ليس السلو كما قد خلتِ من شيمي

ليس السلو كما قد خلتِ من شيمي

أنا الصبور على الحالين فاحتكمي

أنا الصبور على الحالين فاحتكمي

Forgetting love is not among my traits, as you supposed.

My behavior was not as you had assumed it to be

I am patient in both states; so rule as you will.

I am patient in both joy and sorrow so pass your judgment on me

ما خنت عهد الهوى العذريِّ في صغري

ما خنت عهد الهوى العذريِّ في صغري

فكيف بعد حلول الشيب والهرم

فكيف بعد حلول الشيب والهرم

I never betrayed the covenant of chaste love in my youth;

I did not betray the covenant of love in my youth

so how could I, after gray hair and old age have come?

So how could I after the onset of grey hair and old age

يا ساكني سلَمٍ أحرقتم كبدي

يا ساكني سلَمٍ أحرقتم كبدي

اللَه بي وبها يا ساكني سلم

اللَه بي وبها يا ساكني سلم

O dwellers of Salam, you have burned my liver!

O dwellers of Salam, you have scorched my liver

For God's sake, have pity on me and it, O dwellers of Salam!

God be with me and with her, O dwellers of Salam

كيف التخلص من ليلٍ يؤرقني

كيف التخلص من ليلٍ يؤرقني

شوقاً لأطول منه من فروعهم

شوقاً لأطول منه من فروعهم

How can I escape a night that keeps me sleepless,

How to get free of a night that keeps me awake

longing for their tresses, longer than the night itself?

Yearning for those taller than it and its branches

ومن لعيني بأعرابيةٍ نهبت

ومن لعيني بأعرابيةٍ نهبت

نوم العيون بعين فتكها عجمي

نوم العيون بعين فتكها عجمي

And who can save my eye from a Bedouin woman who stole

My eyes were robbed of sleep by a Bedouin woman

sleep from eyes with an eye whose slaying is non-Arab?

Whose killing gaze is that of a foreigner

تدعو الحمام إذا ماست معاطفها

تدعو الحمام إذا ماست معاطفها

حتى يكاد يناجيها فماً لفم

حتى يكاد يناجيها فماً لفم

She summons death when her limbs sway,

She calls the doves when their feathers touch her

until it almost whispers to her, mouth to mouth.

Until he seems to whisper to her mouth to mouth

لو نولت ريقها هنديةً كفرت

لو نولت ريقها هنديةً كفرت

ما فكَّرت بعد موت البعل بالضرم

ما فكَّرت بعد موت البعل بالضرم

If she gave her saliva to an unbelieving Indian woman,

If she were to become a Hindu, she would deny

she would not think of burning after her husband's death.

The thought of another husband after the death of her spouse

مر الزمان ولم تعذب لها نعمٌ

مر الزمان ولم تعذب لها نعمٌ

واستعذبت لعذابي قول لا ولَمِ

واستعذبت لعذابي قول لا ولَمِ

Time passed, and 'yes' never tasted sweet to her;

Time passed and she was not tortured by blessings

and, to torment me, she relished saying 'no' and 'not.'

And she found sweet my words of refusal and blame

ليست معذبتي يا قوم قاتلتي

ليست معذبتي يا قوم قاتلتي

أنا القتيل بما استحسنت من هيمي

أنا القتيل بما استحسنت من هيمي

My tormentor, O people, is not my slayer;

It's not me, O people, who tortured her

I am slain by what, in my love-madness, I found beautiful.

It's me who's killed by what I approved of her whims

وما أراق دمي المسفوك ناظرها

وما أراق دمي المسفوك ناظرها

حاشاه إن عيوني السافكات دمي

حاشاه إن عيوني السافكات دمي

Nor did her eye shed my spilled blood;

It's not her watching eyes that spilled my blood

Far be it from her eye! My own eyes shed my blood.

Far from it! My own eyes spilled my blood

مثل الحسود الذي من سهم غيرته

مثل الحسود الذي من سهم غيرته

لا من صوارمِ عبودِ الهمامِ رُمِي

لا من صوارمِ عبودِ الهمامِ رُمِي

Like the envious man, who, by the arrow of his jealousy—

Like the envious one whose arrow of jealousy

not by the sharp swords of valiant ʿAbbūd—was struck.

Does not come from the swords of the brave heroes

مولىً أبى الفضلُ إلّا أن يلازمه

مولىً أبى الفضلُ إلّا أن يلازمه

فلم يقم بمكان فيه لم يقم

فلم يقم بمكان فيه لم يقم

A lord whom excellence insists on accompanying,

My master Abu Al-Fadl insisted on accompanying him

so he never dwelt anywhere that it did not dwell.

So he did not stay in any place where he did not stay

للَه منه ملاكٌ يرتقي فرساً

للَه منه ملاكٌ يرتقي فرساً

وكوكبٌ ناطقٌ يسعى على قدم

وكوكبٌ ناطقٌ يسعى على قدم

God be praised for him: an angel mounting a horse,

To God he is an angel riding a horse

and a speaking star that walks on foot.

And a speaking star walking on feet

أسرى وأسرع من برق لمنتظر

أسرى وأسرع من برق لمنتظر

أجرى وأجرع من ضرغامة الأجم

أجرى وأجرع من ضرغامة الأجم

Fleeter in night travel and faster than lightning to one awaiting it;

He rides faster than lightning when awaited

faster-running and more voracious than a lion of the thickets.

He runs faster than a startled wild camel

له يدٌ تخجل الأبحار بالكرم ال

له يدٌ تخجل الأبحار بالكرم ال

زخار والذابل الخطار بالقلم

زخار والذابل الخطار بالقلم

His hand puts the seas to shame with generosity—

He has a hand that puts oceans to shame with generosity

overflowing—and the supple, swaying spear with the pen.

A blooming and fading hand with the pen

أضحى لدائرة المعروف والكرم ال

أضحى لدائرة المعروف والكرم ال

موصوف قطب عُلاً لولاه لم تَدُم

موصوف قطب عُلاً لولاه لم تَدُم

He has become, for the circle of kindness and generosity—

He has become the circle of kindness and generosity

so described—an exalted pivot; without him it would not endure.

Whose pillar of height would not have lasted without him

أهديك يا خلف البحري عاتقةً

أهديك يا خلف البحري عاتقةً

لعاتق المجد تهدي جوهر الحكم

لعاتق المجد تهدي جوهر الحكم

I offer you, O heir of al-Bahri, a maiden,

I gift you O heir of Bahri a neck

who offers the jewels of wisdom to the shoulder of glory.

For the neck of glory that gifts the essence of wisdom

إذا قبلت بها كان القبول لها

إذا قبلت بها كان القبول لها

أعلى وأغلى من الياقوت في القيم

أعلى وأغلى من الياقوت في القيم

If you accept her, your acceptance will be, for her,

If you accept it, the acceptance will be

higher and more precious than rubies in value.

Higher and more precious than ruby in value

لا زال بأسك مرهوباً وضدك مغ

لا زال بأسك مرهوباً وضدك مغ

لوباً وشخصك محبوباً من الأمم

لوباً وشخصك محبوباً من الأمم

May your might always be feared, and your foe

Your power still strikes awe and fear in your enemies

overcome, and your person beloved by the nations.

And your person remains beloved by all nations