قال أَبو أَيوب ما هَذا المثل
قال حِمار كانَ في بعض الحلل
Abu Ayyoub said, what is this example?
A donkey that was in some ruins,
فَقَصَد المَرعى فَخاضَ طينا
فَظَل فيهِ موثقاً رَهينا
Headed to the pasture, and waded through mud,
And got stuck in it, helpless and constrained.
وَكُلما رامَ الخُروج غاصا
مثل خَنيق يَطلب الخَلاصا
And whenever he tried to get out he sank deeper,
Like someone suffocating seeking salvation.
إِذا تلكا في الخِناق وَاضطرب
زادَ خِناقاً بِالمراس وَعطب
When he struggled in the trap and was agitated,
It tightened the noose and caused him harm.
كَذاكَ مَن يَحتال للرخاء
قَبل اِنقِضاء مُدة البَلاء
So too is one who tries to find comfort,
Before the term of affliction ends,
تَزيده حيلته بَلاء
لأنَّهُ يُراغم القَضاء
His own scheming increases his affliction,
Because he contends against fate.
فَلَم يَزَل في الوَحل شَهراً كامِلاً
يَرعى بِذاكَ المَرج رَوضاً باقِلا
So he remained in the mud a whole month,
Grazing in that meadow scarcely anything.
حَتّى غَدا مثل الفنيق المصعب
وَعادَ في الشحم بزي معجب
Until he became like a well-fattened phoenix,
And returned in fat with a splendid appearance.
فَصارَ مِما نالَهُ مِن أَكل
يَنهق وَهوَ غائص في الوَحل
So that from what he got to eat there,
He would bray while sunk in the mud.
فَجازَ للحين هناكَ أَسَد
للصيد منذ مُدة يَجتَهد
A lion happened to pass by there,
Who had been hunting hard for a while.
فَسمع الصوت فَقال فرج
لِكُل ضيق سعة وَمَخرَج
Hearing the voice he said, relief comes
To every distress, a way out.
وَأتبع الصوت فَألفى الطينا
دونَ الحِمار لثقا ثَخينا
And he followed the voice and found the mud,
With the donkey stuck in it, nice and fat.
فَقالَ إِن خضت نَشبت فيه
وَلَيسَ فيَّ قوة تَكفيه
He said, if I step in it I'll get stuck too,
And I don't have the strength for that.
أَموت في يَوم وَلا أَعيش
إِذ لست مِمن أَكله الحَشيش
I’ll die in a day rather than live
Since I don’t eat grass.
فَلَيس إِلا الكَيد وَالتَدبير
وَالحَزم لا الأَقدام وَالتغرير
There is nothing for it but cunning and planning,
Not strength or deceit.
قالَ سَلام يا أَبا زِياد
وَبِالوِداد تخدَع الأَعادي
He said, greetings Abu Ziyad,
And with affection one tricks enemies.
إِني أَراك مُنذُ حين ماكِثاً
بِذا المَكان مُطمَئِناً لابِثا
I see you’ve been staying here for a while,
Settled in this place, lingering.
قالَ أَبا الحَرث عم صَباحا
فَقَد غَدَوت ملكاً جحجاحا
Abu Al-Harith, you’ve become in the morning
A king with widespread wings.
وَاللَّه ما اِختَرت المَقام هَهنا
مَقال غُر لَم يَكُن مداهنا
By God, I didn't choose to stay here out of flattery,
Words that didn't have sincerity.
لَكِنني مُقَيد بِالوَحل
في محنة شَديدة وَذُل
Rather I'm tied down by the mud
In severe trouble and humiliation.
وَإِنَّني أَرجوك أَن تُنقذني
مِن وَرطَتي هَذي وَإِن تسعدني
I hope you’ll save me
From my plight, and make me happy.
فَإن يَكُن في طَبعك القَساوة
وَبَينَنا البَغضاء وَالعَداوة
For if your nature holds cruelty,
And hatred and enmity are between us,
فامنن فَأَنتَ ملك كَبير
وَها أَنا مُضطَهد أَسير
Then protect me, for you are a great king,
While I am an oppressed captive.
وَإِن مِن خَصائل الكِرام
رَحمة ذي البَلاء وَالسقام
For the traits of nobility
Are mercy for the afflicted and ill,
وَإِن مِن شَرائط العلو
العَطف في البُؤس عَلى العَدو
And a condition of highness
Is kindness to the enemy in distress.
