مَلِلتُI grew weary منَof القريضِverse وقُلتُand I said يكفيit is enough
مَلِلتُ منَ القريضِ وقُلتُ يكفي
لأمرٍbecause of a matter شابَmingled قوَّتَهُits strength بضُعفِwith weakness
لأمرٍ شابَ قوَّتَهُ بضُعفِ
I grew weary of verse and said, 'Enough,'
I grew weary of poetry and said, "Enough!
for something had mingled its strength with weakness.
For something whose strength is weakened by frailty.
أُحاوِلُI strive for نُكتةًa subtle conceit فيin كُلِّevery بيتٍverse
أُحاوِلُ نُكتةً في كُلِّ بيتٍ
وذلكَand that قدmay تُقصِّرُfall short عنهُof it كَفّيmy hand
وذلكَ قد تُقصِّرُ عنهُ كَفّي
I strive for a subtle conceit in every verse,
I try to insert a jest in every verse,
yet my hand may fall short of that.
But that is often beyond my ability.
أجلُthe finest الشِّعرِpoetry ماthat which فيin البيتِthe verse منهُof it
أجلُ الشِّعرِ ما في البيتِ منهُ
غَرابةُnovelty نُكتةٍof a conceit أوor نَوعُa kind لُطفِof grace
غَرابةُ نُكتةٍ أو نَوعُ لُطفِ
The finest poetry is that whose verse contains
The essence of poetry is what a verse contains
the novelty of a conceit, or some kind of grace.
Of strangeness of jest or kind of wit.
وَبئسَand wretched is الشِّعرُpoetry بيتٌa verse ليسَthere is not فيهِin it
وَبئسَ الشِّعرُ بيتٌ ليسَ فيهِ
أمامَكَbefore you غيرُother than حِيطانٍwalls وسَقْفِand a roof
أمامَكَ غيرُ حِيطانٍ وسَقْفِ
And wretched poetry is a verse in which
Wretched is the verse that contains before you
nothing stands before you but walls and a roof.
Naught but walls and a ceiling.
رأيتُI have found الشِّعرَpoetry بعضٌsome مِثلُlike وَقْرٍheaviness of hearing
رأيتُ الشِّعرَ بعضٌ مِثلُ وَقْرٍ
علىupon أُذُنٍan ear وبعضٌand some مثلُlike شَنْفِan earring
على أُذُنٍ وبعضٌ مثلُ شَنْفِ
I have found some poetry like a heaviness
I saw poetry as being partly like an affliction upon the ear,
upon an ear, and some like an earring.
And partly like scratches.
وفوقَand beyond الشِّعرِpoetry فَرْقُthe disparity النَّاسِamong people حتىuntil
وفوقَ الشِّعرِ فَرْقُ النَّاسِ حتى
تَرَىyou see منin ذاكَthat ضعِفاًa doubling فوقَbeyond ضِعْفِa doubling
تَرَى من ذاكَ ضعِفاً فوقَ ضِعْفِ
People differ even more than poetry, until
And above poetry the people vary so much
you see in that doubling upon doubling.
That you see one as weak above weakness.
إذاwhen بَرَزَappears الأميرُthe prince ظَنَنتَyou suppose شَخصاًa person
إذا بَرَزَ الأميرُ ظَنَنتَ شَخصاً
كباقيlike the rest of النَّاسِthe people إذas يبدُوhe appears لِطَرْفِto an eye
كباقي النَّاسِ إذ يبدُو لِطَرْفِ
When the prince appears, you take him for a person
When the prince comes forth, you would think him
like the rest of mankind, as he appears to the eye.
Like the rest of the people when he first appears to your eye.
وماand what يُدريِكَtells you كمhow many رَجلاًmen يُساوِيhe equals
وما يُدريِكَ كم رَجلاً يُساوِي
إذاwhen استقْرَيتَyou survey صَفّاًa rank بعدَafter صَفِّa rank
إذا استقْرَيتَ صَفّاً بعدَ صَفِّ
Yet what tells you how many men he equals
And how would you know how many men he equals
when you survey rank after rank?
