قُلْSay لِعَلِيٍّto Ali الَّذيwhose صَدَاقَتُهُhis friendship
قُلْ لِعَلِيٍّ الَّذي صَدَاقَتُهُ
عَلَىover حُقُوقِthe rights الإِخْوَانِthe brothers مؤْتَمَنَهْentrusted
عَلَى حُقُوقِ الإِخْوَانِ مؤْتَمَنَهْ
Tell Ali—he whose friendship
Say to Ali, whose friendship
lays upon me the claims of brotherhood—that his confidant,
is entrusted with the rights of brothers:
أَخُوكَyour brother قَدْalready عُوِّدَتْhas been accustomed طَبِيعَتُهُhis constitution
أَخُوكَ قَدْ عُوِّدَتْ طَبِيعَتُهُ
بِشَرْبَةٍto a purgative draught فيin الرَّبِيعِspring كُلَّevery سَنَهyear
بِشَرْبَةٍ في الرَّبِيعِ كُلَّ سَنَه
your brother, has been accustomed by his constitution
Your brother's constitution has been accustomed
to taking his draught each spring, year after year.
to a purgative draught each spring, every year.
والآنَand now قَدْalready عَفَّنَتْit has grown putrid عَلَيْهِin him وَقَدْand already
والآنَ قَدْ عَفَّنَتْ عَلَيْهِ وَقَدْ
هَدَّتْit sapped قُوَاهُhis strength وَجَفَّفَتْand dried out بَدَنَهْhis body
هَدَّتْ قُوَاهُ وَجَفَّفَتْ بَدَنَهْ
But now the affliction has festered within him and has
But now it has grown putrid in him, and
sapped his strength and dried his body out.
sapped his strength and dried out his body.
وَعَوَدَتْand it habituated يَوْمَهاits day زِيارَتَهُvisiting him
وَعَوَدَتْ يَوْمَها زِيارَتَهُ
وماand not اعْتَرَاهاovertook it مِنْfrom قَبْلِbefore ذَاكَthat سَنَهْdrowsiness (likely intended)
وما اعْتَرَاها مِنْ قَبْلِ ذَاكَ سَنَهْ
It has made its visits the habit of his days,
And it made a daily habit of visiting him,
though never before then had drowsiness overtaken it.
though no drowsiness had overtaken it before then.
وَعادَand he began عِنْدَwhen القِيامِrising يَحْمِلُهاhe carries it
وَعادَ عِنْدَ القِيامِ يَحْمِلُها
بِرَاحَتَيْهِwith his two palms كَأَنَّهَاas though it were زَمِنَهْcrippled
بِرَاحَتَيْهِ كَأَنَّهَا زَمِنَهْ
And, on rising, he has begun to carry it
And he has taken to carrying it when he rises
in his two palms, as though it were crippled.
with his two palms, as though it were crippled.
جِئْتI came بِهاwith it لِلطَّبِيبِto the physician مُشْتَكياَcomplaining
جِئْت بِها لِلطَّبِيبِ مُشْتَكياَ
وَدَمْعَتِيand my tear كالعَوَارِضِlike rainclouds الهَتِنَهْpouring rain
وَدَمْعَتِي كالعَوَارِضِ الهَتِنَهْ
I came with it to the physician, complaining,
I brought it to the physician, complaining,
my tears like rain clouds pouring down.
my tear like clouds pouring rain.
فقالَso he said عُدْreturn لِيto me إذَاwhen احْتَمَيتُI kept to a diet وكُلْand eat
فقالَ عُدْ لِي إذَا احْتَمَيتُ وكُلْ
فيin كُلِّevery يَوْمِday دَجَاجَةًa hen دَهِنَهْfat
في كُلِّ يَوْمِ دَجَاجَةً دَهِنَهْ
He said, “Return to me once you have kept to a diet, and eat
He said, 'Return to me when I have kept to a diet, and eat
a fat hen every day.”
a fat hen every day.'
كَيْفَhow وُصُولِيmy reaching إلَىto الدَّجَاجَةِthe chicken
كَيْفَ وُصُولِي إلَى الدَّجَاجَةِ
والبَيْضَةُand the egg عِنْدِيto me كَأنَّهاas though it were بَدَنَهْa sacrificial she-camel
والبَيْضَةُ عِنْدِي كَأنَّها بَدَنَهْ
But how am I to get hold of a hen,
How can I obtain the chicken,
when even an egg, to me, is like a sacrificial camel?
when to me an egg is like a sacrificial she-camel?
جَزَاكَmay he reward you رَبِّيmy Lord إذَاwhen انْتَهَلْتُI took a draught بِمَاfor what
جَزَاكَ رَبِّي إذَا انْتَهَلْتُ بِمَا
شَرِبْتُI drank عَنْfor كُلِّevery خَرْيَةٍa turd حَسَنَهْa good deed
شَرِبْتُ عَنْ كُلِّ خَرْيَةٍ حَسَنَهْ
May my Lord reward you, whenever you drink your fill, for what
May my Lord reward you, when I take a draught, for what
you have drunk on behalf of every lovely maiden.
I drink, with a good deed for every turd.
Sol 6.1