مَلَكتَ بِبَعضِ بِرَّكَ رِقِّ شُكري

مَلَكتَ بِبَعضِ بِرَّكَ رِقِّ شُكري

وَفَكَّ سَماحُ كَفِّكَ قَيدَ أَسري

وَفَكَّ سَماحُ كَفِّكَ قَيدَ أَسري

With but part of your kindness, you have made my gratitude your slave,

Your kindness has captivated my grateful tears

And your hand's generosity has undone the fetter of my captivity.

And your generous hands have freed a captive's fears

فَإِن خَفَّفتَ بِالإِحسانِ نَهضي

فَإِن خَفَّفتَ بِالإِحسانِ نَهضي

فَقَدأَثقَلتَ بِالإِنعامِ ظَهري

فَقَدأَثقَلتَ بِالإِنعامِ ظَهري

For if your kindness has eased my rising,

If with grace you lessen my burden, know truly

Your favors have indeed weighed down my back.

With your gifts you've weighed down heavily this weary

فَما بَرِحَت صِلاتُكَ واصِلاتٍ

فَما بَرِحَت صِلاتُكَ واصِلاتٍ

لِتَنجُدَني بِها وَتَشُدُّ أَزري

لِتَنجُدَني بِها وَتَشُدُّ أَزري

For your gifts have never ceased to reach me,

Your prayers have never ceased reaching me

To aid me with them and strengthen my back.

To aid me and bolster my strength steadfastly

فَقَلبُكَ في الشَدائِدِ صَدرُ بَحرٍ

فَقَلبُكَ في الشَدائِدِ صَدرُ بَحرٍ

وَصَدرُكَ في الأَوابِدِ قَلبُ بَحرِ

وَصَدرُكَ في الأَوابِدِ قَلبُ بَحرِ

Your heart amid hardships is the breast of a sea,

In hardships your heart is an ocean's expanse

And your breast amid daunting perils is the heart of a sea.

And in deserts a wasteland your chest at a glance

وَكُنتُ إِذا أَتَيتُكَ بَعدَ بُعدٍ

وَكُنتُ إِذا أَتَيتُكَ بَعدَ بُعدٍ

تُصَدَّقُ فيكَ آمالي وَزَجري

تُصَدَّقُ فيكَ آمالي وَزَجري

And whenever I came to you after an absence,

When after absence I'd come before your face

My hopes and auguries would prove true in you.

Hoping, my worries and woes losing their place

يُقابِلُني نَداكَ بِبِشرِ وَجهٍ

يُقابِلُني نَداكَ بِبِشرِ وَجهٍ

وَيَلقاني رِضاكَ بِوَجهِ بِشرِ

وَيَلقاني رِضاكَ بِوَجهِ بِشرِ

Your bounty greeted me with a cheerful face,

With gladness you'd greet me, blessing my eyes

And your favor met me with the face of gladness.

Contentment receiving me, filling my sighs

فَلِم عَوَّدتَني غَيرَ اِعتِيادي

فَلِم عَوَّدتَني غَيرَ اِعتِيادي

وَجَوَّزَ وَسعُ صَدرِكَ ضيقِ صَدري

وَجَوَّزَ وَسعُ صَدرِكَ ضيقِ صَدري

Why, then, have you accustomed me to what I am not used to,

Why accustom me to more than my share?

And why has your broad breast allowed mine to be straitened?

When your chest holds the breadth worlds cannot bear

عَذَرتُكَ حينَ حُلتَ وَأَنتَ بَحرٌ

عَذَرتُكَ حينَ حُلتَ وَأَنتَ بَحرٌ

لِأَنَّ البَحرَ ذو مَدٍّ وَجَزرِ

لِأَنَّ البَحرَ ذو مَدٍّ وَجَزرِ

I excused you when you changed, for you are a sea,

I've excused you, an ocean bound to its tide

For the sea has its flood and its ebb.

To flow out and ebb in, I cannot deride

لَقَد فَكَّرتُ حَتّى حارَ فِكري

لَقَد فَكَّرتُ حَتّى حارَ فِكري

وَقَد نَقَّبتُ حَتّى عيلَ صَبري

وَقَد نَقَّبتُ حَتّى عيلَ صَبري

I have indeed pondered until my mind grew bewildered,

I thought until thinking left me confused

And searched until my patience was exhausted.

I searched until searching no answers infused

فَلَم أَرَ مَوجِباً سُخطي وَلَكِن

فَلَم أَرَ مَوجِباً سُخطي وَلَكِن

لَعَلّي قَد أَسَأتُ وَلَستُ أَدري

لَعَلّي قَد أَسَأتُ وَلَستُ أَدري

So I saw no cause for my displeasure, yet

No reason I found for your sudden disgrace

Perhaps I have done wrong, though I do not know it.

