منّا الوصالُ ومنكُمُ الهجرُ

منّا الوصالُ ومنكُمُ الهجرُ

وعلى إساءَتكمْ بنا الشّكرُ

وعلى إساءَتكمْ بنا الشّكرُ

From us comes union; from you, estrangement.

You turned away, while still we yearned for union;

And for your mistreatment of us, thanks.

Yet we were thankful, though you gave but grief.

ولكلّ من أسدى الجميلَ سوى

ولكلّ من أسدى الجميلَ سوى

مسدي الجَميل إليكُمُ أجرُ

مسدي الجَميل إليكُمُ أجرُ

Everyone who bestows kindness, except

To every well-doer seeking your reward

the one who bestows it on you, has a reward.

Reward is due from us, and more but for belief.

يا طَلعَةً للحُسنِ يَظلِمها

يا طَلعَةً للحُسنِ يَظلِمها

مَنْ قال يوماً إنّها البدرُ

مَنْ قال يوماً إنّها البدرُ

O countenance of beauty, wronged

O moon of loveliness tyrannized by shade,

by whoever ever says, 'She is the full moon.'

None called you once the sun, for disbelief.

إن كان جرماً ما ظننتِ بنا

إن كان جرماً ما ظننتِ بنا

فالجرم يمحو وِزْرَه العذرُ

فالجرم يمحو وِزْرَه العذرُ

If what you suspected of us was an offense,

If we have sinned in what we fancied of you,

then an excuse wipes away its burden of guilt.

Sin becomes an ignored thing if excuse is brief.

حنّت إليكمْ كلُّ غاديةٍ

حنّت إليكمْ كلُّ غاديةٍ

وبكى عليكمْ بعدِيَ القَطْرُ

وبكى عليكمْ بعدِيَ القَطْرُ

Every morning rain-cloud yearned for you,

Towards you each lovely-one came hurrying down,

and after my departure the rain wept over you.

And, when you left, the rain wept on your grief.

وثراكُمُ لا زال مُلتمعاً

وثراكُمُ لا زال مُلتمعاً

في حافَتَيْهِ النَّوْرُ والزّهرُ

في حافَتَيْهِ النَّوْرُ والزّهرُ

And may your earth never cease to gleam

Still lightly sports your camp, and there do meet

with blossoms and flowers along its two edges.

The breeze, the rise, the bud, the bloom, the leaf.

وَإِذا اِبتَغى وطناً يقيم بهِ

وَإِذا اِبتَغى وطناً يقيم بهِ

سحُّ الحَيا فرُباكُمُ الخُضْرُ

سحُّ الحَيا فرُباكُمُ الخُضْرُ

And if a homeland is sought to dwell in

And when a serpent seeks a spot to bide,

by the pouring rain, let it be your green hills.

A place, where you have stepped, is pleasure-proof.

وكأنّ قلبِي يوم بينِكُمُ

وكأنّ قلبِي يوم بينِكُمُ

شطرٌ أقام وعندكمْ شطرُ

شطرٌ أقام وعندكمْ شطرُ

My heart, on the day of parting from you, seemed divided:

As though my heart, while you were here, became

one half remained, and one half was with you.

Two halves, and one went travelling with you.

ولقد وقفتُ على وداعكُمُ

ولقد وقفتُ على وداعكُمُ

وجوانحِي من صبرها صِفْرُ

وجوانحِي من صبرها صِفْرُ

I stood to bid you farewell,

Before you left I stood to say farewell,

and my ribs were utterly bare of patience.

But from my breast all power of speech was gone.

وبهنّ مِن تلذيع بينكُم

وبهنّ مِن تلذيع بينكُم

جمرٌ بودّي أنّه الجمرُ

جمرٌ بودّي أنّه الجمرُ

Within them, from the searing of parting from you,

And on the flames of parting I was cast,

were embers—I wished they were real embers.

And wished the glowing thing had not been fire.

وإذا مددتُ يداً إلى جَلَدي

وإذا مددتُ يداً إلى جَلَدي

فمحلّقٌ عنِّي به نَسْرُ

فمحلّقٌ عنِّي به نَسْرُ

Whenever I reached a hand toward my fortitude,

I stretch a hand, to tear my raiment's flap,

an eagle soared away from me with it.

But from me soars an eagle through desire.

يا صاحِبيَّ وَما عَذَرتُكما

يا صاحِبيَّ وَما عَذَرتُكما

أنْ تنجوا عمّن به الأسرُ

أنْ تنجوا عمّن به الأسرُ

O my two companions, I have not excused you

My friends, no censure of you rest on me,

for escaping one held captive.

Though from a drunken reveller you fled.

