لَكَyours الخَلائِقُcharacter traits فيناtoward us السَهلَةُgentle السُمُحُgenerous
لَكَ الخَلائِقُ فينا السَهلَةُ السُمُحُ
وَالنَيلُand bounty يَسلَسُcomes easily لِلراجيto the hopeful seeker وَيَنسَرِحُand flows freely
وَالنَيلُ يَسلَسُ لِلراجي وَيَنسَرِحُ
Yours are gentle, generous ways toward us,
You have the easygoing and gentle people among us,
And bounty comes easily to the hopeful seeker and flows freely;
And the Nile flows smoothly for the hopeful and relaxes.
وَالمَكرُماتُand noble deeds الَّتيwhich باتَتhave become مَعالِمُهاtheir hallmarks
وَالمَكرُماتُ الَّتي باتَت مَعالِمُها
مَشهورَةًrenowned كَنُجومِlike the stars of اللَيلِthe night تَتَّضِحُstand out clearly
مَشهورَةً كَنُجومِ اللَيلِ تَتَّضِحُ
And noble deeds whose hallmarks have become
And the generous acts whose features
Renowned, standing out clearly like the stars of night.
Have become renowned like the stars of the night become clear.
أَمّاas for العُفاةُseekers of bounty فَقَدthen indeed حَطّواthey set down رِحالَهُمُtheir saddles
أَمّا العُفاةُ فَقَد حَطّوا رِحالَهُمُ
بِحَيثُin a place where تَتَّسِعُgrows wide الدُنياthe world وَتَنفَسِحُand opens out
بِحَيثُ تَتَّسِعُ الدُنيا وَتَنفَسِحُ
As for the seekers of bounty, they have set down their saddles
As for the nobles, they have pitched their tents
Where the world grows wide and opens out.
Wherever the world expands and breathes easy.
فَداكَmay he be your ransom مَنwhoever لاnot نَداهُhis bounty صَوبُthe downpour of غادِيَةٍa morning raincloud
فَداكَ مَن لا نَداهُ صَوبُ غادِيَةٍ
تَهميpours rain وَلاnor صَدرُهُhis breast لِلجودِto generosity مُنشَرِحُopen
تَهمي وَلا صَدرُهُ لِلجودِ مُنشَرِحُ
May he be your ransom whose bounty is no downpour from a morning cloud
May you live long, he whose call no one beside a traveling woman responds to,
Pouring rain, and whose breast is not open to generosity.
Nor is his chest wide open for generosity.
أَمُطلِقيmy deliverer? مِنfrom يَدِthe hand of السَيبِيِّal-Saybi أَنتَyou فَقَدfor indeed
أَمُطلِقي مِن يَدِ السَيبِيِّ أَنتَ فَقَد
كَلَّتgrew exhausted لَدَيهِin his presence رِكابُriding camels الطالِبِthe seeker's الطُلُحُweary
كَلَّت لَدَيهِ رِكابُ الطالِبِ الطُلُحُ
Will you free me from al-Saybi's hand? For
O you who release captives from the hands of the youth! You, for at his feet
The seeker's weary camels have grown exhausted before him.
The sandals of the insistent suitor have chafed.
أَرىI see عَلىat بابِهِhis door صَرعىmen laid low أَقامَlingered بِهِمwith them
أَرى عَلى بابِهِ صَرعى أَقامَ بِهِم
طولُthe length of المَطالِprocrastination فَلاso not أَجدىhe bestowed وَلاnor نَجَحواthey succeeded
طولُ المَطالِ فَلا أَجدى وَلا نَجَحوا
I see men laid low at his door, held there by
I see next to his door victims felled by
Protracted delay: he gave nothing, and they found no success.
The length of waiting, availing naught nor succeeding.
لَناfor us مَواقِفُstanding places فيin أَفناءِthe precincts of عَرصَتِهِhis courtyard
لَنا مَواقِفُ في أَفناءِ عَرصَتِهِ
تُهانُis demeaned أَخطارُناour standing فيهاthere وَتُطَّرَحُand is cast aside
تُهانُ أَخطارُنا فيها وَتُطَّرَحُ
We stand in the precincts of his courtyard,
We have stations in the courtyards of his mansion
Where our standing is demeaned and cast aside.
Where our dangers are scorned and tossed aside.
نَغشاهُwe visit him لاnot نَحنُwe مُشتاقونَlonging مِنهُfrom him إِلىfor
نَغشاهُ لا نَحنُ مُشتاقونَ مِنهُ إِلى
أُنسٍcompanionship وَلاnor هُوَhe مَسرورٌpleased بِناwith us فَرِحُdelighted
أُنسٍ وَلا هُوَ مَسرورٌ بِنا فَرِحُ
We visit him, yet we have no longing for his
We visit him, neither longing for his company,
Companionship; nor is he pleased or delighted with us.
Nor he delighted by us and happy.
إِذاwhen طَلَبناwe seek بِلينِwith gentleness of القَولِspeech غِرَّتَهُhis unguarded moment
إِذا طَلَبنا بِلينِ القَولِ غِرَّتَهُ
ظَلناwe keep on نُعالِجُwe struggle with قُفلاًa lock لَيسَdoes not يَنفَتِحُopen
ظَلنا نُعالِجُ قُفلاً لَيسَ يَنفَتِحُ
When we seek to catch him off guard with gentle speech,
If gently we ask for his pride,
We keep struggling with a lock that will not open.
We remain handling a lock that does not open.
أَعياproved intractable عَلَيَّto me فَلاfor neither هَيّابَةٌtimid فَرِقٌafraid
أَعيا عَلَيَّ فَلا هَيّابَةٌ فَرِقٌ
مِنَof الهِجاءِsatire وَلاnor هَشٌّgenial فَيُمتَدَحُand thus be praised
مِنَ الهِجاءِ وَلا هَشٌّ فَيُمتَدَحُ
He has baffled me: he is neither timid nor afraid
He has wearied me, so I have no fear of censure,
Of satire, nor genial enough to be praised.
No shrinking from invective, and no praise allures me.
يُريغُseeks كاتِبُهُhis secretary صُلحيpeace with me لِيَنقُصَنيto shortchange me
يُريغُ كاتِبُهُ صُلحي لِيَنقُصَني
وَلَمand not يَكُنthere was بَينَناbetween us شَرٌّquarrel فَنَصطَلِحُso we might reconcile
وَلَم يَكُن بَينَنا شَرٌّ فَنَصطَلِحُ
His secretary seeks peace with me, to shortchange me,
His scribe scripts my ruin to diminish me
Yet there was no quarrel between us for us to make peace.
Though no evil existed between us to reconcile.
وَكَمand how many أُناسٍpeople أَلامواearned blame فيin مُتاجَرَتيbargaining with me
وَكَم أُناسٍ أَلاموا في مُتاجَرَتي
وَحاوَلواand they tried الرِبحَprofit فيin نَقصيmy loss فَماbut not رَبِحواthey profited
وَحاوَلوا الرِبحَ في نَقصي فَما رَبِحوا
And how many people earned blame in bargaining with me,
And how many people who traded with me have suffered,
And tried to profit at my expense, but made no profit.
And sought profit in my loss, but gained nothing.
Sol 6.1