غدوْنا إلى ميمونَ نطلبُ حاجةً

غدوْنا إلى ميمونَ نطلبُ حاجةً

فأوسعَنا منعاً وجيزاً بلا مطلِ

فأوسعَنا منعاً وجيزاً بلا مطلِ

We went in the morning to Maymun, seeking a favor;

We came to Mimoon seeking a favor

so he lavished on us a brief refusal, without delay.

But we were met with tight-fistedness, no generosity at bestowed

وقد يعدُ المرءُ البخيلُ كراهةً

وقد يعدُ المرءُ البخيلُ كراهةً

ألاءً رجاءً أن يُعانَ على البذْلِ

ألاءً رجاءً أن يُعانَ على البذْلِ

And a miserly man may sometimes promise reluctantly

And the miser may feign refusal as politeness

favors, hoping to be helped to give.

Hoping to be pressed to give against his will

وقال اعذروني إن بُخْلي جِبِلَّةٌ

وقال اعذروني إن بُخْلي جِبِلَّةٌ

وإنّ يدي مخلوقةٌ خلقةَ القُفلِ

وإنّ يدي مخلوقةٌ خلقةَ القُفلِ

And he said, "Excuse me: my miserliness is inborn,

"Excuse me," he said, "for stinginess is my nature

and my hand is fashioned in the shape of a lock.

And my hands are created, formed for locking up."

طبيعةُ بُخْلٍ أكَّدتْها خليقةٌ

طبيعةُ بُخْلٍ أكَّدتْها خليقةٌ

تخلَّقْتُها خوفَ احتياجي إلى مثلي

تخلَّقْتُها خوفَ احتياجي إلى مثلي

A miserly nature, reinforced by a trait

A stingy nature confirmed by a creation

I adopted for fear of needing someone like me."

I've formed myself, fearing my own kind of need

فألقى إلينا عِذرةً لا نردُّها

فألقى إلينا عِذرةً لا نردُّها

وكان مُلقّىً حجةَ اللؤمِ والبخل

وكان مُلقّىً حجةَ اللؤمِ والبخل

So he offered us an excuse we do not reject,

So he offered us an excuse we cannot refute

and he was supplied with a defense of baseness and miserliness.

Casting the plea of meanness and stinginess