الشَّعرُ للشُّعَرَاءِ مَغْنَمُ مَعْرَكٍ

الشَّعرُ للشُّعَرَاءِ مَغْنَمُ مَعْرَكٍ

كلُّ امرءٍ يَحْوِي بقَدْرِ نَشَاطِهِ

كلُّ امرءٍ يَحْوِي بقَدْرِ نَشَاطِهِ

For poets, poetry is booty won on a battlefield;

Poetry is the poet's war spoils

each man gains in proportion to his vigor.

Each person contains as much as his vitality allows

فلذا انبساطُ الوُسْعِ في دينارِهِ

فلذا انبساطُ الوُسْعِ في دينارِهِ

ولذا انقباضُ الضِّيقِ في قِيراطِهِ

ولذا انقباضُ الضِّيقِ في قِيراطِهِ

So one has the breadth of plenty in his dinar,

Hence the breadth of ample means in his coins

and another the constriction of want in his qirat.

And hence the tightness of scarcity in his carats

وخواطرُ الإِنسانِ ما خَطَرَتْ ففي اس

وخواطرُ الإِنسانِ ما خَطَرَتْ ففي اس

تعلائِهِ يَمْضِي أَو اسْتِحْطَاطِهِ

تعلائِهِ يَمْضِي أَو اسْتِحْطَاطِهِ

And whenever a man's thoughts arise, it is in his ele-

And a person's thoughts are what occurred in either

vation or his abasement that he proceeds.

His ascendance where he proceeds or decline

فَفَتًى يفِيحُ الخُرْءُ من وَجْعَائِهِ

فَفَتًى يفِيحُ الخُرْءُ من وَجْعَائِهِ

وفتًى يذيعُ المِسْكُ من أَسْفَاطِهِ

وفتًى يذيعُ المِسْكُ من أَسْفَاطِهِ

So one young man has excrement reeking from his anus,

So a lad whose anus oozes with pus from his pains

and another has musk spreading from his caskets.

And a lad whose clothes emit musk from his wraps

وأَرى فَتَى السَّقَطِيِّ نظَّمَ شِعْرَهُ

وأَرى فَتَى السَّقَطِيِّ نظَّمَ شِعْرَهُ

ممّا اجتباهُ أَبوهُ من أَسقَاطِهِ

ممّا اجتباهُ أَبوهُ من أَسقَاطِهِ

And I see al-Saqaṭī's lad has strung together his verse

And I see the son of Saqati versified his poetry

from what his father picked out of his castoffs.

From what his father selected from his rags

وإِذا أَبو جُعْرَانَ جاءَ بشعرِهِ

وإِذا أَبو جُعْرَانَ جاءَ بشعرِهِ

من بَعْرِهِ فاعذِرْهُ في إِفْرَاطِهِ

من بَعْرِهِ فاعذِرْهُ في إِفْرَاطِهِ

And when Abū Juʿrān brings his poetry

And when Abu Ju'ran comes with his poetry

from his dung, excuse him for his excess.

From his camel hide, excuse him for his excess

أَوصافُ مجدِكَ وَرْدَةٌ يَرْدَى بها

أَوصافُ مجدِكَ وَرْدَةٌ يَرْدَى بها

فلذاكَ نَكَّبَ دونها بِنِياطِه

فلذاكَ نَكَّبَ دونها بِنِياطِه

The qualities of your glory are a rose by which he perishes;

Descriptions of your glory are a bouquet by which

so he steered his heartstring aside before reaching it.

He has thus turned away from his mat

انظُرْ لعوَّاضٍ ومعنى اسْمِهِ

انظُرْ لعوَّاضٍ ومعنى اسْمِهِ

واستعملِ الفكرةَ تَعْرفْهُ

واستعملِ الفكرةَ تَعْرفْهُ

Look at ʿAwwāḍ and the meaning of his name,

Look to Awad and the meaning of his name

and put thought to work: you will recognize him.

And use your intellect, you will know him

وكلَّما أَنشدَ من شعرِهِ

وكلَّما أَنشدَ من شعرِهِ

فاكتبه بالطَّاءِ وَصحِّفْه

فاكتبه بالطَّاءِ وَصحِّفْه

And whenever he recites some of his verse,

And whenever he recites his poetry

then write it with ṭāʾ and alter its dots.

Write it with a ta and make errors in it