كَفاني الَّذي ضَيَّعتَ مِنّي وَإِنَّما

كَفاني الَّذي ضَيَّعتَ مِنّي وَإِنَّما

يُضيعُ الحُقوقَ ظالِماً مَن أَضاعَها

يُضيعُ الحُقوقَ ظالِماً مَن أَضاعَها

What you have squandered of mine is enough for me; only

What I lost from you is enough for me, though

a wrongdoer squanders rights.

Only the unjust squander rights once held.

صَنيعَةَ مَن وَلّاكَ سوءَ صَنيعِها

صَنيعَةَ مَن وَلّاكَ سوءَ صَنيعِها

وَوَلّى سِواكَ أَجرَها وَاِصطِناعَها

وَوَلّى سِواكَ أَجرَها وَاِصطِناعَها

A favor from one who charged you with its ill doing,

The work of one who made you his ally

and assigned another its reward and its bestowal.

Rewarded others, entrusted them instead.

أَبى لَكَ كَسبَ الخَيرِ رَأيٌ مُقَصِّرٌ

أَبى لَكَ كَسبَ الخَيرِ رَأيٌ مُقَصِّرٌ

وَنَفسٌ أَضاقَ اللَهُ بِالخَيرِ باعَها

وَنَفسٌ أَضاقَ اللَهُ بِالخَيرِ باعَها

A shortsighted judgment denied you the earning of good,

An opinion too stingy thwarted your good;

and a soul whose reach for goodness God has narrowed.

A soul where goodness narrowed its breadth.

إِذا هِيَ حَثَّتهُ عَلى الخَيرِ مَرَّةً

إِذا هِيَ حَثَّتهُ عَلى الخَيرِ مَرَّةً

عَصاها وَإِن هَمَّت بِشَرٍّ أَطاعَها

عَصاها وَإِن هَمَّت بِشَرٍّ أَطاعَها

If it ever urges him toward good,

When it urged you to good, you obeyed,

he disobeys it; but if it intends evil, he obeys it.

Yet when it hinted at evil, compliance met.

فَلَولا رِجالٌ كاشِحونَ يَسُرُّهُم

فَلَولا رِجالٌ كاشِحونَ يَسُرُّهُم

إِذاكَ وَقُربى لا أُحِبُّ اِنقِطاعَها

إِذاكَ وَقُربى لا أُحِبُّ اِنقِطاعَها

So were it not for hostile men delighted

Were it not for defiant men whose joy

by your hurt, and kinship I do not wish to see severed,

In you and kin I do not like to end,

إِذاً كانَت إِن زَلَّت بِكَ النَعلُ زِلَّةً

إِذاً كانَت إِن زَلَّت بِكَ النَعلُ زِلَّةً

فِراقُ خِلالٍ لا تُطيقُ اِرتِجاعَها

فِراقُ خِلالٍ لا تُطيقُ اِرتِجاعَها

then, if your sandal slipped once, it would mean

Your misstep would mean, if sandals slipped,

parting from friendships you could not regain.

Parting ways unable to make amends,

وَإِنّي مَتى أُحمَل عَلى ذاكَ أَطَّلِع

وَإِنّي مَتى أُحمَل عَلى ذاكَ أَطَّلِع

إِلَيكَ عُيوناً لا أُحِبُّ اِطِّلاعَها

إِلَيكَ عُيوناً لا أُحِبُّ اِطِّلاعَها

And whenever I am driven to that, I direct

Whenever I bear that, my eyes will turn

toward you eyes whose scrutiny I do not desire.

To you—I do not like their glance to offend.

فَإِن تَكُ أَحلامٌ تَرُدُّ إِخاءَنا

فَإِن تَكُ أَحلامٌ تَرُدُّ إِخاءَنا

عَلَينا فَمَن هَذا يَرُدُّ سَماعَها

عَلَينا فَمَن هَذا يَرُدُّ سَماعَها

So if there are minds that turn our brotherhood

If dreams repeal our brotherhood’s writ,

back upon us, who is there to prevent their being heard?

Who can repeal the hearing of their send?

سَأَنهاكَ نَهياً مُجمِلاً وَقَصائِداً

سَأَنهاكَ نَهياً مُجمِلاً وَقَصائِداً

نَواصِحَ تَشفي مِن شُؤونٍ صُداعَها

نَواصِحَ تَشفي مِن شُؤونٍ صُداعَها

I shall admonish you with a measured warning and poems

I will forbid you—summary counsel—

full of counsel, curing the headache in the skull's seams.

With wisdom's verses that soothe their ache,

وَمَن يَجتَلِب نَحوي القَصائِدَ يَجتَلِب

وَمَن يَجتَلِب نَحوي القَصائِدَ يَجتَلِب

قِراهُ وَيُتبِع مَن يُجِبُّ اِتَّباعَها

قِراهُ وَيُتبِع مَن يُجِبُّ اِتَّباعَها

And whoever brings poems my way calls forth

Whoever draws near seeking my verse

his guest-fare, and pursues one who cuts their pursuit short.

Draws near its recitation and will partake,

إِذا ما الفَتى ذو اللُبِّ حَلَّت قَصائِدٌ

إِذا ما الفَتى ذو اللُبِّ حَلَّت قَصائِدٌ

إِلَيهِ فَخَلِّ لِلقَوافي رِباعَها

إِلَيهِ فَخَلِّ لِلقَوافي رِباعَها

When a young man of sense has poems alight

When an astute youth is approached with verse,

upon him, then leave the rhymes their dwelling-grounds.

Leave rhymes' enclosure open in his wake.