أَلَيْسَ مِنَ الْعَدْلِ أَنْ تَسْمَعَا

أَلَيْسَ مِنَ الْعَدْلِ أَنْ تَسْمَعَا

فَأَشْكُو إِلَيْكَ نَمُوماً سَعَى

فَأَشْكُو إِلَيْكَ نَمُوماً سَعَى

Is it not fair that you should listen,

Is it not just that you both should hear me?

so I may complain to you of a talebearer who spread slander?

So I complain to you of an overreaching blamer,

أَطَاعَ لَهُ الْمَاء حَتَّى اسْتَقَى

أَطَاعَ لَهُ الْمَاء حَتَّى اسْتَقَى

وَأَمْكَنَهُ الرِّعْيُ حَتَّى رَعَى

وَأَمْكَنَهُ الرِّعْيُ حَتَّى رَعَى

Water yielded to him until he drew from it,

Who obeyed the water until he drew it up,

and pasture lay open to him until he grazed.

And the pasture enabled him until he grazed,

أَتَاكَ فَأَغْشَيْتَهُ مَنْزِلاً

أَتَاكَ فَأَغْشَيْتَهُ مَنْزِلاً

رَحِيباً وَأَرْعَيْتَهُ مِسْمَعَاً

رَحِيباً وَأَرْعَيْتَهُ مِسْمَعَاً

He came to you, and you lodged him in a dwelling,

He came to you, so you sheltered him

spacious, and lent him an ear.

With a spacious abode, and lent him an ear,

فَأَبْدَعَ مَا شَاءَ فِي فِرْيَةٍ

فَأَبْدَعَ مَا شَاءَ فِي فِرْيَةٍ

تَأَنَّقَ فِي صُنْعِها وَادَّعَى

تَأَنَّقَ فِي صُنْعِها وَادَّعَى

So he invented whatever he pleased in a slander,

So he created whatever he wished with trickery,

crafting it artfully and making his claims.

Embellishing his making and claiming,

صَنَاعُ اللِّسَانِ خَلُوبُ الْبَيَا

صَنَاعُ اللِّسَانِ خَلُوبُ الْبَيَا

نِ يَخْلُقُ مِنْ ضِحْكِهِ أَدْمُعَا

نِ يَخْلُقُ مِنْ ضِحْكِهِ أَدْمُعَا

Skilled of tongue, beguiling in eloquence,

The makers of tongues are deceitful in mind,

he fashions tears from his laughter.

Creating tears from his laughter,

حَرِيصٌ عَلَى الشَّرِّ لا يَنْثَنِي

حَرِيصٌ عَلَى الشَّرِّ لا يَنْثَنِي

عَنِ القَصْدِ مَا لَمْ يَجِدْ مَنْزَعا

عَنِ القَصْدِ مَا لَمْ يَجِدْ مَنْزَعا

Eager for evil, he does not depart

Eager for evil, never turning

from a measured course until he finds an opening.

From his aim unless he finds no escape,

يَسِيرُ مَعَ الرِّفْقِ حَتَّى إِذَا

يَسِيرُ مَعَ الرِّفْقِ حَتَّى إِذَا

تَمَكَّنَ مِنْ فُرْصَةٍ أَوْضَعَا

تَمَكَّنَ مِنْ فُرْصَةٍ أَوْضَعَا

He proceeds gently until, when

He goes along with gentleness until, when

he gains an opportunity, he gallops ahead.

He gets an opportunity, he lays down his burden,

وَمَا كَانَ لَوْلا خِلاجُ الظُّنُونِ

وَمَا كَانَ لَوْلا خِلاجُ الظُّنُونِ

لِيَرْغَبَ فِي الْقَوْلِ أَوْ يَطْمَعَا

لِيَرْغَبَ فِي الْقَوْلِ أَوْ يَطْمَعَا

And were it not for the stirrings of suspicion,

And had it not been for the suspicions of backbiters,

he would not have desired to speak or entertained hopes.

