عجبتُ لقومٍ يقبلون مدائحي

عجبتُ لقومٍ يقبلون مدائحي

ويأبْون تثويبي وفي ذاك مَعْجبُ

ويأبْون تثويبي وفي ذاك مَعْجبُ

I marvel at people who accept my praises

I'm amazed by people who accept my praises

yet refuse to reward me—and that is cause for wonder.

Yet refuse my admonitions—how strange!

أشِعْرِي سَفسافٌ فَلِمْ يَجْتبونه

أشِعْرِي سَفسافٌ فَلِمْ يَجْتبونه

وإن لا تكن هاتي فَلِمْ لا أُثوَّبُ

وإن لا تكن هاتي فَلِمْ لا أُثوَّبُ

Is my poetry paltry? Then why do they choose it?

My poetry is eloquent—why then reject it?

And if this is not so, why am I not rewarded?

If it's not pleasing, why am I not rewarded?

حلفت بمن لو شاء سدَّ مَفاقِري

حلفت بمن لو شاء سدَّ مَفاقِري

بما ليَ فيه عن ذوي اللُّؤمِ مَرْغَبُ

بما ليَ فيه عن ذوي اللُّؤمِ مَرْغَبُ

I swear by Him who, if He willed, could fill the gaps of my poverty

I swear by Him who could seal my destitution

with means that would let me turn from the ignoble:

With what would make me shun the ignoble

فَمَا آفتي شعرٌ إليهم مُبَغَّضٌ

فَمَا آفتي شعرٌ إليهم مُبَغَّضٌ

ولكنه منعٌ إليهم محبَّبُ

ولكنه منعٌ إليهم محبَّبُ

for my affliction is not poetry hateful to them,

My fault is not the poetry they hate,

but withholding, which they hold dear.

But that it's a barrier from what they love.

وأعجبُ منهم معشرٌ ليس فيهمُ

وأعجبُ منهم معشرٌ ليس فيهمُ

بشعري ولا شيءٍ من الشعرِ مُعجَبُ

بشعري ولا شيءٍ من الشعرِ مُعجَبُ

And stranger than they is a company with not one among them

More amazing are those among them

who admires my poetry, or any poetry at all.

Who care not for my verse or any poetry,

بَراذينُ ألهاها قديماً شعيرُها

بَراذينُ ألهاها قديماً شعيرُها

عن الشِّعر تستوفي القضيمَ وتُركَبُ

عن الشِّعر تستوفي القضيمَ وتُركَبُ

Hack horses whose barley long ago distracted them

Mares distracted long ago by their barley

from poetry; they take their full feed and are ridden.

From poetry—they take the fodder and are saddled.

من اللائي لا تنفكّ تجري سواكِناً

من اللائي لا تنفكّ تجري سواكِناً

بفرسانها تِلقاءَ نارٍ تَلهَّبُ

بفرسانها تِلقاءَ نارٍ تَلهَّبُ

Among those that never cease to run while standing still

Riders who never stop galloping

with their horsemen toward a blazing fire.

With their steeds, so the riders don’t tire, not the backs.

تقُومُ بفرسانٍ تَحرَّكُ تحتها

تقُومُ بفرسانٍ تَحرَّكُ تحتها

أفانينُ فالركبان لا الظهرُ تتعبُ

أفانينُ فالركبان لا الظهرُ تتعبُ

They bear horsemen; beneath them stir

Raiders of forays, obedient with their spears—

varied motions—so the riders, not the mounts, grow tired.

Spears never seen to have a square head.

فوارسُ غاراتٍ مَطاعينُ بالقنا

فوارسُ غاراتٍ مَطاعينُ بالقنا

قناً لا يُرى فيهن رمحٌ مُكَعَّبُ

قناً لا يُرى فيهن رمحٌ مُكَعَّبُ

Raiding horsemen, who thrust repeatedly with lances—

In their hands no spears brandished,

lances among which no jointed spear is seen.

But at their shoulders brandished and thrust.

وليست بأيديهم تُهَزُّ رماحُهُم

وليست بأيديهم تُهَزُّ رماحُهُم

ولكن بأحْقِيهم تُهَزّ فَتُوعَبُ

ولكن بأحْقِيهم تُهَزّ فَتُوعَبُ

Their spears are not brandished with their hands,

No bloodied spear among them in the charge,

but with their loins they are brandished and thrust all the way in.

Only bloodied in the withdrawal.

ولا رمحَ منها بالنَّجيع مُخضَّبٌ

ولا رمحَ منها بالنَّجيع مُخضَّبٌ

هناك ولكن بالرَّجيع مخضّبُ

هناك ولكن بالرَّجيع مخضّبُ

Nor is any of their spears stained with blood

You'll see no spear of theirs that they stab with,

there; rather, they are stained with excrement.

