أَياO ابنَson of عُميرٍUmayr أَنتَyou أَولthe first ماجِدٍnoble man
أَيا ابنَ عُميرٍ أَنتَ أَول ماجِدٍ
خَطَبْتُI sought اليهto him وُدَّهُhis friendship وهوand he بَاذِلُfreely giving
خَطَبْتُ اليه وُدَّهُ وهو بَاذِلُ
O son of Umayr, you are the first noble man
O son of Umayr, you are the first glorious one
Whose friendship I have sought, and who freely gives it.
Whose love I sought, and he is most generous
وخضتُand I waded اليهtoward him الجمعthe crowd لماwhen رأَيتُهI saw him
وخضتُ اليه الجمع لما رأَيتُه
تُشِيرُpoint اليهtoward him بالثناءِwith praise الأَنامِلُthe fingers
تُشِيرُ اليه بالثناءِ الأَنامِلُ
And I waded through the crowd toward him when I saw him,
And I appealed to him when I saw him
With fingers pointing toward him in praise.
Praised by people with the finest praise
أَعِنّىhelp me علىagainst دَهْرٍan age كأَنَّas though صُروفَهُits reversals
أَعِنّى على دَهْرٍ كأَنَّ صُروفَهُ
لهاthey have دِمنٌgrudges ماnot تَنْقَضِيcome to an end وَطَوائِلُand vendettas
لها دِمنٌ ما تَنْقَضِي وَطَوائِلُ
Help me against an age whose reversals seem
Help me against a time whose calamities
To harbor grudges that never end, and vendettas.
Seem endless, ceaseless in their onslaught
أَناI الغرضُthe target المَرميُّshot at دونَto the exclusion of شُخُوصِهِits people
أَنا الغرضُ المَرميُّ دونَ شُخُوصِهِ
فماso not تَهتَديfind their way الاَّexcept اِليَّto me الغَوائِلُcalamities
فما تَهتَدي الاَّ اِليَّ الغَوائِلُ
I am the target shot at, singled out from its people;
I am the target, though he remains obscure
Calamities find their way to none but me.
So none can guide me, but misfortunes find their mark
وَهَمٌّand a worry بَرانيwore me away شَجْوُهُits grief وَدَخِيلُهُand its inward torment
وَهَمٌّ بَراني شَجْوُهُ وَدَخِيلُهُ
فلاso not دَاؤُهُits sickness محيٍlife-giving ولاnor هوit قاتِلdeadly
فلا دَاؤُهُ محيٍ ولا هو قاتِل
And a worry whose grief and inward torment have wasted me—
Melancholy's whim has struck me, and its advocate assails me
Its sickness neither gives life nor kills.
Its cure is not life, nor is it fatal
دعوتكَI called upon you لاnot أَرجوI hope for سِواكَanyone other than you وبينناand between us
دعوتكَ لا أَرجو سِواكَ وبيننا
رجالٌmen لهمthey have عِزٌّmight عزيزunassailable ونائِلُand bounty
رجالٌ لهم عِزٌّ عزيز ونائِلُ
I called upon you, hoping for none but you, though between us
I called on you, hoping for none but you, while between us
Are men of unassailable might and bounty.
Are men of great honor, exalted and attaining their goal
يَوَدُّونَthey wish لوif only حَمَّلْتَهُمْyou burdened them ثِقلَthe weight of حَاجَةٍa need
يَوَدُّونَ لو حَمَّلْتَهُمْ ثِقلَ حَاجَةٍ
ولاand not يَحْمِلُbear الأَقوامُthe peoples ماwhat أَنتَyou حَامِلُbearing
ولا يَحْمِلُ الأَقوامُ ما أَنتَ حَامِلُ
They wish you would burden them with the weight of a need,
They wish you'd take on their heavy burdens
Yet others do not bear what you bear.
