لقد رأينا عَجَباً من العَجَبْ

لقد رأينا عَجَباً من العَجَبْ

بين جُمادى وجُمادى ورجبْ

بين جُمادى وجُمادى ورجبْ

We have indeed seen a wonder among wonders,

We have seen wonders among wonders

Between Jumada and Jumada and Rajab,

Between Jumada and Jumada and Rajab

مِنْ ذَنَبانيٍّ تعدَّى طورَهُ

مِنْ ذَنَبانيٍّ تعدَّى طورَهُ

فاجتمع الذَّنْبُ عليه والذَّنَبْ

فاجتمع الذَّنْبُ عليه والذَّنَبْ

From a Dhanabani who overstepped his bounds:

From a transgressor who exceeded his bounds

So guilt and the tail came together upon him.

So sins gathered upon him and sin

عِلْجٌ ترقَّى رتبةً فَرُتْبةً

عِلْجٌ ترقَّى رتبةً فَرُتْبةً

ولم يكن أهلاً لهاتيك الرُّتَبْ

ولم يكن أهلاً لهاتيك الرُّتَبْ

A foreign boor who rose rank after rank,

An upstart advanced rank after rank

Though he was unworthy of those ranks.

Yet was not worthy of those ranks

فزلَّ من تلك المراقي زَلّةً

فزلَّ من تلك المراقي زَلّةً

أصبح منها مُشفياً على العَطَبْ

أصبح منها مُشفياً على العَطَبْ

Then he slipped from those heights with a fall

So he slipped from those high places a slip

That left him on the brink of destruction.

And woke up wounded by that stumble

وهكذا كلُّ ارتقاءٍ في العلا

وهكذا كلُّ ارتقاءٍ في العلا

قريبُ عهدٍ بارتقاء في الكُرَبْ

قريبُ عهدٍ بارتقاء في الكُرَبْ

And thus every ascent to lofty eminence

And so every rise in status

Is soon followed by a rise into distress.

Is fresh after a rise in hardship

خَوَّله اللّهُ فلم يشكر له

خَوَّله اللّهُ فلم يشكر له

ولن ترى شكراً لمدخول النسَبْ

ولن ترى شكراً لمدخول النسَبْ

God endowed him, yet he gave Him no thanks,

God granted him success yet he was ungrateful

And you will never see gratitude in one of tainted lineage.

And you never see gratitude for inherited fortune

فسلّط اللّهُ عليه جهلَهُ

فسلّط اللّهُ عليه جهلَهُ

فكان في تدميرهِ أقوى سَبَبْ

فكان في تدميرهِ أقوى سَبَبْ

So God gave his ignorance power over him,

So God unleashed his ignorance upon him

And it became the strongest cause of his destruction.

And it was the strongest cause of his ruin

أقبل جيشٌ لا يريد حربَهُ

أقبل جيشٌ لا يريد حربَهُ

فارتاع روعاً يعتري أهلَ الرِّيَبْ

فارتاع روعاً يعتري أهلَ الرِّيَبْ

An army approached, not wishing to fight him,

An army approached that did not want his war

So he panicked with the dread that besets those under suspicion.

So he panicked, a panic that seizes the wary

وساء ظناً بوزير لم يَخُن

وساء ظناً بوزير لم يَخُن

عهداً وهل يصدأ مكنونُ الذهَبْ

عهداً وهل يصدأ مكنونُ الذهَبْ

And he thought ill of a minister who had never betrayed

And suspected a minister who had not betrayed

A pledge—and does stored-away gold ever rust?

A pact, and does hidden gold ever tarnish?

فلم يدع أمراً يقودُ حتفَهُ

فلم يدع أمراً يقودُ حتفَهُ

إلّا أتاهُ جاهداً ثم اضطربْ

إلّا أتاهُ جاهداً ثم اضطربْ

He left no act that would lead to his death

He left no command that did not lead to his doom

Without doing it zealously; then he fell into confusion.

