طمن فؤادك أي حر

طمن فؤادك أي حر

لم يرع بالخطب قلبه

لم يرع بالخطب قلبه

Calm your heart: what noble man

Reassure your heart, O free man

has not had his heart alarmed by calamity?

Whose heart is not shaken by calamities

ودع الملام فداء من

ودع الملام فداء من

عالجت في التسليم طبه

عالجت في التسليم طبه

And leave reproach, as ransom for the one

Spare reproach, ransom for one

whose cure you sought through submission.

Who found cure in resignation to his illness

لا تكثرن هلا فعل

لا تكثرن هلا فعل

ت عليه فالفعال ربه

ت عليه فالفعال ربه

Do not keep saying, 'Why did you not act?'

Do not reproach him much for what

to him; the Doer is his Lord.

He did, for deeds belong to their Lord

المرء يصعب جهده

المرء يصعب جهده

ويلين بالمقدور صعبه

ويلين بالمقدور صعبه

A man's striving is difficult,

A man strains his effort

and his hardship softens through what is decreed.

And softens the difficult within his capability

لا تتهمني فالمؤا

لا تتهمني فالمؤا

خذ في الزمان النذل ندبه

خذ في الزمان النذل ندبه

Do not blame me, for the one held to account

Do not blame me, for in the base times

in a base age is its man of mettle.

Blaming is an attribute of them

وابيك من زمن الترع

وابيك من زمن الترع

رع لم يزل دأبي ودأبه

رع لم يزل دأبي ودأبه

And by your father, since the days of growing up,

While your father, in the time of frivolity

this has always been my habit and its habit.

My practice and his practice did not change

ومن العجيب لدى اللئا

ومن العجيب لدى اللئا

م عطاؤه ولدي سلبه

م عطاؤه ولدي سلبه

And strangely, among the base

And of the wonders, before the blamers

is its bounty, while with me is its plundering.

Is his generosity to me and his stinginess to his son

يا دهر مثلي لا يقل

يا دهر مثلي لا يقل

قل عن سنام المجد جنبه

قل عن سنام المجد جنبه

O Time, a man like me cannot have

O fate, one like me does not waver

his flank dislodged from glory's lofty hump.

From the summit of glory a bit

انا لا ابالي ان رمي

انا لا ابالي ان رمي

ت وسب عرضي من اسبه

ت وسب عرضي من اسبه

I do not care if I am assailed

I do not care if they threw

and one I revile reviles my honor.

And raved my honor, whoever raved

السيف يرمي بالفلو

السيف يرمي بالفلو

ل اذا قسا في الصلد ضربه

ل اذا قسا في الصلد ضربه

The sword is marred by nicks

The sword throws sparks

when its stroke is fierce against hard rock.

When it hardened in the solid strike

والعين يدميها الذبا

والعين يدميها الذبا

ب ويعجز الآساد دبه

ب ويعجز الآساد دبه

The fly makes the eye bleed,

The eye, the insects make it bleed

and its crawling defeats the lions.

And the lions are unable to hunt it

والتبر يعلوه الترا

والتبر يعلوه الترا

ب ولا يضر التبرتربه

ب ولا يضر التبرتربه

And dust lies over gold,

And the blade rises above the plane

but its dust does not harm the gold.

And the plane does not harm the blade's sharpening

وابيك ما تكب اللبيب

وابيك ما تكب اللبيب

وفضله باق ولبه

وفضله باق ولبه

And by your father, you cannot topple the discerning man

While your father, the sensible does not throw

while his merit and his reason endure.

And his superiority remains and his mind

هم يعرفون بان نجمي

هم يعرفون بان نجمي

تحرق الطاغين شهبه

تحرق الطاغين شهبه

They know that my star's

They know that my star burns

meteors burn the tyrants.

The transgressors, its flames

والصبر يقريني اذا

والصبر يقريني اذا

وثب الزمان وعض كلبه

وثب الزمان وعض كلبه

And patience offers me hospitality when

While patience equips me when

Time leaps and its dog bites.

Fate pounced and bit like a dog

ان مجنى قوم فان

ان مجنى قوم فان

الموت ليس يسوغ شربه

الموت ليس يسوغ شربه

If some people spit me out, then

That my path is of a people so if

death is no drink that goes down easily.

Death is not worthy of drinking

او قيل قد ملوه فالسم

او قيل قد ملوه فالسم

الذعاف يمل قربه

الذعاف يمل قربه

Or if they say, 'They have tired of him,' poison—

Or it is said, they disliked it, while poison

the deadly kind—is wearisome to be near.

