هل تبلغن لبختيار

هل تبلغن لبختيار

زاكي المروءة والنجار

زاكي المروءة والنجار

Will you convey to Bakhtiyar,

Does Bakhtiyar reach

noble in character and lineage,

The honorable and carpenter

الأوحد الملك المفضل عن

الأوحد الملك المفضل عن

ذوي الهمم الكبار

ذوي الهمم الكبار

the peerless king, exalted above

The unique king, the preferred one

men of great ambition,

Of those with great ambitions

إني لقيت صديقنا

إني لقيت صديقنا

حمدان أنحس من قدار

حمدان أنحس من قدار

that I met our friend,

I met our friend

Hamdan, more ill-omened than Qudar?

Hamdan, more unlucky than Qadar

لم يلقني إذ جئته

لم يلقني إذ جئته

إلا بمطل واعتذار

إلا بمطل واعتذار

He did not receive me, when I came to him,

He did not welcome me when I came to him

except with stalling and excuses,

Except with procrastination and apology

حتى كأني عنده

حتى كأني عنده

من بعض أنذال التجار

من بعض أنذال التجار

until, in his eyes, I seemed

As if I am to him

one of the base merchants—

One of the worthless merchants

قوم يهم نفوسهم

قوم يهم نفوسهم

أن يعصروا دهن الحجار

أن يعصروا دهن الحجار

people whose souls are preoccupied

People whose souls desire

with squeezing oil from stones.

To squeeze oil from rocks

أفِّ للحيته التي

أفِّ للحيته التي

نبتت على خزي وعار

نبتت على خزي وعار

Fie upon his beard, which

Shame on his beard which

grew upon disgrace and shame!

Grew on disgrace and shame

وقرته فقصدته

وقرته فقصدته

فرجعت عنه بلا وقار

فرجعت عنه بلا وقار

I honored him, so I sought him out;

And his burial place which I visited

then I came away from him without dignity.

Then returned from it without dignity

لا أستجيز هجاءه

لا أستجيز هجاءه

أين الهجاء من الحمار

أين الهجاء من الحمار

I do not permit myself to satirize him—

I do not allow insulting him

what has satire to do with a donkey?

Where is insulting from the donkey

نعماؤه عارية

نعماؤه عارية

أوشك برد المستعار

أوشك برد المستعار

His bounty is a loan;

His bounty is a loan

hasten to return what is borrowed.

Which will soon disappear like borrowed goods