قدَرُ الأثيرِ على الأثيرِ عليُّ

قدَرُ الأثيرِ على الأثيرِ عليُّ

فهو السماء وجوده الوسميُّ

فهو السماء وجوده الوسميُّ

Al-Athir’s rank is lofty above the ether.

The fate of the sublime to the sublime belongs

He is the sky, and his generosity the autumn rain.

It is the heaven, and its existence is grand

يُزْهى به سرجٌ إذا حضر الوغى

يُزْهى به سرجٌ إذا حضر الوغى

ويضيءُ في يوم العطاءِ نديُّ

ويضيءُ في يوم العطاءِ نديُّ

A saddle takes pride in him when he enters the fray,

It adorns a saddle when battle draws near

and a council-hall shines on the day of giving.

And gives light on the day of gift, generous

دع عنك عمروَ البأس أو كعبَ النّدى

دع عنك عمروَ البأس أو كعبَ النّدى

لا يستوي المسموعِ والمرثيّ

لا يستوي المسموعِ والمرثيّ

Leave aside ‘Amr of valor or Ka‘b of bounty;

Leave off the valor of Amr and elegance of dew

the one heard of and the one mourned in verse are not equal.

The heard and the eulogized are not equal

لله منزلُهُ الفسيحُ كصدْره

لله منزلُهُ الفسيحُ كصدْره

فثَراهُ بالجودِ العَميمِ ثريُّ

فثَراهُ بالجودِ العَميمِ ثريُّ

How splendid his home, spacious as his breast!

For God is its spacious abode like His bosom

Its soil is rich with all-embracing generosity.

So He furnished it with bountiful generosity

ولربّ ساداتٍ به لو أنصفوا

ولربّ ساداتٍ به لو أنصفوا

قدراً لقيلَ العالمُ العُلويُّ

قدراً لقيلَ العالمُ العُلويُّ

And many lords are there; were they given their due

And for some chiefs, if they were equitable

in rank, one would say, “The celestial realm!”

The supreme world would have said, lofty

فوجوهُهمْ دريّةٌ يهدى بها

فوجوهُهمْ دريّةٌ يهدى بها

باغي النوالِ ولفظُهُمْ دُريُّ

باغي النوالِ ولفظُهُمْ دُريُّ

For their faces are star-bright; by them is guided

So their faces guide whomever seeks favor

the seeker of bounty, and their speech is pearly.

And their words are precious pearls

دارٌ بها ما تَشتَهيهِ نفوسُنا

دارٌ بها ما تَشتَهيهِ نفوسُنا

شِبَعٌ كما شاءَ السّماحُ وريُّ

شِبَعٌ كما شاءَ السّماحُ وريُّ

A house containing all that our souls desire:

A house wherein lies what our souls desire

fullness, as generosity willed, and thirst quenched.

Satiety as the Benevolent willed, abundant

يا حسنَ مائدةٍ تُميد بثِقْلِها

يا حسنَ مائدةٍ تُميد بثِقْلِها

ذكرُ الخلودِ لما حوَتْ مَنسيُّ

ذكرُ الخلودِ لما حوَتْ مَنسيُّ

How lovely a table that sways beneath its weight!

O excellence of a table, memories of eternity weigh down with its heaviness

The thought of eternal life is forgotten for what it holds.

What it contained, forgetful

لو ملّك اللهُ المسيحَ مِثالَها

لو ملّك اللهُ المسيحَ مِثالَها

لأطاعه الإنسيُّ والجِنيُّ

لأطاعه الإنسيُّ والجِنيُّ

Had God granted the Messiah its like,

If God gave the likeness of it to Jesus

human and jinn alike would have obeyed him.

The human and demon would obey Him

هي مَيْدةٌ كثُرَت صنوفُ طعامِها

هي مَيْدةٌ كثُرَت صنوفُ طعامِها

فاحتلّها القيسيُّ واليَمنيُّ

فاحتلّها القيسيُّ واليَمنيُّ

It is a table with many kinds of food,

It is a table upon which various foods gathered

so the Qaysi and the Yemeni have taken their places at it.

So the Qaysi and the Yemeni came to it

ولقد حضرتُ بها ورُمْتُ صفاتِها

ولقد حضرتُ بها ورُمْتُ صفاتِها

عجِلاً فساعدَ خاطرٌ ورويُّ

عجِلاً فساعدَ خاطرٌ ورويُّ

I was indeed there and sought to describe it,

And I attended it, described its traits

in haste; inspiration and rhyme came to my aid.

Hastily, so an idea assisted, composed

وظننتُ عبدَ الله يسمحُ فكرُه

وظننتُ عبدَ الله يسمحُ فكرُه

فيها بشيءٍ فاعتراهُ العِيُّ

فيها بشيءٍ فاعتراهُ العِيُّ

And I thought ‘Abd Allah’s mind would yield

I thought Abdullah’s mind would generously

something about it, but inarticulacy overcame him.

Grant something, but shyness stopped him

عجزٌ ثَناهُ عن الجوابِ فعذرُه

عجزٌ ثَناهُ عن الجوابِ فعذرُه

خافٍ وعُذْري في الهِجاءِ جَليُّ

خافٍ وعُذْري في الهِجاءِ جَليُّ

Inability turned him from replying, so his excuse

Incapacity bent him from answering, so his excuse

is hidden, while my excuse for satire is plain.