If you aligned a row after row with him?
نَرىwe see فيin كُلِّevery مسئلةٍquestion خِلافاًdisagreement
نَرى في كُلِّ مسئلةٍ خِلافاً
سِوَىexcept تَفضيلهِhis superiority فيin كلِّevery وَصفِquality
سِوَى تَفضيلهِ في كلِّ وَصفِ
We see disagreement in every question,
In every issue we see disagreement
except his superiority in every quality.
Except in acknowledging his superiority in every description.
وهلand is there فيconcerning الصُّبحِthe dawn بينَamong النَّاسِthe people خَلْفٌdisagreement
وهل في الصُّبحِ بينَ النَّاسِ خَلْفٌ
فيُثبِتso affirm بعضُهمsome of them والبعضُand others يَنفيdeny
فيُثبِت بعضُهم والبعضُ يَنفي
And is there disagreement among people about the dawn,
And is there any disagreement among people in the morning
such that some affirm it while others deny it?
That some of them affirm it and some deny it?
قدindeed اجتمعتhave united قلوبُthe hearts النَّاسٍِof the people طرّاًall together
قد اجتمعت قلوبُ النَّاسٍِ طرّاً
عليهِaround him وأجَمَعتْand agreed unanimously منfrom دُونِwithout خُلفِdissent
عليهِ وأجَمَعتْ من دُونِ خُلفِ
Indeed, all people's hearts have united
The hearts of the people came together unanimously
around him, agreeing unanimously without dissent.
Upon him, and unanimously agreed without any dissent.
فلمso not يكُthere was لاختلافٍfor disagreement حرفُa particle نفيٍof negation
فلم يكُ لاختلافٍ حرفُ نفيٍ
ولمand not يكُthere was لاشتراكٍfor partnership حرفُa particle عَطفِof conjunction
ولم يكُ لاشتراكٍ حرفُ عَطفِ
So there was no particle of negation for disagreement,
So there was no word of denial for disagreement
nor any conjunction for partnership.
Nor any word of conjunction for accord.
تَحِقُّis rightfully due وِلايةٌrulership شَرْعاًby religious law وعُرفاًand by custom
تَحِقُّ وِلايةٌ شَرْعاً وعُرفاً
لراعيto the guardian of الحَقِّjustice فيin شَرْعٍreligious law وعُرفِand custom
لراعي الحَقِّ في شَرْعٍ وعُرفِ
Rulership is rightfully due, by religious law and custom,
The authority of the guardian of truth is sanctioned
to the guardian of justice in religious law and custom;
In law and convention.
لِمَنْto one whom لوif فارَقَتْهُit left him بَكَتْit wept وحَنَّتْand it yearned
لِمَنْ لو فارَقَتْهُ بَكَتْ وحَنَّتْ
حنينَthe yearning of الإلفِthe companion عندَat فِراقِparting from إلفِa companion
حنينَ الإلفِ عندَ فِراقِ إلفِ
to one whom, if it left him, it would weep and yearn for,
For one whom, if parted from, would weep and yearn
with a companion's yearning at parting from a companion.
With the longing of intimacy upon the parting of an intimate.
سليمُsound القَلبِof heart ذوpossessed of فعلٍan act صَحيحٍsound
سليمُ القَلبِ ذو فعلٍ صَحيحٍ
يُصرَّفُis conjugated دُونَwithout إعلالٍweak-letter alteration وحَذفِand elision
يُصرَّفُ دُونَ إعلالٍ وحَذفِ
Sound of heart, a man of sound action,
Sincere of heart, of upright action,
conjugated without weakening or elision.
Governs without disability or omission.
لهُhe has فيin المجدِglory تأسيسٌa foundation قديمٌancient
لهُ في المجدِ تأسيسٌ قديمٌ
منَfrom الأقيالِthe chieftains رِدْفاًa successor بعدَafter رِدفِa successor
منَ الأقيالِ رِدْفاً بعدَ رِدفِ
He has an ancient foundation in glory,
For him is ancient glory
from chieftains, successor after successor.
