وفظٍّ غليظِ القلبِ أيْقَنْتُ أنَّه

وفظٍّ غليظِ القلبِ أيْقَنْتُ أنَّه

على النَّفس ما شيءٌ أشدَّ من الغَضِّ

على النَّفس ما شيءٌ أشدَّ من الغَضِّ

And a boor, hard of heart—I became certain that

Hardhearted, rough of heart - I'm certain he's

nothing is harsher upon the soul than disparagement.

Upon the soul, none harsher than anger is

تُعرّفني في حاله النَّاس كلُّها

تُعرّفني في حاله النَّاس كلُّها

وإنٍّي لأدرى النَّاس في لؤمه المحض

وإنٍّي لأدرى النَّاس في لؤمه المحض

All the people tell me of his character,

All people point him out to me outright

yet I know his unalloyed baseness better than anyone.

Though I know well the vileness of his viciousness

وقالوا لقد دسَّ الخبيثُ بلفظه

وقالوا لقد دسَّ الخبيثُ بلفظه

غداة عرضت الشعر من عرض العرض

غداة عرضت الشعر من عرض العرض

They said, 'The vile man secretly planted in his words,

They said this scoundrel with his words has slipped

the morning I presented the verse, in the course of the presentation,

One morn my poetry was shown and shipped

دسائس لا تدري اليهود بعُشرها

دسائس لا تدري اليهود بعُشرها

دعته طباعُ السَّوْء للنهش والعض

دعته طباعُ السَّوْء للنهش والعض

schemes of which the Jews know not even a tenth;

Deceits the Jews know not one tenth about

his evil nature drove him to mauling and biting.'

His foul nature to bite and rip equips

يهوّن لدغ العقربان بلدغه

يهوّن لدغ العقربان بلدغه

ولا شك بعض الشرّ أهون من بعض

ولا شك بعض الشرّ أهون من بعض

He makes the scorpion's sting seem mild beside his own,

The scorpion's sting seems soothed by his own sting

and no doubt some evil is milder than other evil.

No doubt some evil's less than others in its strength

إذا ما رأته العين أيْقَنْتُ أنَّه

إذا ما رأته العين أيْقَنْتُ أنَّه

تَخَلَّق من حقد وصوّر من بغض

تَخَلَّق من حقد وصوّر من بغض

Whenever the eye beholds him, I become certain that he

When seen by the eye I'm certain he's

was formed from malice and fashioned from hatred.

Disguised in malice and sculpted from hate's breadth

وقالوا قضى في مدحك الحمد والغنى

وقالوا قضى في مدحك الحمد والغنى

فقلتُ لبئسَ الحكم يقضي ولم يمض

فقلتُ لبئسَ الحكم يقضي ولم يمض

They said, 'He judged that your praise was for acclaim and wealth.'

They said your praise fulfilled thanks and bounty

I said, 'What a wretched judge: he rules, yet has not carried it through!'

I said: wretched judgment made without completion

وقالوا لأجل الحرص غالى بمدحه

وقالوا لأجل الحرص غالى بمدحه

وأَطماعه للطولِ في شعره تقضي

وأَطماعه للطولِ في شعره تقضي

They said, 'Out of greed he went to excess in praising him,

They said: for greed he exaggerated in praise

and his greedy hopes for largesse govern his verse.'

And for length in verse his cravings pay

أمِنْ كلّ بيتٍ يبتغي المال راجياً

أمِنْ كلّ بيتٍ يبتغي المال راجياً

ويحسب أنَّ الجود بالطُّول والعرض

ويحسب أنَّ الجود بالطُّول والعرض

Does he seek money from every verse, expectantly,

Does he from every ode seek wealth while hoping

and reckon generosity by length and breadth?

And think generosity's in length and width lying

وينسبه للبخل وهو أبو الثنا

وينسبه للبخل وهو أبو الثنا

وأكرم من يمشي يميناً على الأرض

وأكرم من يمشي يميناً على الأرض

And he accuses him of miserliness, though he is Abu al-Thana,

And attribute to him stinginess while he's generosity's father

and, I swear, the most generous of all who walk the earth.

And nobler than any who walk the earth upright

وهب أنَّني أرجو فيوضات ماله

وهب أنَّني أرجو فيوضات ماله

أعارٌ على من يطلب البحر للفيض

أعارٌ على من يطلب البحر للفيض

And suppose I hope for the outpourings of his wealth:

Grant I desire the outpourings of his money

is it shameful for one to seek the sea for its overflow?

Am I to blame for seeking bounty from the sea's plentitude?

أمثل شهاب الدِّين لا يرتجى لها

أمثل شهاب الدِّين لا يرتجى لها

وما انقَبَضَتْ منه اليدان على القبض

وما انقَبَضَتْ منه اليدان على القبض

Should one like Shihab al-Din not be looked to for such bounty,

Like religion's shooting star, no hopes placed

when his two hands have never clenched shut to withhold?

Nor hands withdrawn with graspings tightly braced

وما كانَ مدحي لا وربِّي لنيله

وما كانَ مدحي لا وربِّي لنيله

ولكن رأيتُ الشُّكر من جملة الفرض

ولكن رأيتُ الشُّكر من جملة الفرض

My praise was not—no, by my Lord—for his bounty,

My praises were not, by my Lord, for any gain

but I counted gratitude among the duties one must fulfill.

But I saw thanks as obligatory to maintain

لقد كِدْتُ من بغضي له ولاسمه

لقد كِدْتُ من بغضي له ولاسمه

أزيغُ عن الدِّين الحنيفيّ للرَّفض

أزيغُ عن الدِّين الحنيفيّ للرَّفض

Indeed, I nearly—through hatred of him and his name—

I nearly from my hatred of him and his name

strayed from the upright faith into Rafidism.

Inclined from the true faith into some doctrinal strain

يعيب ابن رمضان المديح لأهله

يعيب ابن رمضان المديح لأهله

يحطّ قذاة العين في وسط الرَّوض

يحطّ قذاة العين في وسط الرَّوض

Ibn Ramadan finds fault with praise of those deserving it;

Ibn Ramadan finds fault with praising his own

he drops an eye-irritating mote into the midst of the garden.

Lowering the pupil into a garden prone

إذ كانَ نظم الشّعر منِّي فضيلة

إذ كانَ نظم الشّعر منِّي فضيلة

فتبًّا لفضل يورث النقص في عرضي

فتبًّا لفضل يورث النقص في عرضي

Since composing poetry was a merit of mine,

When composing verse was a merit of mine

then damn a merit that diminishes my honor!

Then curses upon a merit that defects my worth enshrine!