خذtake صاحبيmy friend عنّيfrom me الّذيwhat أُمليI dictate
خذ صاحبي عنّي الّذي أُملي
وَدعِand leave الّذيthat which آباهI refuse it منof عَذْليreproaching me
وَدعِ الّذي آباه من عَذْلي
Take from me, my friend, what I dictate,
Take away from me the friend who wrongs me
and leave aside the reproach that I refuse.
And leave the one whose father is blameless
أنَاI منamong أُناسٍpeople ليتwould that قطعَهمُseverance from them
أنَا من أُناسٍ ليت قطعَهمُ
قدindeed كانhad been لِيfor me بدلاًa substitute منfor الوَصْلِfellowship
قد كان لِي بدلاً من الوَصْلِ
I am among folk—would that severance from them
I am from a people, if only their ties were cut
had been mine instead of fellowship.
It would have been better for me than attachment
لاnot يَطْعَمونthey taste سوىexcept القبيحِthe vile ولاand not
لا يَطْعَمون سوى القبيحِ ولا
يَرِدونthey come to drink إلّاexcept قَهْوةَwine الجهلِignorance
يَرِدون إلّا قَهْوةَ الجهلِ
They taste nothing but ugliness, and
They eat nothing but the despicable, and desire
drink nothing but the wine of ignorance.
Nothing but the coffee of ignorance
منof كلّevery عُريانِbare اليدينboth hands منof الthe
من كلّ عُريانِ اليدين من ال
مَعروفkindness ملآنٌfull منof البخلِstinginess
مَعروف ملآنٌ من البخلِ
Each with both hands bare of
The destitute, empty-handed, without
kindness, filled to the brim with stinginess.
Goodness, filled with stinginess
وكأنّهمْand as though they ليلٌa night بلاwithout سَحَرٍa predawn hour
وكأنّهمْ ليلٌ بلا سَحَرٍ
يأتيهcomes to it أوor عقدٌa knot بلاwithout حلِّuntying
يأتيه أو عقدٌ بلا حلِّ
And they are like a night with no dawn
As though they were a night without a dawn
to come, or a knot with no undoing.
Coming to it, or a knot without untying
وكأنّهمْand as though they فيin صدرthe breast جارهمُof their neighbor
وكأنّهمْ في صدر جارهمُ
حَنَقاًin rage عليهمْagainst them مِرْجَلٌa cauldron يغليboils
حَنَقاً عليهمْ مِرْجَلٌ يغلي
And in their neighbor's breast they are like
As though in their neighbor's heart is
a cauldron boiling with rage against them.
Resentment against them boiling
فهمُso they صقيعٌfrost لاno دِثارَwarm covering بهagainst it
فهمُ صقيعٌ لا دِثارَ به
وهَجيرُand midday heat مُقفرةٍof a wasteland بلاwithout ظِلِّshade
وهَجيرُ مُقفرةٍ بلا ظِلِّ
So they are frost with no cloak against it,
They are frost without gowns
and a wasteland's midday heat without shade.
And the howling of a barren place without shade
وعقولهمْand their minds لغُفولِهمْto their heedlessness سَفَهاًfoolishly
وعقولهمْ لغُفولِهمْ سَفَهاً
وصبيُّهمْand their boy والٍa ruler علىover الكَهْلِthe mature man
وصبيُّهمْ والٍ على الكَهْلِ
And foolishly their minds serve their heedlessness,
Their minds in their ignorance are foolish
and their boy rules over the mature man.
And their elder is a wanton child
والجِدُّand earnestness مِنّيfrom me كمhow often أبَوْهthey rejected it كماjust as
والجِدُّ مِنّي كم أبَوْه كما
أَأْبَىI reject الّذيthat which فيهمْin them منof الهَزْلِfrivolity
أَأْبَى الّذي فيهمْ من الهَزْلِ
And how often they rejected my earnestness, just as
And my seriousness - how much it is in vain
I reject the frivolity in them.
Like the one among them who is frivolous
ياoh ليتنيwould that I لمّاwhen مشيتُI walked إلىtoward
يا ليتني لمّا مشيتُ إلى
عَرَصاتهمْtheir courtyards ماnot كنتُI was ذاpossessing رِجْلِa foot
عَرَصاتهمْ ما كنتُ ذا رِجْلِ
Oh, would that when I walked toward
Oh, if only when I walked to
their courtyards, I had been without feet.
