ماnot كنتَyou were فيin بخسstinting الجزاءthe recompense بمشبهٍresembling
ما كنتَ في بخس الجزاء بمشبهٍ
إلاexcept كَنِيَّكyour namesake ياO أباAbu (father of) أيوبِAyyub
إلا كَنِيَّك يا أبا أيوبِ
In stinting recompense, you resembled no one
You were not stingy in repaying favors, like your peers,
But your namesake, O Abu Ayyub.
O Abu Ayyoub!
وأَراكand I see you أيضاًalso مثلَهُlike him فيin جودهِhis generosity
وأَراك أيضاً مثلَهُ في جودهِ
للراكبينto the riders بظهرهon his back المركوبِridden
للراكبين بظهره المركوبِ
And I see you like him, too, in his generosity
And I see you just as generous in your bounty
To the riders mounted on his back.
To riders on your mounted beast.
أصبحتَyou have become كالجملlike the camel الذيwhich لاnot يُرتجىis looked to
أصبحتَ كالجمل الذي لا يُرتجى
لجزاءِfor repayment of عارفةٍa kindness ولاnor تثويبِrecompense
لجزاءِ عارفةٍ ولا تثويبِ
You have become like the camel, from whom no one expects
You have become like a camel that expects
Repayment for a kindness or recompense.
No reward of thanks or recompense.
ماnot أنتyou فيamong الأحياءthe living بالحيّa living man الذيwho
ما أنت في الأحياء بالحيّ الذي
يُطرىis praised ولاnor بالميِّتِa dead man المندوبِlamented
يُطرى ولا بالميِّتِ المندوبِ
Among the living, you are neither a living man
You are not among the living, the one who is cajoled and flattered,
Who is praised, nor a dead man who is mourned.
Nor the dead, who is mourned and eulogized.
أبديتَyou displayed صفحةa face of قسوةٍhardness وخشونةٍand roughness
أبديتَ صفحة قسوةٍ وخشونةٍ
منfrom دونin front of تافِهpaltry نَيْلكyour bounty المطلوبِsought
من دون تافِه نَيْلك المطلوبِ
You have displayed a face of hardness and roughness
You have shown only harshness and roughness
As a barrier to the paltry bounty sought from you.
Without your slightest wish being fulfilled.
فكأنكso you are like الينبوتُthe yanbut thorn tree فيin إبدائهِits displaying
فكأنك الينبوتُ في إبدائهِ
شوكاًthorns يذودُit wards off بهwith it عنfrom الخرّوبِthe carob pods
شوكاً يذودُ به عن الخرّوبِ
So you are like the yanbut tree when it puts forth
It is as if you are the jujube tree displaying
Thorns with which it defends its carob pods.
Thorns to ward off those who would strip it bare.
لوif كانwere نائلكُyour bounty المُحجَّبkept hidden نائلاًa bounty
لو كان نائلكُ المُحجَّب نائلاً
لَعَذَرتُI would excuse مَنْعةَthe inaccessibility of بابكyour door المحجوبِbarred
لَعَذَرتُ مَنْعةَ بابك المحجوبِ
If your hidden bounty were truly bounty,
If your requester had been a noble man,
I would excuse the inaccessibility of your barred door.
I would have excused your door barred and locked.
ياO ضَيفَهُhis guest أبشرْrejoice فإنكfor indeed you غانمٌare gaining
يا ضَيفَهُ أبشرْ فإنك غانمٌ
أجرthe reward of الصيامfasting وليسand it is not بالمكتوبِprescribed
أجر الصيام وليس بالمكتوبِ
O guest of his, rejoice, for you are gaining
O guest of his! Rejoice, for you will gain
The reward of fasting, though it is not prescribed.
The reward of fasting, though unrecorded.
ولوand if استطاعhe could manage لحَبْطِto nullify أجركyour reward حيلةًa stratagem
ولو استطاع لحَبْطِ أجرك حيلةً
لاحتالhe would scheme فيin ذاكthat احتيالَthe scheming of أريبِa shrewd man
لاحتال في ذاك احتيالَ أريبِ
And if he could find a trick to nullify your reward,
If he could find a way to nullify your reward through some trick—
He would scheme for that with a shrewd man's cunning.
He would have devised the most cunning of schemes!
وأراهُand I see him سَخَّاهmade him generous بصومكwith your fasting علمُهُhis knowledge
وأراهُ سَخَّاه بصومك علمُهُ
أنْthat ليسis not صومُthe fasting of الكُرهunwillingness بالمحسوبِcredited
أنْ ليس صومُ الكُره بالمحسوبِ
And I think he lavishes fasting on you because he knows
And I see—his allowing you to fast teaches him
That a fast against one's will is not credited;
That forced fasting is not counted.