He would not have desired speech or coveted,

وَلا وَحِفَاظِكَ وَهْوَ الْيَمِي

وَلا وَحِفَاظِكَ وَهْوَ الْيَمِي

نُ مَا حُلْتُ عَنْ عَهْدِكُمْ إِصْبَعَا

نُ مَا حُلْتُ عَنْ عَهْدِكُمْ إِصْبَعَا

And no, by your loyalty—and that is my oath—

And were it not for your safekeeping and restraint,

I have not strayed a finger's breadth from your covenant.

I would not have desisted from your pact a finger’s breadth,

وَلَكِنَّهَا نَزَغَاتُ الْوُشَاةِ

وَلَكِنَّهَا نَزَغَاتُ الْوُشَاةِ

أَصَابَتْ هَوىً فَلَوَتْ أَخْدَعَا

أَصَابَتْ هَوىً فَلَوَتْ أَخْدَعَا

But it was the slanderers' incitements

But these are the incitements of slanderers

that found an inclination and twisted a neck-vein.

Who have struck a passion and led astray,

وَلَيْسَ مَلامِي عَلَى مَنْ وَشَى

وَلَيْسَ مَلامِي عَلَى مَنْ وَشَى

وَلَكِنْ مَلامِي عَلَى مَنْ وَعَى

وَلَكِنْ مَلامِي عَلَى مَنْ وَعَى

And my reproach is not for the one who spread tales,

And my blame is not upon him who slandered,

but my reproach is for the one who heeded them.

Rather my blame is upon him who was aware,

أَيَجْمُلُ بِالْعَهْدِ أَنْ يُسْتَبَاحَ

أَيَجْمُلُ بِالْعَهْدِ أَنْ يُسْتَبَاحَ

لِوَاشٍ وَلِلْوُدِّ أَنْ يُقْطَعَا

لِوَاشٍ وَلِلْوُدِّ أَنْ يُقْطَعَا

Is it fitting that a covenant be violated

Does it befit the pact to be violated

for a talebearer, and affection be severed?

For a slanderer and the love to be cut off?

فَشَتَّانَ مَا بَيْنَنَا فِي الْوِدَا

فَشَتَّانَ مَا بَيْنَنَا فِي الْوِدَا

دِ خِلٌّ أَضَاعَ وَخِلٌّ رَعَى

دِ خِلٌّ أَضَاعَ وَخِلٌّ رَعَى

So far apart are we in affection:

Far apart are what is between us in affection -

one friend neglected it, and one tended it.

A friend who lost and a friend who kept watch,

وَمَنْ أَشْرَكَ النَّاسَ فِي أَمْرِهِ

وَمَنْ أَشْرَكَ النَّاسَ فِي أَمْرِهِ

دَعَتْهُ الضَّرُورَةُ أَنْ يُخْدَعَا

دَعَتْهُ الضَّرُورَةُ أَنْ يُخْدَعَا

And whoever involves others in his affairs—

And he who involved people in his affair,

necessity drives him into being deceived.

Necessity led him to be deceived,

فَخُذْهَا إِلَيْكَ عِتَابِيَّةً

فَخُذْهَا إِلَيْكَ عِتَابِيَّةً

تَرُدُّ عَصِيَّ الْمُنَى طَيِّعَا

تَرُدُّ عَصِيَّ الْمُنَى طَيِّعَا

So receive this poem of reproach,

So take from me in your address

which makes stubborn wishes yield.

One who returns the stubborn will tame,

وَلَوْلا مَكَانُكَ مِنْ مُهْجَتِي

وَلَوْلا مَكَانُكَ مِنْ مُهْجَتِي

لَمَا قُلْتُ لاِبْنِ عِثَارٍ لَعَا

لَمَا قُلْتُ لاِبْنِ عِثَارٍ لَعَا

And were it not for your place in my heart's blood,

And were it not for your position in my regard,

I would not have said to a son of stumbling, 'May you rise!'

I would not have said to the son of censure: Refrain!