وصحوتُها عن صاحبٍ ثمِلٍ

وصحوتُها عن صاحبٍ ثمِلٍ

لم تنزُ فِي أوصاله الخمرُ

لم تنزُ فِي أوصاله الخمرُ

And her sobering from a drunken companion [text unclear],

I woke to find an idolater gone by,

within whose limbs no wine had leapt,

No Bacchus he, although he reeled as red.

سكرانَ من عُجْبٍ يمرّ بهِ

سكرانَ من عُجْبٍ يمرّ بهِ

ولربّ سكرٍ دونه السُّكرُ

ولربّ سكرٍ دونه السُّكرُ

drunk with the self-admiration that comes over him;

Yet you were heedless, when he tottered past,

many an intoxication surpasses ordinary drunkenness.

For what he drank could bring no shame on you.

وَصممتُما عنهُ وليسَ بهِ

وَصممتُما عنهُ وليسَ بهِ

ممّا يَخاف عليكما وِقْرُ

ممّا يَخاف عليكما وِقْرُ

And you both turned deaf to him, yet he has

Now has the time swooped down on us, and we

none of the deafness he fears for you both.

Surrendered by it, while our weapons flew.

ألا وقد فسح الزّمانُ لنا

ألا وقد فسح الزّمانُ لنا

أَعطانَه وَاِستُغزِرَ الدَّرُّ

أَعطانَه وَاِستُغزِرَ الدَّرُّ

Ah, time has opened wide for us

The year of error circled, heedlessness was ours,

its watering grounds, and milk has been drawn in plenty.

Its months and days we treated as untrue.

وَكأنّما الحولُ المجرَّمُ مِنْ

وَكأنّما الحولُ المجرَّمُ مِنْ

غَفلاتِنا عن مرَّه شهرُ

غَفلاتِنا عن مرَّه شهرُ

And the completed year seemed, because of

When power was centered in these hands of ours,

our heedlessness of its passing, a single month.

Command and banning flourished as we knew.

وإذا الأزمّةُ في أناملنا

وإذا الأزمّةُ في أناملنا

والنَّهْيُ للأقوامِ والأمرُ

والنَّهْيُ للأقوامِ والأمرُ

And behold, the reins are in our fingertips,

God has a mother who anointed Him,

and ours the forbidding and commanding of peoples.

Till in the dawn we doubted if it shone.

للّهِ أُمٌّ غَلّستْ بفتىً

للّهِ أُمٌّ غَلّستْ بفتىً

حتّى شَككنا أنّه الفجرُ

حتّى شَككنا أنّه الفجرُ

God bless the mother who brought forth a youth in the predawn dark,

Up she sprang, proof withdrawing from His side,

until we wondered whether he was dawn itself.

Proclaiming what her splendid son had done.

قامَتْ تمطّى عنه عالمةً

قامَتْ تمطّى عنه عالمةً

أنّ الذي جاءتْ به الفخرُ

أنّ الذي جاءتْ به الفخرُ

She rose and stretched after bearing him, knowing

Before his birth, the noblest of mankind

that the one she had brought forth was glory itself.

Were promised by his essence and pure zone.

وَتَشاهَدَتْ مِن قبلِ مَولدهِ

وَتَشاهَدَتْ مِن قبلِ مَولدهِ

بذكائهِ الأعراق والنّجرُ

بذكائهِ الأعراق والنّجرُ

And even before his birth, testimony was borne

He came, as comes the friend, free from defect,

to his brilliance by his bloodlines and ancestral stock.

Not patched, nor needing tools to fashion one.

فَأَتى كَما شاءَ الصديق لَه

فَأَتى كَما شاءَ الصديق لَه

لا مَرْقَعٌ فيه ولا جَبْرُ

لا مَرْقَعٌ فيه ولا جَبْرُ

So he came just as his friend wished him to be,

His attributes rose challengingly above him,

with nothing in him needing patching or mending.

Pride subject to no other pride but His.

وَتَخالُ كِبْراً في شَمائلهِ

وَتَخالُ كِبْراً في شَمائلهِ

مِن عزّةٍ ولغيره الكِبرُ

مِن عزّةٍ ولغيره الكِبرُ

You may imagine arrogance in his bearing,

You see Him on a day of battle, when

arising from dignity—but arrogance belongs to others.

The pool's hot-bubbling, and the fear stark-drawn,

وَتراهُ في يومِ الهياجِ إذا

وَتراهُ في يومِ الهياجِ إذا

وَضَحَ الحِمامُ وصرّح الذُّعرُ

وَضَحَ الحِمامُ وصرّح الذُّعرُ

And on the day of battle you see him, when

Plunging to tear the souls, as stoops the kite,

death shows itself and terror stands revealed,

Swooping wherever chance may bring it on.

