واسلُك سبيلَ المُفلِسينَ وَدارِ

واسلُك سبيلَ المُفلِسينَ وَدارِ

أتعَبتَ سَمعي من تَشَكِّيكَ الهوَى

أتعَبتَ سَمعي من تَشَكِّيكَ الهوَى

And follow the path of the penniless, and be tactful.

Take the path of the bankrupt and their homes

You have wearied my ears with your complaints of love,

You have wearied my hearing with your doubts, O passion

وتَقَلُّبٍ مِن شهوةٍ في نارِ

وتَقَلُّبٍ مِن شهوةٍ في نارِ

والصدِّ عنك منَ المِلاحِ بأسرِهِم

والصدِّ عنك منَ المِلاحِ بأسرِهِم

and your writhing in fire from lust,

And with the turning from one desire to another afire

and all the beauties turning away from you,

And with preventing me from the reproach of them all

ماب ين ذي غُنجٍ وذاتِ خِمارِ

ماب ين ذي غُنجٍ وذاتِ خِمارِ

والجيبُ منكَ كما وصفَتَهُ مُقفِرٌ

والجيبُ منكَ كما وصفَتَهُ مُقفِرٌ

whether a coquettish man or a veiled woman.

There is no difference between one in a gown or veil

And your pocket, as you described it, is empty.

And my pocket is empty, as you have described it, bare

فاجلُد فما في جَلدِها من عارِ

فاجلُد فما في جَلدِها من عارِ

كم مُفلِسٍ قد باتَ خيرَ مُعرِّسٍ

كم مُفلِسٍ قد باتَ خيرَ مُعرِّسٍ

So flog her; there is no shame in flogging her.

So be patient, for there is no shame in patience

Many a penniless man has spent the night the finest bridegroom,

How many a bankrupt has spent the night better off than a groom

بِيَمينهِ المِطوَاعِ خَلفَ سِتارِ

بِيَمينهِ المِطوَاعِ خَلفَ سِتارِ

يَختارُ عِرسَه ثَيِّيباً إن شاءَ أو

يَختارُ عِرسَه ثَيِّيباً إن شاءَ أو

with his obedient right hand, behind a curtain.

With his compliant right hand behind the curtain

He chooses his bride a non-virgin, if he wishes, or

Choosing his bride, whether previously married or a virgin

لَهُ في افتِرَاع البِكرِ كُلَّ خِيارِ

لَهُ في افتِرَاع البِكرِ كُلَّ خِيارِ

من غَيرِ مَا مَهرٍ ولا طَلبٍ له

من غَيرِ مَا مَهرٍ ولا طَلبٍ له

has full freedom to deflower a virgin,

Without any dowry or demand from him

without any dowry or demand for one,

Unlike what the prosperous encounter

لا مِثل ما يَلقاه أهلُ يَسار

لا مِثل ما يَلقاه أهلُ يَسار

عانِق بِفَضلِ الوَهمِ كلَّ خَريدةٍ

عانِق بِفَضلِ الوَهمِ كلَّ خَريدةٍ

unlike what people of wealth encounter.

Embracing in imagination every unseen damsel

Embrace, by the grace of imagination, every shy maiden

Veiled from sights and hearings

حُجِبَت عنِ الأسماعِ والأَبصار

حُجِبَت عنِ الأسماعِ والأَبصار

والوهمُ يُدني منكَ كلَّ مًبَعَّدٍ

والوهمُ يُدني منكَ كلَّ مًبَعَّدٍ

veiled from ears and eyes.

And imagination brings close all who are distant

And imagination brings near you everyone kept far away,

Judging by the insistence of estrangement

قاسِ على الهِجران ذي إصرارِ

قاسِ على الهِجران ذي إصرارِ

نِك ما قَدرتَ بِدونِ ما حَرَجٍ ولا

نِك ما قَدرتَ بِدونِ ما حَرَجٍ ولا

hard-hearted, insistent on estrangement.

