تَشَبَّهتَyou modeled yourself بالأعرابِon the Bedouins أهلِpeople of التعَّجرُفِhaughtiness
تَشَبَّهتَ بالأعرابِ أهلِ التعَّجرُفِ
فدلَّand thus pointed علىto دَعواكَyour pretension قُبحُthe ugliness of التكّلُّفِaffectation
فدلَّ على دَعواكَ قُبحُ التكّلُّفِ
You modeled yourself on the Bedouins, those haughty people;
You dressed up as desert Arabs, people of arrogance.
and the ugliness of affectation betrayed your pretension.
Your pretense revealed the ugliness of your affectation.
لسانٌa tongue عِراقيIraqi إذاwhen ماemphatic particle صَرَفتَهyou turn it
لسانٌ عِراقي إذا ما صَرَفتَه
الىto لغةِthe language of الأعرابِthe Bedouins لمdid not يَتَصَرَّفِadapt
الى لغةِ الأعرابِ لم يَتَصَرَّفِ
An Iraqi tongue, whenever you turn it
An Iraqi tongue, if you tried to bend it
to the language of the Bedouins, does not adapt.
into the Arabs' dialect, would not oblige.
لئنif indeed كنتَyou were للأعرابِin Bedouin speech والنحوand grammar حافِظاًwell versed
لئن كنتَ للأعرابِ والنحو حافِظاً
لقدsurely كنتَyou were منamong قُرّاءِthe reciters of سُورَةِthe chapter of يُوسُفِYusuf
لقد كنتَ من قُرّاءِ سُورَةِ يُوسُفِ
If indeed you were versed in Bedouin speech and grammar,
Though you've memorized the Arabs and their grammar,
you were surely among the reciters of Surah Yusuf.
you were one of those who recited Surat Yusuf.
Sol 6.1