Maybe I've erred, I know not, truth be told in my case

فَإِن أَكُ قَد أَسَأتُ لَكَ التَقاضي

فَإِن أَكُ قَد أَسَأتُ لَكَ التَقاضي

فَلا يَخفى عَلى مَولايَ عُذري

فَلا يَخفى عَلى مَولايَ عُذري

So if I have offended you in pressing for payment,

If I've caused you harm, seek no recompense

Then my excuse cannot be hidden from my lord:

For my lord knows my cause and the weight of my expense

بِأَنّي لا يَفي بِالخَرجِ كَسبي

بِأَنّي لا يَفي بِالخَرجِ كَسبي

وَلَستُ أُضيعُ بِالتَقتيرِ عُمري

وَلَستُ أُضيعُ بِالتَقتيرِ عُمري

For my earnings do not cover my expenses,

My means cannot suffice my household and mount

And I will not waste my life by scrimping.

And I'll not shorten my days for a mere discount

وَلَم أَكُ باذِلاً لِلناسِ وَجهي

وَلَم أَكُ باذِلاً لِلناسِ وَجهي

وَلا أَنا كاسِبٌ مالاً بِشِعري

وَلا أَنا كاسِبٌ مالاً بِشِعري

Nor have I humbled my face before people,

I beg not with my face bowed before mankind

Nor do I earn money through my poetry,

Nor have I gained wealth through the fruits of my mind

فَأَحمِلَ في التَحَمُّلِ فَوقَ طَوقي

فَأَحمِلَ في التَحَمُّلِ فَوقَ طَوقي

وَأَبذُلُ في التَكَلُّفِ فَوقَ قَدري

وَأَبذُلُ في التَكَلُّفِ فَوقَ قَدري

So as to shoulder burdens beyond my strength,

I've endured beyond what my shoulders could lift

And expend, in straining myself, beyond my ability,

And spent past the bounds of what meager gifts

وَأَشري عِندَكُم ماءً بِمالٍ

وَأَشري عِندَكُم ماءً بِمالٍ

وَأُحرِزَ دائِماً تِبراً بِتِبري

وَأُحرِزَ دائِماً تِبراً بِتِبري

And sell, in your presence, the water of my face for money,

I've bought water with wealth and gathered goodness with grace

And always gain gold in exchange for my own gold,

And earned but one day's wage for a whole month's space

فَأَكسَبَ كُلَّ شَهرٍ خَرجَ يَومٍ

فَأَكسَبَ كُلَّ شَهرٍ خَرجَ يَومٍ

وَأُخرِجَ كُلَّ يَومٍ كَسبَ شَهرِ

وَأُخرِجَ كُلَّ يَومٍ كَسبَ شَهرِ

Thus earning each month a day's expenses,

So how, when the lean days of fast have crept in

And spending each day a month's earnings.

And emptied what slim purse that I had tucked within

فَكَيفَ وَقَد تَوَلَّت نَقصَ كيسي

فَكَيفَ وَقَد تَوَلَّت نَقصَ كيسي

كُؤوسُ الراحِ في أَيّامِ فِطري

كُؤوسُ الراحِ في أَيّامِ فِطري

How, then, when my purse has been depleted

Has circled round them a babe, heavy of hips

By cups of wine during my days of breaking the fast?

Smooth faced, slender-waisted, sipping his sips

وَطافَ بِها ثَقيلُ الرِدفِ طَفلٌ

وَطافَ بِها ثَقيلُ الرِدفِ طَفلٌ

صَقيلُ السالِفَينِ نَحيلُ خَصرِ

صَقيلُ السالِفَينِ نَحيلُ خَصرِ

And a tender-skinned, heavy-hipped cupbearer went round with them,

A wine whose body is made of pure ruby

Smooth on both sides of the neck, slender of waist,

Begot through the mixture, daughter of pearl jewels

بِراحٍ ذاتِ جِسمٍ مِن عَقيقٍ

بِراحٍ ذاتِ جِسمٍ مِن عَقيقٍ

ويولِدُها المِزاجُ بَناتِ دُرِّ

ويولِدُها المِزاجُ بَناتِ دُرِّ

With wine whose body is of carnelian,

Both flame that sparked underneath cooling fonts

And the admixture makes it bear daughters of pearl:

And icicles formed above simmering embers

فَمِن لَهبٍ تَوَقَّدَ تَحتَ ماءٍ

فَمِن لَهبٍ تَوَقَّدَ تَحتَ ماءٍ

وَمِن بَردٍ تَنَضَّدَ فَوقَ جَمرِ

وَمِن بَردٍ تَنَضَّدَ فَوقَ جَمرِ

A flame, then, blazing beneath water,

I've emptied its cup through the days one by one

And hailstones heaped above embers.

Lavishing the sweetness of my fleeting life

أَعاقِرُ كَأسَها في كُلِّ يَومٍ

أَعاقِرُ كَأسَها في كُلِّ يَومٍ

وَأُسرِفُ لَذَّتي مِن صَرفِ دَهري

وَأُسرِفُ لَذَّتي مِن صَرفِ دَهري

I drink deeply from its cup every day,

And it matters me not if in my stupor I've missed

And lavishly take my pleasure from the vicissitudes of my days.

Praising you, muddled mind forgetting your gifts

وَليسَ بِشاغِلي عَن زَفِّ مَدحي

وَليسَ بِشاغِلي عَن زَفِّ مَدحي

وَلَستُ أُخِلُّ في سُكري بِشُكري

وَلَستُ أُخِلُّ في سُكري بِشُكري

Yet it does not distract me from ushering forth my praise,

And in my drunkenness I do not neglect my gratitude.