Their dwellings, I had no feet
عَجِلَgrew impatient الزّمانُtime وأهلُهُand its people معهwith it
عَجِلَ الزّمانُ وأهلُهُ معه
منwith أنthat يُقيمshould remain عليهمُamong them مِثْليone like me
من أن يُقيم عليهمُ مِثْلي
Time, and its people with it, grew impatient
Time hurried and its people with it
with one like me remaining among them.
That one like me would stay with them
ماnot كانwas إلّاexcept فيin ديارهمُtheir dwellings
ما كان إلّا في ديارهمُ
هضميthe wrong done me وبينand among بيوتهمْtheir houses ذلّيmy humiliation
هضمي وبين بيوتهمْ ذلّي
Nowhere but within their dwellings
It was only in their homes
was I wronged, and among their houses humiliated.
That I was belittled, and between their houses humiliated
وكأنّنيand as though I لمّاwhen لففتُI gathered بهمْaround them
وكأنّني لمّا لففتُ بهمْ
شمليmy company اِمرؤٌa man متقطّعُscattered الشَّمْلِcompany
شملي اِمرؤٌ متقطّعُ الشَّمْلِ
And I seemed, when I gathered around them
It was as if when I joined them
my company, a man whose company was scattered.
I was a man disjointed, without wholeness
وَشغلتُand I busied نفسيmyself برهةًa while بهمُwith them
وَشغلتُ نفسي برهةً بهمُ
فكأنّنيso as though I منهمْwith them بلاwithout شُغلِoccupation
فكأنّني منهمْ بلا شُغلِ
And I busied myself with them for a while,
And I busied myself for a while with them
yet it was as though I had nothing to do with them.
It was as if I was with them without busyness
يرموننيthey pelt me منfrom قبلهمْtheir side أبداًalways
يرمونني من قبلهمْ أبداً
بالزُّورwith lies والبهتانand slander والبُطلِand falsehood
بالزُّور والبهتان والبُطلِ
They always pelt me, from their side,
They cast me away always
with lies, slander, and falsehood.
With lies, slander, and falsehood
وجوائفُand deep-piercing wounds الأقوالِof words راميةٌstriking
وجوائفُ الأقوالِ راميةٌ
تُنسيmake forget الرَّميَّthe stricken جوائِفَdeep-piercing wounds النَّبْلِof arrows
تُنسي الرَّميَّ جوائِفَ النَّبْلِ
And the piercing wounds of words strike,
And the interiors of words were hurling
making the stricken forget the piercing wounds of arrows.
Forgetting the hurling, the interiors of arrows
ومذانبٌand watercourses للماءfor water ليسthere is not لهاfrom them
ومذانبٌ للماء ليس لها
نَهْليmy first drink علىdespite ظمئيmy thirst ولاnor عَلِّيmy second drink
نَهْلي على ظمئي ولا عَلِّي
And they are watercourses from which there is
And sides turned away from the water that have
no first draught for me, despite my thirst, nor a second.
No slaking of my thirst or lifting me high
أَينwhere الّذينthose whom عهدتُI knew قبلهمُbefore them
أَين الّذين عهدتُ قبلهمُ
سارينjourneying by night فيon طُرقٍpaths إلىtoward الفضلِvirtue
سارين في طُرقٍ إلى الفضلِ
Where are those I knew before them,
Where are those I knew before them
journeying by night on paths toward virtue,
Traveling ways of virtue?
الحاملينthose carrying علىupon قلوبهمُtheir hearts
الحاملين على قلوبهمُ
همّيmy cares وفوقand upon ظهورهمْtheir backs ثِقْليmy burden
همّي وفوق ظهورهمْ ثِقْلي
those who carried upon their hearts
Bearing my worries on their hearts
my cares, and upon their backs my burden?
And my burdens upon their backs
وكأنّهمْand as though they قُضُبٌswords يمانِيَةٌYemeni
وكأنّهمْ قُضُبٌ يمانِيَةٌ
مصقولةٌpolished منfrom غيرother than ماany صَقْلِpolishing
مصقولةٌ من غير ما صَقْلِ
And they were like Yemeni swords,
As if they were straight Yemeni rods
polished without any polishing.
