أُنبِئتُ أَنَّ أَبا حَنيفٍ

أُنبِئتُ أَنَّ أَبا حَنيفٍ

لامَني في اللائِمينا

لامَني في اللائِمينا

I was told that Abu Hanif

I was told that Abu Hanifa

blamed me among those who blame.

blamed me among the blamers

أَبُنَيَّ هَل أَحسَستَ أَع

أَبُنَيَّ هَل أَحسَستَ أَع

مامي بَني أُمِّ البَنينا

مامي بَني أُمِّ البَنينا

My dear son, have you found any trace

My son, have you felt the death

of my paternal uncles, the sons of Umm al-Banin?

of your uncle, the father of sons?

وَأَبي الَّذي كانَ الأَرا

وَأَبي الَّذي كانَ الأَرا

مِلُ في الشِتاءِ لَهُ قَطينا

مِلُ في الشِتاءِ لَهُ قَطينا

And my father, for whom the widows

And my father who was gracious

were household dependants in winter;

in winter, he had two coats

وَأَبو شُرَيحٍ وَالمُحا

وَأَبو شُرَيحٍ وَالمُحا

مي في المَضيقِ إِذا لَقينا

مي في المَضيقِ إِذا لَقينا

and Abu Shurayh, and the defender

Abu Shureih and Al-Muhami

in the narrow pass when we faced the foe;

when we met in distress

الفِتيَةُ البيضُ المَصا

الفِتيَةُ البيضُ المَصا

لِتُ أَشبَعوا حَزماً وَلينا

لِتُ أَشبَعوا حَزماً وَلينا

those fair-faced, dauntless youths,

The white young men, the tolerant

who fully displayed firmness and gentleness.

they were filled with resolve and calm

ما إِن رَأَيتُ وَلا سَمِع

ما إِن رَأَيتُ وَلا سَمِع

تُ بِمِثلِهِم في العالَمينا

تُ بِمِثلِهِم في العالَمينا

Never have I seen or heard

I have not seen nor heard

of their like in all the world.

of their like in both worlds

لَم تَبقَ أَنفُسُهُم وَكا

لَم تَبقَ أَنفُسُهُم وَكا

نوا زينَةً لِلناظِرينا

نوا زينَةً لِلناظِرينا

Their lives did not endure, though they were

Their souls remained while they

an adornment to those who beheld them.

were adornment to the beholder

فَلَئِن بَعَثتُ لَهُم بُغا

فَلَئِن بَعَثتُ لَهُم بُغا

ةً ما البُغاةُ بِواجِدينا

ةً ما البُغاةُ بِواجِدينا

Yet if I sent seekers out for them,

So if I revolted against them

the seekers would not find them.

the rebels cannot find them

فَمَكَثتُ بَعدَهُم وَكُن

فَمَكَثتُ بَعدَهُم وَكُن

تُ بِطولِ صُحبَتِهِم ضَنينا

تُ بِطولِ صُحبَتِهِم ضَنينا

So I lived on after them, though I had

I remained after them while I

jealously cherished their long companionship.

was saddened by their long company

ذَرني وَما مَلَكَت يَمي

ذَرني وَما مَلَكَت يَمي

ني إِن رَفَعتُ بِهِ شُؤونا

ني إِن رَفَعتُ بِهِ شُؤونا

Leave me with what my right hand owns,

Leave me and whatever possesses

if through it I raise my standing.

my right hand if I raise concerns

وَاِفعَل بِمالِكَ ما بَدا

وَاِفعَل بِمالِكَ ما بَدا

لَكَ إِن مُعاناً أَو مُعينا

لَكَ إِن مُعاناً أَو مُعينا

And do with your wealth whatever seems

And do with your money what

right to you, whether aided or aiding.

appeals to you, be it scarce or abundant

وَاِعفِف عَنِ الجاراتِ وَاِمنَح

وَاِعفِف عَنِ الجاراتِ وَاِمنَح

هُنَّ مَيسِرَكَ السَمينا

هُنَّ مَيسِرَكَ السَمينا

And be chaste toward neighboring women, and give

And refrain from the neighbors and grant

them your fat portions won at gaming.

