إلى شَجا لاعِجٍ فِي القلْبِ مُضْطَرِمِ

إلى شَجا لاعِجٍ فِي القلْبِ مُضْطَرِمِ

جاشٍ إليكَ بِهِ بَحرٌ مِنَ الكَلِمِ

جاشٍ إليكَ بِهِ بَحرٌ مِنَ الكَلِمِ

To a searing sorrow, ablaze within the heart,

To a burning anguish in my heart

with which a sea of words surges toward you,

Rushing to you is a sea of words

ودَمْعِ أجفانِ عَيْنٍ قَدْ شَرِقْنَ بِهِ

ودَمْعِ أجفانِ عَيْنٍ قَدْ شَرِقْنَ بِهِ

حتَّى ترقرقَ بينَ الرِّقِ والقلَمِ

حتَّى ترقرقَ بينَ الرِّقِ والقلَمِ

and tears on which an eye's lids have choked,

And tears from the eyelids that shone with it

until they shimmered between parchment and pen;

Until it flows between humility and the pen

دَيْناً لِذي أُسْرَةٍ دُنْيا وَفَيْتَ بِهِ

دَيْناً لِذي أُسْرَةٍ دُنْيا وَفَيْتَ بِهِ

ورَحْمةً وُصِلَتْ مِنِّي بذِي رَحِمِ

ورَحْمةً وُصِلَتْ مِنِّي بذِي رَحِمِ

a debt to one of close kin, which you have thereby discharged,

A debt to one with a worldly family that you have fulfilled

and mercy extended from me to a kinsman.

And a mercy that reached from me to one with kinship

إكرامُهُ كَرَمي وذُلُّهُ أَلَمِي

إكرامُهُ كَرَمي وذُلُّهُ أَلَمِي

وظُلْمُهُ ظُلَمِي وَعُدْمُهُ عَدَمي

وظُلْمُهُ ظُلَمِي وَعُدْمُهُ عَدَمي

His honor is my honor; his humiliation is my pain;

His nobility is my nobility and his humiliation is my pain

wrong done to him is my darkness, and his destitution my annihilation.

His injustice is my injustice and his nonexistence is my nonexistence

إذا رَدَدْتُ سيوفَ الهِندِ عَنْ دَمِهِ

إذا رَدَدْتُ سيوفَ الهِندِ عَنْ دَمِهِ

فإنما رَجَعَتْ عَنْ مُهْجَتي وَدَمي

فإنما رَجَعَتْ عَنْ مُهْجَتي وَدَمي

When I turn the swords of India from his blood,

If I drive back the Indian swords from his blood

they turn only from my own life and blood.

Then they have only recoiled from my being and my blood

وإنْ ضَرَبْتُ رِواقاً دونَ حُرْمَتِهِ

وإنْ ضَرَبْتُ رِواقاً دونَ حُرْمَتِهِ

فإنَّها سُتُري مُدَّتْ عَلَى حُرَمِي

فإنَّها سُتُري مُدَّتْ عَلَى حُرَمِي

And if I pitch a canopy to guard his honor,

And if I erect a porch to protect his sanctity

those are my own curtains, spread over all I hold sacred.

Then it is my veil that I have extended over my sanctity

لَهفي عليهِ وَقَدْ أهوَتْ لَهُ نُكَبٌ

لَهفي عليهِ وَقَدْ أهوَتْ لَهُ نُكَبٌ

لا تستقلُّ لَهَا ساقٌ عَلَى قَدَمٍ

لا تستقلُّ لَهَا ساقٌ عَلَى قَدَمٍ

How I grieve for him, as calamities have swooped upon him,

I yearn for him and misfortune has befallen him

under which no leg can stand upon a foot.

A leg cannot stand steady on a foot

فباتَ يُسْعِرُ بَرْدَ الليلِ من حُرَقٍ

فباتَ يُسْعِرُ بَرْدَ الليلِ من حُرَقٍ

ويَسْتَثيرُ دموعَ الصَّخْرِ من ألَمِ

ويَسْتَثيرُ دموعَ الصَّخْرِ من ألَمِ

So all night he kindled the night's cold with burning anguish,

So he spends the night kindling the cold's fire with burning

and drew tears from stone with his pain.

