رَأَيْتُI saw الرِّيَاسَةَleadership مَقْرُونَةٌcoupled
رَأَيْتُ الرِّيَاسَةَ مَقْرُونَةٌ
بِلُبْسِwith wearing التَّكَبُّرِarrogance وَالنَّخْوَهْand conceit
بِلُبْسِ التَّكَبُّرِ وَالنَّخْوَهْ
I have seen high office coupled
I saw leadership paired
with the garb of arrogance and conceit.
With the garb of arrogance and pomposity
إِذَاwhen مَاemphatic particle تَقَمَصَهَاhe dons it مُعْجَبٌa conceited man
إِذَا مَا تَقَمَصَهَا مُعْجَبٌ
تَرَفَّعَhe acts superior فِيin الجَهْرِpublic وَالخَلْوَهْand solitude
تَرَفَّعَ فِي الجَهْرِ وَالخَلْوَهْ
Whenever a conceited man dons it,
Whenever a narcissist wears it
he acts superior in public and in private.
He becomes haughty in public and private
وَيَقْعُدُand he holds back عَنْfrom حَقِّthe due of إِخْوَانِهِhis brothers
وَيَقْعُدُ عَنْ حَقِّ إِخْوَانِهِ
وَيَطْمَعُand he expects أَنْthat يُسْرِعُواthey hasten نَحْوَهْtoward him
وَيَطْمَعُ أَنْ يُسْرِعُوا نَحْوَهْ
He neglects what is owed to his brothers,
And neglects the rights of his brothers
yet expects them to hasten toward him.
And hopes they will hasten toward him
وَيُنْقِصُهُمْand he gives them less مِنْof جَمِيْلِkindly الدُّعَاءِgood wishes
وَيُنْقِصُهُمْ مِنْ جَمِيْلِ الدُّعَاءِ
وَيَأْمُلُand he hopes عِنْدَهُمُwith them الخُطْوَهْa step
وَيَأْمُلُ عِنْدَهُمُ الخُطْوَهْ
He begrudges them kind wishes,
And does not adequately pray for them
yet hopes they will take a step toward him.
While expecting their steps toward him
فَذَلِكَso, that man إِنْif أَنَاI كَاتَبْتُهُI write to him
فَذَلِكَ إِنْ أَنَا كَاتَبْتُهُ
فَلاَthen may not سَمِعَhear اللَّهُGod لِيfrom me دَعْوَهْa prayer
فَلاَ سَمِعَ اللَّهُ لِي دَعْوَهْ
As for that man, if I write to him,
So if I were to write to him
then may God hear no prayer of mine.
May Allah not hear my prayer
وَلَسْتُand I am not بِآتٍone who comes لَهُto him مَنْزِلاًa dwelling
وَلَسْتُ بِآتٍ لَهُ مَنْزِلاً
وَلَوْand even if أَنَّهُthat he يَسْكُنُdwells in المَرْوَهْal-Marwah
وَلَوْ أَنَّهُ يَسْكُنُ المَرْوَهْ
Nor will I visit his dwelling,
And I will not go to his house
even if he lives on al-Marwah.
Even if he lives in Al-Marwa
أَوَدُّI love الصَّدِيْقَa friend فَإِنْbut if خَانَنِيhe betrays me
أَوَدُّ الصَّدِيْقَ فَإِنْ خَانَنِي
سَلَوْتُI forget وَعَنْand away from مِثْلِهِhis like سَلْوَهْforgetting
سَلَوْتُ وَعَنْ مِثْلِهِ سَلْوَهْ
I love a friend; but if he betrays me,
I love a friend, but if he betrays me
I forget him; his like can be forgotten.
I find solace and avoid the likes of him
وَلاَand not أَبْتَدِيI first treat صَاحِبَاًa friend بِالْجَفَاwith coldness
وَلاَ أَبْتَدِي صَاحِبَاً بِالْجَفَا
ءِcompletes ‘coldness’ إِلاَّexcept إِذَاwhen أَسَاءَhe is cruel in الجَفْوَهْestrangement
ءِ إِلاَّ إِذَا أَسَاءَ الجَفْوَهْ
I do not begin by treating a friend coldly,
And I do not start a friendship with coldness
unless he has cruelly shunned me.
Unless he has already acted coldly
فَمَاfor no وَحْشِيَّةٌa wild doe أَدْمَاءُwhite-coated تَرْعَىshe tends
فَمَا وَحْشِيَّةٌ أَدْمَاءُ تَرْعَى
أَغَنَّnasal-voiced كَعَطْفَهِlike its curve الخَلْخَالِthe anklet ضَاوِيfrail
أَغَنَّ كَعَطْفَهِ الخَلْخَالِ ضَاوِي
For no white-coated wild doe that tended
So what savage beasts whose blood is shed
a bleating, frail fawn, curved like an anklet,
Did the bending of his anklet benefit
فَأَغْفَتْthen she dozed سَاعَةًa moment عَنْهُaway from him فَأَصْمَىthen he struck fatally
فَأَغْفَتْ سَاعَةً عَنْهُ فَأَصْمَى
حَشَاهُhis entrails بِنَبْلِهِwith his arrows غَرْثَانُa famished man طَاوِيempty-bellied
حَشَاهُ بِنَبْلِهِ غَرْثَانُ طَاوِي
then dozed a moment, heedless of him, till he was fatally struck
It turned away from him for an hour so he deafened
through his entrails by the arrows of a famished, hollow-bellied man,
It with his arrows, a roaming archer
فَبَاتَتْthen she spent the night مِنْfrom تَحَرُّقِهَاher burning grief عَلَيْهِfor him
فَبَاتَتْ مِنْ تَحَرُّقِهَا عَلَيْهِ
بِدَاءٍwith an affliction مَاnot لَهَاfor her مِنْهُfrom it مُدَاوِيa healer
بِدَاءٍ مَا لَهَا مِنْهُ مُدَاوِي
and spent the night burning with grief for him,
So it remained, burning with agony over him
with an affliction for which she had no healer,
With an incurable affliction
تُثِيْرُshe stirs up تُرَابَthe dust of مَصْرَعِهِthe place of his death بِقَرْنٍwith a horn
تُثِيْرُ تُرَابَ مَصْرَعِهِ بِقَرْنٍ
أَجَمَّblunt كَأَنَّهُas though it were بَعْضُone of المَلاَوِيthe tuning pegs
أَجَمَّ كَأَنَّهُ بَعْضُ المَلاَوِي
stirring the dust at the spot of his death with a horn
It stirs up the dust of his death place with its horn
blunt, as though it were one of the tuning pegs,
As if it were part of the decomposing corpses
بِأَجْزَعَmore distraught مِنْكَthan you يَوْمَthe day تَقُولُyou say غَدْرَاًtreacherously
بِأَجْزَعَ مِنْكَ يَوْمَ تَقُولُ غَدْرَاً
أَفِيare ... among الغَادِيْنَthose departing in the morning أَنْتَyou أَمْor أَنْتَyou ثَاوِيstaying
أَفِي الغَادِيْنَ أَنْتَ أَمْ أَنْتَ ثَاوِي
is more distraught than you on the day you treacherously ask:
More resolute than you on the day you say betrayal
“Are you among those leaving in the morning, or are you staying?”
Are you among the departed or are you decomposing
Sol 6.1