بكَرَتْit came early لنصحِكَto counsel you ياO أباfather of بكرِBakr
بكَرَتْ لنصحِكَ يا أبا بكرِ
غربيّةٌa western one منfrom مَشْرِقِthe east of الفكْرِthought
غربيّةٌ من مَشْرِقِ الفكْرِ
It came early to counsel you, Abu Bakr:
a western poem from the east of thought.
قطعتْit crossed إليكَto you البَرَّthe land حاملةًbearing
قطعتْ إليكَ البَرَّ حاملةً
فيهاwithin it فُنونَvarieties of عجائبِwonders of البَحرِthe sea
فيها فُنونَ عجائبِ البَحرِ
It crossed the land to reach you, bearing
within it many kinds of the sea's marvels.
منfrom صاحبa friend لكof yours لوif بصُرْتَyou caught sight بهof him
من صاحب لك لو بصُرْتَ به
لعجبْتَyou would marvel منat حَبْرٍa learned man ومنand at خُبْرِexperience
لعجبْتَ من حَبْرٍ ومن خُبْرِ
From a friend of yours: if you beheld him,
you would marvel at his learning and experience.
لوif حلّقَتْsoared يوماًone day قوادمُهhis primary feathers
لو حلّقَتْ يوماً قوادمُه
لمnot يرضَhe would accept عندwith سواكanyone other than you منany وكْرِnest
لم يرضَ عند سواك من وكْرِ
If one day his flight-feathers soared,
he would accept no nest with anyone but you.
وإذاand when الأديبُthe man of letters أقامَsettles فيin بلدٍa land
وإذا الأديبُ أقامَ في بلدٍ
فحديثُهthen his words إنeven if لمnot يَسِرْhe travels يَسْرِtravel by night
فحديثُه إن لم يَسِرْ يَسْرِ
And when a man of letters settles in a land,
his words travel by night, though he himself does not travel.
وافاكَhas come to you ذئبٌa wolf إنif غفوتَyou doze لهbefore him
وافاكَ ذئبٌ إن غفوتَ له
حاشاكَfar be it from you ضاعَتْis lost ثلّةُthe flock of الشِعرِpoetry
حاشاكَ ضاعَتْ ثلّةُ الشِعرِ
A wolf has come to you: if you doze before him,
far be it from you!—the flock of verse is lost.
أعيىhe wearied زُهيراًZuhayr كمhow often ينازعُهُhe disputes with him
أعيى زُهيراً كم ينازعُهُ
لمَنِwhose الديارُare the dwellings بقُنّةِat the summit of الحُجْرِal-Hujr
لمَنِ الديارُ بقُنّةِ الحُجْرِ
He has worn Zuhayr out, so often disputing with him:
“Whose are the dwellings atop al-Hujr?”
وثنىand he turned back قِفاhalt, you two نبْكِlet us weep التيwhich اشتهرتْbecame famous
وثنى قِفا نبْكِ التي اشتهرتْ
تَمكوwhistle فرائصُهاits flanks منfrom الذُعْرِterror
تَمكو فرائصُها من الذُعْرِ
And he turned back the famed “Halt, you two, let us weep,”
its flanks whistling with terror.
لولاbut for فَحاماتيmy silencing rebuttals لفازَhe would have won بهاher
لولا فَحاماتي لفازَ بها
فأقامَand so established نسبتَهُhis lineage الىto حُجْرِHujr
فأقامَ نسبتَهُ الى حُجْرِ
But for my silencing rebuttals, he would have won her
and established his descent from Hujr.
واalas ضَيْعَتاwhat a loss للنَظْمِfor verse يملكُهhe owns it
وا ضَيْعَتا للنَظْمِ يملكُه
دعْوىby mere claim وواand alas أسفاwhat grief علىfor النشْرِprose
دعْوى ووا أسفا على النشْرِ
Alas for verse, which he makes his own
by mere claim! And alas for prose!
حبّرتُI finely composed ماwhat حبّرتُI finely composed منof مِدَحٍpraise-poems
حبّرتُ ما حبّرتُ من مِدَحٍ
فاحتازَهاand he seized them بصوارِمِwith keen swords of الحَبْرِink
فاحتازَها بصوارِمِ الحَبْرِ
I crafted what I crafted of praise-poems,
and he seized them with the keen swords of ink.
وكسوتُهاand I clothed with them زيداًZayd فجرّدَهُthen he stripped him
وكسوتُها زيداً فجرّدَهُ
منهاof them وأفرَغَهاand he poured them علىover عَمْرِوAmr
منها وأفرَغَها على عَمْرِو
I clothed Zayd in them, but he stripped him
of them and poured them over Amr.
ولقدand indeed سمحْتُI gave freely وماand not أسِفْتُI grieved لهاover them
ولقد سمحْتُ وما أسِفْتُ لها
لوif كانhe was فيin إيرادِهاpresenting them يَدْريhe knew
لو كان في إيرادِها يَدْري
I would gladly have yielded them, without regret,
had he known how to present them.
