كُل الأَنام مِن المَليك تَشَرَّفوا

كُل الأَنام مِن المَليك تَشَرَّفوا

بِجَوائز وَمَراتب وَفراشِ

بِجَوائز وَمَراتب وَفراشِ

All humankind was honored by the sovereign

All people were honored by the sovereign

With prizes, ranks, and court appointments—

with rewards, ranks, and bedding.

إِلّا أَنا فَسَطا عَليّ بِجَهله

إِلّا أَنا فَسَطا عَليّ بِجَهله

خصم لَهُ في الرَأي طَيش مراش

خصم لَهُ في الرَأي طَيش مراش

All but me: in his ignorance, there assailed me

Except me: in his ignorance, I was assailed by

An adversary rash and flighty in judgment.

a foe whose judgment strays like a feathered arrow.

وَأَنا الرياضيات قَد ترجمتها

وَأَنا الرياضيات قَد ترجمتها

وَالدَرس قَد وَضحته بِحَواشي

وَالدَرس قَد وَضحته بِحَواشي

Yet I had indeed translated mathematics

And I have translated mathematics,

And explained the lessons with marginal notes.

and clarified the lesson with annotations.

وَرقيت في زَمن العَزيز محمد

وَرقيت في زَمن العَزيز محمد

بَعد الملازم رتبةَ اليوزباشي

بَعد الملازم رتبةَ اليوزباشي

I was promoted in the days of illustrious Muhammad

And in the time of al-ʿAzīz Muhammad I rose

From lieutenant to the rank of yuzbashi.

beyond lieutenant to the rank of yüzbaşı.

وَبِعَهد عَباس خدمت مَواطني

وَبِعَهد عَباس خدمت مَواطني

سَتّاً بِغَير تَوقف وَتَلاشي

سَتّاً بِغَير تَوقف وَتَلاشي

And under Abbas I served my homeland

And during Abbas’s reign I served my native lands

For six years, without interruption or decline.

six years, without interruption or decline.

وَلبثت في دار المَعارف قَبلَها

وَلبثت في دار المَعارف قَبلَها

سَتّاً يَقابلن الصَفا بِبشاش

سَتّاً يَقابلن الصَفا بِبشاش

Before that, I remained at the House of Learning

And before that I remained in the House of Learning

Six years, while goodwill greeted me with a smiling face.

six years that met sincerity with cheer.

وَمرتبي الشَهريّ فيها قَد غَدا

وَمرتبي الشَهريّ فيها قَد غَدا

غيناً سِوى راءٍ بِفَرط غياش

غيناً سِوى راءٍ بِفَرط غياش

And there my monthly salary indeed became

And my monthly salary there had become

My only wealth—a mere letter rāʾ—through outrageous fraud.

a ghayn, apart from a rāʾ, through grievous oppression.

وَرَجَوت مِن فَيض المَراحم رُتبةً

وَرَجَوت مِن فَيض المَراحم رُتبةً

وَزِيادة في رفعة وَمَعاش

وَزِيادة في رفعة وَمَعاش

From the abundance of royal favor I hoped for a rank

And from overflowing mercy I hoped for a rank

And an increase in standing and salary.

and an increase in standing and pay.

لَكن تعرّض للنظارة أَلكنٌ

لَكن تعرّض للنظارة أَلكنٌ

فَرَمى الحَشا بِمَصائب وَغَواشي

فَرَمى الحَشا بِمَصائب وَغَواشي

But a tongue-tied man put himself forward for the directorship

But an inarticulate man thrust himself into the superintendence,

And struck my heart with calamities and overwhelming woes.

and struck my inward parts with calamities and engulfing woes.

وَأَرادَ رفعته وَخفضي في الوَرى

وَأَرادَ رفعته وَخفضي في الوَرى

بِسَفيه آراءٍ وَعَقل مطاش

بِسَفيه آراءٍ وَعَقل مطاش

He sought his own advancement and my abasement among mankind

And he sought his own advancement and my abasement among mankind,

Through a fool of errant opinions and a deranged mind.

with foolish opinions and an unbalanced mind.

وَالدَهر عاندني وَسالم أَبكماً

وَالدَهر عاندني وَسالم أَبكماً

حَتّى تَعدّى رُتبةَ البكباشي

حَتّى تَعدّى رُتبةَ البكباشي

Fortune opposed me, yet made peace with a mute man

And fate opposed me, yet made peace with a mute,

Until he surpassed even the rank of bikbashi.

until he surpassed the rank of bikbashi.

فَإليك يا ملكي رفعت قَضيتي

فَإليك يا ملكي رفعت قَضيتي

لَما بُليت بِقَصِّ بَعض رِياشي

لَما بُليت بِقَصِّ بَعض رِياشي

So to you, my king, I submit my grievance:

So to you, O my king, I have raised my case,

For I was afflicted by the clipping of some of my plumage.

when I suffered the clipping of some of my feathers.

فَعَساك تَنظر لي بِعَدلك مَرةً

فَعَساك تَنظر لي بِعَدلك مَرةً

لِيَزول عَني جور وَغدٍ راش

لِيَزول عَني جور وَغدٍ راش

Perhaps you will look upon my case justly, for once,

So may you look upon me once with your justice,

So the oppression of a base bribe-giver may leave me;

that the oppression of a bribing knave may leave me.

