أَنا وَاِبنُ شيثٍ في الخِيامِ زِيادَةٌ

أَنا وَاِبنُ شيثٍ في الخِيامِ زِيادَةٌ

وَاِبنُ النَفيسِ وَذا المُلقُّ الصوفي

وَاِبنُ النَفيسِ وَذا المُلقُّ الصوفي

I and Ibn Shith are superfluous in the tents,

I and the son of Sheth are extra in the tents

And Ibn al-Nafis, and this Sufi al-Muliqq.

And the son of refined and the Sufi cloaked one

لا نَيلُنا يُرجى وَلا أَضيافُنا

لا نَيلُنا يُرجى وَلا أَضيافُنا

تُقرى وَلا نُدعى لدَفعِ مَخوفِ

تُقرى وَلا نُدعى لدَفعِ مَخوفِ

Our bounty is not hoped for, nor are our guests

We hope not for attainment, nor are our guests satisfied

Offered hospitality, nor are we summoned to ward off danger.

Nor called to ward off fearful thoughts

أَما المُلقُّ كَما عَلِمتَ فَنُسكُهُ

أَما المُلقُّ كَما عَلِمتَ فَنُسكُهُ

نَصبٌ عَلى زِبدِيَّةٍ وَرَغيفِ

نَصبٌ عَلى زِبدِيَّةٍ وَرَغيفِ

As for al-Muliqq, as you know, his piety

As for the cloaked one, as you know, his devotion

Is a ruse for a bowl and a loaf.

Is to a loaf of bread and bowl of broth

وَفَتى بَجيلَةَ إِن قَرا ما خَطَّهُ

وَفَتى بَجيلَةَ إِن قَرا ما خَطَّهُ

أَبصَرتَ مِنهُ غَرائِبَ التَصحيفِ

أَبصَرتَ مِنهُ غَرائِبَ التَصحيفِ

And the youth of Bajila, if he reads what he has written,

And the hero of Bejila, if he reads what he has penned

You witness his extraordinary misreadings.

You’d see in it the strangest mess of letters

وَمُهَوَّسٍ بِالكيمياءِ يُقَطّعُ الـ

وَمُهَوَّسٍ بِالكيمياءِ يُقَطّعُ الـ

ـأَوقاتَ بِالآمالِ وَالتَسويفِ

ـأَوقاتَ بِالآمالِ وَالتَسويفِ

And one obsessed with alchemy fritters away the

And one obsessed with alchemy, who spends his

Hours with hopes and procrastination.

Days with dreams and procrastination

يَبغي مِنَ الأَبوالِ تِبراً خالِصاً

يَبغي مِنَ الأَبوالِ تِبراً خالِصاً

عَقلٌ لَعَمرُ أَبيكَ جِدُّ سَخيفِ

عَقلٌ لَعَمرُ أَبيكَ جِدُّ سَخيفِ

He seeks pure gold dust from urine—

Seeking from wonders a pure essence

A mind, by your father's life, truly foolish!

By God your father has a foolish mind

وَأَنا وَشِعري كَم يُعَنِّفني الوَرى

وَأَنا وَشِعري كَم يُعَنِّفني الوَرى

فيهِ فَلا فَلا أُصغي إِلى التَعنيفِ

فيهِ فَلا فَلا أُصغي إِلى التَعنيفِ

And as for me and my poetry, how often people rebuke me

As for me and my poetry, how the people reproach me

For it; but I do not, do not listen to rebuke.

For it, but no, I don’t listen to their reproofs