كتب الحصير إلى السرير

كتب الحصير إلى السرير

أن الفصيل ابن البعير

أن الفصيل ابن البعير

The mat wrote to the bed,

The reed mat wrote to the bed

The mat wrote to the bed

“The camel calf is the camel’s son.”

that the camel calf is the camel's son.

That the foal is the son of the camel

فلمثلها طرب الأمي

فلمثلها طرب الأمي

ر إلى طباهجة بقير

ر إلى طباهجة بقير

At such a thing the emir rejoiced,

So, for the like of this, the emir grew eager

So the like of it delighted the layman

eager for a tabāhaja of beef.

for a dish of fried meat with tar.

To chatter to Buthaina of Qayr

فلأمنعن حمارتي

فلأمنعن حمارتي

سنتين من علف الشعير

سنتين من علف الشعير

So I shall surely deprive my she-ass

So I shall surely deprive my she-ass

So I will forbid my she-donkey

of barley fodder for two years.

of barley fodder for two years,

Two years from fodder of barley

لا هم إلا أن تطي

لا هم إلا أن تطي

ر من الهزال مع الطيور

ر من الهزال مع الطيور

Her only concern will be to fly

with no thought but that she should fly

No concern except that you fly

from sheer emaciation alongside the birds.

from sheer thinness, along with the birds.

From leanness with the birds

فلأخبرنك قصتي

فلأخبرنك قصتي

فلقد وقعت على الخبير

فلقد وقعت على الخبير

So let me tell you my story,

So I shall surely tell you my story,

So I will tell you my story

for you have come upon an expert.

for you have indeed come upon an expert.

For I have come across the expert

إن الذين تصافعوا

إن الذين تصافعوا

بالقرع في زمن القشور

بالقرع في زمن القشور

Those who traded slaps

Indeed, those who exchanged slaps

Those who competed

with gourds in the season of rinds

with gourds, in the age of peels,

With casting lots in the time of shells

أسفوا علي لأنهم

أسفوا علي لأنهم

حضروا ولم أك في الحضور

حضروا ولم أك في الحضور

felt sorry for me because

felt sorry for me, because they

Regretted me because they

they attended, while I was not there.

were present, while I was not in attendance.

Attended and I was not present

لو كنت ثم لقليل هل

لو كنت ثم لقليل هل

من آخذ بيد الضرير

من آخذ بيد الضرير

Had I been there—how few! Would anyone

Had I been there, it would have been said: 'Is there

If I had been there a little, would there be

have taken the blind man by the hand?

anyone to take the blind man by the hand?'

One who takes the hand of the blind man?

ولقد دخلت على الصدي

ولقد دخلت على الصدي

ق البيت في اليوم المطير

ق البيت في اليوم المطير

Indeed, I went to visit my friend

And indeed I went in to see the friend,

And I had entered the house of the friend

at his house on that rainy day,

at the house on a rainy day,

On a rainy day

متشمراً متبختراً

متشمراً متبختراً

للصفع بالدلو الكبير

للصفع بالدلو الكبير

with sleeves rolled up, swaggering,

with my sleeves rolled up, swaggering,

With my sleeves rolled up, swaggering

ready to slap with the great bucket.

to slap with the large bucket.

To slap with the big bucket

فأدرت حين تبادروا

فأدرت حين تبادروا

دلوي فكان عمى المدير

دلوي فكان عمى المدير

When they rushed forward, I swung

So I swung, when they rushed forward,

But I turned back when they attacked

my bucket—and the swinger’s blindness took its toll.

my bucket—and the swinger was blinded.

My bucket, so the blindness was upon the director

يا للرجال تصافعوا

يا للرجال تصافعوا

فالصفع مفتاح السرور

فالصفع مفتاح السرور

O men, trade slaps with one another!

O men, slap one another!

Oh for the men who competed

For slapping is the key to delight.

For slapping is the key to joy.

For slapping is the key to joy

لا تغفلوه فإنه

لا تغفلوه فإنه

يستل أحقاد الصدور

يستل أحقاد الصدور

Do not neglect it, for it

Do not neglect it, for it

Do not neglect it for it

draws the grudges out of breasts.

draws the grudges out of breasts.

Extracts grudges from hearts

هو في المجالس كالبخو

هو في المجالس كالبخو

ر فلا تملوا من بخور

ر فلا تملوا من بخور

In gatherings it is like incense,

In gatherings it is like incense,

It is in the gatherings like incense so do not weary of incense

so never grow weary of incense.

so do not tire of incense.

And I will recall when the times of my loved ones are recalled at dawn

ولأذكرن إذا ذكر

ولأذكرن إذا ذكر

ت أحبتي وقت السحور

ت أحبتي وقت السحور

And surely, whenever I remember

And I shall surely recall, whenever I remember

And I will grieve because they

my dear ones, I will recall the hour before dawn.

my loved ones, the hour of the predawn meal.

When the cooking was nearly done

ولأحزنن لأنهم

ولأحزنن لأنهم

لما دنا نضج القدور

لما دنا نضج القدور

And surely I shall grieve, because

And I shall surely grieve, because they,

Departed when they had baked the bread so the eating of bread was lost to them

just as the pots were nearly done,

when the food in the pots was nearly done,

No, by Him who spoke to the Prophet, granting him superiority on the day of Ghadeer

رحلوا وقد خبزوا الفطي

رحلوا وقد خبزوا الفطي

ر ففاتهم أكل الفطير

ر ففاتهم أكل الفطير

they departed, though they had baked the flatbread,

left, though they had baked the unleavened bread,

Imam Ali has no peer in excellence

and so they missed eating the flatbread.

and so missed eating the unleavened bread.

لا والذي نطق النب

لا والذي نطق النب

ي بفضله يوم الغدير

ي بفضله يوم الغدير

No—by him whose excellence the Prophet

No—by the one whom the Prophet praised,

proclaimed on the Day of Ghadir—

for his excellence on the day of al-Ghadir:

ما للإمام أبي عل

ما للإمام أبي عل

ي في البرية من نظير

ي في البرية من نظير

Imam Abu Ali has

For Imam Abu Ali there is no

no peer anywhere among creation.

equal among all creation.