وَأَعيش في ظل الصَدارة بَعدَها

وَأَعيش في ظل الصَدارة بَعدَها

شُكري يَزيد وَعطر مَدحي فاشي

شُكري يَزيد وَعطر مَدحي فاشي

And afterward I may live beneath the shade of high office,

And afterward may I live in the shade of high office,

My gratitude increasing, the fragrance of my praise spreading far.

my gratitude increasing and the fragrance of my praise spreading.

لَولا الحَياء لَقُلت قَولاً صادِقاً

لَولا الحَياء لَقُلت قَولاً صادِقاً

يُنبيك أَني لَست فيهِ بِواشي

يُنبيك أَني لَست فيهِ بِواشي

Were it not for modesty, I would utter a truthful statement,

Were it not for modesty, I would utter a truthful word

Telling you that in this I am no slanderer.

telling you that in it I am no slanderer.

إِن السَراب لَدى الهَجير يَظنه ال

إِن السَراب لَدى الهَجير يَظنه ال

ظمآن ماءً مِن أَليم عطاش

ظمآن ماءً مِن أَليم عطاش

At blazing noon, the mirage is thought by the—

Indeed, in the midday heat, the mirage is taken by the

Thirsting man—to be water, from the torment of fierce thirst.

thirsty man for water, out of agonizing thirst.

وَسِواك يُخطئ فهمه في

وَسِواك يُخطئ فهمه في

أَعمى عَلَيهِ قِيافة الأَوباش

أَعمى عَلَيهِ قِيافة الأَوباش

Anyone but you would misconstrue its meaning—

And someone other than you errs in his understanding of

A blind man bearing the very guise of the rabble.

a blind man bearing the rabble’s outward guise.

وَاللَه ما تَرضى لِدار

وَاللَه ما تَرضى لِدار

بمذلة مِن ناظر

بمذلة مِن ناظر

By God, you would never permit the House of Learning

By God, you would not consent to a house

To suffer humiliation at the hands of a superintendent.

being humiliated by an overseer.

فَسَلعَن حَقيقة أَمره

فَسَلعَن حَقيقة أَمره

فَلَقَد حَشاه بِالجَهالة حاشي

فَلَقَد حَشاه بِالجَهالة حاشي

So inquire into the truth of his conduct:

So ask about the true state of his affairs:

For a hanger-on has indeed stuffed him full of ignorance.

for whoever filled him surely filled him with ignorance.

وَالبَعض في التَعليم منا شائبٌ

وَالبَعض في التَعليم منا شائبٌ

وَالبَعض مِنا في التَعلُّم ناشي

وَالبَعض مِنا في التَعلُّم ناشي

Some of us in education have already gone gray,

And some of us have grown gray in teaching,

While others among us are still novices in learning.

and some of us are beginners in learning.

وَالكُل في مَتن المَعارف راكب

وَالكُل في مَتن المَعارف راكب

وَالجَهل فيهِ أَخوماشي

وَالجَهل فيهِ أَخوماشي

Yet everyone rides upon the back of the House of Learning,

And all ride upon the back of knowledge,

And ignorance there is the twin of my salary.

while ignorance within him is a fellow on foot.

وَكَفى دَليلاً جَهلُه بِلسانه

وَكَفى دَليلاً جَهلُه بِلسانه

وَكَلامه بالعيّ كَالأَحباش

وَكَلامه بالعيّ كَالأَحباش

His ignorance upon his tongue is proof enough,

And his ignorance of his own tongue is proof enough,

And his speech, in its inarticulacy, is like the Abyssinians’.

and his faltering speech is like that of the Abyssinians.

فَاعذر فديتك مِن مَليك عادل

فَاعذر فديتك مِن مَليك عادل

شَكواي في رَجل بِغَير تحاشي

شَكواي في رَجل بِغَير تحاشي

So pardon me—may I be your ransom, O just king—

So pardon, just king—may I be your ransom—

For my unreserved complaint against a man.

my complaint against a man, made without restraint.

وَاِنظُر إِلى ضعفي وَقوّة بغيه

وَاِنظُر إِلى ضعفي وَقوّة بغيه

وَاخمد بعدلك نار ظلم غاشي

وَاخمد بعدلك نار ظلم غاشي

Look upon my weakness and the might of his oppression,

And consider my weakness and the strength of his aggression,

And with your justice quench the blaze of engulfing wrong.

and with your justice quench the fire of engulfing oppression.

أَو لا فأمري يا مَليك مفوّض

أَو لا فأمري يا مَليك مفوّض

لِلّه في خَصمي وَلَستُ بخاشي

لِلّه في خَصمي وَلَستُ بخاشي

Or else, my king, my affair is entrusted

Or else, O king, my case is entrusted

To God against my adversary, and I am unafraid.

to God concerning my foe, and I am unafraid.

فَهُوَ العَليم بِما لَقيت مِن الأَسى

فَهُوَ العَليم بِما لَقيت مِن الأَسى

وَبكسر قَلب واجب ومحاشي

وَبكسر قَلب واجب ومحاشي

For He knows well the anguish I have endured,

For He knows the sorrow I have endured

And the breaking of a pounding heart—and of my very innards.

and the breaking of my throbbing heart and inward parts.