Polished without any polishing
كمhow many فيهمُamong them منof مُنْشِرٍa reviver كرماًthrough generosity
كم فيهمُ من مُنْشِرٍ كرماً
بعدafter المماتِdeath وقاتلِand a slayer المَحْلِof drought
بعد المماتِ وقاتلِ المَحْلِ
How many among them restored life through generosity
How many of them spread generosity
after death, and slew drought!
After death, and killed parsimony
ويطيعand he obeys منthrough كرمٍgenerosity تَجَلَّلَهhas cloaked him
ويطيع من كرمٍ تَجَلَّلَه
أمرَthe command النّدىof bounty ودواعِيَand the calls البذلِto giving
أمرَ النّدى ودواعِيَ البذلِ
And, through generosity that has cloaked him, he obeys
And obeyed the command of munificence
the command of bounty and the calls to giving.
When it donned him, and the call to giving
ماno بينناbetween us قربٌclose kinship ولاnor نسبٌshared ancestry
ما بيننا قربٌ ولا نسبٌ
وكأنّهمand as though they منthrough بِرِّهمْtheir kindness أهليmy family
وكأنّهم من بِرِّهمْ أهلي
There is no close kinship or shared ancestry between us,
There is no kinship or relation between us
yet through their kindness they are like my family.
Yet through their righteousness they are my family
ودفاعُهمْand their defense عنّيof me يُرفّهنيspares me
ودفاعُهمْ عنّي يُرفّهني
عنfrom أنْthat أمُدَّI stretch out يداًa hand إلىto نَصْليmy blade
عن أنْ أمُدَّ يداً إلى نَصْلي
And their defense of me spares me
And their defense of me enriches me
from reaching out a hand to my blade.
From having to extend a hand to my sword
لولاهُمbut for them فيon يومِa day عاذمةٍa biting calamity
لولاهُم في يومِ عاذمةٍ
لمnot أنجُI escape منfrom أنيابهاits fangs العُصْلِcrooked
لم أنجُ من أنيابها العُصْلِ
But for them, on a day of biting calamity,
Were it not for them on a day of clashing
I would not have escaped its crooked fangs.
I would not have escaped from its fierce teeth
أرخصتُI devalued غيرَهمُothers than them لأنّهمُbecause they
أرخصتُ غيرَهمُ لأنّهمُ
يُغلونthey raise أثمانيmy prices كماjust as أُغليI raise value
يُغلون أثماني كما أُغلي
I held others cheap, because they
I held others cheap because they
raise my worth, just as I raise theirs.
Inflate my prices as I am inflated
فهمُso they جباليmy mountains إنْif ذُعِرتُI am frightened ولِيand for me
فهمُ جبالي إنْ ذُعِرتُ ولِي
يومَon the day اِرتعاءِof grazing نباتهمْtheir herbage سهليmy plain
يومَ اِرتعاءِ نباتهمْ سهلي
So they are my mountains when I am afraid, and for me,
They are my mountains if I am startled, and for me
when I graze their herbage, they are my plain.
On the day of grazing their growth is my plain
فإذاso when هُمthey حلمواthey show forbearance حلمتُI show forbearance وفيand on
فإذا هُم حلموا حلمتُ وفي
يومِa day اِنتقامٍof vengeance جهلُهمْtheir fury جهليmy fury
يومِ اِنتقامٍ جهلُهمْ جهلي
So when they show forbearance, I show forbearance, and on
So when they are forbearing, I am forbearing, and on
a day of vengeance, their fury is my fury.
A day of revenge, their ignorance is my ignorance
دَرَجواthey passed away فلاso no عينٌeye تشاهدهمْsees them
دَرَجوا فلا عينٌ تشاهدهمْ
أبداًever ولاnor تأتيهمُcome to them رُسْلِيmy messengers
أبداً ولا تأتيهمُ رُسْلِي
They have passed away; no eye beholds them
They passed away, no eye sees them
ever, nor do my messengers reach them.
Ever again, nor do my messages come to them
فعلىso upon قبورهُمtheir graves وإنeven if دَرَسَتْare effaced
فعلى قبورهُم وإن دَرَسَتْ
ماwhatever شئنthey wish منof قطرٍrain ومنand of وَبْلِheavy rain
ما شئن من قطرٍ ومن وَبْلِ
So upon their graves, though they are effaced,
Yet over their graves, though crumbled
may fall whatever rain and downpour they desire.
I pour any rainfall and any downpour
Sol 6.1