With generations firmly saddlebagged, one behind the next.
أقولُI say إذاwhen خَتَمتُI finish المدحَthe praise فيهِabout him
أقولُ إذا خَتَمتُ المدحَ فيهِ
قدِindeed استوَفيتَyou have covered fully منهُof it كلَّevery حرفِletter
قدِ استوَفيتَ منهُ كلَّ حرفِ
When I finish praising him, I say,
I say, when I finish praising him,
'You have covered every letter of it.'
I have exhausted from him every letter.
وأرجِعُand I retract إذْwhen أُراجِعُهُI review it كأنّيas though I
وأرجِعُ إذْ أُراجِعُهُ كأنّي
فَطِنتُI became aware بواحدٍof one منfrom بينِamong أَلفِa thousand
فَطِنتُ بواحدٍ من بينِ أَلفِ
Yet I take it back when I review it, as though
And I turn back, when I turn back, as if
I had noticed only one among a thousand.
I realized one out of a thousand.
أناI عبدٌa slave لهُof his ليfor me رَفعُa lifting رأسٍof the head
أنا عبدٌ لهُ لي رَفعُ رأسٍ
بذاكَthrough that وللحَواسدِand for the envious رَغْمُhumbling أنْفِof the nose
بذاكَ وللحَواسدِ رَغْمُ أنْفِ
I am his slave; I hold my head high
I am his servant; through that I raise my head high,
because of that, while the envious have their noses rubbed in dust.
While for enviers there is only choking gall.
وكُنتُand I was لهُhis قديماًformerly مِلْكَproperty إرْثٍby inheritance
وكُنتُ لهُ قديماً مِلْكَ إرْثٍ
فصِرْتُso I became لهُhis حديثاًrecently مِلْكَproperty وَقْفِby endowment
فصِرْتُ لهُ حديثاً مِلْكَ وَقْفِ
And formerly I was his inherited property;
I was his as an ancestral inheritance,
and now I have become his property held in endowment.
But became his afresh as an endowment.
أهيمُI am enraptured بذكرِهِat his mention طَرَباًwith delight كأنّيas though I
أهيمُ بذكرِهِ طَرَباً كأنّي
مَعاذَI seek refuge in اللهِGod نَشوانٌdrunk بصِرْفِon unmixed wine
مَعاذَ اللهِ نَشوانٌ بصِرْفِ
I am enraptured with delight at his mention, as though I were
I rave in mentioning him, intoxicated, as if—
—God forbid!—drunk on unmixed wine.
God forbid—tipsy with wine.
وأستَبِقُand I race الرِّياحَthe winds إليهِtoward him حَتَّىuntil
وأستَبِقُ الرِّياحَ إليهِ حَتَّى
أسيرَI travel أمامَهاahead of them وتَسيرَand they travel خلفيbehind me
أسيرَ أمامَها وتَسيرَ خلفي
And I race the winds toward him, until
And I race the winds to him until
I travel ahead of them, and they travel behind me.
I travel before them and they travel behind me.
أقامَestablished اللهُGod دَولَتهُhis rule فكانَتْso it became
أقامَ اللهُ دَولَتهُ فكانَتْ
كنُورِlike the light of البَدرِthe full moon يُجلَىis revealed بعدَafter خَسْفِan eclipse
كنُورِ البَدرِ يُجلَى بعدَ خَسْفِ
God established his rule, and it became
God established his dynasty, and so it was
like the full moon's light, revealed after an eclipse.
Like the light of the full moon when gloom is dispelled.
تَقاسَمْناwe shared الهناءَthe happiness بهاthrough it ولكنْand yet
تَقاسَمْنا الهناءَ بها ولكنْ
طَمعِتُI coveted more فكانَso was سَهْميmy share فَوْقَgreater than نِصفِhalf
طَمعِتُ فكانَ سَهْمي فَوْقَ نِصفِ
We shared the happiness it brought, but
We shared in its prosperity, but still
I coveted more, so my share was greater than half.
My portion was above half.
Sol 6.1