وَعاذِلٍand a reproacher عَذَلتُهُI reproached him فيfor عَذلِهِhis reproach
وَعاذِلٍ عَذَلتُهُ في عَذلِهِ
فَظَنَّso he thought أَنّيthat I جاهِلٌignorant مِنout of جَهلِهِhis ignorance
فَظَنَّ أَنّي جاهِلٌ مِن جَهلِهِ
And a reproacher I reproached for his reproach;
And one who reproached me for my reproach of him,
So, out of his ignorance, he thought me ignorant.
He thought me ignorant because of his ignorance.
ماnothing غَبَنَhas cheated المَغبونَthe cheated man مِثلُthe like of عَقلِهِhis mind
ما غَبَنَ المَغبونَ مِثلُ عَقلِهِ
مَنwho لَكَfor you يَوماًever بِأَخيكَwith your brother كُلِّهِall of him
مَن لَكَ يَوماً بِأَخيكَ كُلِّهِ
Nothing cheats the cheated man like his own mind.
None is more duped than one whose mind dupes him,
Who can ever find you a brother perfect in every way?
Who blames you one day for loving your brother wholeheartedly.
لَبِستُI have donned رَيعانيmy youthful prime فَدَعنيso let me أُبلِهِwear it out
لَبِستُ رَيعاني فَدَعني أُبلِهِ
رَأيَthe judgment اِبنِa son of دَهرٍTime غَرَقاًdrowned فيin خَبلِهِits madness
رَأيَ اِبنِ دَهرٍ غَرَقاً في خَبلِهِ
I have donned my youthful prime; let me wear it out.
I wore my youth so let me act foolishly,
With the judgment of a son of Time, drowned in its madness,
The son of time saw clearly when drowned in his confusion.
أَعلَمَmore skilled مِنهُthan it بِحُداءِin camel-driving song إِبلِهِits camels
أَعلَمَ مِنهُ بِحُداءِ إِبلِهِ
قَدalready لَعِبَتhave toyed أَيديthe hands of النَوىseparation بِشَملِهِwith his fellowship
قَد لَعِبَت أَيدي النَوى بِشَملِهِ
More skilled than Time in chanting to its camels;
He knows more than me about the sterility of his she-camels,
The hands of separation have played havoc with his fellowship.
The hands of fate have played games with his cloak.
مُمَتَّعاًgranted enjoyment مُضطَلِعاًcapably bearing بِحِملِهِwith his burden
مُمَتَّعاً مُضطَلِعاً بِحِملِهِ
مُنصَلِتاًdarting forth كَالسَيفِlike a sword عِندَat سَلِّهِits unsheathing
مُنصَلِتاً كَالسَيفِ عِندَ سَلِّهِ
Granted enjoyment, stoutly shouldering his burden,
Finding joy, bearing his burden,
Darting forth like a sword when unsheathed;
Unsheathing like a sword during battle.
مَولودَةٌborn هِمَّتُهُhis ambition مِنfrom قَبلِهِbefore him
مَولودَةٌ هِمَّتُهُ مِن قَبلِهِ
قَدindeed دانَhas submitted ذوthe possessor of الفَضلِmerit لَهُto him بِفَضلِهِfor his merit
قَد دانَ ذو الفَضلِ لَهُ بِفَضلِهِ
His ambition was born before him.
His ambition was born before him,
The man of merit has bowed to him for his merit.
The virtuous bowed to him for his virtue.
كَالصابِlike bitter sap مَنwhoever يَذُقهُtastes him لاnot يَستَحلِهِfinds him sweet
كَالصابِ مَن يَذُقهُ لا يَستَحلِهِ
إِلّاexcept بِأَنby يَسكُنَdwelling تَحتَbeneath ظِلِّهِhis shade
إِلّا بِأَن يَسكُنَ تَحتَ ظِلِّهِ
Like bitter sap, whoever tastes him does not find him sweet,
Like nectar, he who tastes it finds it irresistible,
Except by dwelling beneath his shade.
Unless he stays in its shade.
مُفيدُacquiring جَزلِabundant المالِwealth مُعطيgiving جَزلِهِits abundance
مُفيدُ جَزلِ المالِ مُعطي جَزلِهِ
يَحويهِhe gathers it مِنfrom حَرامِهِits unlawful sources وَحِلِّهِand its lawful sources
يَحويهِ مِن حَرامِهِ وَحِلِّهِ
He acquires abundant wealth and gives abundantly of it;
Beneficial, bestowing abundant wealth, giving generously of it,
He gathers it by unlawful and lawful means,
Containing the lawful and unlawful.
وَيجعَلُand he makes النائِلَbounty أَدنىthe easiest سُبلِهِhis paths
وَيجعَلُ النائِلَ أَدنى سُبلِهِ
وَبَلَدٍand a land نائيremote المَحَلِّin location مَحلِهِits barren tract
وَبَلَدٍ نائي المَحَلِّ مَحلِهِ
And makes giving the easiest of his paths.
And makes the attainers walk the easiest paths,
And many a land whose barren tract lay far away,
And a land faraway the place of his abode.