them your fat livelihood

وَاِبذُل سَنامَ القِدرِ إِن

وَاِبذُل سَنامَ القِدرِ إِن

نَ سَوائَها دُهماً وَجونا

نَ سَوائَها دُهماً وَجونا

And freely offer the cauldron's hump, for

And spend the tenderness of the pot if

its fellows are dusky and black.

its sides are covered in smoke and cooking

ذا القَدرَ إِن نَضِجَت وَعَج

ذا القَدرَ إِن نَضِجَت وَعَج

جِل قَبلَهُ ما يَشتَوينا

جِل قَبلَهُ ما يَشتَوينا

Serve this portion once it is cooked, and hasten

This pot, if cooked and hurried

before it whatever they roast.

before it what we desire

إِنَّ القُدورَ لَواقِحٌ

إِنَّ القُدورَ لَواقِحٌ

يُحلَبنَ أَمثَلَ ما رُعينا

يُحلَبنَ أَمثَلَ ما رُعينا

Indeed, the cauldrons are pregnant she-camels,

Indeed the pots are pregnant

milked of the best of what they have been fed.

and give the best of what was herded

وَإِذا دَفَنتَ أَباكَ فَاِج

وَإِذا دَفَنتَ أَباكَ فَاِج

عَل فَوقَهُ خَشَباً وَطينا

عَل فَوقَهُ خَشَباً وَطينا

And when you bury your father, place

And when you bury your father

wood and clay above him,

make wood and clay above him

وَصَفائِحاً صُمّاً رَوا

وَصَفائِحاً صُمّاً رَوا

سيها يُسَدِّدنَ الغُضونا

سيها يُسَدِّدنَ الغُضونا

and solid stone slabs, their firm foundations

And deaf slabs whose

sealing the crevices,

branches make firm the sides

لِيَقينَ وَجهَ المَرءِ سَف

لِيَقينَ وَجهَ المَرءِ سَف

سافَ التُرابِ وَلَن يَقينا

سافَ التُرابِ وَلَن يَقينا

to shield a man's face from fine

To protect the face of man from

earth-dust—yet they will never shield it.

the sliding sands and they will not protect

ثُمَّ اِعتَبِر بِثَناءِ رَه

ثُمَّ اِعتَبِر بِثَناءِ رَه

طِكَ إِذ ثَوى جَدثاً جَنينا

طِكَ إِذ ثَوى جَدثاً جَنينا

Then take a lesson from your kinsmen's praise,

Then consider the praise of your

when he lies hidden in a grave,

departed as he lay in a narrow grave

وَتَراجَعوا غُبرَ المَرا

وَتَراجَعوا غُبرَ المَرا

فِقِ مِن أَخيهِم يائِسينا

فِقِ مِن أَخيهِم يائِسينا

and they turn back, with dust upon their

And they turned back the dust of parting

elbows, despairing of their brother.

from their brother disappointed

تِلكَ المَكارِمُ إِن حَفِظ

تِلكَ المَكارِمُ إِن حَفِظ

تَ فَلَن تُرى أَبَداً غَبينا

تَ فَلَن تُرى أَبَداً غَبينا

Those are the noble virtues; if you preserve them,

Those virtues, if kept

you will never be thought wanting,

will never be seen lost

في رَبرَبٍ كَنِعاجِ صا

في رَبرَبٍ كَنِعاجِ صا

رَةَ يَبتَئسنَ بِما لَقينا

رَةَ يَبتَئسنَ بِما لَقينا

amid a herd like the ewes of Ṣārah,

In disturbance like fearful ewes

grieving over what has befallen them,

who suffer what we have suffered

مُتَسَلُّباتٍ في مُسو

مُتَسَلُّباتٍ في مُسو

حِ الشِعرِ أَبكاراً وَعونا

حِ الشِعرِ أَبكاراً وَعونا

clad in mourning, in coarse

Stripped in the plain of poetry

haircloth—maidens and matrons.

virgins and helpers

وَحَذِرتُ بَعدَ المَوتِ يَو

وَحَذِرتُ بَعدَ المَوتِ يَو

مَ تَشينُ أَسماءُ الجَبينا

مَ تَشينُ أَسماءُ الجَبينا

And I dreaded a day after death

And I warned after death a day

when Asma would disfigure her brow.

names of the dignified are disgraced