وافى كِتابُكَ يَزدَري

وافى كِتابُكَ يَزدَري

بِالدُرِّ أَو بِالجَوهَرِ

بِالدُرِّ أَو بِالجَوهَرِ

Your letter arrived, disdaining

Your book came belittling

pearls or precious gems.

Pearls or gems

فَقَرَأتُ فيهِ رِسالَةً

فَقَرَأتُ فيهِ رِسالَةً

مُزِجَت بِذَوبِ السُكَّرِ

مُزِجَت بِذَوبِ السُكَّرِ

So I read within it a letter

So I read in it a letter

blended with melted sugar.

Mixed with molten sugar

أَجرَيتَ في أَثنائِها

أَجرَيتَ في أَثنائِها

نَهرَ اِنسِجامِ الكَوثَرِ

نَهرَ اِنسِجامِ الكَوثَرِ

You sent coursing through it

You flowed in its midst

the smoothly flowing river of Kawthar.

The river of abundant generosity

وَفَرَطتَ بَينَ سُطورِها

وَفَرَطتَ بَينَ سُطورِها

مَنظومَ تاجِ القَيصَرِ

مَنظومَ تاجِ القَيصَرِ

And you scattered between its lines

And you let flow between its lines

the strung jewels of Caesar's crown.

The rhythm of the crown of Caesar

وَخَبَأتَ في أَلفاظِها

وَخَبَأتَ في أَلفاظِها

مِن كُلِّ مَعنىً مُسكِرِ

مِن كُلِّ مَعنىً مُسكِرِ

And you concealed within its words

And you hid in its words

every kind of intoxicating meaning.

Of every intoxicating meaning

فَتَرى المَعاني الفارِسِي

فَتَرى المَعاني الفارِسِي

يَةَ في مَغاني الأَسطُرِ

يَةَ في مَغاني الأَسطُرِ

So you see the Persian meanings

So you see the Persian meanings

in the dwelling places of the lines,

In the melodies of the lines

كَالغانِياتِ تَقَنَّعَت

كَالغانِياتِ تَقَنَّعَت

خَوفَ المُريبِ المُجتَري

خَوفَ المُريبِ المُجتَري

like beautiful women who have veiled themselves

Like singers masked

for fear of a brazen man of dubious intent.

Fearing the frightening intruder

مَعنىً أَلَذُّ مِنَ الشَما

مَعنىً أَلَذُّ مِنَ الشَما

تَةِ بِالعَدُوِّ المُدبِرِ

تَةِ بِالعَدُوِّ المُدبِرِ

A meaning sweeter than gloating

A meaning more delicious than whispering

over a retreating enemy,

To the retreating enemy

أَو مِن عِتابٍ بَينَ مَح

أَو مِن عِتابٍ بَينَ مَح

بوبٍ وَحِبٍّ مُعذِرِ

بوبٍ وَحِبٍّ مُعذِرِ

or than reproaches between a beloved

Or than the reproach between

and an apologetic lover,

A beloved and an apologizing lover

أَو فَترَةٍ أَضاعَها ال

أَو فَترَةٍ أَضاعَها ال

قامِرُ عِندَ المَيسِرِ

قامِرُ عِندَ المَيسِرِ

or a spell of time squandered by

Or a pause wasted by the gambler

the gambler at his game,

At winning time

أَو مَجلِسٍ لِلخَمرِ مَع

أَو مَجلِسٍ لِلخَمرِ مَع

قودٍ بِيَومٍ مُمطِرِ

قودٍ بِيَومٍ مُمطِرِ

or a gathering for wine, convened

Or an assembly for wine during

on a rainy day.

A rainy day

تِسعونَ بَيتاً شِدتَها

تِسعونَ بَيتاً شِدتَها

فَوقَ سِنانِ السَمهَري

فَوقَ سِنانِ السَمهَري

Ninety verses you raised

Ninety verses whose sharpness

above the point of the Samhari spear.

Transcends the fangs of Samhar

وَالسَمهَرِيُّ قَلَمٌ

وَالسَمهَرِيُّ قَلَمٌ

في كَفِّ لَيثٍ قَسوَرِ

في كَفِّ لَيثٍ قَسوَرِ

And the Samhari spear is a pen

And Samhar's pen is

in the hand of a fierce lion.

In the grip of a fierce lion

أَفَتى القَوافي كَيفَ أَن

أَفَتى القَوافي كَيفَ أَن

تَ فَقَد أَطَلتَ تَحَسُّري

تَ فَقَد أَطَلتَ تَحَسُّري

O youth of rhymes, how are

So the rhymes have ruled how

you? For you have prolonged my sorrow.

You have made me long in sorrow

أَتُرى أَراكَ أَمِ اللِقا

أَتُرى أَراكَ أَمِ اللِقا

ءُ يَكونُ يَومَ المَحشَرِ

ءُ يَكونُ يَومَ المَحشَرِ

I wonder, shall I see you, or will our meeting

Will I ever see you or will

be on the Day of Gathering?

The meeting be on Judgement Day

ما كانَ ظَنّي أَن تَعي

ما كانَ ظَنّي أَن تَعي

شَ أَيا لَئيمَ المَكسِرِ

شَ أَيا لَئيمَ المَكسِرِ

I never thought that you would live,

Never did I think you would live

O man of base mettle.

O mean breaker

وَلَقَد قُذِفتَ إِلى الجَحي

وَلَقَد قُذِفتَ إِلى الجَحي

مِ وَبِئسَ عُقبى المُنكَرِ

مِ وَبِئسَ عُقبى المُنكَرِ

And indeed you were hurled into Hell—

And indeed you were thrown into the abyss, evil is the end of the wicked

and evil is the fate of the wicked!

