أبا العباس ما هذا التَّواني

أبا العباس ما هذا التَّواني

وقد أُوسِعْتَ مَنْ كَرمٍ وفَهْمِ

وقد أُوسِعْتَ مَنْ كَرمٍ وفَهْمِ

O Abu al-Abbas, what is this delay,

O Abu Al-Abbas, what is this delay?

when you have been richly endowed with generosity and understanding?

You who have been endowed with generosity and wisdom,

أتقْلِبُ ذا مُحافظةٍ عَدُوّاً

أتقْلِبُ ذا مُحافظةٍ عَدُوّاً

لعمرُو أبيك ما هذا بحزْمِ

لعمرُو أبيك ما هذا بحزْمِ

Do you turn a loyal defender into an enemy?

Do you hesitate to confront an enemy,

By your father's life, this is not prudent.

By the life of your father Amr, this is not wise.

عزمْتَ ندىً فما أمضْيَت عزماً

عزمْتَ ندىً فما أمضْيَت عزماً

وكنتَ مُشهَّراً بمضاءِ عزمِ

وكنتَ مُشهَّراً بمضاءِ عزمِ

You resolved on generosity, yet did not carry out your resolve,

You intended righteousness, but did not follow through,

though you were renowned for firmness of resolve.

Though you were known for your resolute will.

قصدْتُكَ راجياً واليأْسُ رَجْمٌ

قصدْتُكَ راجياً واليأْسُ رَجْمٌ

فلم تَتْركْ رجاءً غيرَ رَجْم

فلم تَتْركْ رجاءً غيرَ رَجْم

I sought you out in hope, with despair mere conjecture;

I came to you hopeful, though hope is futile,

yet you left no hope that was not conjecture.

You left me no hope, only despair.

وواتَرْتُ السؤالَ فلم تُجِبْني

وواتَرْتُ السؤالَ فلم تُجِبْني

كأنِّي سائلٌ آياتِ رسم

كأنِّي سائلٌ آياتِ رسم

I repeated my requests, but you did not answer me,

I asked persistently, but you did not answer me,

as though I were questioning the traces of an abandoned campsite.

As if I were asking for miracles.

أما والله ما هذا بحقِّي

أما والله ما هذا بحقِّي

عليكَ إذا شجيتَ بِظُلْم خَصْم

عليكَ إذا شجيتَ بِظُلْم خَصْم

Indeed, by God, this is not my rightful due

By God, this is not my right from you,

from you, when an adversary's injustice grieved you:

When you have wronged me by injustice.

زأرْتُ على عَدُوِّكَ غيرَ وانٍ

زأرْتُ على عَدُوِّكَ غيرَ وانٍ

وأتبعتُ الزئيرَ له بكَلْم

وأتبعتُ الزئيرَ له بكَلْم

I roared against your enemy, never flagging,

I roared against your enemy without wavering,

and followed my roar at him with wounds.

And followed it with eloquent speech.

فما أخْلَيْتُهُ من نَهْشِ لحم

فما أخْلَيْتُهُ من نَهْشِ لحم

ولا أخليتُه من حَطْمِ عظْم

ولا أخليتُه من حَطْمِ عظْم

I gave him no respite from the tearing of flesh,

I did not spare him from tearing his flesh,

nor gave him respite from the crushing of bone.

Or from breaking his bones.

وخِفْتُ عليكَ عاديةَ اللَّيالي

وخِفْتُ عليكَ عاديةَ اللَّيالي

فبتُّ الليلَ أرقبُ كُلَّ نجم

فبتُّ الليلَ أرقبُ كُلَّ نجم

And I feared for you the onslaught of the nights,

I feared the nights would betray you,

so I spent the night watching every star,

So I stayed awake watching every star,

حراسة ليث صدقٍ لا يُبالي

حراسة ليث صدقٍ لا يُبالي

بسيفٍ في الحفاظِ ولا بسهم

بسيفٍ في الحفاظِ ولا بسهم

keeping a true lion's watch, heedless

Guarding a sincere lion who cares not,

of sword or arrow in loyal defense.

For sword or arrows to protect him.

فما كافأْتني إلا بجوع

فما كافأْتني إلا بجوع

كأني كنتُ عندك كلبَ طَسْم

كأني كنتُ عندك كلبَ طَسْم

Yet you rewarded me with nothing but hunger,

Yet you rewarded me only with hunger,

as though, to you, I were the dog of Tasm.

As if I were a worthless dog to you.

إليكَ إليكَ من وسَم القوافي

إليكَ إليكَ من وسَم القوافي

إليك فإنهُ من شرِّ وَسْم

إليك فإنهُ من شرِّ وَسْم

Beware, beware the branding of rhymes;

To you, to you, the rhymes point out,

beware, for it is among the worst kinds of branding.

That this is gross ingratitude.

ولم أخش الهجاء عليكَ لكنْ

ولم أخش الهجاء عليكَ لكنْ

خشيتُ المدحَ من نَثْرٍ ونظم

خشيتُ المدحَ من نَثْرٍ ونظم

I did not fear satire for you, but

I did not insult you, but feared,

I feared praise, in prose and verse.