كَفاكَ مِنها أَيُّها الكَبير
أني مِنها بِكَ مُستَجير
That is enough for you, O Great One,
That I seek refuge with you.
قالَ لَهُ الليث دَعَوت راحِما
إِن العَظيم يَدفَع العَظائِما
The lion said to him, you called me compassionately,
Great ones ward off great perils.
أَبشر فَإِني كاشف عَنكَ الكرب
وَنازع دونك أَنياب النوب
Rejoice, I will relieve your distress,
And defend you from the fangs of misfortune.
فَإِن مثلي يَدفَع الأَهوالا
عَن العِدى وَيحمل الأَثقالا
One like me wards off terrors,
From foes, and bears heavy burdens.
لا سيما عَن مُستَجير بائس
وَقانط مِن الحَياة آئس
Especially from a miserable, despairing supplicant,
Who has despaired of life.
قَد قَضَت العُقول إِن الشفقه
عَن الصديق وَالعَدو صَدقه
Minds have ruled that kindness
To friend and foe is pure.
وَالمَرء لا يَدري مَتى يمتحن
فَإِنُّه في دَهرِهِ مُرتَهن
One doesn't know when he'll be tested,
For he is hostage to his time.
وَمَن نَجا اليَوم فَلا يَنجو غَدا
لا يأمن الآفات إِلا بِالردى
Who is saved today is not saved tomorrow,
None are safe from pitfalls but the dead.
وَمَن أَغاث البائس الملهوفا
أَعانهُ اللَّه إِذا أخيفا
Who helps the miserable anguished one,
God aids him when he is afraid.
وَمَر للمكر وَلِلدهاء
فَسد مِن فَوق مَسيل الماء
And he schemed and used his cunning,
And dammed the watercourse from above.
فَانقطع الماء وَجَف الطين
في مدة وَفَرح المسكين
The water was cut off and the mud dried,
In a short time and the wretch rejoiced.
وَكان في المُدة كُل يَوم
يَأتيهِ في الصبح وَعِندَ النوم
And during that time every day
He would come in the morning and at night,
بحزمة عَظيمة مِن العَلف
يأكلها وَقالَ ثق وَلا تَخف
With a huge bundle of fodder
For him to eat, saying “trust me and don't worry”.
وَنشف الماء وَخَلى قَدر ما
يَروي بِهِ غلته مِن الظمأ
The water dried up leaving just enough
To quench his thirst.
وَلَم يَزَل يَدعو لَهُ الحِمار
وَلَيسَ يَدري أَنَّهُ مَكار
And the donkey kept praying for him,
Not knowing he was deceitful.
حَتّى إِذا جَفَ عَلَيهِ الطين
وَجسمه في جَوفِهِ دَفين
Until when the mud was dry on him,
And his body buried within it,
وَهوَ أَسير لا يطبق الحَرَكة
رَجا الخَلاص فَغداً في الشبكة
And he was captive, unable to move,
He hoped for deliverance, and the next day fell into the trap.
واحتبس الضرغام عَنهُ عَمداً
وَقَطع العُشب فَلاقى جهدا
And the lion deliberately deprived him of food,
And cut off the grass, so he suffered.
وَجاءهُ الليث وَقالَ أَجبذك
بِقوتي مِنهُ لَعَلي أنقذك
And the lion came and said, “I tested you
With my strength, perhaps to save you”.
قالَ نَعم فَافعل فَأَنتَ عالم
وَناصح كما تَقول راحم
He said “Yes, do so, you are wise
And a counselor, as you say, compassionate”.
فَعلقت مِن وَقتِهِ مَخالبه
فيهِ وَعادَ الليث وَهوَ راكبه
So he sank his claws in him,
And the lion rode off on him.
فدقه مِن وَقتِهِ وَافترسه
وَيح أَبيه صائِداً ما أَكيسه
He battered him, and devoured him,
Oh what a cunning hunter was his father!
وَإِنَّما ساعده في الشده
وَساسَهُ بالبر تلكَ المُده
He only helped him in his difficulty,
And tamed him with kindness that time,
لِنفسه وَهَكَذا الغَزاله
ألطفها ببره ذؤاله
For himself. And so is the gazelle,
He charmed her with his kindness, damn him.
قالَ لَهُ وَكَيفَ كانَ حالها
وَكَيف نَحنُ في العَمى أَمثالها
He said, what was her situation,
And how are we blind to the likes of it?
