مَن لي بِإِمليسيَّةٍ أَعني بِها

مَن لي بِإِمليسيَّةٍ أَعني بِها

وَجَناءَ تَقطَعُ في الدُجى الإِمليسا

وَجَناءَ تَقطَعُ في الدُجى الإِمليسا

Who can find me a fleet she-camel? By that I mean

Who will give me a night of darkness

a sturdy, broad-cheeked camel that crosses the barren plain in night's darkness.

And a thick grove I can wander through

أَطَلَبتُمُ أَدَباً لَدَيَّ وَلَم أَزَل

أَطَلَبتُمُ أَدَباً لَدَيَّ وَلَم أَزَل

مِنهُ أُعاني الحَجرَ وَالتَفليسا

مِنهُ أُعاني الحَجرَ وَالتَفليسا

Have you sought literary learning from me, though I have never ceased

You wanted me cultured, yet I still suffer

to suffer through it legal restraint and bankruptcy?

Stones and waterlessness

ما كُنتُ ذا يُسرٍ فَأَجمَعَهُ وَلا

ما كُنتُ ذا يُسرٍ فَأَجمَعَهُ وَلا

ذا صِحَّةٍ فَأُحالِفَ التَغليسا

ذا صِحَّةٍ فَأُحالِفَ التَغليسا

I had no wealth with which to gather it, nor

I was not blessed with wealth to hoard

health with which to befriend travel in predawn darkness.

Nor health to make false oaths

وَأَرَدتُموني أَن أَكونَ مُدَلِّساً

وَأَرَدتُموني أَن أَكونَ مُدَلِّساً

هَيهاتَ غَيري آثَرَ التَدليسا

هَيهاتَ غَيري آثَرَ التَدليسا

And you wanted me to be a deceiver.

Yet you wanted me to be a fraud

Far from it! Someone else has chosen deceit.

Never! Others chose falsehood over truth

لَيسَ الأنَامُ بِمُنجَحٍ فَإِذا دَعا

لَيسَ الأنَامُ بِمُنجَحٍ فَإِذا دَعا

داعي الضَلالِ فَلا يَجِدكُم لِيسا

داعي الضَلالِ فَلا يَجِدكُم لِيسا

Mankind is granted no success; so when a call comes

People are not successful, so when misguidance calls

from the caller to error, let him not find you bold.

It won't find you there to heed it

إِن ماتَ صاحِبُكُم فَجُدّوا بَعدَهُ

إِن ماتَ صاحِبُكُم فَجُدّوا بَعدَهُ

في النُسكِ وَاِتَّخِذوا الخُشوعَ جَليسا

في النُسكِ وَاِتَّخِذوا الخُشوعَ جَليسا

If your companion dies, strive earnestly after his death

If a friend has died, then after him

in devotion, and take humility as your companion.

Take to devotion and let worship be your friend

فَاللَهُ ما اِختارَ البَقاءَ وَطولَهُ

فَاللَهُ ما اِختارَ البَقاءَ وَطولَهُ

إِلّا لِشَرِّ عِبادِهِ إِبليسا

إِلّا لِشَرِّ عِبادِهِ إِبليسا

For God did not choose continued life and its long span

God only made life long

except for the worst of His servants, Iblis.

As an evil for Satan's wickedness

وَأَرى الذِئابَ الطُلُسَ يَعجَزُ كَيدُها

وَأَرى الذِئابَ الطُلُسَ يَعجَزُ كَيدُها

عَن كيدِ شيبٍ أَظهَروا التَطليسا

عَن كيدِ شيبٍ أَظهَروا التَطليسا

And I see the dusky wolves' cunning fall short

I see wolves, their scheming is useless

of the cunning of gray-haired men who openly practiced deceit

Against the vile scheming of white hair

وَتَخالَسوا الغَرَضَ الحَرامَ وَقَد رَأوا

وَتَخالَسوا الغَرَضَ الحَرامَ وَقَد رَأوا

شَعراً كَمُلوِيَةِ الرِياضِ خَليسا

شَعراً كَمُلوِيَةِ الرِياضِ خَليسا

and snatched the forbidden object from one another, though they had seen

They obtained their base desires, and yet saw

their hair grizzled like the partly withered growth of meadows.

Poetry like the meadow's worthless weeds