يا مَن يَعِزُّ على النُّجومِ نظامُهُ

يا مَن يَعِزُّ على النُّجومِ نظامُهُ

حَسَداً فَيفدِي الحاسِدُ المحسودا

حَسَداً فَيفدِي الحاسِدُ المحسودا

O you whose composition the stars can scarcely bear,

O you whose system the stars envy

out of envy, so the envier would ransom the envied.

So the envious would ransom the envied

رُعتَ الكواكَبَ بالكواكبِ زِينَةً

رُعتَ الكواكَبَ بالكواكبِ زِينَةً

وهدايَةً وإنارَةً وسُعودا

وهدايَةً وإنارَةً وسُعودا

You awed the stars with stars in adornment,

You have adorned the planets with the planets, an ornament

and guidance, illumination, and good fortune.

And guidance and illumination and fortune

يَهنيكَ ميراثُ الزَّمانِ فإنَّهُ

يَهنيكَ ميراثُ الزَّمانِ فإنَّهُ

ببقائِهِ تَرِثُ الزَّمانَ خُلودا

ببقائِهِ تَرِثُ الزَّمانَ خُلودا

May time's legacy bring you joy, for

Your inheritance of time congratulates you, for by

through its endurance you inherit immortality from time.

Its survival, you inherit time eternally

أَم أنهَبَتكَ بهِ العَذارى حُسنَها

أَم أنهَبَتكَ بهِ العَذارى حُسنَها

فجلوتَهُ للناظرينَ خُدودا

فجلوتَهُ للناظرينَ خُدودا

Or did the maidens yield their beauty to you through it,

Have the maidens robbed you of their beauty so you

so you unveiled it as cheeks for all to see?

Unveiled it to beholders, cheeks

أمَ كُنتَ تعلَمُ سَلوَتي فبعثتَهُ

أمَ كُنتَ تعلَمُ سَلوَتي فبعثتَهُ

سَكَناً لأَيّام الغَرام مُعيدا

سَكَناً لأَيّام الغَرام مُعيدا

Or did you know I had forgotten love, and send it

Or did you know my solace so you sent it

as a solace, restoring the days of passion?

A dwelling for the days of love returning

أَم كانَ عندك أنّ عِندِيَ غُلَّةً

أَم كانَ عندك أنّ عِندِيَ غُلَّةً

فَرفَفتَ منهُ ألى الوُرودِ برودا

فَرفَفتَ منهُ ألى الوُرودِ برودا

Or did you suppose I had a burning thirst,

Or was it in your possession that I had a glob

and waft from it cool water to those coming to drink?

So you shook from it to the roses, coolness

أم شئت تشريفاً لعُمري بَعدَهُ

أم شئت تشريفاً لعُمري بَعدَهُ

فجعلتَهُ والفضلَ ينشأُ عِيدا

فجعلتَهُ والفضلَ ينشأُ عِيدا

Or did you wish to honor my life thereafter,

Or did you want honor for my life after it

and make it a festival, with bounty springing forth?

So you made it and merit grow up festive

مَن لي بتكليفِ الشَّريف فإنَّني

مَن لي بتكليفِ الشَّريف فإنَّني

كُلّفتُ شأواً في القَريضِ بَعيدا

كُلّفتُ شأواً في القَريضِ بَعيدا

Who can help me with the nobleman's commission? For I

Who do I have to oblige the noble one, for I

was charged with a far-off goal in poetry,

Was obliged far-fetched in verse

من بعد ما أَعفَيتُ منهُ خَواطري

من بعد ما أَعفَيتُ منهُ خَواطري

وركِبتُ من فكري إليهِ قعودا

وركِبتُ من فكري إليهِ قعودا

after I had freed my thoughts from it

After I relieved my thoughts of it

and ridden toward it on a young camel of my thought,

And mounted from my thinking to it, sitting

ونشَرتُ من أُصُلِ المشيب عَمائِماً

ونشَرتُ من أُصُلِ المشيب عَمائِماً

وَطَوَيتُ من بُكَرِ الشبابِ بُرودا

وَطَوَيتُ من بُكَرِ الشبابِ بُرودا

and unfurled turbans from gray age's evenings,

And I spread from the origin of old age turbans

and folded away striped cloaks from youth's mornings.

And folded from the virginity of youth, coolness

مَن ذا يُساجِلُه تليدَ بَلاغَةٍ

مَن ذا يُساجِلُه تليدَ بَلاغَةٍ

خيرُ البَلاغةِ ما يكونُ تَليدا

خيرُ البَلاغةِ ما يكونُ تَليدا

Who can rival him in inherited eloquence?

Who can contend with him, aged in eloquence

The best eloquence is that handed down.

The best eloquence is that which is aged

ريَّانُ من ماءِ البَيانِ يَمُجُّهُ

ريَّانُ من ماءِ البَيانِ يَمُجُّهُ

والعُربُ قد جَفَّت وحَفَّتِ عُودا

والعُربُ قد جَفَّت وحَفَّتِ عُودا

Sated with the water of eloquence, he pours it forth,

Flowing from the water of rhetoric, it pours him

while the Arabs' stem has dried and grown bare.

