أَمسَت ثِيابي وَكُلُّها خِرَقُ

أَمسَت ثِيابي وَكُلُّها خِرَقُ

تُشبِهُ رَوضاً أَلوانُهُ فِرَقُ

تُشبِهُ رَوضاً أَلوانُهُ فِرَقُ

My clothes have become nothing but rags,

My clothes are all tattered and torn

My clothes have turned into a patchwork of scraps,

resembling a garden of varied colors:

Resembling a garden of varied hues

Resembling a garden whose colors are distinct:

مِن أَزرَقٍ كَالسَماءِ اوَرَهُ

مِن أَزرَقٍ كَالسَماءِ اوَرَهُ

أَحمَرٌ قانٍ كَأَنَّهُ الشَفَقُ

أَحمَرٌ قانٍ كَأَنَّهُ الشَفَقُ

of blue like the sky, [beside which lies]

With blue like the sky it's adorned

Of a blue that mirrors the vast sky,

a deep crimson, as though it were the sunset glow;

And red like the sunset's bright hues

And a deep crimson, resembling the twilight glow,

وَأَبيَضٍ ناصِعٍ وَأَسوَدٍ فا

وَأَبيَضٍ ناصِعٍ وَأَسوَدٍ فا

حِمٍ فَذاكَ الضُحى وَذا الغَسَقُ

حِمٍ فَذاكَ الضُحى وَذا الغَسَقُ

and dazzling white, and a black as

With gleaming white and jet black

And a brilliant white, and a coal-black hue—

coal: that is morning light, and this is dusk.

That's the dawn and that's dusk's darker hues

The former is the morning light, the latter is the dusk.

كَأَنَّ قَوسَ السَحابِ باتَ عَلى

كَأَنَّ قَوسَ السَحابِ باتَ عَلى

جِسمي رِداءً وَما أَنا الأُفُقُ

جِسمي رِداءً وَما أَنا الأُفُقُ

As though the bow of the clouds had spent the night on

Like a rainbow the clouds did drape

It is as if the rainbow has settled upon

my body as a cloak, though I am not the horizon.

My body in a gown, I'm not the horizon's hues

My body as a cloak, though I am no horizon.

بَردٌ عَجيبٌ قَد خاطَهُ لَبِقٌ

بَردٌ عَجيبٌ قَد خاطَهُ لَبِقٌ

فَلَيسَ بِدعاً إِن حازَهُ لَبِقُ

فَلَيسَ بِدعاً إِن حازَهُ لَبِقُ

A wondrous cloak, sewn by a deft man;

A wondrous cold that elegance did sew

A wondrous garment, stitched by a skilled hand;

no wonder, then, if a deft man has acquired it.

So it's no wonder it gained elegance too

So it is no surprise that a clever man possesses it.

لَمّا تَنَكَّرتُ لَم يَعُد صُحُبي

لَمّا تَنَكَّرتُ لَم يَعُد صُحُبي

يَدرونَ أَنّي الصَديقُ إِن رَمَقوا

يَدرونَ أَنّي الصَديقُ إِن رَمَقوا

When I disguised myself, my friends no longer

When I masked myself my friends no more

When I disguised myself, my companions ceased

knew I was their friend when they looked at me.

Could tell that I was their friend when they saw my hues

To realize—when they glanced—that I was their friend.

لِذاكَ لَم يَشفَقوا عَلى جَسَدي

لِذاكَ لَم يَشفَقوا عَلى جَسَدي

مِنَ الرمايا وَلَو دَرَوا شَفِقوا

مِنَ الرمايا وَلَو دَرَوا شَفِقوا

So they felt no concern for my body

So they did not spare my body

Therefore, they showed no mercy to my body

in the face of the projectiles; had they known, they would have cared.

From their shots had they known they'd have been gentle too

With what they cast; yet had they known, they would have softened.

مَرَرتُ بِالحانِقينَ فَاِبتَسَموا

مَرَرتُ بِالحانِقينَ فَاِبتَسَموا

لَمّا رَأَوني وَكُلُّهُم قَلِقُ

لَمّا رَأَوني وَكُلُّهُم قَلِقُ

I passed the angry ones, and they smiled

I passed foes and they smiled

I passed by those filled with malice, yet they smiled

when they saw me, though all of them were anxious.

When they saw me though inside they were glum of hues

When they saw me, though they were all ill at ease.

لَو عَلِموا أَنَّني عَدُوَّهُمُ

لَو عَلِموا أَنَّني عَدُوَّهُمُ

أَوشَكَ يَقضي عَلَيهُمُ الفَرَقُ

أَوشَكَ يَقضي عَلَيهُمُ الفَرَقُ

Had they known I was their enemy,

Had they known I was their foe

Had they known that I was their enemy,

terror would have all but killed them.

Soon between us would erupt a feud

Terror would have nearly struck them dead.

أَرخى الدُجى ذَيلَهُ وَرُحتُ أَجُرُّ

أَرخى الدُجى ذَيلَهُ وَرُحتُ أَجُرُّ

الذَيلَ عُجباً وَغَيرِيَ النَزِقُ

الذَيلَ عُجباً وَغَيرِيَ النَزِقُ

Night let down its train, and I went dragging

Night's veil it let down its trail and I started

The night let down its hem, and I went dragging

the train in pride, while someone else was the frivolous one.