يَهوي إلى قنصِ النّفوس كما

يَهوي إلى قنصِ النّفوس كما

يهوي إلى فُرصاته الصَّقْرُ

يهوي إلى فُرصاته الصَّقْرُ

swooping to hunt down souls, as

In every field His hands make white blood red,

a falcon swoops upon its chance to strike.

And brown cheeks blanch wherever He has gone.

وَبِكفّه في كلِّ معركةٍ

وَبِكفّه في كلِّ معركةٍ

تَرد الدّماء البِيضُ والسُّمرُ

تَرد الدّماء البِيضُ والسُّمرُ

And in his hand, in every battle,

Why should I now take long in time's despite,

white swords and brown spears drink blood.

When good and evil both are equal there?

كَم ذا أُطيلُ القولَ في زمنٍ

كَم ذا أُطيلُ القولَ في زمنٍ

سِيّانِ فيه الخيرُ والشّرُّ

سِيّانِ فيه الخيرُ والشّرُّ

How long must I prolong my speech in an age

The base uninjured lead a life of ease,

in which good and evil are alike?

While un427 is galled by grief and care.

أَشراره في نجوةٍ أبداً

أَشراره في نجوةٍ أبداً

مِن شرّه والمُبتَلَى الحُرُّ

مِن شرّه والمُبتَلَى الحُرُّ

Its wicked are forever safe

A folk to whom but poverty is dearth,

from its evil; it is the noble man who is afflicted.

Though stores and plenty flame before them clear.

قَومٌ يرَون الفقر بينهُمُ

قَومٌ يرَون الفقر بينهُمُ

أن تُعدمَ الأموالُ والوَفْرُ

أن تُعدمَ الأموالُ والوَفْرُ

A people who see poverty among themselves

The rich they count a poor and luckless wight,

as the lack of money and wealth.

Who lacks the teeming gold and groaning gear.

ويعدُّ غيرُهُم فقيرَهمُ

ويعدُّ غيرُهُم فقيرَهمُ

مَن لا جميلَ له ولا ذِكرُ

مَن لا جميلَ له ولا ذِكرُ

Yet others count as their poor

Honor among them is a word concealing

the one with neither good deeds nor renown.

A gulf 'twixt generosity and fear.

وكأنّما المعروف بينهمُ

وكأنّما المعروف بينهمُ

من حشمةٍ منه هو النُّكْرُ

من حشمةٍ منه هو النُّكْرُ

And kindness among them seems,

Can any win, when barriers like this rise

from their embarrassment at it, to be wrongdoing.

Twixt the longed goal and hands that grasp in dream?

كَيفَ الفلاحُ وبيننا خَلَفٌ

كَيفَ الفلاحُ وبيننا خَلَفٌ

لا نائِلٌ منهمْ ولا بِشْرُ

لا نائِلٌ منهمْ ولا بِشْرُ

How can we prosper, with a generation among us

All honor they have cast behind their backs,

from whom comes neither bounty nor cheerfulness?

And what they do for honor's sake, is bare.

نبذوا الجميلَ وراء أظهرهمْ

نبذوا الجميلَ وراء أظهرهمْ

فرباعهمْ من فعله قَفْرُ

فرباعهمْ من فعله قَفْرُ

They have cast kindness behind their backs,

Seek out their nobles, you will find them those

so their dwellings are barren of its practice.

Of no avail, a benefit, or care.

وإذا عددتَ خيارهمْ فهمُ

وإذا عددتَ خيارهمْ فهمُ

مَن لا اِنتِفاعَ بِهمْ ولا ضَرُّ

مَن لا اِنتِفاعَ بِهمْ ولا ضَرُّ

And if you count their best, they are

Daily of them a number passing by,

those who bring neither benefit nor harm.

Could make a thousand of their like seem rare.

في كلِّ يومٍ منهمُ تِرَةٌ

في كلِّ يومٍ منهمُ تِرَةٌ

لو كان في أمثالهمْ وِتْرُ

لو كان في أمثالهمْ وِتْرُ

Every day they inflict an injury,

Many, whose acts have plucked their sleeves to rags,

if the likes of them were worth vengeance.

Come to you artificial, unaware.

وَلَربّ فعلٍ دقّ صاحبُهُ

وَلَربّ فعلٍ دقّ صاحبُهُ

حتّى أتاك وجُرمُه هَدْرُ

حتّى أتاك وجُرمُه هَدْرُ

And many a deed has a doer so insignificant

that it reaches you with its offense left unpunished.