رَمَيتُهُI shot at it مِنَof السُرىnight travel بِنَبلِهِwith its arrows
رَمَيتُهُ مِنَ السُرى بِنَبلِهِ
بِبازِلٍon a mature camel مُقابَلٍpurebred فيamong بُزلِهِhis mature-camel peers
بِبازِلٍ مُقابَلٍ في بُزلِهِ
I shot at it with the arrows of night travel,
I shot him from Sura with my arrows,
On a mature camel, purebred among his peers;
With a loose string against his looseness.
مِثليone like me سَرىtraveled by night فيthrough مِثلِهِone like it بِمِثلِهِon one like him
مِثلي سَرى في مِثلِهِ بِمِثلِهِ
وَمَلِكٌand a king فيin كِبرِهِhis arrogance وَنُبلِهِand his nobility
وَمَلِكٌ في كِبرِهِ وَنُبلِهِ
One like me traveled by night through a land like it, on a camel like him.
The like of me proceeded against the like of him, with the like of it,
And a king in his arrogance and noble rank,
And a king despite his arrogance and nobility,
وَسوقَةٍand a commoner فيin قَولِهِhis speech وَفِعلِهِand his deeds
وَسوقَةٍ في قَولِهِ وَفِعلِهِ
بَذَلتُI lavished مَدحيmy praise فيهِon him باغيseeking بَذلِهِhis largesse
بَذَلتُ مَدحي فيهِ باغي بَذلِهِ
Yet a commoner in his words and deeds,
And leadership despite his words and actions.
I lavished my praise on him, seeking his largesse;
I exerted myself in praising him desiring his generosity,
فَحَذَّso he severed حَبلَthe cord of أَمَليmy hope مِنfrom أَصلِهِits root
فَحَذَّ حَبلَ أَمَلي مِن أَصلِهِ
مِنfrom بَعدِafter ماthat اِستَعبَدَنيhe enslaved me بِمَطلِهِwith his delays
مِن بَعدِ ما اِستَعبَدَني بِمَطلِهِ
But he severed the cord of my hope at its root,
So he cut the rope of my hopes from its root,
After enslaving me with his delays.
After enslaving me with his procrastination,
ثُمَّthen أَتىhe came مُعتَذِراًoffering an excuse بِجَهلِهِwith his ignorance
ثُمَّ أَتى مُعتَذِراً بِجَهلِهِ
ذاpossessing عُنُقٍa neck فيin المَجدِglory لَمnot يُحَلِّهِhe adorned it
ذا عُنُقٍ في المَجدِ لَم يُحَلِّهِ
Then he came offering his ignorance as an excuse,
Then he came apologizing for his ignorance,
Bearing a neck in glory that he had not adorned.
With a neck unbowed by glory,
يَعجَبُhe marvels مِنat تَعَجُّبيmy amazement وَبُخلِهِand his stinginess
يَعجَبُ مِن تَعَجُّبي وَبُخلِهِ
يَلحَظُنيhe looks at me فيin جَدِّهِhis earnestness وَهَزلِهِand his jesting
يَلحَظُني في جَدِّهِ وَهَزلِهِ
He marvels at my amazement and at his own stinginess.
Amazed at my amazement and stinginess,
In earnest and in jest, he looks at me
Glancing at me seriously and jokingly,
لَحظَthe gaze of الأَسيرِthe prisoner حَلَقاتِthe rings of كَبلِهِhis fetters
لَحظَ الأَسيرِ حَلَقاتِ كَبلِهِ
حَتّىuntil كَأَنّيas though I جِئتُهُcame to him بِعَزلِهِwith his dismissal
حَتّى كَأَنّي جِئتُهُ بِعَزلِهِ
As a prisoner looks at the rings of his fetters,
Like a prisoner glancing at his shackles,
Until it seems I came to him bearing his dismissal.
As if I had come to remove him from power.
ياO واحِداًUnique One مُنفَرِداًunrivaled بِعَدلِهِin His justice
يا واحِداً مُنفَرِداً بِعَدلِهِ
أَلبَستَهُYou clothed him الغِنىwealth فَلاso do not تُمَلِّهِgrant him long enjoyment
أَلبَستَهُ الغِنى فَلا تُمَلِّهِ
O Unique One, unrivaled in His justice,
O One, singled out by His justice,
You have clothed him in wealth; do not let him enjoy it long!
You clothed him in wealth so do not burden him,
ماhow أَضيَعَwasted الغِمدَthe scabbard بِغَيرِwithout نَصلِهِits blade
ما أَضيَعَ الغِمدَ بِغَيرِ نَصلِهِ
وَالشِعرَand poetry ماwhen لَمnot يَكُit is عِندَamong أَهلِهِthose worthy of it
وَالشِعرَ ما لَم يَكُ عِندَ أَهلِهِ
How wasted is the scabbard without its blade,
The sword sheath is not wasted save without its blade,
And poetry, when it is not among those worthy of it!
Nor is poetry except with its people.
Sol 6.1