أوor ظَنُّهُhis belief أنْthat لاno صيامَfasting لضيفِهfor his guest
أو ظَنُّهُ أنْ لا صيامَ لضيفِه
معwith رَتْعهhis grazing فيon عرضهhis honor المسبوبِreviled
مع رَتْعه في عرضه المسبوبِ
Or because he thinks his guest's fasting does not count
Or he thinks his guest cannot really fast
While the guest grazes on the host's reviled honor.
While enduring his abuse and insults.
أيظنُّdoes he think غِيبتَهُbackbiting him تُفطِّرbreaks the fast of صائماًa fasting person
أيظنُّ غِيبتَهُ تُفطِّر صائماً
قُبحاًdisgrace لهupon him ولظنِّهand upon his belief المكذوبِfalse
قُبحاً له ولظنِّه المكذوبِ
Does he think backbiting him breaks a person's fast?
Does he think his absence breaks the faster's fast?
Shame on him and his false belief!
Shame on him and his fabricated assumption!
لاdo not تحسبَنَّever suppose علىagainst امرىءٍanyone فيin شتمِهreviling him
لا تحسبَنَّ على امرىءٍ في شتمِه
حُوباًa sin فماfor there is no فيin شتمهreviling him منany حُوبِsin
حُوباً فما في شتمه من حُوبِ
Never think that anyone incurs, by reviling him,
Do not consider a man insulting you to be a disgrace,
A sin—for there is no sin in reviling him.
For there is no disgrace in his insults.
رَهِلُpuffy المحاجرthe eye sockets والجفونand the eyelids ترىyou see لهon him
رَهِلُ المحاجر والجفون ترى له
وجهاًa face يؤكِّدُconfirms قُبحَهُhis ugliness بقُطوبِwith a scowl
وجهاً يؤكِّدُ قُبحَهُ بقُطوبِ
His eye sockets and lids are puffy; you see on him
His cheeks and eyelids sag—his face confirms
A face whose scowl confirms his ugliness.
His ugliness with its permanent frown.
أبداًalways تراهyou see him راكعاًbowing فيin ثَردةٍa dish of bread soaked in broth
أبداً تراه راكعاً في ثَردةٍ
مأدومةٍseasoned بإهالةِwith the grease of المصلوبِthe crucified one
مأدومةٍ بإهالةِ المصلوبِ
You always see him bowing over a bread-and-broth dish,
You always see him kneeling with unkempt hair
Seasoned with the grease of the crucified one.
Like a crucified body left hanging.
مُتتابعَsuffering successive الأسقامillnesses منfrom تُخمَاتِهِhis bouts of indigestion
مُتتابعَ الأسقام من تُخمَاتِهِ
لاnot يَشفِcures ذاكthat الداءthe disease طبُّthe medicine of طبيبِa physician
لا يَشفِ ذاك الداء طبُّ طبيبِ
Suffering illness after illness from his bouts of indigestion;
His illnesses follow one another continuously,
No physician's medicine can cure that disease.
No cure can heal except that of the grave.
ومُصِّححُand a healer of الأضيافthe guests يَسلَمُremains safe ضيفُهُhis guest
ومُصِّححُ الأضياف يَسلَمُ ضيفُهُ
منfrom كلevery داءٍillness غيرَexcept داءthe disease of الذيبِthe wolf
من كل داءٍ غيرَ داء الذيبِ
And he keeps guests healthy: his guest is safe
The Healer of guests grants health to his guest
From every ailment except the wolf's disease—hunger.
From every sickness but the rabid dog's bite.
يتنفّسhe breathes الصُّعداءdeep sighs منfrom كِظَّاتهِhis surfeits
يتنفّس الصُّعداء من كِظَّاتهِ
لاmay never فارقَتْهleave him زفرةُthe sigh of المكروبِthe anguished man
لا فارقَتْه زفرةُ المكروبِ
He heaves deep sighs from his surfeits;
The breathless gasp relief from his oppressiveness—
May the anguished man's sigh never leave him!
No sigh of the anguished escapes him.
ياحسرتاoh, my regret لقصيدةٍfor a poem أغلقتُهاI ended it
ياحسرتا لقصيدةٍ أغلقتُها
بمديحهِwith praise of him وفتحتُهاand I opened it بنسيبِwith a love prelude
بمديحهِ وفتحتُها بنسيبِ
Alas for a poem I brought to a close
Oh what regrets! My poem that began
With praise of him, having opened it with a love prelude!
With praise of him ends with dispraise!
لأبدِّلنَّI will surely replace مديحهpraise of him قذْعاًvile abuse لهof him
لأبدِّلنَّ مديحه قذْعاً له
ولأجعلنَّand I will surely make بأمهabout his mother تشبيبيmy amorous verse
ولأجعلنَّ بأمه تشبيبي
I shall replace his praise with vile abuse of him,
I will change my praising him to disparaging him
And make his mother the subject of my amorous verse.
And my poetry will make his mother the subject of shameful taunts!
Sol 6.1