And extracting tears from stone with pain

وما بِعَيْنيَّ عن مثواهُ من وَسَنٍ

وما بِعَيْنيَّ عن مثواهُ من وَسَنٍ

وَمَا بأذْنيَّ عن شكواهُ من صَمَمِ

وَمَا بأذْنيَّ عن شكواهُ من صَمَمِ

No drowsiness turns my eyes from where he lies,

Neither are my eyes free of vigil for his dwelling

nor is there deafness in my ears to his complaint.

Nor my ears free of hearing his lament

لو أنَّها كُرْبَةٌ مِنْها أُنَفِّسُها

لو أنَّها كُرْبَةٌ مِنْها أُنَفِّسُها

بالمارِنِ اللَّدْنِ أو بالصَّارِمِ الخَذِمِ

بالمارِنِ اللَّدْنِ أو بالصَّارِمِ الخَذِمِ

If only it were one of those distresses I could dispel

If only it were a hardship I could relieve by sighing

with a supple lance or a sharp, cleaving sword!

Or with the smooth spear or the notched blade

لكنَّها كُرْبَةٌ جَلَّتْ مواقِعُها

لكنَّها كُرْبَةٌ جَلَّتْ مواقِعُها

عن حَوْلِ مُتَّئِدٍ أَوْ صَوْلِ مُنْتَقِمِ

عن حَوْلِ مُتَّئِدٍ أَوْ صَوْلِ مُنْتَقِمِ

But it is a distress whose blows are too great

But it is a hardship whose places are too high

for a prudent man's power or an avenger's assault.

For the reach of a banqueter or an avenger

فما هَزَزْتُ لَهَا إلّا شَبا قَلَمٍ

فما هَزَزْتُ لَهَا إلّا شَبا قَلَمٍ

مُسْتنصِرِ العفوِ أو مُسْتَصْرِخِ الكَرَمِ

مُسْتنصِرِ العفوِ أو مُسْتَصْرِخِ الكَرَمِ

So against it I have brandished only a pen's point,

So I did not shake because of it except a pen of youth

seeking the aid of pardon, or crying out to generosity,

Seeking amnesty or crying out for generosity

إلى الَّذِي حَكَمَتْ بالعفوِ قُدْرَتُهُ

إلى الَّذِي حَكَمَتْ بالعفوِ قُدْرَتُهُ

لما دَعَتْهُ المُنى احْكُمْ يَا أبا الحَكَمِ

لما دَعَتْهُ المُنى احْكُمْ يَا أبا الحَكَمِ

to him whose power decreed pardon

To Him whose power has ruled with amnesty

when hopes called to him: 'Judge, O Abu al-Hakam!'

When destiny called "Rule, O Father of Judges"

ومَنْ إذا مَا التَظى فِي صدْرِهِ حَنَقٌ

ومَنْ إذا مَا التَظى فِي صدْرِهِ حَنَقٌ

فبارِقٌ صَعِقٌ أو مُغْدِقُ الدِّيَمِ

فبارِقٌ صَعِقٌ أو مُغْدِقُ الدِّيَمِ

and him who, whenever wrath blazes in his breast,

And who when rancor smoulders in his chest

is a thunderous lightning-cloud, or one pouring steady rain.

Is a dazzling lightning bolt or a pouring rain

مَتى تَجَرَّعَ حَرَّ القَيْظِ مُغتَرِباً

مَتى تَجَرَّعَ حَرَّ القَيْظِ مُغتَرِباً

فَابشِرْ لِغُلَّتِهِ بالبارِدِ الشَّبِمِ

فَابشِرْ لِغُلَّتِهِ بالبارِدِ الشَّبِمِ

Whenever he gulps down midsummer's heat far from home,

When has he who is exiled tasted the heat of summer

then rejoice: for his thirst there is a cool, icy draught.

Then good tidings to him of the cool north wind

تَلْقى الكتائِبَ فِي إقدامِ مُصْطَلِمٍ

تَلْقى الكتائِبَ فِي إقدامِ مُصْطَلِمٍ

وعُذْرَ جانيهِ فِي إعراضِ مُنْهَزِمِ

وعُذْرَ جانيهِ فِي إعراضِ مُنْهَزِمِ

You face battalions with an annihilator's advance,

You meet battalions with resolute courage

and his offender's plea with a routed man's withdrawal.

And the excuse of his adversary in retreat