السَوطُthe whip أَبلَغُmore eloquent مِنthan قالٍtalk وَمِنِand than قيلِhearsay
السَوطُ أَبلَغُ مِن قالٍ وَمِنِ قيلِ
وَمِنand than نُباحُbarking سَفيهِa fool بِالأَباطيلِwith falsehoods
وَمِن نُباحُ سَفيهِ بِالأَباطيلِ
The lash speaks more eloquently than any speaker or speech,
The whip is more eloquent than talk and hearsay,
and than a fool's barking of falsehoods.
And than a fool's barking of falsehoods.
مُرُّbitter المَذاقِthe taste كَحَرِّlike the heat of النارِfire أَبرَدُهُits coolest part
مُرُّ المَذاقِ كَحَرِّ النارِ أَبرَدُهُ
يُعَقِّلُbrings to one's senses المُتَعاطيthe recipient أَيَّwhat a تَعقيلِinstilling of sense
يُعَقِّلُ المُتَعاطي أَيَّ تَعقيلِ
Bitter to the taste—its coolest touch is like the fire's heat—
Bitter to taste, even its coolest part is like the heat of fire;
it brings whoever incurs it most thoroughly to his senses.
It brings its recipient to his senses—and how!
رَأىsaw مِنَof الطِبِّmedicine ماwhat بُقراطُHippocrates لَمdid not يَرَهُsee it
رَأى مِنَ الطِبِّ ما بُقراطُ لَم يَرَهُ
فيin بُرءِthe cure of كُلِّevery سَخيفِfeeble العَقلِthe mind مَخذولِforsaken
في بُرءِ كُلِّ سَخيفِ العَقلِ مَخذولِ
It has discovered a medicine that Hippocrates never knew
It has seen in medicine what Hippocrates never saw,
for curing every forsaken fool of feeble mind.
In curing every feeble-minded, forsaken man.
ضَئيلُslight جِسمٍbody تَخافُfear الخَيلُhorses سَطوَتَهُits onslaught
ضَئيلُ جِسمٍ تَخافُ الخَيلُ سَطوَتَهُ
أَعدىmore aggressive وَأَطغىand more tyrannical مِنَthan التِمساحِthe crocodile فيin النيلِthe Nile
أَعدى وَأَطغى مِنَ التِمساحِ في النيلِ
Slight of body, yet horses fear its violence,
Slight in body, yet horses fear its onslaught;
more deadly and more imperious than the crocodile in the Nile.
More aggressive and more tyrannical than the crocodile in the Nile.
يَرقُصُmakes dance المَرءَthe man تَرقيصاًmaking dance بِلاwithout طَرَبٍdelight
يَرقُصُ المَرءَ تَرقيصاً بِلا طَرَبٍ
لَوeven if كانَhe were أَثقَلَheavier أَوor أَجسىharder-bodied مِنَthan الفيلِthe elephant
لَو كانَ أَثقَلَ أَو أَجسى مِنَ الفيلِ
It makes a man dance, though he feels no rapture,
It makes a man dance, though without delight,
even were he heavier or more solid than an elephant.
Even if he were heavier or tougher than an elephant.
عِندَwith السَخيفِthe fool بِهِof it خُبرٌknowledge وَتَجرِبَةٌand experience
عِندَ السَخيفِ بِهِ خُبرٌ وَتَجرِبَةٌ
فَقَدfor indeed رَمىhe dropped تَحتَهُbeneath it ماwhat عُدَّwas reckoned بِالفولِas broad beans
فَقَد رَمى تَحتَهُ ما عُدَّ بِالفولِ
The fool has knowledge and experience of it:
The fool has knowledge and experience of it;
beneath himself he cast what had once been counted as beans,
For beneath it he dropped what was reckoned as broad beans.
وَقَدand indeed حَساhe sipped مِنهُfrom it أَمراقاًbroths مُفَلفَلَةًpeppered
وَقَد حَسا مِنهُ أَمراقاً مُفَلفَلَةً
جَشَّتهُmade him belch شَرَّthe worst الجُشاbelching مِنfrom شَرِّthe worst مَأكولِfood
جَشَّتهُ شَرَّ الجُشا مِن شَرِّ مَأكولِ
and from it he supped peppered broths
And he has sipped peppered broths from it,
that made him belch the foulest belch from the foulest fare.
Which made him belch the foulest belches from the foulest food.
وَقَدand indeed هجاهُit lampooned him بِهَجوٍwith satire مُؤلِمٍhurtful وَجِعٍpainful
وَقَد هجاهُ بِهَجوٍ مُؤلِمٍ وَجِعٍ
لاnot يُشبِهُresembles الشِعرَpoetry فيin نَظمٍcomposition وَتَفصيلِand detail
لا يُشبِهُ الشِعرَ في نَظمٍ وَتَفصيلِ
He had lampooned him with painful, wounding invective
And it has lampooned him with a hurtful, painful satire,
that resembled no poetry in composition or detail.
