جَزى اللَهُ عَنّي في الأُمورِ مُجاشِعاً

جَزى اللَهُ عَنّي في الأُمورِ مُجاشِعاً

جَزاءَ كَريمٍ عالِمٍ كَيفَ يَصنَعُ

جَزاءَ كَريمٍ عالِمٍ كَيفَ يَصنَعُ

May God repay Mujāshiʿ on my behalf in all affairs,

May God reward me with obedience in matters

with the recompense of a generous One who knows how to act.

The reward of a generous, wise one, knowing what to do

فَإِن تَجزِني مِنهُم فَإِنَّكَ قادِرٌ

فَإِن تَجزِني مِنهُم فَإِنَّكَ قادِرٌ

تَجُزُّ كَما شِئتَ العِبادَ وَتَزرَعُ

تَجُزُّ كَما شِئتَ العِبادَ وَتَزرَعُ

So if You grant me recompense from them, You have the power:

If you reward me among them, you surely have power

You reap Your servants as You will, and sow them.

To reward as you wish the servants and plant

يُرِقّونَ عَظمي ما اِستَطاعوا وَإِنَّما

يُرِقّونَ عَظمي ما اِستَطاعوا وَإِنَّما

أَشيدُ لَهُم بُنيانَ مَجدٍ وَأَرفَعُ

أَشيدُ لَهُم بُنيانَ مَجدٍ وَأَرفَعُ

They wear my bones thin as much as they can, yet I only

They wear away my bones as much as they can, but I

build for them an edifice of glory and raise it high.

Erect for them a structure of glory and raise high

وَكَيفَ بِكُم إِن تَظلِموني وَتَشتَكوا

وَكَيفَ بِكُم إِن تَظلِموني وَتَشتَكوا

إِذا أَنا عاقَبتُ اِمرَأً وَهوَ أَقطَعُ

إِذا أَنا عاقَبتُ اِمرَأً وَهوَ أَقطَعُ

And what will become of you if you wrong me and complain

How could you wrong me and complain

when I punish a man who is missing a hand?

If I punish a man, and he is most unjust?

إِذا اِنفَقَأَت مِنكُم ضَواةٌ جَعَلتُمُ

إِذا اِنفَقَأَت مِنكُم ضَواةٌ جَعَلتُمُ

عَلَيَّ أَذاها حَرقَها يَتَزَرَّعُ

عَلَيَّ أَذاها حَرقَها يَتَزَرَّعُ

Whenever an abscess bursts among you, you lay

If embers flare up among you, you blame

its harm upon me, its burning pain spreading.

Their harm and burning on me, it spreads

تَرَونَ لَكُم مَجداً هِجائي وَإِنَّما

تَرَونَ لَكُم مَجداً هِجائي وَإِنَّما

هِجائي لِمَن حانَ الذُعافُ المُسَلَّعُ

هِجائي لِمَن حانَ الذُعافُ المُسَلَّعُ

You reckon my satire a glory for yourselves, yet

You see for yourselves glory in blaming me, but

my satire is deadly poison compounded with salʿ for one whose hour has come.

My blame is for those whom senility makes raggedy

وَإِنّي لِيَنهاني عَنِ الجَهلِ فيكُمُ

وَإِنّي لِيَنهاني عَنِ الجَهلِ فيكُمُ

إِذا كِدتُ خَلّاتٌ مِنَ الحِلمِ أَربَعُ

إِذا كِدتُ خَلّاتٌ مِنَ الحِلمِ أَربَعُ

And indeed I am restrained from folly toward you—

And yet there forbid me from ignorance among you

when I am on its verge—by four qualities of forbearance:

When I am about to err, four comrades of forbearance

حَياءٌ وَبُقيا وَاِتِّقاءٌ وَإِنَّني

حَياءٌ وَبُقيا وَاِتِّقاءٌ وَإِنَّني

كَريمٌ فَأُعطي ما أَشاءُ وَأَمنَعُ

كَريمٌ فَأُعطي ما أَشاءُ وَأَمنَعُ

modesty, mercy, caution, and the fact that I

Modesty, dignity, piety and that I

am noble, so I give what I wish and withhold.

Am generous, so I give what I wish, and withhold

وَإِن أَعفُ أَستَبقي حُلومَ مُجاشِعٍ

وَإِن أَعفُ أَستَبقي حُلومَ مُجاشِعٍ

فَإِنَّ العَصا كانَت لِذي الحِلمِ تُقرَعُ

فَإِنَّ العَصا كانَت لِذي الحِلمِ تُقرَعُ

And if I pardon, I preserve Mujāshiʿ's good sense,

And if I pardon, I preserve the hearts of the obedient

for the staff was tapped for a man of understanding.

For the stick was for the forbearing to tap

أَلَم تُرجِلوني عَن جِيادي وَتَخلَعوا

أَلَم تُرجِلوني عَن جِيادي وَتَخلَعوا

عِناني وَما مِثلي مِنَ القَومِ يُخلَعُ

عِناني وَما مِثلي مِنَ القَومِ يُخلَعُ

Have you not forced me off my steeds and cast aside

Did you not unhorse me from my steeds and strip

my reins? Yet one like me among the tribe is not cast off,

My reins, and none like me from the people is stripped

كَما كانَ يَلقى الزِبرِقانُ وَلَم يَزَل

كَما كانَ يَلقى الزِبرِقانُ وَلَم يَزَل

يُعالِجُ مَولىً يَستَقيمُ وَيَظلَعُ

يُعالِجُ مَولىً يَستَقيمُ وَيَظلَعُ

as al-Zibriqān once suffered; he never ceased

As the piercing did, and he never stopped

contending with a kinsman who walked straight, then limped.

Treating a master, upright and long-suffering

وَإِنّي لَأَجري بَعدَما يَبلُغُ المَدى

وَإِنّي لَأَجري بَعدَما يَبلُغُ المَدى

وَأَفقَأُ عَينَي ذي الذُبابِ وَأَجدَعُ

وَأَفقَأُ عَينَي ذي الذُبابِ وَأَجدَعُ

And indeed I run on after he reaches the limit,

And yet I race on after reaching the goal

and gouge out the frenzy-stricken one's eyes and cut off his nose.

And gouge out the eye of annoyance and uproot

وَأَكوي خَياشيمَ الصُداعِ وَأَبتَغي

وَأَكوي خَياشيمَ الصُداعِ وَأَبتَغي

مَجامِعَ داءِ الرَأسِ مِن حَيثُ يَنقَعُ

مَجامِعَ داءِ الرَأسِ مِن حَيثُ يَنقَعُ

And I cauterize headache's nostrils and seek

And cauterize the nostrils of headache and seek

the seats of the head's disease, where it may be relieved.

The joints of the pain in the head wherever it oozes

وَإِنّي لِيَنميني إِلى خَيرِ مَنصِبٍ

وَإِنّي لِيَنميني إِلى خَيرِ مَنصِبٍ

أَبٌ كانَ أَبّاءً يَضُرُّ وَيَنفَعُ

أَبٌ كانَ أَبّاءً يَضُرُّ وَيَنفَعُ

And indeed I am linked by descent to the noblest stock

And yet it directs me to the best position

by a father who was unyielding, who could harm and help.

A father who was fathers, harming and benefiting