To drag my tail in wonder, unlike other hues

My train in vanity, while others were frivolous.

وَالجَمعُ حَولي يَضُجُّ مُبتَهِجاً

وَالجَمعُ حَولي يَضُجُّ مُبتَهِجاً

كَأَنَّهُ لسَيلُ حينَ يَندَفِقُ

كَأَنَّهُ لسَيلُ حينَ يَندَفِقُ

And the crowd around me clamored joyfully,

And the crowd around me roared delighted

The crowd around me clamors in delight,

as though it were a torrent surging forth.

Like a flood when it starts to spew

Like a torrential flood when it bursts forth.

تَأَلَّبوا كَالغَمامِ وَاِتَّصَلوا

تَأَلَّبوا كَالغَمامِ وَاِتَّصَلوا

نَعضٌ بِبَعضٍ كَأَنَّهُم حَلَقُ

نَعضٌ بِبَعضٍ كَأَنَّهُم حَلَقُ

They gathered like clouds and linked

They swarmed like clouds and huddled

They gathered like clouds and joined together,

one to another, as though they were rings.

Sticking to each other like a ring of hues

Clinging one to another like links in a chain.

وَاِنتَشَروا وَالدُروبُ واسِعَةٌ

وَاِنتَشَروا وَالدُروبُ واسِعَةٌ

كَالأَنجُمِ الزُهرِ حينَ تَنبَثِقُ

كَالأَنجُمِ الزُهرِ حينَ تَنبَثِقُ

And they spread out, the streets wide,

And they spread out while the paths were spacious

Then they scattered across the wide pathways,

like bright stars as they burst forth.

Like stars of flowers when they do spew

Like bright stars when they burst into view.

أَطلَقتُ نَفسي مِنَ القُيودِ إِلى

أَطلَقتُ نَفسي مِنَ القُيودِ إِلى

أَن صُرتُ كَالسَهمِ حينَ يَنطَلِقُ

أَن صُرتُ كَالسَهمِ حينَ يَنطَلِقُ

I freed myself from shackles until

I unleashed myself from restrictions

I released my soul from its chains, until

I became like an arrow when it is loosed.

Until I was like an arrow set free from its bow's hues

I became like an arrow when it takes flight.

وَبِتُّ وَالقَومُ كُلَّما اِجتَمَعوا

وَبِتُّ وَالقَومُ كُلَّما اِجتَمَعوا

رَمَيتُهُم بِالبُذورِ فَاِفتَرَقوا

رَمَيتُهُم بِالبُذورِ فَاِفتَرَقوا

And all night, whenever the people gathered,

And I spend the night while the people whenever they gather

I spent the night, and whenever the people gathered,

I pelted them with seeds, and they scattered.

I pelt them with seeds and they scatter in hues

I pelted them with seeds, causing them to scatter.

أَسخَرُ مِنهُم لِأَنَّهُم سَخِروا

أَسخَرُ مِنهُم لِأَنَّهُم سَخِروا

مِنّي اِختَلَفنا وَنَحنُ نَتَّفِقُ

مِنّي اِختَلَفنا وَنَحنُ نَتَّفِقُ

I mock them because they mocked

I mock them because they had mocked

I mock them because they have mocked

me; we differed even as we agreed.

Me though we weren't different in hues

Me; we differed, yet in this, we are agreed.

وَالحَربُ بَيني وَبَينَهُم نَشَبَت

وَالحَربُ بَيني وَبَينَهُم نَشَبَت

حَربٌ وَلَكِن سِهامَها الوَرَقُ

حَربٌ وَلَكِن سِهامَها الوَرَقُ

And war broke out between me and them,

And war between them and I flared up

And a war has broken out between us,

a war, yet its arrows were paper.

A war but its arrows were of paper's hues

A war, indeed, but its arrows are made of paper.

فَلا رِماحٌ هُناكَ مُشرَعَةٌ

فَلا رِماحٌ هُناكَ مُشرَعَةٌ

وَلا سُيوفٌ هُناكَ تُمتَشَقُ

وَلا سُيوفٌ هُناكَ تُمتَشَقُ

So no spears were leveled there,

No spears were raised there nor swords brandished

There are no spears leveled there for the strike,

and no swords were drawn there.

Just papers strewn that they all did strew

Nor are there any swords being unsheathed.

لَم أَخشَ غَيرَ الحِسانِ ناظِرَةً

لَم أَخشَ غَيرَ الحِسانِ ناظِرَةً

أَشَدُّ فِعلاً مِنَ الظُبى الحَدَقُ

أَشَدُّ فِعلاً مِنَ الظُبى الحَدَقُ

I feared none but the beautiful women as they gazed;

I feared none but the gazes of maidens

I feared nothing but the gaze of beautiful women,

eyes are more potent than sword blades.

More potent in action than a doe's gentle hues

For the pupils of their eyes strike harder than blades.

هَذا هُوَ الكَرنَفالُ فَاِستَبِقوا

هَذا هُوَ الكَرنَفالُ فَاِستَبِقوا

إِلَيهِ فَهوَ السُرورُ يُختَلَقُ

إِلَيهِ فَهوَ السُرورُ يُختَلَقُ

This is the carnival, so race

This is carnival, so compete

This is the Carnival, so race forward

to it, for it is joy brought into being.

To it, for it is joy we imbue

Toward it, for it is a joy artfully contrived.