أَياعَضُدَO ʿAḍud (support) الدينِof the faith شَكوىthe complaint of فَتىًa young man
أَياعَضُدَ الدينِ شَكوى فَتىً
عَلىagainst دَهرِهِhis times واجِدٍaggrieved عاتِبِreproachful
عَلى دَهرِهِ واجِدٍ عاتِبِ
O ʿAḍud al-Dīn, hear a young man's complaint,
O pillar of the faith, the complaint of a young man
Aggrieved at his times and reproaching them.
Against his fate, reproaching,
يَمُتُّclaims a bond إِلَيكَwith you بِماthrough what لاnot يَمُتُّclaims a bond
يَمُتُّ إِلَيكَ بِما لا يَمُتُّ
بِهِthrough it اليَومَtoday مَولىa retainer إِلىwith صاحِبِa patron
بِهِ اليَومَ مَولى إِلى صاحِبِ
He claims a bond with you that no
Who dies for you in a way that does not die
Retainer today claims with a patron.
Today, a master to a companion
لَهُhe has مَديحٌpraise فيكَof you مَشهورَةٌwell-known
لَهُ مَديحٌ فيكَ مَشهورَةٌ
تَدُلُّattests عَلىto حَقِّهِhis right الواجِبِowed
تَدُلُّ عَلى حَقِّهِ الواجِبِ
His well-known praise of you
He has famous praise in you
Attests to the right owed him—
That indicates his necessary right
كوشيlike brocade الرِياضَthe gardens جَلاهاmade them radiant الرَبيعُspring
كوشي الرِياضَ جَلاها الرَبيعُ
وَالعِقدِand the necklace فيon عُنُقِthe neck of الكاعِبِthe budding maiden
وَالعِقدِ في عُنُقِ الكاعِبِ
Like the brocade of gardens made radiant by spring,
The meadows of Riad, spring adorned them
And a necklace on a budding maiden's neck.
And necklaces on the neck of the singer
تَسيرُtravel شَوارِدُهاits far-ranging verses الغُرُّthe radiant فيكَabout you
تَسيرُ شَوارِدُها الغُرُّ فيكَ
سَيرَthe journeying of المَطِيَةِthe mount بِالراكِبِwith the rider
سَيرَ المَطِيَةِ بِالراكِبِ
Its radiant, far-ranging verses about you travel
Its estranged ones wander in you
As a mount journeys with its rider.
Like the pace of the ridden in the rider
إِذاwhenever شاهَدتthey attend نادياًa gathering غبتَyou are absent عَنهُfrom it
إِذا شاهَدت نادياً غبتَ عَنهُ
دَلَّتthey attest عَلىto فَضلِكَyour excellence الغائِبُabsent
دَلَّت عَلى فَضلِكَ الغائِبُ
Whenever they attend a gathering without you,
When you saw an absent friend
They attest to your excellence in your absence.
Your absence showed your superiority
فَيُثنيso speaks praise عَليكَof you لِسانُthe tongue of الحَسودِthe envious one
فَيُثني عَليكَ لِسانُ الحَسودِ
بِإِنشادِهاby reciting them وَفَمُand the mouth of العاتِبِthe reproacher
بِإِنشادِها وَفَمُ العاتِبِ
Thus the envious tongue praises you
So the tongue of the envious praises you
By reciting them, as does the reproacher's mouth.
With its chanting and the mouth of the reproacher
فَكَيفَso how تَوَخَّيتَهُyou targeted him مُصَمياًkilling outright
فَكَيفَ تَوَخَّيتَهُ مُصَمياً
بِسَهمِwith the arrow of تَجَرُّمِكَyour faultfinding الصائِبِunerring
بِسَهمِ تَجَرُّمِكَ الصائِبِ
How, then, did you target him, felling him outright,
How did you want it, deafened
With the unerring arrow of your faultfinding?
By the arrow of your accurate shooting
وَكانَand he was خَطيبَthe spokesman for مَعاليكُمُyour lofty deeds
وَكانَ خَطيبَ مَعاليكُمُ
فَأَسكَتَso he silenced شِقشِقَةِthe blustering of الخاطِبِthe orator
فَأَسكَتَ شِقشِقَةِ الخاطِبِ
And he was the spokesman for your lofty deeds,
And the orator of your glories was
And silenced the orator's bluster.