You can do without discomfort or

Fuck as much as you can, without any qualm or

Fear of sins and burdens

خَوفٍ منَ الآثامِ والأوزار

خَوفٍ منَ الآثامِ والأوزار

نِك ما استَطعتَ بدون خِشيةِ دِرهَمٍ

نِك ما استَطعتَ بدون خِشيةِ دِرهَمٍ

fear of sins and burdens of guilt.

You can do without fear of a dirham

Fuck as much as you can, without worrying about a dirham

That you give to a prostitute or dinar

تُعطِيهِ لِلمَنيوكِ أو دينارِ

تُعطِيهِ لِلمَنيوكِ أو دينارِ

لِلَّهِ جاريَةٌ غَريبٌ أمرُها

لِلَّهِ جاريَةٌ غَريبٌ أمرُها

you give to the one you fuck, or a dinar.

By God, she is a strange slave girl

God be praised for a slave-girl whose ways are strange!

And I say this definitively without doubt

وأقولُها واللهِ غيرَ مُمَارِ

وأقولُها واللهِ غيرَ مُمَارِ

أكرِم بزَوجٍ لا تُافرِقُ زوجهَا

أكرِم بزَوجٍ لا تُافرِقُ زوجهَا

And I say it, by God, without quibbling.

Honored with a husband who does not separate from her

How noble a wife who never parts from her husband,

Whether settled or traveling among trips

حَضَراً ولا سَفَراً مِنَ الأسفَارِ

حَضَراً ولا سَفَراً مِنَ الأسفَارِ

هيهاتَ لا تَعصِي له أمراً ولا

هيهاتَ لا تَعصِي له أمراً ولا

at home or on any journey.

Alas! She does not disobey him in anything or

Far from it! She disobeys no command of his, nor

Divulge to him any secrets

تُفشي له سِراًّ مِنَ الأسرار

تُفشي له سِراًّ مِنَ الأسرار

هي قَطُّ لم تَغضَب ولم تَعتِب ولم

هي قَطُّ لم تَغضَب ولم تَعتِب ولم

does she divulge a single secret of his.

She is a cat who never gets angry or complains or

She has never grown angry, nor reproached him, nor

Lies or runs off to a neighbor's house

تَكذِب ولم تَهرُب لِدارِ الجار

تَكذِب ولم تَهرُب لِدارِ الجار

دُعِيَت فَلَبَّت فانزَوَت لَمَّا قَضَت

دُعِيَت فَلَبَّت فانزَوَت لَمَّا قَضَت

lied, nor fled to the neighbor's house.

She comes when called, stays when invited, leaves when she finishes

When called, she answered, then withdrew once she had fulfilled

What is sought from her in cycles

ما يُبتَغى منها منَ الأَوطارِ

ما يُبتَغى منها منَ الأَوطارِ

والكلُّ لا يَرضى بها زَوجاً له

والكلُّ لا يَرضى بها زَوجاً له

the desires sought of her.

Yet no one accepts her as a wife

Yet no one accepts her as his wife;

And if you ask, he denies with rejection

فإذا سَألتَه فَهوَ ذو إنكار

فإذا سَألتَه فَهوَ ذو إنكار

وإذا صَبَرتَ ولا إخالُكَ صابراً

وإذا صَبَرتَ ولا إخالُكَ صابراً

then, if you ask him, he denies it.

And if you are patient, though patience does not suit you

And if you are patient—and I do not think you will be—

In desire, O most debauched of the debauched

في شَهوةٍ يا فاجِرَ الفُجَّارِ

في شَهوةٍ يا فاجِرَ الفُجَّارِ

تُجزَى جزاءَ الصَّابرينَ وأجرَهُم

تُجزَى جزاءَ الصَّابرينَ وأجرَهُم

where lust is concerned, O libertine of libertines,

You will be rewarded as the patient are rewarded

you will receive the recompense and reward of the patient.

