حَسَّنَmade pleasant العيشَlife عندto نفسيَmy soul أنّيthat I
حَسَّنَ العيشَ عند نفسيَ أنّي
عالمٌknowing كيفhow عيشُthe life غيريothers besides me وعيشيand my life
عالمٌ كيف عيشُ غيري وعيشي
What has made life pleasant to my soul is that I
It pleased me in my soul that I
know how others live and how I live.
Know how others live and how I live
كلماwhenever عابنيhe faulted me الدقيشيُّal-Duqayshi بانَتْbecame apparent
كلما عابني الدقيشيُّ بانَتْ
ليَto me أُكرومةٌa noble quality تعيبُdiscredits الدقيشيal-Duqayshi
ليَ أُكرومةٌ تعيبُ الدقيشي
Whenever al-Duqayshi finds fault with me, there appears
Whenever ad-Duqayshi rebukes me
a noble quality of mine that puts al-Duqayshi to shame.
I have excuses that rebuke ad-Duqayshi
ذوpossessor of احتجاجٍargumentation لمnot تتَّفقْaccorded ليfor me معانيmeanings
ذو احتجاجٍ لم تتَّفقْ لي معاني
هhis وكيفand how اتفاقُagreement خزٍّsilk cloth وخَيْشand sackcloth
ه وكيف اتفاقُ خزٍّ وخَيْش
An arguer whose meanings I have not been able to reconcile—
With protests whose meanings do not agree with me
and how could silk and sackcloth be reconciled?
How can the agreement of rags and tatters agree?
مستعينٌseeking aid علىfor نضاليcontending with me بسهمٍfrom an arrow
مستعينٌ على نضالي بسهمٍ
طائشٍgoing astray فيin النضالِthe contest أقبحَmost shameful طيشwaywardness
طائشٍ في النضالِ أقبحَ طيش
He seeks aid in contending with me from an arrow
Relying in my struggle on an arrow
that goes astray in the contest, most shamefully astray.
Reckless in struggle, how ugly recklessness is
ومريدُand one seeking الجدالِdisputation فيin غيرabsence of علمٍknowledge
ومريدُ الجدالِ في غير علمٍ
كمريدlike one seeking القتالcombat منfrom غيرabsence of جَيْشan army
كمريد القتال من غير جَيْش
And one who seeks to argue without knowledge
And the debater without knowledge
is like one who seeks to fight without an army.
Is like the warrior without an army
ذوpossessor of غريبٍstrange expressions منof الكلامspeech محالٍabsurd
ذو غريبٍ من الكلام محالٍ
عندin the eyes of عُكْلٍʿUkl فَكيفَso how عندin the eyes of قُريشQuraysh
عند عُكْلٍ فَكيفَ عند قُريش
He has strange turns of speech, absurd
With strange implausible speech
to ʿUkl—how much more so to Quraysh!
To a mind with intellect, so what about Quraysh?
Sol 6.1