But the led horse is the spear, and the rider's mount.

ولستَ ترى قِرناً لهم يطعنونَهُ

ولستَ ترى قِرناً لهم يطعنونَهُ

بل المَرْكَبُ المعلوُّ قِرنٌ ومركبُ

بل المَرْكَبُ المعلوُّ قِرنٌ ومركبُ

And you see no opponent for them to stab;

You see each slave of theirs above his Lord,

rather, the mount they ride is both opponent and mount.

And his Niza stick sunk in hides.

ترى كلَّ عبدٍ منهمُ فوق ربِّه

ترى كلَّ عبدٍ منهمُ فوق ربِّه

ونيزَكُهُ الشِّبرِيُّ فيه مُغَيَّبُ

ونيزَكُهُ الشِّبرِيُّ فيه مُغَيَّبُ

You see each slave among them atop his master,

More amazing are the ignorant who acted wisely

and his handspan-long spear buried inside him.

While totally heedless of what would perfect them.

وأعجَبُ منهم جاهلون تَعاقلوا

وأعجَبُ منهم جاهلون تَعاقلوا

وكُلُّهمُ عمَّا يُتمَّمُ أنكبُ

وكُلُّهمُ عمَّا يُتمَّمُ أنكبُ

And stranger than these are ignorant men who feign intelligence,

Boors, not one of them I knew as cultivated,

and every one of them shuns whatever is brought to perfection.

Nor open to cultivation when admonished—

أغِثّاءُ ما فيهم أديبٌ علمتُه

أغِثّاءُ ما فيهم أديبٌ علمتُه

ولا قابلُ التأديب حين يؤدَّبُ

ولا قابلُ التأديب حين يؤدَّبُ

Worthless men: no man of letters among them that I know,

Except they borrowed manners and made

nor one receptive to instruction when instructed.

Them a cause for weeping and lamenting.

خلا أنَّ آداباً أُعيروا حُلِيَّها

خلا أنَّ آداباً أُعيروا حُلِيَّها

فأضحت بهم يُبكى عليها وتُندبُ

فأضحت بهم يُبكى عليها وتُندبُ

Save that they were lent the ornaments of learning,

How many borrowed finery as if

so through them learning came to be wept over and mourned.

When adorned with it he would slip away unnoticed!

وكم من مُعارٍ زينةً وكأنه

وكم من مُعارٍ زينةً وكأنه

إذا ما تحلَّى حَلْيَها يَتَسلَّبُ

إذا ما تحلَّى حَلْيَها يَتَسلَّبُ

And how many a man lent finery seems,

They were right to shun me and draw near

when decked in its jewels, to be dressed in mourning!

My counterpart—to shun the superior is proper.

بحقِّهمُ أن باعدوني وقَرَّبوا

بحقِّهمُ أن باعدوني وقَرَّبوا

سِواي وتقريبُ المُباعَد أوجبُ

سِواي وتقريبُ المُباعَد أوجبُ

As befits them, they kept me distant and brought close

The people saw I had merit which their flaws opposed,

someone else—though bringing the shunned close is the greater duty.

So they inclined toward the flawed and misshapen—that was nearer.

رأى القومُ لي فضلاً يعاديه نقصُهُمْ

رأى القومُ لي فضلاً يعاديه نقصُهُمْ

فمالوا إلى ذي النقص والشكلُ أقربُ

فمالوا إلى ذي النقص والشكلُ أقربُ

The people saw in me excellence that their deficiency opposed,

Bats whose roost was lit up by daylight

so they turned toward the deficient; one's own kind is closer.

And blamed by a stretch of night gone dim.

خفافيشُ أعشاها نهارٌ بضوئه

خفافيشُ أعشاها نهارٌ بضوئه

ولاءَمَها قِطْعٌ من الليل غَيهبُ

ولاءَمَها قِطْعٌ من الليل غَيهبُ

Bats blinded by the brightness of day,

Beasts unheeding of the melody of a temple,

and well suited to a pitch-dark stretch of night.

Yet ecstatic over the braying of a barren she-camel.

بهائمُ لا تُصغي إلى شَدْوِ مَعْبدٍ

بهائمُ لا تُصغي إلى شَدْوِ مَعْبدٍ

وأمَّا على جافي الحُداءِ فتَطربُ

وأمَّا على جافي الحُداءِ فتَطربُ

Beasts that do not listen to Maʿbad's song,

yet thrill to coarse camel-drivers' chants.