لَعَمْرُكَ ما جانَبْتُ في الحَقِّ لي رَهْطا

لَعَمْرُكَ ما جانَبْتُ في الحَقِّ لي رَهْطا

ولا جِئْتُ من قَوْمي لَجاجاً ولالَغْطا

ولا جِئْتُ من قَوْمي لَجاجاً ولالَغْطا

By your life, I have not shunned a clan of mine in matters of truth,

By your life, I have not wronged a soul

Nor have I come from my people in stubborn dispute or clamor.

Nor come to my people stubborn or quarrelsome

ولا عَطَفَتْ عِطْفي وَقائِدُ حاسِدٍ

ولا عَطَفَتْ عِطْفي وَقائِدُ حاسِدٍ

ولا جَذَبَتْ طَبْعي أَضالِيلُهُ قطّا

ولا جَذَبَتْ طَبْعي أَضالِيلُهُ قطّا

Nor have an envier's kindled fires bent my side,

Neither has my disposition inclined towards an envious guide

Nor have his deceptions ever swayed my nature.

Nor have my nature's whims pulled me to crooked paths

إذا مَاثَنَتْنِي أَلْسُنُ العَذْلِ عَنْ هُدىً

إذا مَاثَنَتْنِي أَلْسُنُ العَذْلِ عَنْ هُدىً

فَلاَ حَمَلَتْ كَفِّي رَوَاقِميَ الرَّقْطَا

فَلاَ حَمَلَتْ كَفِّي رَوَاقِميَ الرَّقْطَا

If tongues of reproach ever turn me from guidance,

When the tongues of reproach attempt to detour me from guidance

Then may my hand never carry my speckled pens.

I do not carry grudges in the palms of my hands

وثَبْتُ على اسْمِ وَثْبَةَ قادِرٍ

وثَبْتُ على اسْمِ وَثْبَةَ قادِرٍ

سَواءٌ لَدَيْهِ ما تَدانَى وما شَطّا

سَواءٌ لَدَيْهِ ما تَدانَى وما شَطّا

I leapt upon a name with a powerful man's leap,

I stand firmly with the stance of the Almighty

For whom what draws near and what lies far are alike.

To Him it's all the same whether distant or intimately close

وأَلْقَيْتُ عَنْ عُنْقي القِلادَةَ مُسْرِعاً

وأَلْقَيْتُ عَنْ عُنْقي القِلادَةَ مُسْرِعاً

إذا ما امْرُؤٌ قَدْ أَوْثَقَ الشَّدَّ والرَّبْطا

إذا ما امْرُؤٌ قَدْ أَوْثَقَ الشَّدَّ والرَّبْطا

And I swiftly cast the collar from my neck,

And I cast off the necklace hastily

When a man had made the binding and tying tight.

When a man has shackled me tight

وحَرَّرْتُ رِقِّي واجْتَهَدْتُ ولم أَقُلْ

وحَرَّرْتُ رِقِّي واجْتَهَدْتُ ولم أَقُلْ

بِقَوْلِ فُلانٍ إنْ أَصابَ وإنْ أَخْطا

بِقَوْلِ فُلانٍ إنْ أَصابَ وإنْ أَخْطا

And I freed myself from bondage, reasoned independently, and did not adopt

I freed myself and made effort and did not say

So-and-so's opinion, whether he was right or wrong.

According to so-and-so’s words, whether right or wrong

وما خِفْتُ في ذا الصُّنْعِ لَوْمَةَ لائِمٍ

وما خِفْتُ في ذا الصُّنْعِ لَوْمَةَ لائِمٍ

تَلَهّبَ غَيْظاً واسْتَشاطَ لَهُ سُخْطا

تَلَهّبَ غَيْظاً واسْتَشاطَ لَهُ سُخْطا

Nor did I fear, in this deed, a censurer's blame,

I did not fear in this conduct the blame of fault-finders

Who burned with rage and seethed in anger at it.

Who kindle rage and bare their anger

ولَسْتُ أَهَابُ الجَمْعَ ما لَمْ يَصِحَّ لا

ولَسْتُ أَهَابُ الجَمْعَ ما لَمْ يَصِحَّ لا

إذا شَذَّ عَنْ تِلْكَ الطَّريقَةِ أو شطّا

إذا شَذَّ عَنْ تِلْكَ الطَّريقَةِ أو شطّا

Nor am I awed by the multitude unless it proves sound—not

And I do not fear the masses if they do not approve

When it strays from that path or wanders far.

When they deviate from that path or slip

وَقَالوا تَعاطَى في الشَّبابِ صَدّقْتُمُ

وَقَالوا تَعاطَى في الشَّبابِ صَدّقْتُمُ

تَعاطَى كُؤوسَ العِلْمِ صِرْفاً وإسْفِنْطا

تَعاطَى كُؤوسَ العِلْمِ صِرْفاً وإسْفِنْطا

And they said, 'He indulged in his youth.' You spoke truly:

And they said he indulged in youth, you spoke true

He drank cups of knowledge—pure wine and spiced wine.

He indulged in the cups of knowledge purely and sincerely

سَلُوا عَنِّيَ الآلاتِ طُرّاً فإنَّها

سَلُوا عَنِّيَ الآلاتِ طُرّاً فإنَّها

إذا سُئِلَتْ لا تَسْتَطيعُ لَهُ غَمْطا

إذا سُئِلَتْ لا تَسْتَطيعُ لَهُ غَمْطا

Ask all the auxiliary sciences about me, for they

Ask the instruments about me in detail, for they

When questioned, cannot deny his worth.

When asked, cannot conceal anything about him

سَلُوا عَنِّيَ الأَصْلَيْنِ مَنْ خاضَ غَمْرَها

سَلُوا عَنِّيَ الأَصْلَيْنِ مَنْ خاضَ غَمْرَها

وعَنْ عِلْمِ رَسْطاليس عَنِّي سَلُوا رَسْطا

وعَنْ عِلْمِ رَسْطاليس عَنِّي سَلُوا رَسْطا

Ask those who have plunged into their depths about me in the two foundational sciences,

Ask the two origins, those who traversed their depths

And about Aristotle's science, ask Aristotle about me.

And ask about my knowledge of philosophy, ask in detail

سَلُوا عَنِّيَ التَّفْسيرَ والسُّنَّةَ التي

سَلُوا عَنِّيَ التَّفْسيرَ والسُّنَّةَ التي

بِها صارَ قَدْري عِنْدَ قَوْمِيَ مُنْحَطّا

بِها صارَ قَدْري عِنْدَ قَوْمِيَ مُنْحَطّا

Ask Qur'anic exegesis and the Sunnah about me,

Ask about me the interpretation and Sunnah by which

Through which my standing among my people has fallen low.

My worth became lowered among my people