Is disliked nearby its drinking

اما الملال فانني

اما الملال فانني

عودته ممن احبه

عودته ممن احبه

As for being found tiresome, I

As for boredom, I am

have grown used to it from those I love.

Used to it from those I loved

واذا تكلف في الودا

واذا تكلف في الودا

د اخوا الوداد فكيف غربه

د اخوا الوداد فكيف غربه

And if showing affection takes effort

And if there was pretension in amity

for two brothers in friendship, what of a stranger?

How can there be estrangement of amity

فاطو البساط فالانبسا

فاطو البساط فالانبسا

ط قد انطوى في الناس سربه

ط قد انطوى في الناس سربه

So roll up the carpet, for conviviality's

So roll out the rug, for the unrolling

flock has folded away among people.

Has folded among the people like a flock

والشعر اخلف نوؤه

والشعر اخلف نوؤه

وتقشعت في الجو سحبه

وتقشعت في الجو سحبه

And poetry's rain has failed,

And poetry, I made it my heir

and its clouds have dispersed in the sky.

And its bequests scattered in the air as clouds

ما زال تلفحه سمو

ما زال تلفحه سمو

م البخل حتى جفت عشبه

م البخل حتى جفت عشبه

It was ever seared by the scorching winds

It did not cease to blow its breaths

of miserliness, until its grass dried up.

Until the stinginess of Bakhil dried its pasture

كم ترتجى صنما سوا

كم ترتجى صنما سوا

ءٌ فيه مدحته وثلبه

ءٌ فيه مدحته وثلبه

How long will you hope in an idol

How do you expect an idol, whether

to whom praise and blame are alike?

You praised it or blamed it, to be equal

مستنكر الانساب جعد

مستنكر الانساب جعد

الكف جعد الوجه صلبه

الكف جعد الوجه صلبه

Of suspect lineage, with a clenched

Discrediting lineage, dry palm

hand and a face both wrinkled and hard.

Dry face, tough hide

أأخي من يك شاعرا

أأخي من يك شاعرا

فالخالق الرزاق حسبه

فالخالق الرزاق حسبه

O my brother, whoever is a poet—

My brother, whoever you are a poet

the Creator, the Provider, is enough for him.

The Creator, The Sustainer is enough for you

لا بد من شرر يعم

لا بد من شرر يعم

الجو والاعدا مصبه

الجو والاعدا مصبه

There must be sparks that fill

Inevitably there must be evil

the air, with the foes as their landing place.

That fills the air, and enemies are its spring

فارقب خفوقي ان سكنت

فارقب خفوقي ان سكنت

فعاصفي يرجى مهبه

فعاصفي يرجى مهبه

So watch for my stirring if I lie still,

So watch my pulsations, if they calmed

for my tempest's blast is to be expected.

For my storms are hoped for its blowing

لا ينظر الحساد حا

لا ينظر الحساد حا

لي انما المنظور غبه

لي انما المنظور غبه

Let the envious not look at

The envious do not look at

my state: only its outcome matters.

My state, but the Seer is His cover

أو ما دروا ان الحما

أو ما دروا ان الحما

م يفل ثم يجد غربه

م يفل ثم يجد غربه

And do they not know that death

Or did they not know that the protector

is blunted, then its edge is renewed?

Birds falter then finds its nest again

والبدر يفرق في المطا

والبدر يفرق في المطا

لع بعد ما اخفاه غربه

لع بعد ما اخفاه غربه

And the full moon breaks forth at its risings,

The moon separates in the horizons

after its setting has hidden it.

After it hid its setting

والروض يذبل ثم يكسى

والروض يذبل ثم يكسى

النور والاوراق قضبه

النور والاوراق قضبه

And the garden withers; then its shoots are clothed

The meadow withers then wears

in blossoms and leaves.

The light and the leaves thicken

والداء ان يوما يشفت

والداء ان يوما يشفت

فبالتداوي يشف ربه

فبالتداوي يشف ربه

And if illness one day wastes a man away,

The disease one day gets cured

through treatment its sufferer recovers.

So with medicine, its Lord cures

والدهر ان تأمن نوا

والدهر ان تأمن نوا

ئبه يفجأك خطبه

ئبه يفجأك خطبه

And Time, if you feel safe from its calamities,

If fate one day secures

its disaster takes you by surprise.

Its calamities, it will surprise you with its events

لا يخدعنك بسلمه

لا يخدعنك بسلمه

فوراء سلم الدهر حربه

فوراء سلم الدهر حربه

Do not let it deceive you with its peace,

Do not be fooled by its peacefulness

for behind Time's peace is its war.

For behind the fate's peace is its war