And the Arabs had dried and kindled firewood

نَظَمَ الخلافَةَ في طريقِ بيانِهِ

نَظَمَ الخلافَةَ في طريقِ بيانِهِ

سَرداً كما نَظَمَ الحِسَانُ فَريدا

سَرداً كما نَظَمَ الحِسَانُ فَريدا

He strung the caliphate along the course of his eloquence,

He composed the caliphate in the way of his rhetoric

in sequence, as beautiful women string choice pearls,

Strung just as Al-Hissan composed unmatched

واستلَّ فيه كُلَّ ماضٍ لَهذَمٍ

واستلَّ فيه كُلَّ ماضٍ لَهذَمٍ

ما ضَرَّه أَلَّا يكونَ حَديدا

ما ضَرَّه أَلَّا يكونَ حَديدا

and unsheathed within it every keen, cutting blade,

And he borrowed in it every past for the transient

none the worse for not being iron,

It did not harm him that it would not be iron

مِن كلِّ مَن يَغنَى بَغربِ لِسانِهِ

مِن كلِّ مَن يَغنَى بَغربِ لِسانِهِ

عَنِ غَربِ كُلِّ مهنَّدٍ تَجريدا

عَنِ غَربِ كُلِّ مهنَّدٍ تَجريدا

from all who, through their tongue's edge, have no need

From everyone who is needless of the eloquence of his tongue

to bare the edge of any Indian sword.

Of the eloquence of every Westerner, stripping

قومٌ لهم فَصلُ الخِطابِ وحِكمةٌ

قومٌ لهم فَصلُ الخِطابِ وحِكمةٌ

نيطت عَلى نَحرِ الزَّمانِ عُقودا

نيطت عَلى نَحرِ الزَّمانِ عُقودا

A people possessing decisive speech and wisdom,

A people who have the wording of speech and wisdom

hung as necklaces upon the throat of time.

Tied to the neck of time, knots

مُثرٍ منَ الأَملاكِ فَخراً إن يَشَأ

مُثرٍ منَ الأَملاكِ فَخراً إن يَشَأ

ضَاهي بهم شُهبَ السَّماء عَديدا

ضَاهي بهم شُهبَ السَّماء عَديدا

Rich in glory through kings, should he wish,

Arrogant over the angels, if he wills

he could match heaven's bright stars with them in number.

Competing with them, the multitudinous stars

نَسَبٌ كأنَّ عليهِ مِن شمس الضُّحى

نَسَبٌ كأنَّ عليهِ مِن شمس الضُّحى

نوراً ومن فَلَقِ الصَّباحِ عَمُودا

نوراً ومن فَلَقِ الصَّباحِ عَمُودا

A lineage that seems to bear, from the forenoon sun,

A lineage as if the light of the morning sun

a radiance, and from the break of dawn a shaft of light.

Were upon it, and from the horizon daylight pillars

يا مَن سَقاني من سلافَه نَثرِهِ

يا مَن سَقاني من سلافَه نَثرِهِ

صِرفاً وغَنَّى شِعرُهُ تَغريدا

صِرفاً وغَنَّى شِعرُهُ تَغريدا

O you who gave me to drink from your prose's finest wine,

O you who quenched me from the prose of his ancestors

unmixed, and whose poetry sang in trills,

Diverting, and his poetry sang twittering

واستلَّ لي عَهدَ الرَّبيعِ فشِمتُهُ

واستلَّ لي عَهدَ الرَّبيعِ فشِمتُهُ

في طِرسِهِ غضَّ الفِرَندِ جَديدا

في طِرسِهِ غضَّ الفِرَندِ جَديدا

and drew forth springtime for me, so I beheld it

And he borrowed for me the era of spring, so I sensed it

on your page, fresh in its damask sheen and new.

In its covering, the smooth silk, renewed

ما شئتَ من معنىً صقيلٍ نورُه

ما شئتَ من معنىً صقيلٍ نورُه

قد أُلبسَ التَّذهيبَ وَالتَّجسيدا

قد أُلبسَ التَّذهيبَ وَالتَّجسيدا

Every meaning you could wish for, its radiance burnished,

Whatever meaning you polished, its light

has been clothed in gilding and saffron coloring.

Was clad in gilding and embodiment

ينشقُّ عنه الحِبرُ نُوراً ساطعاً

ينشقُّ عنه الحِبرُ نُوراً ساطعاً

كالنَّجمَ أَتلَعَ في الدُّجُنَّة جيدا

كالنَّجمَ أَتلَعَ في الدُّجُنَّة جيدا

The ink parts to reveal it, a radiant light,

The ink splits from it shining light

like a star lifting its neck in the darkness.

Like a star flashed in the darkness, excellent

عَلِقَ الفَؤادُ بهِ كأنَّ مِدادَهُ

عَلِقَ الفَؤادُ بهِ كأنَّ مِدادَهُ

أَمسى بمحض سَوادِهِ مَمدودا

أَمسى بمحض سَوادِهِ مَمدودا

My heart clung to it, as though its ink

The heart clung to it as if its ink

had been replenished with my heart's pure blackness.

Had spent the night in sheer blackness, outstretched

وكأَنَّما الخِيلانُ كانَت ذَوبَهُ

وكأَنَّما الخِيلانُ كانَت ذَوبَهُ

أو نازَعَ الحَلَمَ العَذارى الغيدا

أو نازَعَ الحَلَمَ العَذارى الغيدا

And as though it were made of melted beauty spots,

And as if the two racehorses were its fusion

or had vied with slender maidens for their nipples,

Or competed with the dream, the slumbering young women

أو جَرَّ فيه المسكُ فضلَ ذُؤابَةٍ

أو جَرَّ فيه المسكُ فضلَ ذُؤابَةٍ

تَرَكت بأسطُرِهِ رُسوماً سُودا

تَرَكت بأسطُرِهِ رُسوماً سُودا

or musk had trailed across it the loose end of a tress

Or musk had dragged in it the surplus of its scent

that left black traces along its lines.

Leaving in its lines, black figures