ الثُرَيّا في المَكارِمِ وَالشَمسِ

then both have won distinction in life and been ranked

Then they have attained the excellence of life and are counted

with the Pleiades and the sun in noble virtue.

Among the noble and the brilliant.

أَخَمسينَ قَد أَفنَيتُها لَيسَ نافِعي

أَخَمسينَ قَد أَفنَيتُها لَيسَ نافِعي

بِتَأخيرِ يَومٍ أَن أَعَضَّ عَلى خَمسي

بِتَأخيرِ يَومٍ أَن أَعَضَّ عَلى خَمسي

Have I spent fifty years? It will not help me

Fifty years I have spent uselessly

delay a single day to bite my five fingers.

In putting off a day to gnaw on my five fingers.

نُرَجّي إِياباً مِن غَدٍ وَهُوَ آيِبٌ

نُرَجّي إِياباً مِن غَدٍ وَهُوَ آيِبٌ

وَكانَ صَواباً لَو بَكَينا عَلى أَمسِ

وَكانَ صَواباً لَو بَكَينا عَلى أَمسِ

We hope for tomorrow's return, and return it will;

We hope for a return from tomorrow, though it comes,

yet it would have been right to weep for yesterday.

And it would have been right to weep over yesterday.

وَمازالَ هَذا الجِسمُ مُذ فارَقَ الثَرى

وَمازالَ هَذا الجِسمُ مُذ فارَقَ الثَرى

عَلى تَعَبٍ حَتّى أُعيدَ إِلى الرَمسِ

عَلى تَعَبٍ حَتّى أُعيدَ إِلى الرَمسِ

And this body, since it left the earth, has remained

This body has not ceased, since it left the earth,

in hardship, until it is returned to the grave.

To toil until it is returned to rot.

أَلَم تَرَ أَيّامَ الفَتى في عِظاتِهِ

أَلَم تَرَ أَيّامَ الفَتى في عِظاتِهِ

بِهَمسٍ تُناجي أَو أَدَقَّ مِنَ الهَمسِ

بِهَمسٍ تُناجي أَو أَدَقَّ مِنَ الهَمسِ

Have you not seen a young man's days, as they admonish him,

Did you not see the days of the youth in their sermons

confiding in whispers, or more subtly than a whisper?

Whispering intimately or softer than a whisper?

تَوَخَّت عَواريَّ المُلوكِ بِرَدِّها

تَوَخَّت عَواريَّ المُلوكِ بِرَدِّها

جِهاراً وَآثارَ الأَكارِمِ بِالطَمسِ

جِهاراً وَآثارَ الأَكارِمِ بِالطَمسِ

They sought to reclaim the kings' borrowed possessions

The glories of kings were intent on their decline

openly, and to efface the traces of the noble.

Openly, and the traces of nobility on their obliteration.

وَلَم تَترُكِ العِزَّ القَديمَ لِفارِسٍ

وَلَم تَترُكِ العِزَّ القَديمَ لِفارِسٍ

وَلَم تَرعَ حَقّاً مِن فَوارِسِها الحُمسِ

وَلَم تَرعَ حَقّاً مِن فَوارِسِها الحُمسِ

They did not leave Persia her ancient glory,

It left not the old glory to a horseman

nor respect any right of her valiant horsemen.

And missed no right from its valiant cavaliers.

أَرَتكَ بِرُغمِ الأَنفِ سَيفَ اِبنِ ظالِمٍ

أَرَتكَ بِرُغمِ الأَنفِ سَيفَ اِبنِ ظالِمٍ

حَمائِلُهُ مَوصولَةٌ بِفَتى الحُمسِ

حَمائِلُهُ مَوصولَةٌ بِفَتى الحُمسِ

They showed you, against your will, the sword of Ibn Zalim,

It showed you despite your nose the sword of the son of an unjust ruler

its sword-belts fastened to a young man of the Hums.

Its sheaths attached to the youth of resolve.

وَصارَ دَمُ الديكِ المُؤَذِّنِ سُحرَةً

وَصارَ دَمُ الديكِ المُؤَذِّنِ سُحرَةً

لِأَهلِ المَغاني حُسوَةً لِفَمِ النِّمسِ

لِأَهلِ المَغاني حُسوَةً لِفَمِ النِّمسِ

And now the blood of the rooster, the dawn muezzin

And the blood of the rooster who makes the call to prayer became

for the dwellers, is a sip for the mongoose's mouth.

For the people of pleasures a necklace for the mouth of an effeminate catamite.

وَما سَرَّني أَنّي اِبنُ ساسانَ أَغتَدي

وَما سَرَّني أَنّي اِبنُ ساسانَ أَغتَدي

عَلى المَلِكِ في الإيوانِ أُصبِحُ أَو أُمسي

عَلى المَلِكِ في الإيوانِ أُصبِحُ أَو أُمسي

Nor would it please me to be the son of Sasan, setting out at dawn

I am not pleased that I, the son of Sasan, lord it

to the king in the iwan, morning or evening.

Arrogantly over the king in the palace, morning and evening.