Racing towards it, then falling into turmoil

كان كمن خافَ حريقاً واقعاً

كان كمن خافَ حريقاً واقعاً

فزاد فيه حطباً على حَطَبْ

فزاد فيه حطباً على حَطَبْ

He was like one who feared a fire already blazing,

He was like one who feared an impending blaze

So added to it firewood upon firewood.

So he added more wood to the fire

أَخلِقْ بأن تغشاهُ منه قطعةٌ

أَخلِقْ بأن تغشاهُ منه قطعةٌ

يأتي عليه لفحُها دون اللّهَبْ

يأتي عليه لفحُها دون اللّهَبْ

How likely that a fragment of it should engulf him,

Imagine him cloaked in a piece of it

Its scorching blast finishing him even without the flame.

Engulfing him without even flames

انظرْ إليهِ وإلى تدبيرهِ

انظرْ إليهِ وإلى تدبيرهِ

فإن فيه عجباً من العَجَبْ

فإن فيه عجباً من العَجَبْ

Look at him and at his planning,

Look at him and his leadership

For in it is a wonder among wonders.

For in it is a wonder of wonders

روَّعَ طفلاً لم يكن ترويعُهُ

روَّعَ طفلاً لم يكن ترويعُهُ

من المُداراة ولا أخذِ الأُهَبْ

من المُداراة ولا أخذِ الأُهَبْ

He terrorized a child, though terrorizing him was not

He frightened a child, though frightening him

Tactful handling, nor the taking of precautions.

Was not prudent, nor seizing the spoils

وأسخطَ السادة سُخطاً ساقَهُ

وأسخطَ السادة سُخطاً ساقَهُ

تلقاءَهُ سُخطٌ من اللّه وَجَبْ

تلقاءَهُ سُخطٌ من اللّه وَجَبْ

And he angered the lords with a wrath driven

He angered the lords, an anger that drove him

Toward him by a wrath from God that had become due.

To meet anger from God that was warranted

ثم رأى أنْ لم يُوفَّق رأيُهُ

ثم رأى أنْ لم يُوفَّق رأيُهُ

فأطلقَ الطفلَ وأمسى في رَهَبْ

فأطلقَ الطفلَ وأمسى في رَهَبْ

Then he saw that his judgment had not been granted success,

Then he saw his opinion did not succeed

So he released the child and passed the evening in dread.

So he released the child and spent the night anxious

فهو مقيمٌ بين خوفٍ وردى

فهو مقيمٌ بين خوفٍ وردى

مما أتى أو بين خوف وحَرَبْ

مما أتى أو بين خوف وحَرَبْ

So he dwells between fear and death

Now he lives between fear and chaos

Because of what he did—or between fear and destitution.

From what he did, or between fear and war

وهكذا الجاهلُ قِدماً لم يزل

وهكذا الجاهلُ قِدماً لم يزل

من جهلِهِ في تَعبٍ وفي نصَبْ

من جهلِهِ في تَعبٍ وفي نصَبْ

And thus the ignorant man has always, from of old,

And so the ignorant man has never ceased

Through his ignorance, been in weariness and toil.

To toil and struggle due to his ignorance

قد اشترى طولَ سهادٍ بكَرىً

قد اشترى طولَ سهادٍ بكَرىً

وقد شَرى طولَ هدوءٍ بتعَبْ

وقد شَرى طولَ هدوءٍ بتعَبْ

He bought long sleeplessness with slumber,

He bought a long pillow for a short slumber

And sold long tranquillity for toil.

And bought long tranquility for toil

شَبَّهْتُ دعواه القيام بالذي

شَبَّهْتُ دعواه القيام بالذي

قُلِّد من أمرٍ بدعواه العرَبْ

قُلِّد من أمرٍ بدعواه العرَبْ

I likened his claim to carry out what

I compared his claim to take the place of him

He was entrusted with to his claim of Arab descent.

