إذاwhen حَسُنَتْprove worthy أخلافُsuccessors قومٍa people فبِئْسماthen how badly
إذا حَسُنَتْ أخلافُ قومٍ فبِئْسما
خَلَفتمyou succeeded بهwith it أسلافكمyour forebears آلhouse of طاهِرTahir
خَلَفتم به أسلافكم آل طاهِر
When a people's successors prove worthy, how badly
If the successors of a people are good, how wretched
you have succeeded your forebears, O house of Tahir!
Are the ancestors they succeeded, O clan of Tahir!
جَنَواthey earned لكُمfor you أنthat تُمدَحواyou be praised وجنيتُمُand you earned
جَنَوا لكُم أن تُمدَحوا وجنيتُمُ
لموتاكُمُfor your dead أنthat يُشتَمواthey be reviled فيin المقابرthe graves
لموتاكُمُ أن يُشتَموا في المقابر
They earned you praise, while you have earned
You have profited by being praised, while you deserve
abuse for your dead in their graves.
That your dead be reviled in their tombs.
فلوso if أنهمthat they كانواthey were رأواthey saw غيبthe hidden future of أمركمyour affairs
فلو أنهم كانوا رأوا غيب أمركم
لقدsurely وأدوكمthey buried you alive سِيّماespecially أمَّUmm (mother of) عامرAmir
لقد وأدوكم سِيّما أمَّ عامر
Had they foreseen the course of your affairs,
Had they but foreseen the outcome of your affairs,
they would surely have buried you alive—especially Umm Amir.
They would have stifled you at birth, especially the mother of Amir!
أجَيْئلةًO little hyena عرفاءshaggy-maned تَسحبshe drags رِجْلهاher leg
أجَيْئلةً عرفاء تَسحب رِجْلها
أجِدَّكَare you serious? لاnot يُرضيكَit pleases you مِدحةُpraise شاعِرa poet
أجِدَّكَ لا يُرضيكَ مِدحةُ شاعِر
O shaggy-maned little hyena, dragging her leg,
Lame old hags dragging their legs,
are you really not pleased by a poet's praise?
I find you are not content with the praise of a poet.
كأنكas though you قدalready فُتّyou surpassed المديحpraise فماso not ترىyou see
كأنك قد فُتّ المديح فما ترى
لمجدكfor your glory فيهin it منany كَفِيٍّan adequate match مُقادِرof equal stature
لمجدك فيه من كَفِيٍّ مُقادِر
As though you have outstripped praise, and so find
As if you disdain praise, seeing in it
in it no worthy match for your glory.
No adequate celebration of your glory.
فكيفso how ولوand if جاريتyou raced منwhoever وطأَtrod الحصاthe pebbles
فكيف ولو جاريت من وطأَ الحصا
لجئتyou would surely come وراءbehind الناسthe people آخرَlast آخرlast
لجئت وراء الناس آخرَ آخر
How, then, would you fare? If you raced those who tread the pebbles,
How so, when if you competed with the chaff-tredders,
you would come behind everyone, last of the last.
You would lag behind the others, one after another?
ألستare you not ابنa son of بوشَنْجٍBushanj أُعيْرِجa lame little man ناقصاًdeficient
ألست ابن بوشَنْجٍ أُعيْرِج ناقصاً
وإنand even if نلتَyou attained مهماwhatever نلتَهُyou attained it بالمقادرby fate's decrees
وإن نلتَ مهما نلتَهُ بالمقادر
Are you not a son of Bushanj, a lame little man, deficient,
Are you not the son of Bushanj, lame and incomplete,
even if you have gained whatever you gained by fate's decrees?
However much you attain, by destiny's decree?
وماand not كانتwas الدنياthe world وأنتwhile you عميدُهاits chief
وما كانت الدنيا وأنت عميدُها
لتعدلto equal in worth عندin the sight of اللهGod عبَّةa gulp طائرa bird
لتعدل عند الله عبَّة طائر
And the world, with you as its chief, would not
The world, of which you are the chief,
be worth a bird's gulp in God's sight.
Is as nothing to God beside a passing cloud.
ولوand if كانthere were فيamong الناسthe people ابنa son of حرٍّa free man وحرةٍand a free woman
ولو كان في الناس ابن حرٍّ وحرةٍ
لمِتَّyou would have died ولمand not تخطرyou occur علىto بالthe mind of ذاكرone who remembers
لمِتَّ ولم تخطر على بال ذاكر
Had there been among the people a son of a free man and a free woman,
Had there been in the people a free man or woman,
you would have died and never crossed anyone's mind.
You would have died, and not come to a rememberer's mind.
أحَسْبكis it enough for you? فيat العيدينthe two Eids إيجافُswift riding موكبٍa cavalcade
أحَسْبك في العيدين إيجافُ موكبٍ
تَخايلyou strut فيهin it مُسبطرّstretched out المشافرthe camel-like lips
تَخايل فيه مُسبطرّ المشافر
Is a galloping cavalcade on the two Eids enough for you,
I suppose that during the Feasts you are the pomp
where you strut with your camel-lips stretched out?
Of a parade in which the sword-belts glitter.
Sol 6.1