Is fear, and my excuse for satire is clear

ويقولُ عندي من فلانٍ شاغلٌ

ويقولُ عندي من فلانٍ شاغلٌ

هذا مُسيلمةٌ وذاكَ عليُّ

هذا مُسيلمةٌ وذاكَ عليُّ

And he says, “I have something from so-and-so to occupy me:

And he says I have a preoccupation with so-and-so

this is Musaylima, and that is ‘Ali.”

This one is Musaylimah, and that one, Ali

وتراهُ يعبثُ بالخليلِ وإنّهُ

وتراهُ يعبثُ بالخليلِ وإنّهُ

لا شكّ من فضلِ الخليلِ خليُّ

لا شكّ من فضلِ الخليلِ خليُّ

And you see him toying with al-Khalil, though he

You see him trifling with the Friend, and he

is doubtless devoid of al-Khalil’s excellence.

Is no doubt from the Friend’s superiority, intimate

يروي كتابَ العينِ لكنْ نونُه

يروي كتابَ العينِ لكنْ نونُه

محذوفةٌ فاسلَمه فهو خفيُّ

محذوفةٌ فاسلَمه فهو خفيُّ

He transmits the Book of al-‘Ayn, but its letter nūn

He narrates the book of ‘Ayn, but its nun

is deleted; leave him be, for he is obscure.

Is omitted, so submit it, for he is hidden

ويخوضُ في بحرِ العروضِ ورِجْلُه

ويخوضُ في بحرِ العروضِ ورِجْلُه

لم تبْتَلِلْ بالماءِ فهو نبيُّ

لم تبْتَلِلْ بالماءِ فهو نبيُّ

And he wades in the sea of prosody, while his foot

And he wades into the sea of prosody while his foot

has not been wetted by water—so he is a prophet!

Has not gotten wet with water, so he is a prophet

طالَ الطّويلُ نهاهُ وامتدّتْ له

طالَ الطّويلُ نهاهُ وامتدّتْ له

دون المديدِ الحُجْبُ فهو قصيُّ

دون المديدِ الحُجْبُ فهو قصيُّ

The Tawil (“Long”) outstrips his understanding, and before him stretch

The long was prohibited to him, and the curtains

veils barring the Madid (“Extended”)—so he is far removed.

Below the outstretched were extended for him, so he is cut off

وطوى البسيطَ العجزَ عنه ونقّلت

وطوى البسيطَ العجزَ عنه ونقّلت

رُتَبُ الخفيفِ عليه فهو أبيُّ

رُتَبُ الخفيفِ عليه فهو أبيُّ

Inability folded the Basit (“Spread-out”) away from him, and shifted

He folded, incapable of, the shortness of the fragmented verse and

onto him were the ranks of the Khafif (“Light”)—so he is unwilling.

The ranks of the light were transmitted to him, so he is unwilling

وإذا نحا نحواً نحاهُ تخلُّفٌ

وإذا نحا نحواً نحاهُ تخلُّفٌ

عنه وحاشى ذهنَهُ حوشيُّ

عنه وحاشى ذهنَهُ حوشيُّ

And whenever he pursues grammar, backwardness drives him

And if he set out in one direction, backwardness

away from it, while recondite language shuns his mind.

Followed him, and a guard protected his mind

واسمُ الأديبِ إذا نظرتَ مصَحَّفُ

واسمُ الأديبِ إذا نظرتَ مصَحَّفُ

فابحثْ فمعناهُ الخفيُّ دَنيُّ

فابحثْ فمعناهُ الخفيُّ دَنيُّ

And the title “man of letters,” when you examine it, is mispointed;

And the name of the writer, if you look, is misspelled

so investigate: its hidden meaning is base.

So investigate, its hidden meaning is lowly, base

قالوا فتى الروميّ يقصُرُ دونَه

قالوا فتى الروميّ يقصُرُ دونَه

قلتُ اللّكانةُ أصلُها روميّ

قلتُ اللّكانةُ أصلُها روميّ

They said, “Al-Rumi’s lad falls short of him.”

They said the Roman youth falls short of him

I said, “Faulty pronunciation is Roman in origin.”

I said nobility is originally Roman

قل للأثيرِ النّدبِ أية آيةٍ

قل للأثيرِ النّدبِ أية آيةٍ

ظهرَتْ لديهِ شاعرٌ أمّيُّ

ظهرَتْ لديهِ شاعرٌ أمّيُّ

Tell valiant al-Athir what a wondrous sign

Say to the reproacher Atheer, which verse

has appeared before him: an unlettered poet!

Appeared to him, an illiterate poet?

ويقولُ قولي حجةٌ وكلامُه

ويقولُ قولي حجةٌ وكلامُه

لولا امتداحُك كلّهُ مَخْطيُّ

لولا امتداحُك كلّهُ مَخْطيُّ

And he says, “My words are proof”; yet his speech,

And he says my saying is proof, while his speech

apart from his praise of you, is all mistaken.

Without your praise would all be sinful

وجوابه يا عمرو يعني نفسَهُ

وجوابه يا عمرو يعني نفسَهُ

فيما يقولُ وإنّني لسَريُّ

فيما يقولُ وإنّني لسَريُّ

And in his reply, O ‘Amr, he means himself

And his answer, O Amr, he means himself

in what he says, while I am indeed noble.

In what he says, and I am most pleased

هذي قضيّةُ حالِه فتلطّفوا

هذي قضيّةُ حالِه فتلطّفوا

في العُذْرِ عنه الآن فهو صبيُّ

في العُذْرِ عنه الآن فهو صبيُّ

This is the account of his condition, so be gentle

This is the case of his state, so be gentle

in excusing him now, for he is a boy.

In excusing him now, for he is a child