Who was entrusted with command to the Arabs’ claim

قد قلتُ إذ خُبِّرت عن تبليحهِ

قد قلتُ إذ خُبِّرت عن تبليحهِ

وأنه في زفراتٍ وكُرَبْ

وأنه في زفراتٍ وكُرَبْ

I said, when I was told of his helplessness

When I was told of his affliction

And that he was amid sighs and distress:

And that he was in gasps and hardship

بُعْداً لمن أصبح من أحوالهِ

بُعْداً لمن أصبح من أحوالهِ

في صَعَدٍ عالٍ وأمسى في صَبَبْ

في صَعَدٍ عالٍ وأمسى في صَبَبْ

Away with one who, in his fortunes, began the morning

Away with one who found himself in such a state

On a lofty ascent, and reached evening on a downward slope!

On high peaks at night, but in ravines by day

ما فعلتْ خيلٌ له قد ضُمِّرتْ

ما فعلتْ خيلٌ له قد ضُمِّرتْ

أما لديها هربٌ ولا طَلَبْ

أما لديها هربٌ ولا طَلَبْ

What have his horses done, conditioned as they are?

Of what use is a horse for him, deflated,

Have they neither flight nor pursuit in them?

With neither escape nor advance

بل جبنُهُ يمنعُها إقدامَها

بل جبنُهُ يمنعُها إقدامَها

وحَيْنُهُ يمنعه من الهرَبْ

وحَيْنُهُ يمنعه من الهرَبْ

Rather, his cowardice bars them from charging,

Nay, his cowardice bars its attack

And his doom bars him from flight.

While his shame bars him from flight

ما أقبح النَّعماءَ يُكْسَى ثوبَها

ما أقبح النَّعماءَ يُكْسَى ثوبَها

وأحسنَ النعماءَ عنه تُستَلبْ

وأحسنَ النعماءَ عنه تُستَلبْ

How ugly is good fortune when he is clothed in its robe,

How ugly are blessings dressed in their garb

And how fair that good fortune when stripped from him!

And how fine the blessings stripped from him

ما كان ما أعطِيَهُ من كسبِهِ

ما كان ما أعطِيَهُ من كسبِهِ

لكنهُ فارقَهُ بما اكتسبْ

لكنهُ فارقَهُ بما اكتسبْ

What he was given was not of his own earning,

What he was given was not from his earning

Yet it left him because of what he earned.

But he lost it by what he acquired

يا غامِطَ النعمة أيقِنْ أنها

يا غامِطَ النعمة أيقِنْ أنها

قد غَضِبَ اللّه لها كلَّ الغضبْ

قد غَضِبَ اللّه لها كلَّ الغضبْ

O spurner of blessing, know for certain that

O you who hide blessings, be sure

God has become utterly wrathful on its behalf.

God is angry with it, total anger

ولن ترى اللّه ولياً لامرئٍ

ولن ترى اللّه ولياً لامرئٍ

عادى أبا الصقر الوزير المُنتَجَبْ

عادى أبا الصقر الوزير المُنتَجَبْ

And you will never see God as a protector of a man

And you will never see God as ally to one

Who opposes Abu al-Saqr, the chosen minister.

Who opposed the father of falcons, the eminent vizier

وكلُّ من عادى مُحقّاً مقبلاً

وكلُّ من عادى مُحقّاً مقبلاً

فإنه من أمره في وَكَتَبْ

فإنه من أمره في وَكَتَبْ

And whoever opposes one who is in the right and prospering,

And all who opposed the rightly guided one proceeding

Then, in his affairs, he is in [unclear text: “and he wrote”].

Will find his affair in turmoil

والحمد للّه العظيم شأنُهُ

والحمد للّه العظيم شأنُهُ

على الذي أبلَى وأَوْلى وَوَهَبْ

على الذي أبلَى وأَوْلى وَوَهَبْ

And praise be to God, whose majesty is great,

And praise be to God, great in esteem

For what He has bestowed, conferred, and given.

For what He has worn out, entrusted, and granted