Praising you in prose or verse.

ومن تَحْرِمْهُ رِفدكَ بعد مَدْح

ومن تَحْرِمْهُ رِفدكَ بعد مَدْح

فحسبُكَ مدْحُه من كلّ شتم

فحسبُكَ مدْحُه من كلّ شتم

And whomever you deny your bounty after praise,

One whose gift you reject after praising him,

his praise alone suffices for every insult against you.

His praise of you is the worst insult.

أليسَ يقالُ قيلَ له فأكْدَى

أليسَ يقالُ قيلَ له فأكْدَى

فتُصبِحُ والذي تُهجَى برَقْم

فتُصبِحُ والذي تُهجَى برَقْم

Will they not say, 'He was praised, yet gave nothing'—

Is it not said, it was said to him and he recoiled,

so you, too, become one lampooned in writing?

So you wake up insulted and marked.

أتَرْضَى أن تروحَ وفضلُ مِثْلي

أتَرْضَى أن تروحَ وفضلُ مِثْلي

عليكَ وليسَ فضلُكَ غيرَ وهْم

عليكَ وليسَ فضلُكَ غيرَ وهْم

Are you content to go your way, with the favor of one like me

Are you content to go away, while my merit,

upon you, while your own favor is nothing but illusion?

Toward you remains, and yours is fantasy?

لئن خيَّبْتني ورفَدْتَ غيري

لئن خيَّبْتني ورفَدْتَ غيري

لقد صدَّقْتَ عندي قولَ جَهْم

لقد صدَّقْتَ عندي قولَ جَهْم

If you disappoint me and give your bounty to another,

If you disappoint me and gratify another,

you will indeed confirm for me Jahm's saying:

You confirm to me Jahm's saying.

ألا لا فِعْلُ حيٍّ باختيار

ألا لا فِعْلُ حيٍّ باختيار

متى خيَّبْتني لكنْ بحتم

متى خيَّبْتني لكنْ بحتم

Indeed, no living being acts by choice

Indeed, no living person acts by choice,

when you disappoint me, but by compulsion.

When you disappoint me, but by destiny.

أتَلْقى وجْهَ مسْبوقٍ بمَسْح

أتَلْقى وجْهَ مسْبوقٍ بمَسْح

وتلقى وجهَ سبَّاقٍ بلَطْمِ

وتلقى وجهَ سبَّاقٍ بلَطْمِ

Do you greet the face of one outstripped with a caress,

You meet a preceded face with welcome,

and greet a frontrunner's face with a slap?

And meet a preceding face with a slap.

لقد أضحتْ عقولُ النَّاسِ باختْ

لقد أضحتْ عقولُ النَّاسِ باختْ

بما فيهنَّ من عَيْبٍ ووَصْم

بما فيهنَّ من عَيْبٍ ووَصْم

Indeed, people's minds have grown dull,

Minds have been corrupted by the,

from the faults and blemishes within them.

Faults and defects in them.

وكم مِنْ قائلٍ لي في مُسِيءٍ

وكم مِنْ قائلٍ لي في مُسِيءٍ

لقد فخَّمْتَ منهُ غيرَ فَخْمِ

لقد فخَّمْتَ منهُ غيرَ فَخْمِ

And how many a man has said to me of a wrongdoer:

How many said to me about a misdoer,

'You have glorified him, though he is not great!'

You have gained nothing from him but loss.

فقلت بنَيْتُ مأْثُرةً بِشعْرِي

فقلت بنَيْتُ مأْثُرةً بِشعْرِي

فلا تعرِض لمأثُرَتي بهدم

فلا تعرِض لمأثُرَتي بهدم

So I said, 'I built a monument of honor with my poetry;

I said I built a monument with my poetry,

so do not set about demolishing my monument.'

So do not destroy my monument.

ودعْ ذمَّ المُسيء فما مُسِيءٌ

ودعْ ذمَّ المُسيء فما مُسِيءٌ

رأى غبَّ الإساءةِ غيرَ وخْم

رأى غبَّ الإساءةِ غيرَ وخْم

And leave off blaming the wrongdoer, for no wrongdoer

Leave off blaming the misdoer, for no misdoer,

has found wrongdoing's aftermath anything but harmful.

Has seen the ugliness of misdoing but briefly.

عفوتُ فلا أقابِلُهُ بِلَوْم

عفوتُ فلا أقابِلُهُ بِلَوْم

وإنْ أوسِعْتُ من لوم وعذْم

وإنْ أوسِعْتُ من لوم وعذْم

I have pardoned him, so I do not repay him with blame,

I pardoned so I do not blame him,

even if I am showered with blame and censure.

Though I could have blamed and punished him.

وما عَفْوي لشيْء غيرَ أنِّي

وما عَفْوي لشيْء غيرَ أنِّي

أرى لحمَ اللئيمِ أغثَّ لحم

أرى لحمَ اللئيمِ أغثَّ لحم

And my pardon is for no reason other than that I

My pardoning is not because,

find a base man's flesh the poorest flesh of all.

I see the miscreant's flesh as better than flesh.