قلتُI said لمنto whoever يسألُasks عنabout أحمدٍAhmad
قلتُ لمن يسألُ عن أحمدٍ
ماnot أحمدٌAhmad عنديin my view بمحمودِpraiseworthy at all
ما أحمدٌ عندي بمحمودِ
I said to one who asks about Ahmad:
I said to those who ask about Ahmed
Ahmad, to me, is not praiseworthy.
Ahmed is not praiseworthy to me
نزْرٌslight فلوso if ماتَhe died لماwould not كانbe فيin
نزْرٌ فلو ماتَ لما كان في
جُثّتِهhis corpse ماanything that يأكُلُeat الدّودُthe worms
جُثّتِه ما يأكُلُ الدّودُ
He is so slight that, were he to die, there would be nothing in
He is insignificant, if he were to die
his corpse for worms to eat.
There would be nothing in his corpse for worms to eat
وساقِطُand low الهِمّةِambition لوif أنّهُthat he
وساقِطُ الهِمّةِ لو أنّهُ
يُصلَبُwere crucified ماnot قامwould stand لهfor him عُودُa wooden stake
يُصلَبُ ما قام له عُودُ
And so low in ambition that, if he
He is of low ambition, if he were crucified
were crucified, no wooden stake would stand for him.
No stake would stand up for him
ويعشقُand he loves السّؤدُدَeminence (suʾdud) لكنّهbut he
ويعشقُ السّؤدُدَ لكنّه
يعجَزُhe falls short دالاًa dāl (the letter د) فهوso he is السّودُthe black ones (sūd)
يعجَزُ دالاً فهو السّودُ
And he loves eminence (suʾdud), but
He loves excesses, yet he is
falls a dāl short—so he is 'black' (sūd).
Incapable of achieving them, so he is most wretched
Sol 6.1