Excellent is the reward, the reward of the abode of the Hereafter

نِعمَ الجزاءُ جزاءُ عُقبى الدارِ

نِعمَ الجزاءُ جزاءُ عُقبى الدارِ

فأجابني قُل لي وما أنا صانِعٌ

فأجابني قُل لي وما أنا صانِعٌ

How fine the recompense—the recompense of the final abode!

So he answered me: say to me - what can I do

Then he answered me: "Tell me, what am I to do—

When you know best my careless ways?

ولأنتَ أدرى النَّاسِ باستِهتَاري

ولأنتَ أدرى النَّاسِ باستِهتَاري

إن مرَّ قُدَّامي فتىً ذو رَبوةٍ

إن مرَّ قُدَّامي فتىً ذو رَبوةٍ

and you know my wantonness better than anyone—

If a lanky youth with a swinging gait passes before me

if a young man passes before me, bearing a mound

With a rear not firmly in place

من خَلفِه ليست بذَاتِ قَرارِ

من خَلفِه ليست بذَاتِ قَرارِ

تَهتَزُّ مثل الزِّئبقِ الرَّجراج في ال

تَهتَزُّ مثل الزِّئبقِ الرَّجراج في ال

behind him that is never at rest,

It sways like quicksilver, shimmering, in

quivering like restless quicksilver in the

Movements - far from arrogance or haughtiness

حَركاتِ حاشا الكِبرِ والإكبارِ

حَركاتِ حاشا الكِبرِ والإكبارِ

ولَوَ أنَّها تَبدو كأنَّها زِئبَقٌ

ولَوَ أنَّها تَبدو كأنَّها زِئبَقٌ

movements—pride and reverence aside—

As if it were quicksilver covered from behind with a loincloth

and though it looks as if it were quicksilver,

By God, I wish eloquence upon his description were mine

قد غُطِّيَت مِن خَلفِه بإزارِ

قد غُطِّيَت مِن خَلفِه بإزارِ

ألمَى تَألَّقَ طَلعَةً ويلاهُ لو

ألمَى تَألَّقَ طَلعَةً ويلاهُ لو

covered behind him with a waist-wrap;

Or a sorceress in her graceful secret movements

dark-lipped, radiant of face—alas, if only

From beneath the veil, melting with a glance

قَصُرت على أوصافِه أشعاري

قَصُرت على أوصافِه أشعاري

أو غادةٌ سِحريَّةُ الحركاتِ من

أو غادةٌ سِحريَّةُ الحركاتِ من

my poems were confined to describing him!

And insofar as my eyes had been fruitful

Or a graceful young woman, enchanting in movement, who from

So had my pocket been in privation

تَحتِ النِّقابِ تُذيبُ بالاشفارِ

تَحتِ النِّقابِ تُذيبُ بالاشفارِ

وبِقَدرِ ما قد كانَ طَرفي عامِراً

وبِقَدرِ ما قد كانَ طَرفي عامِراً

beneath her face-veil melts me with her lashes?

Tell me - may you live well - what is my strategy

And as full as my gaze was,

When all know me to be a shameless flirt?

قد كانَ منِّي الجِيبُ في إقفَارِ

قد كانَ منِّي الجِيبُ في إقفَارِ

قل لي وحيَّاكَ الحَيا ما حِيلَتي

قل لي وحيَّاكَ الحَيا ما حِيلَتي

my pocket was just as barren.

From it the aid of fate has withdrawn

Tell me—may the rain greet you—what is my recourse,

والكُلُّ يَعرِفُني خَليعَ عِذارِ

والكُلُّ يَعرِفُني خَليعَ عِذارِ

عنهُ تَخَلَّت نُصرةُ الأقدار

عنهُ تَخَلَّت نُصرةُ الأقدار

when everyone knows me as one who has cast off his bridle,

from whom the aid of fate has withdrawn?"