هَجاني النَغيلُ وَما خِلتُني

هَجاني النَغيلُ وَما خِلتُني

أَخافُ هِجاءَ أَبي حَرمَلَه

أَخافُ هِجاءَ أَبي حَرمَلَه

The little bastard lampooned me, though I never thought I

He rebuked me unjustly, though I did nothing wrong,

would fear Abu Harmalah's satire.

I fear the censure of my father, oh what grief!

وَقَد كُنتُ أُطنِبُ في وَصفِهِ

وَقَد كُنتُ أُطنِبُ في وَصفِهِ

وَتَثبيتِ نِسبَتِهِ المُشكِلَه

وَتَثبيتِ نِسبَتِهِ المُشكِلَه

Yet I had spoken at length in describing him,

I used to praise his lineage effusively,

and in establishing his dubious lineage.

And confirm his complicated ancestry,

أُرَجّي تَلَوُّنَهُ بِالصَفاءِ

أُرَجّي تَلَوُّنَهُ بِالصَفاءِ

وَأَلقى قَطيعَتَهُ بِالصِلَه

وَأَلقى قَطيعَتَهُ بِالصِلَه

I hope to overcome his fickleness with sincerity,

Hoping he would act nobly and justly,

and meet his estrangement by maintaining ties.

And maintain our ties of kinship sincerely,

أُراهُ وَفِيّاً وَأَنّى لَهُ

أُراهُ وَفِيّاً وَأَنّى لَهُ

وَفاءٌ إِذا كانَ لا أَصلَ لَه

وَفاءٌ إِذا كانَ لا أَصلَ لَه

I deem him faithful—yet how can he have

I saw him as loyal, though he had no origin,

faithfulness, when he has no lineage?

For how could one with no lineage have loyalty?

فَلا تَحمَدَن مِن أَخٍ آخِراً

فَلا تَحمَدَن مِن أَخٍ آخِراً

إِذا أَنتَ لَم تَختَبِر أَوَّلَه

إِذا أَنتَ لَم تَختَبِر أَوَّلَه

So never praise a friend's later conduct

So do not praise a newfound brother,

if you have not tested his conduct at the outset.

Unless you've tested him from the start,

فَإِن يَكُ أَخلَفَ ظَنّي بِهِ

فَإِن يَكُ أَخلَفَ ظَنّي بِهِ

وَحالَ عَنِ العَهدِ أَو بَدَّلَه

وَحالَ عَنِ العَهدِ أَو بَدَّلَه

If he has disappointed my expectations of him,

For if he fails your hopes and changes course,

and forsaken his pledge or changed it,

You won't be the first whose wishes fell short.

فَما كُنتُ أَوَّلَ مَن فاتَهُ

فَما كُنتُ أَوَّلَ مَن فاتَهُ

لَدى صاحِبٍ بَعضُ ما أَمَّلَه

لَدى صاحِبٍ بَعضُ ما أَمَّلَه

then I am not the first to have been denied

Didn't I single you out with a special bond,

some of what I hoped for in a companion.

Of love and intimacy that's hard to find?

أَلَم أَختَصِصكَ بِما قَد عَلِم

أَلَم أَختَصِصكَ بِما قَد عَلِم

تَ مِنَ الوُدِّ وَالمِقَةِ المُكمِلَه

تَ مِنَ الوُدِّ وَالمِقَةِ المُكمِلَه

Did I not single you out with what you knew

I implore, in your name, one who's righteous,

of affection and love in full measure,

Though it was not your right that I beseech.

وَأَسأَلُ فيكَ أَبا صالِحٍ

وَأَسأَلُ فيكَ أَبا صالِحٍ

وَما كانَ حَقُّكَ أَن أَسأَلَه

وَما كانَ حَقُّكَ أَن أَسأَلَه

and petition Abu Salih on your behalf,

I'm told you're deserving of favor and rank,

though you had no right to my petitioning him,

Of the highest esteem and position,

أُخَبِّرُ أَنَّكَ مُستَوجِبٌ

أُخَبِّرُ أَنَّكَ مُستَوجِبٌ

لِلُطفِ المَحَلَّةِ وَالمَنزِلَه

لِلُطفِ المَحَلَّةِ وَالمَنزِلَه

telling him that you were deserving

And my reward was what you already knew,

of a favored place and standing?

And what you had no right to do.

وَكانَ جَزائِيَ ما قَد عَلِم

وَكانَ جَزائِيَ ما قَد عَلِم

تَ وَما لَم يَكُن لَكَ أَن تَفعَلَه

تَ وَما لَم يَكُن لَكَ أَن تَفعَلَه

Yet my reward was what you know,

I see you've reverted to your noble roots,

and what you had no right to do.

And your complicated ancestral tale,

أُراكَ رَجَعتَ إِلى جَدِّكَ ال

أُراكَ رَجَعتَ إِلى جَدِّكَ ال

شَريفِ وَقِصَّتِهِ المُعضِلَه

شَريفِ وَقِصَّتِهِ المُعضِلَه

I see you have returned to your grandfather, the

Whose lineage originated in a rundown hut,

noble one, and his baffling tale,

Of tattered, worn-out palm fronds,

وَمَسراهُ في بَطنِ قَوصَرَّةٍ

وَمَسراهُ في بَطنِ قَوصَرَّةٍ

مُخَرَّقَةِ الخوصِ مُستَعمَلَه

مُخَرَّقَةِ الخوصِ مُستَعمَلَه

and his night journey in the belly of a date-basket,

Which you'd mistake for a dunghill when dark,

its palm-leaf weave full of holes, worn from use.

From the mesh woven on its back.

إِذا اِسوَدَّ مِن خَلفِ تَشبيكِها

إِذا اِسوَدَّ مِن خَلفِ تَشبيكِها

تَوَهَّمتَهُ الطُنَّ في الدَوخَلَه

تَوَهَّمتَهُ الطُنَّ في الدَوخَلَه

When he darkened behind its lattice,

By God, what a state you're in at daybreak,

you would take him for a bundle in a palm-leaf basket.

They found you rummaging the garbage heap.

فَلِلَّهِ هَيأَتَهُ مُصبِحاً

فَلِلَّهِ هَيأَتَهُ مُصبِحاً

وَقَد وَجَدوهُ عَلى المَزبَلَه

وَقَد وَجَدوهُ عَلى المَزبَلَه

By God, what a sight he was at dawn,

Swatting away the flies in your rags,

when they found him on the rubbish heap!

When a cannonball came and blasted you to bits.

يُعَبّي الذُبابَ كَراديسَهُ

يُعَبّي الذُبابَ كَراديسَهُ

فَتَغشاهُ قَنبَلَةً قَنبَلَه

فَتَغشاهُ قَنبَلَةً قَنبَلَه

The flies muster their battalions,

There's no one there who would claim your body,

then swarm over him, troop by troop.

Lest they be thought associated with your shame.

هُنالِكَ لَو تَدَّعيهِ قَشي

هُنالِكَ لَو تَدَّعيهِ قَشي

رُ لَما خَيَّلَت أَنَّها مُبطِلَه

رُ لَما خَيَّلَت أَنَّها مُبطِلَه

There, if Qushayr were to claim him,

it would not seem to be making a false claim.