By God, if you were Plato of those eras

تَاللَهِ لَو أَصبَحتَ أَف

تَاللَهِ لَو أَصبَحتَ أَف

لاطونَ تِلكَ الأَعصُرِ

لاطونَ تِلكَ الأَعصُرِ

By God, if you became the Plato

And Hippocrates became in the morning, at your door, like the destitute

of those ages,

And you surpassed Galen or

وَغَدا أَبُقراطَ بِبا

وَغَدا أَبُقراطَ بِبا

بِكَ كَالعَديمِ المُعسِرِ

بِكَ كَالعَديمِ المُعسِرِ

and Hippocrates were at your door

Luqman among the civilized

like a penniless, destitute man,

You would only be contemptible in manners

وَبَرَعتَ جالينوسَ أَو

وَبَرَعتَ جالينوسَ أَو

لُقمانَ بَينَ الحُضَّرِ

لُقمانَ بَينَ الحُضَّرِ

and you surpassed Galen or

Among the congregation

Luqman among those present,

May God forgive me, for I

ما كُنتَ إِلّا تافِهَ ال

ما كُنتَ إِلّا تافِهَ ال

آدابِ عِندَ المَعشَرِ

آدابِ عِندَ المَعشَرِ

you would be nothing but a man of paltry

Cleared him of his darkness and he came to us like the stupid

learning among your fellows.

A face without face, a stature never exalted

غُفرانَكَ اللَهُمَّ إِن

غُفرانَكَ اللَهُمَّ إِن

ني مِن ظُلامَتِهِ بَري

ني مِن ظُلامَتِهِ بَري

Forgive me, O God! Indeed,

And of wonders that the like of his tongue was not severed

I am innocent of wronging him.

How often he hugged leprosy and came up with abhorrent matters

سَوَّيتَهُ كَالكَركَدَن

سَوَّيتَهُ كَالكَركَدَن

نِ وَجاءَنا كَالأَخدَري

نِ وَجاءَنا كَالأَخدَري

You fashioned him like a rhinoceros,

So do to him, O Lord, as You did to

and he came to us like a wild ass.

Nimrod, for he is confused by it

وَجهٌ وَلا وَجهُ الخُطو

وَجهٌ وَلا وَجهُ الخُطو

بِ وَقامَةٌ لَم تُشبَرِ

بِ وَقامَةٌ لَم تُشبَرِ

A face—not even the face of calamities compares—

And send down wrath upon him if

and a stature not measured in handspans.

He lives until evening without repenting

وَمِنَ العَجائِبِ أَنَّ مِث

وَمِنَ العَجائِبِ أَنَّ مِث

لَ لِسانِهِ لَم يُبتَرِ

لَ لِسانِهِ لَم يُبتَرِ

And it is a marvel that a tongue like

For he is the one who invented usury

his has not been cut off.

And established pillars of immorality

كَم باتَ يَلتَحِمُ العُرو

كَم باتَ يَلتَحِمُ العُرو

ضَ وَجاءَ بِالأَمرِ الفَري

ضَ وَجاءَ بِالأَمرِ الفَري

How often he spent the night grappling with prosody

And established the religion of worshipping

and produced a monstrous thing!

Money openly

فَاِفعَل بِهِ اللَهُمَّ كَال

فَاِفعَل بِهِ اللَهُمَّ كَال

نَمروذِ فَهوَ بِها حَري

نَمروذِ فَهوَ بِها حَري

So deal with him, O God, as with

And I wondered at his stinginess

Nimrod, for he deserves it.

And his miserly palm

وَاِنزِل عَلَيهِ السُخطَ إِن

وَاِنزِل عَلَيهِ السُخطَ إِن

أَمسى وَلَم يَستَغفِرِ

أَمسى وَلَم يَستَغفِرِ

And send Your wrath down upon him, if

He does not spend coins

he reaches evening and has not sought forgiveness.

Unless forced, without a choice

فَهوَ الَّذي اِبتَدَعَ الرِبا

فَهوَ الَّذي اِبتَدَعَ الرِبا

وَأَقامَ رُكنَ الفُجَّرِ

وَأَقامَ رُكنَ الفُجَّرِ

For he is the one who invented usury

If it were possible for him

and established the pillar of the wicked,

To live without pretension

وَأَقامَ دينَ عِبادَةِ ال

وَأَقامَ دينَ عِبادَةِ ال

دينارِ بَينَ الأَظهُرِ

دينارِ بَينَ الأَظهُرِ

and founded the religion of worshipping

He would have chosen to close

the dinar in our midst.

The two openings, and said "O pocket, beware!"

وَلَقَد عَجِبتُ لِبُخلِهِ

وَلَقَد عَجِبتُ لِبُخلِهِ

وَلِكَفِّهِ المُستَحجِرِ

وَلِكَفِّهِ المُستَحجِرِ

And indeed I marvelled at his stinginess

and at his stone-hardened hand.

لا يَصرِفُ السُحتوتَ إِل

لا يَصرِفُ السُحتوتَ إِل

لا وَهوَ غَيرُ مُخَيَّرِ

لا وَهوَ غَيرُ مُخَيَّرِ

He does not spend a tiny coin except

when he has no choice.

لَو أَنَّ في إِمكانِهِ

لَو أَنَّ في إِمكانِهِ

عَيشاً بِغَيرِ تَضَوُّرِ

عَيشاً بِغَيرِ تَضَوُّرِ

If it were within his power

to live without pangs of hunger,

لَاِختارَ سَدَّ الفَتحَتَي

لَاِختارَ سَدَّ الفَتحَتَي

نِ وَقالَ يا جَيبُ اِحذَرِ

نِ وَقالَ يا جَيبُ اِحذَرِ

he would choose to seal the two openings

and say, "O pocket, beware!"