ظفرَgained possession اللئيمُthe scoundrel بهاof them فمزّقَهاthen tore them apart
ظفرَ اللئيمُ بها فمزّقَها
بالجهلِthrough ignorance بينbetween النابِthe fang والظُفْرِand the claw
بالجهلِ بين النابِ والظُفْرِ
The scoundrel got hold of them and tore them apart
through ignorance, between fang and claw.
كمhow many a غارةٍraid فيin مصرَEgypt جاءَhe came بهاwith it
كم غارةٍ في مصرَ جاءَ بها
وسمعْتَand you have heard بالغاراتِof raids فيin القَفْرِthe desert
وسمعْتَ بالغاراتِ في القَفْرِ
How many raids he has launched in Egypt!
And you have heard of raids in the desert.
لوif أنّهاthat they بالسيفِwith the sword مُشعلةٌwere set ablaze
لو أنّها بالسيفِ مُشعلةٌ
أطفأتَهاyou would have quenched them بالعسكرِwith the army المَجْرِvast
أطفأتَها بالعسكرِ المَجْرِ
Had they been set ablaze with swords,
you would have quenched them with a vast army.
أضحىbecame بهاthrough them الكعكيُّal-Kaʿki منتَهِباًa plunderer
أضحى بها الكعكيُّ منتَهِباً
بالقسْرِby force حليةَthe adornment of صاحبِthe master of القَصْرِthe palace
بالقسْرِ حليةَ صاحبِ القَصْرِ
Through them, al-Kaʿki has taken to plundering
by force the adornment of the palace's master,
ومحاسنٍand beauties لوif أُنصِفَتْthey were treated justly كُتبَتْwould be inscribed
ومحاسنٍ لو أُنصِفَتْ كُتبَتْ
بيدِby the hand of الدُجىnight's darkness فيon صفحةِthe page of الفجْرِdawn
بيدِ الدُجى في صفحةِ الفجْرِ
and beauties that, if treated justly, would be inscribed
by the hand of darkness on the page of dawn.
رقّتْgrew delicate وراقتْand grew lovely فهْيso they are جامعةٌuniting
رقّتْ وراقتْ فهْي جامعةٌ
بينbetween الغديرِthe pool وروْنَقِand the radiance of الزهرِflowers
بين الغديرِ وروْنَقِ الزهرِ
Delicate and lovely, they bring together
the pool and the radiance of flowers.
تترشفُsips الأسماءَthe names خمرتُهاtheir wine
تترشفُ الأسماءَ خمرتُها
فتزيدُand so increases فيin الألبابِminds بالسُكْرِwith intoxication
فتزيدُ في الألبابِ بالسُكْرِ
Their wine sips the names,
and so adds intoxication to minds.
فاحْرُسْso guard نباتَthe growth of حِجاكَyour intellect إنّindeed لهُhe has
فاحْرُسْ نباتَ حِجاكَ إنّ لهُ
خَيلاًhorses تدبُّcreep إليهِtoward it كالسِحْرِlike magic
خَيلاً تدبُّ إليهِ كالسِحْرِ
So guard the growth of your intellect, for he has
horses that creep toward it like magic.
واعجَبْand marvel لبغّاءٍat a male prostitute قريحتهhis poetic gift
واعجَبْ لبغّاءٍ قريحته
تزْنيfornicates بكلwith every منيعةٍwell-guarded بِكْرِvirgin
تزْني بكل منيعةٍ بِكْرِ
And marvel at a male whore whose poetic gift
fornicates with every well-guarded virgin.
يَخْراhe shits بفيهِthrough his mouth وذاكَand that مطّردٌis consistent
يَخْرا بفيهِ وذاكَ مطّردٌ
إذsince كانhe was مقتاتاًdrawing sustenance منfrom الدُبْرِthe arse
إذ كان مقتاتاً من الدُبْرِ
He shits through his mouth—and that is consistent,
since he draws his sustenance from his arse.
فعلٌa deed يريكَhe shows you إذاwhen ذكرتَyou mention لهto him
فعلٌ يريكَ إذا ذكرتَ له
سلْحَthe droppings of الحُبارىthe bustard خيفةَfor fear of الصَقْرِthe falcon
سلْحَ الحُبارى خيفةَ الصَقْرِ
That deed—if you mention it to him, he shows you
the bustard's droppings, for fear of the falcon.
خُذْهاtake it إليكَto yourself عُقيبَfollowing أوّلِهits first part
خُذْها إليكَ عُقيبَ أوّلِه
تَسْريtravels by night إليكَto you علىby يدِthe hand of النِسْرِthe eagle
تَسْري إليكَ على يدِ النِسْرِ
Take this, following on the first,
traveling by night to you in the eagle's hand.
تَسْرىtravels by night علىby يدِthe hand of منْone who محاسنُهhis virtues
تَسْرى على يدِ منْ محاسنُه
كادتْalmost تكونُbecame يتيمةَthe peerless jewel of العصْرِthe age
كادتْ تكونُ يتيمةَ العصْرِ
It travels by night in the hand of one whose virtues
have almost become the age's peerless jewel.
Sol 6.1