أَلاListen! ياO بنَson of أَبيAbu (father of) المَجal-Majd ('glory'; first part)
أَلا يا بنَ أَبي المَج
دِcompletes al-Majd وَصَرَّحتُand I spoke plainly فَماso not أَكنيI speak indirectly
دِ وَصَرَّحتُ فَما أَكني
Listen, O son of Abu al-Majd,
Alas, O son of Abu Majd, you offered
and I have spoken plainly; I use no veiled allusions.
A promise from you I did not expect
تَبَرَّعتَyou freely offered بِوَعدٍwith a promise مِنfrom
تَبَرَّعتَ بِوَعدٍ مِن
كَyou (suffix completing 'from you') لَمdid not يَجرِoccur عَلىto ظَنّيmy thoughts
كَ لَم يَجرِ عَلى ظَنّي
You freely offered a promise from
To fulfill, so little it was worth
you, one I had not expected,
In value and weight.
بِإِنفاذٍto send حَقيرَpaltry القَدworth (first part)
بِإِنفاذٍ حَقيرَ القَد
رِcompletes 'worth' وَالقيمَةِand value وَالوَزنِand weight
رِ وَالقيمَةِ وَالوَزنِ
to send something paltry in worth,
Yet you broke your vow to me
value, and weight.
Which does not undo what you built.
فَأخلَفتَso you broke your promise وَعَهديand my understanding بِof (in 'of you')
فَأخلَفتَ وَعَهدي بِ
كَyou (suffix completing 'of you') لاnot تَنقُضُyou tear down ماwhat تَبنيyou build
كَ لا تَنقُضُ ما تَبني
Yet you broke it, though my understanding of
And they said, “He is more generous
you was that you do not tear down what you build.
Than Qais and Ma’n.”
وَقالواand they said إِنَّهُthat he أَسmore generous (first part)
وَقالوا إِنَّهُ أَس
مَحُcompletes 'more generous' مِنthan قَيسٍQays وَمِنand than مَعنِMa'n
مَحُ مِن قَيسٍ وَمِن مَعنِ
And they said, 'He is more generous
When has a young man been generous
than Qays and than Ma'n.'
Who is stingy with straw?
مَتىwhen يَسمَحُhe is generous بِالتِبرِwith uncoined gold
مَتى يَسمَحُ بِالتِبرِ
فَتىًa young man يَبخَلُhe is stingy بِالتِبنِwith straw
فَتىً يَبخَلُ بِالتِبنِ
When will he be generous with gold—
a young man who is stingy with straw?
Partial English translation: 10 of 12 Arabic lines translated.
Sol 6.1