Unlike poetry in composition or detail.
فَقُلso say لَهُto him إِنif جَرىcrosses هَجوٌsatire بِخاطِرِهِthrough his mind
فَقُل لَهُ إِن جَرى هَجوٌ بِخاطِرِهِ
أُذكُرremember قِيامَكَyour standing مَحلولَuntied السَراويلِthe trousers
أُذكُر قِيامَكَ مَحلولَ السَراويلِ
So tell him, should satire ever cross his mind:
So tell him, if satire should cross his mind:
Remember standing there with your trousers undone;
Remember how you stood with your trousers undone;
وَاِذكُرand remember طَوافَكَyour rounds فيin الأَسواقِthe markets مُفتَضِحاًdisgraced
وَاِذكُر طَوافَكَ في الأَسواقِ مُفتَضِحاً
مُجَرَّداًstripped bare خاشِعاًhumbled فيin ذُلِّthe abasement of معزولِone cast aside
مُجَرَّداً خاشِعاً في ذُلِّ معزولِ
remember circling the marketplaces in disgrace,
And remember your rounds through the markets, disgraced,
stripped and humbled, abject as one cast out;
Stripped bare and humbled, in the abasement of one cast aside.
وَاِذكُرand remember عُقوبَةَthe punishment for ماwhat زَوَّرتَهُyou fabricated it سَفَهاًfoolishly
وَاِذكُر عُقوبَةَ ما زَوَّرتَهُ سَفَهاً
فيagainst السادَةِthe lords القادَةِthe leaders الشُمَّthe proud, lofty-nosed البَهاليلِthe magnanimous nobles
في السادَةِ القادَةِ الشُمَّ البَهاليلِ
and remember the punishment for what you foolishly fabricated
And remember the punishment for what you foolishly fabricated
against the noble lords—the lofty, illustrious leaders—
Against the lords and leaders, lofty and magnanimous.
عِصابَةٌa company عَظَّمَexalted الرَحمَنُthe Most Merciful حُرمَتَهاits inviolable honor
عِصابَةٌ عَظَّمَ الرَحمَنُ حُرمَتَها
وَخَصَّهاand He singled it out مِنهُfrom Him إِكراماًas an honor بِتَبجيلِwith veneration
وَخَصَّها مِنهُ إِكراماً بِتَبجيلِ
a company whose sanctity the All-Merciful has exalted
A company whose inviolable honor the Most Merciful has exalted,
and singled out for honor from Him, with veneration.
And which He has singled out for veneration, as an honor from Him.
هُمُthey لُبابُthe kernel of الوَرىhumankind حَقّاًtruly وَغَيرُهُمand those besides them
هُمُ لُبابُ الوَرى حَقّاً وَغَيرُهُم
عِندَin الحَقيقَةِtruth أَبقالُrefuse الغَرابيلِthe sieves
عِندَ الحَقيقَةِ أَبقالُ الغَرابيلِ
They are truly the choicest of humankind; all others,
They are truly the kernel of humankind; those besides them
in truth, are but the chaff caught in sieves.
Are, in truth, the refuse of the sieves.
إِنَّindeed اِبنَson of تَوبَةَTawba فيهِمamong them رافِعٌraising عَلَماًa banner
إِنَّ اِبنَ تَوبَةَ فيهِم رافِعٌ عَلَماً
مِنَof القَضاءِthe judiciary وَمُمتازٌand distinguished بِإِكليلِwith a crown
مِنَ القَضاءِ وَمُمتازٌ بِإِكليلِ
Among them, Ibn Tawba raises high the banner
Indeed, Ibn Tawba among them raises a banner
of justice, distinguished with a crown.
Of the judiciary, and is distinguished by a crown.
قَضىhe decreed بِتَنكيلِfor exemplary punishment of مَنwhoever لَمdid not يَرعَrespect حَقَّهُمُtheir right
قَضى بِتَنكيلِ مَن لَم يَرعَ حَقَّهُمُ
وَحَصَّنَand he fortified الحُكمَthe ruling فيin هَذاthis بِتَسجيلِby recording
وَحَصَّنَ الحُكمَ في هَذا بِتَسجيلِ
He sentenced to exemplary punishment whoever failed to honor their due,
He decreed exemplary punishment for whoever failed to respect their rights,
and secured the judgment in this matter with an official record.
And fortified the ruling in this matter by recording it.
الظَهرُthe back قِرطاسُهُhis paper وَالسَوطُand the whip يَطلُبُهُseeks it
الظَهرُ قِرطاسُهُ وَالسَوطُ يَطلُبُهُ
بِئسَwretched is الكِتابُthe writ بِعَقدٍwith a bond غَيرِnot مَحلولِundone
بِئسَ الكِتابُ بِعَقدٍ غَيرِ مَحلولِ
The back is his parchment, and the lash seeks it;
The back is his paper, and the whip seeks it out;
a wretched document, bound by a bond that cannot be undone.
Wretched is the writ, with an unbroken bond!
Sol 6.1