Yet no people can bear what you have borne
اذاif لمnot يكنis اِلاَّexcept الجوارُneighborly protection غنيمةًa gain
اذا لم يكن اِلاَّ الجوارُ غنيمةً
فجاورthen dwell beside كريماًa generous man حَبْلهُhis cord لكَto you واصِلُreaching
فجاور كريماً حَبْلهُ لكَ واصِلُ
If neighborly protection is the only gain,
If nothing but generosity is the spoils of war
Then dwell beside a generous man whose cord reaches you.
Then be a generous neighbor whose pact endures
اذاwhen أَنتَyou تحتَbeneath المُرْهفاتِthe keen-edged swords دَعَوتَهُyou called upon him
اذا أَنتَ تحتَ المُرْهفاتِ دَعَوتَهُ
أَتاكَhe came to you ولمand did not تَشْغَلهُdistract him عنكَfrom you الشَّواغِلُdistractions
أَتاكَ ولم تَشْغَلهُ عنكَ الشَّواغِلُ
When, beneath keen-edged swords, you call upon him,
If beneath pressing woes you heed his call
He comes to you; no distractions keep him from you.
He comes to you, undistracted by other cares
يَقيكَhe shields you منfrom اللحظِthe gaze المريبِsuspicious وانماand only
يَقيكَ من اللحظِ المريبِ وانما
تُصانُyou are protected اذاwhen لكfor you تَبْتَذِلْكَabase you المَبَاذِلُdegrading situations
تُصانُ اذا لك تَبْتَذِلْكَ المَبَاذِلُ
He shields you from the suspicious gaze; you are only
He shields you from the suspicious glance, but only
Protected, for your own sake, when degrading situations abase you [wording unclear].
You are protected if you scorn contempt
وشتانُand how different مولىًa patron لاnot يُغِبُّكَvisits you intermittently نصرهhis aid
وشتانُ مولىً لا يُغِبُّكَ نصره
ومولىًand a patron يُمنىpromises نَصْرَهُhis aid وهوand he خَاذِلُwithholding help
ومولىً يُمنى نَصْرَهُ وهو خَاذِلُ
How different is a patron whose aid never lapses
Far different is a lord whose aid is not withheld
From one who promises his aid while abandoning you.
From one whose aid is hoped for while he fails you
أَباO Abu طالبٍTalib كاثِرْoutdo in abundance بهاwith it القومَthe people واعتقدْand hold as your own
أَبا طالبٍ كاثِرْ بها القومَ واعتقدْ
مَضَنّةَa treasured possession مشفوقٍone anxious بهاfor it لاnot يُبَادِلُexchanges
مَضَنّةَ مشفوقٍ بها لا يُبَادِلُ
O Abu Talib, outdo the people with it, and hold it as
Abu Talib, burden them with it, let the people believe
A treasure whose anxious keeper will not exchange it.
The agony of a guardian who does not falter
فَانَّكَfor indeed you انْif أوجبتَyou made obligatory شُكْرَكَgratitude to you أَوجَبَتْhave made obligatory
فَانَّكَ انْ أوجبتَ شُكْرَكَ أَوجَبَتْ
لكَfor you المكرماتُnoble deeds خيرَthe best of ماwhat أناI قائِلُsaying
لكَ المكرماتُ خيرَ ما أنا قائِلُ
For if you have made gratitude to you a duty, so have
For if you oblige, you oblige bounties
Noble deeds made the best of what I say your due.
To requite you - the finest words I can utter
وسارتْand traveled مسيرَthe course of الشَّمسِthe sun فيكَabout you قَصَائِدٌpoems
وسارتْ مسيرَ الشَّمسِ فيكَ قَصَائِدٌ
يُجَدِّدُrenews ذِكراهَاtheir memory الضُّحَىthe forenoon والأَصائِلُand the late afternoons
يُجَدِّدُ ذِكراهَا الضُّحَى والأَصائِلُ
And poems about you have traveled the sun's course;
And poems will journey like the sun in praising you
The forenoon and late afternoons renew their memory.
Their memories renewed at dawn and dusk
Sol 6.1