رَأَيتُ مَن لَستُ لَهُ ذاكِراً

رَأَيتُ مَن لَستُ لَهُ ذاكِراً

إِذا رَأى لِحيَتَهُ يَبكي

إِذا رَأى لِحيَتَهُ يَبكي

I saw someone I will not name;

I saw one whose memory escapes me

whenever he saw his beard, he wept.

Weeping when he saw his beard

فَقُلتُ لِمْ لا أَتَلَهّى بِه

فَقُلتُ لِمْ لا أَتَلَهّى بِه

وَأَنصُرُ الفِعلَ عَلى التُركِ

وَأَنصُرُ الفِعلَ عَلى التُركِ

So I said, 'Why not amuse myself with him

So I said, why not tease him a little

and champion action over inaction?'

And let action prevail over restraint

فَلَم أَزَل أَمسَحُ أَعطافَهُ

فَلَم أَزَل أَمسَحُ أَعطافَهُ

حَتّى إِذا اِستَفتَحَ في الضحِكِ

حَتّى إِذا اِستَفتَحَ في الضحِكِ

So I kept stroking his sides,

I kept stroking his whiskers

until, when he began to laugh,

Until his face opened into a smile

قُلتُ لَهُ ما قيمَةُ الشَيبِ أَن

قُلتُ لَهُ ما قيمَةُ الشَيبِ أَن

يَدورَ بَينَ الهَمِّ وَالضَنكِ

يَدورَ بَينَ الهَمِّ وَالضَنكِ

I said to him, 'What is gray hair worth, that

I said, what value does grey hair have

one should wander between worry and hardship?'

That wavers between anxiety and gloom

أَنسُج لَهُ ما يَتَغَطّى بِهِ

أَنسُج لَهُ ما يَتَغَطّى بِهِ

فَقَد يُغَطّي الحَقُّ بِالشَكِّ

فَقَد يُغَطّي الحَقُّ بِالشَكِّ

I weave him something to cover himself with,

I will weave a cover for him

for truth may be cloaked in doubt.

For truth may be veiled by doubt

فَقالَ صِف لي ما أَرى دُرَّهُ

فَقالَ صِف لي ما أَرى دُرَّهُ

لِلسَبَجِ الرَطبِ بِهِ يَحكي

لِلسَبَجِ الرَطبِ بِهِ يَحكي

He said, 'Describe something for me, so I may see its pearls

He said, describe what I see as a pearl

resemble wet jet through it.'

That tells of the sap of the moist hyssop

فَقُلتُ إِنّي واصِفٌ فَاِستَمِع

فَقُلتُ إِنّي واصِفٌ فَاِستَمِع

مِن صادِقٍ عارٍ مِنَ الإِفكِ

مِن صادِقٍ عارٍ مِنَ الإِفكِ

So I said, 'I shall describe it; listen

I said, listen to me, a truthful one

to a truthful man free of falsehood:

Free from falsehood's vileness

خُذِ القِلى وَالغَيظَ فَاِسحَقهُما

خُذِ القِلى وَالغَيظَ فَاِسحَقهُما

وَاِعجِنهُما بِالعَضرِطِ المَكّي

وَاِعجِنهُما بِالعَضرِطِ المَكّي

Take hatred and anger, then grind them both,

Take rancor and anger, crush them

and knead them with Meccan excrement.

Knead them with Meccan loaf

وَاِخضِب بِهِ شَعرَكَ يا شَيخَنا

وَاِخضِب بِهِ شَعرَكَ يا شَيخَنا

مِنَ العِذارَينِ إِلى الفَكِّ

مِنَ العِذارَينِ إِلى الفَكِّ

And dye your hair with it, O our elder,

Dye your hair with it, my elder

from both sideburns to the jaw.

From temple to jawbone

وَهَذِهِ النُسخَةُ مَكتوبَةً

وَهَذِهِ النُسخَةُ مَكتوبَةً

عَن شَرَحانَ القائِدِ التُركي

عَن شَرَحانَ القائِدِ التُركي

And this prescription is written down

This prescription is written

from Sharahan, the Turkish commander.'

By Sherhan, the Turkish commander