لَو أَستَطيعُ عَلى التَزويدِ بِالذَهَبِ

لَو أَستَطيعُ عَلى التَزويدِ بِالذَهَبِ

فَعَلتُ لَكِن عَداني طارِقُ النُوَبِ

فَعَلتُ لَكِن عَداني طارِقُ النُوَبِ

If I were able to provide you with gold,

If I could provide you with gold as supplies

I would, but the visitation of calamities has thwarted me.

I would have, but the vicissitudes of fate prevented me

يا سائِلَ الشعرِ يَجتابُ الفَلاةَ بِهِ

يا سائِلَ الشعرِ يَجتابُ الفَلاةَ بِهِ

تَزويدُكَ الشِعرَ لا يُغني عَن السَغَبِ

تَزويدُكَ الشِعرَ لا يُغني عَن السَغَبِ

O seeker of verse who traverses the wilderness with it,

O seeker of poetry, it will only clothe the deserts

Supplying you with verse does not stave off hunger.

My poetry cannot satiate your thirst

زادٌ مِنَ الريحِ لا ريٌّ وَلا شِبَعٌ

زادٌ مِنَ الريحِ لا ريٌّ وَلا شِبَعٌ

غَدا لَهُ مُوثِراً ذو اللبِّ وَالأَدَبِ

غَدا لَهُ مُوثِراً ذو اللبِّ وَالأَدَبِ

Sustenance of wind, neither quenching thirst nor satisfying hunger;

It is only a breeze, neither water nor feast

The man of sense and letters has come to prefer it.

Tomorrow it will please one of intellect and etiquette

أَصبَحتُ صِفراً يدي مِمّا تَجودُ بِهِ

أَصبَحتُ صِفراً يدي مِمّا تَجودُ بِهِ

ما أَعجَبَ الحادِثَ المَقدورَ في رَجبِ

ما أَعجَبَ الحادِثَ المَقدورَ في رَجبِ

I am now empty-handed, with nothing left for my hand to give.

My hands have become empty from what they once gave generously

How astonishing the fated event in Rajab!

How strange are the decrees of fate in Rajab

ذُلٌّ وَفَقرٌ أَزالا عِزّةً وَغِنىً

ذُلٌّ وَفَقرٌ أَزالا عِزّةً وَغِنىً

نُعمى اللَيالي مِنَ البَلوى عَلى كثبِ

نُعمى اللَيالي مِنَ البَلوى عَلى كثبِ

Humiliation and poverty swept away glory and wealth.

Humility and poverty erased my pride and wealth

The nights’ blessings lie close to affliction.

The nights blinded me with tribulation upon tribulation

قَد كانَ يَستَلِبُ الجَبّارَ مُهجَتَهُ

قَد كانَ يَستَلِبُ الجَبّارَ مُهجَتَهُ

بطشي وَيَحيا قَتيلُ الفَقرِ في طَلَبي

بطشي وَيَحيا قَتيلُ الفَقرِ في طَلَبي

Once the tyrant was robbed of his lifeblood

I once seized the treasures of the tyrants

By my onslaught, while one slain by poverty found life in seeking me.

With my might, though the poor man lives seeking me

وَالمُلكُ يَحرُسُهُ في ظِلِّ واهِبهِ

وَالمُلكُ يَحرُسُهُ في ظِلِّ واهِبهِ

غُلبٌ مِنَ العُجم أَو شُمٌّ مِنَ العَرَبِ

غُلبٌ مِنَ العُجم أَو شُمٌّ مِنَ العَرَبِ

And kingship was guarded, in its bestower’s shade,

And the kingdom guards him in the shade of its grantor

By stout-necked non-Arabs or proud, high-nosed Arabs.

An overpowering foreigner or Arabian vulture

فَحينَ شاءَ الَّذي أَتاهُ يَنزِعُهُ

فَحينَ شاءَ الَّذي أَتاهُ يَنزِعُهُ

لَم يجِد شَيئا قراعُ السّمرِ وَالقُضُبِ

لَم يجِد شَيئا قراعُ السّمرِ وَالقُضُبِ

So when the one who gave it wished to take it away,

So when He who granted it to him wills to take it back

The clash of tawny spears and swords availed nothing.

The hands of fate and time find nothing left

فَهاكَها قِطعةً يَطوي لَها حَسَداً

فَهاكَها قِطعةً يَطوي لَها حَسَداً

السَيفُ أَصدَقُ إِنباءً مِنَ الكُتُبِ

السَيفُ أَصدَقُ إِنباءً مِنَ الكُتُبِ

So take it—a piece of verse secretly envied

Take this piece on which envy folds

By the sword, truer in its tidings than books.

The sword speaks truer than books