أَبصرَ الثَعلبُ الغُرابَ على غُص
نٍ نَضيرٍ في رَوضةٍ غنّاءِ
The fox saw the crow upon a branch,
The fox saw the raven on a branch of a flowering tree,
fresh and green, in a luxuriant garden,
In a verdant garden, bearing a piece of cheese, as white as silver,
وَرأى قطعةً بفيهِ منَ الجُب
نةِ تُزرى بالفِضَّة البيضاء
and saw a piece of cheese in his beak
The best you can choose and most delicious that thieving birds of the air pick,
that put white silver to shame:
He desired it and said: If it's not meant for me, foxes will deny me,
خير ما تَنتَقي وَأطيبُ ما تَخ
طفُ من مأكلٍ لصوصُ الهواءِ
the choicest picked and the tastiest snatched
Oh power of cunning, lift me up if you don't bring down the cheese from the sky,
by the thieves of the air for food.
Then he started flattering and setting up traps, though flattery itself is a trap,
فاشتَهاها وَقال إن لم تكُن لي
أنكَرَتني ثعالبُ الغَبراء
So he craved it and said, “If it is not mine,
Saying: Oh leader, you call at every dawn and eve,
the foxes of the dusty earth will disown me.
Give us, with your knowledge, O protector, who are you among the long-necked birds?
إرفَعيني يا قوَّةَ المَكرِ إن لم
تُنزِلي الجُبنةَ التي في السماءِ
Raise me up, O power of cunning, if you do not
Ravens, God bless you, we believe in the ravens, the people of highest rank,
bring down the cheese that is in the sky!”
Teach the nightingales who are less skilled than you in art, O Excellence!
ثمَّ أَنشا يُثنى وَينصبُ أشرا
كاً وَشرُّ الأَشراكِ بعضُ الثَناءِ
Then he began praising and setting snares—
And sing the praises of the one who endowed you with what he did not endow the papermakers,
and some praise is the worst of snares—
Words the fool listened to, so pride overcame him,
قائِلاً يا أميرُ عم كلَّ صُبحٍ
صائِحاً صادِحاً وكلَّ مساءِ
saying, “O prince, may you fare well every morning,
And he sang on, unaware of the trap of the most eloquent poet,
calling and singing, and every evening.
He saw the delicious cheese falling, so he cried and wailed,
هاتِ زِدنا علماً بقدرِكَ يا مَو
لايَ من أنتَ من بَني العَنقاءِ
Come, tell us more of your worth, my lord:
The thief received the spoils and took leave right away, bored with the singing,
who are you among the phoenix’s offspring?
Saying: Bravo deceptive singer, sing for others, it's time for my lunch,
أغُرابٌ تَباركَ اللَهُ
آمنّا بفَضلِ الغِربانِ أهلِ العلاءِ
A crow? Blessed be God!
O fox, be off, no congratulations on the ill-gotten gains,
We believe in the excellence of crows, those of lofty rank.
O stupid bird, learn the reward of the foolish and ignorant,
ألقِ درساً على البَلابِل غلما
نكَ في الفَنِّ يا أَبا الفُضلاءِ
Give a lesson to the nightingales, your young servants
Abu Al-Husain, you have not exceeded the children of Eve in cunning,
in the art, O father of the distinguished!
Some of us set up traps to catch lofty, well-built palaces,
وَتَرَنَّم بِمَن أَفاضَ على حَل
قكَ ما لم يُفِض على الوَرقاءِ
And sing of Him who lavished on your throat
When he raises his hand to the sky, it pulls down the stars,
what He did not bestow upon the gray dove.”
Some of us constantly chase each other, seizing and looting shamelessly,
كَلماتٌ أَصغى الغَبيُّ إِلَيها
فَاِعتَراهُ مسٌّ منَ الخُيلاءِ
Words to which the fool listened,
So seek refuge from them and beware, do not be counted among them!
so a touch of conceit came over him.
وَتغنّى فلَم يُحِسَّ بما أَل
قاهُ في فَخِّ أشعَرِ الشُعَراءِ
And he sang, unaware of what had cast him
into the snare of the most poetic of poets.
بَل رَأى الجُبنَةَ الشَهِيَّةَ تَهوى
فَبَكاها وَلاتَ حينَ بُكاءِ
Instead, he saw the delicious cheese fall,
and wept for it when it was no time for weeping.
وَتَلَقّى اللصُّ الغَنيمةَ وَاِستَأ
ذَنَ في الحالِ زاهداً في الغِناءِ
And the thief caught the prize and asked leave
at once, with no interest in the singing,
قائِلاً طبتَ يامُغَنّى النَدامى
غَنِّ غيري قد حانَ وَقتُ غدائي
saying, “Be well, O singer to drinking companions;
sing for someone else: it is time for my lunch!”
أَيُّها الثَعلَبُ ارتَحِل لا هَنِيئاً
لا مَريئاً أَلأمَ اللُؤماءِ
O fox, be gone—may it bring you no pleasure,
nor sit well with you, vilest of the vile!
أَيُّها الطائرُ الغَبِيُّ تَعلَّم
ذا جزاءُ الأَغرارِ وَالجُهلاءِ
O foolish bird, learn:
this is the recompense of the gullible and the ignorant.
لم تَزِد يا أَبا الحُصَينِ على أَو
لادِ حَوّاءِ في ضُروبِ الدهاءِ
You have not outdone, Abu al-Ḥuṣayn, the children
of Eve in the arts of cunning.
إنَ مِنّا من يَنصِبُ البَيتَ فَخّاً
لاِقتناصِ القَصرِ الرَفيعِ البِناءِ
Indeed, some of us set a verse as a snare
to capture a palace of lofty construction.
فَإِذا مَدَّ لِلسّماءِ يميناً
سلَّ منها كواكبَ الجَوزاء
And when he stretches his right hand toward the sky,
he plucks from it the stars of Orion.
بَعضُنا لا يزالُ في إِثرِ بعضٍ
ناهِباً سالِباً بلا استِحياء
Some of us are forever on the heels of others,
plundering and robbing without shame.
فَتعوَّذ من هؤلاءِ وحاذِر
لا تكُن إن عُدِدتَ من هؤلاء
So seek refuge from these, and beware:
if you are counted, do not be one of these.
Sol 6.1