Who silenced the babbling of the suitor
يُقارِعُhe battles مِنfrom دونِbefore أَحسابِكُمyour ancestral honors
يُقارِعُ مِن دونِ أَحسابِكُم
بِصارِمِwith the sharp sword of مِقوَلِهِhis tongue القاضِبِcleaving
بِصارِمِ مِقوَلِهِ القاضِبِ
He battles in defense of your ancestral honor
Disputing without your calculations
With the keen, cleaving sword of his tongue.
With the cutting edge of his decisive saying
حَديقَةُa garden of مَدحٍpraise رَماهاassailed it شَواظُthe flame of
حَديقَةُ مَدحٍ رَماها شَواظُ
تَناسيكَyour deliberate neglect بِالفادِحِwith the crushing الحاصِبِstorm of stones
تَناسيكَ بِالفادِحِ الحاصِبِ
A garden of praise, assailed by the flame
A garden of praise, scattered by playfulness
Of your deliberate neglect with a crushing storm of stones.
Forgetting you with the outrageous reaper
عَهِدتُكَI have known you تَمنَحُyou give قَبلَbefore السُؤالِthe asking
عَهِدتُكَ تَمنَحُ قَبلَ السُؤالِ
فَتَبهَرُso you surpass أُمنِيَةَthe wish of الطالِبِthe supplicant
فَتَبهَرُ أُمنِيَةَ الطالِبِ
I have known you to give before being asked,
I knew you give before asking
Surpassing the supplicant's wish.
Dazzling the wish of the seeker
وَماand not زِلتَyou have ceased ذاpossessed of أَنفٍproud disdain أَنthat يَبيتَshould spend the night
وَما زِلتَ ذا أَنفٍ أَن يَبيتَ
جارُكَyour neighbor ذاpossessed of أَمَلٍhope خائِبِunfulfilled
جارُكَ ذا أَمَلٍ خائِبِ
And you have always been too proud to let a night pass
You were never pleased that your neighbor spend the night
With your neighbor's hopes unfulfilled.
With a fruitless wish
فَماso what لَكَwith you أَعداكَhas infected you طَبعُthe temper of الزَمانِthe times
فَما لَكَ أَعداكَ طَبعُ الزَمانِ
فَجُزتَso you strayed عَنِfrom السَنَنِthe path اللاحِبwell-trodden
فَجُزتَ عَنِ السَنَنِ اللاحِب
So what ails you? The temper of the times has infected you,
So why did the nature of time make you an enemy
So you have strayed from the well-trodden path.
You missed the loving ways
وَأَخلافُand the teats of جودِكَyour generosity ماwhat بالُهاtheir condition
وَأَخلافُ جودِكَ ما بالُها
أَبَتthey have refused أَنto تَدُرَّyield milk عَلىto الحالِبِthe milker
أَبَت أَن تَدُرَّ عَلى الحالِبِ
And the teats of your generosity—what ails them?
And the successors of your generosity, what is wrong with them
They have refused to yield milk to the milker.
They refused to flow to the asker
فَإِنso if كُنتَyou were تَعرِفُyou recognize حَقَّthe right of الجِوارِneighborliness
فَإِن كُنتَ تَعرِفُ حَقَّ الجِوارِ
وَإِلّاand if not فَحَبليthen my rope عَلىon غارِبيmy withers
وَإِلّا فَحَبلي عَلى غارِبي
So, if you acknowledge a neighbor's rights—
If you know the right of neighborhood
And if not, my rope lies on my withers.
Or else my camel is lost
وَتَعلَمُand you know أَنّيthat I كَثيرُhaving many العِيالِdependents
وَتَعلَمُ أَنّي كَثيرُ العِيالِ
قَليلُhaving little الجَرايَةِallowance وَالواجِبِand due pay
قَليلُ الجَرايَةِ وَالواجِبِ
And you know that I have many dependents,
And you know I have many dependents
With scant allowance and pay.
And little income and duty
وَلَستُand I am not عَلىdespite ظَمَئيmy thirst قانِعاًcontent
وَلَستُ عَلى ظَمَئي قانِعاً
بِوِردٍwith a draught مِنَfrom الوَشَلِthe trickle الناضِبِdrying up
بِوِردٍ مِنَ الوَشَلِ الناضِبِ
And despite my thirst, I am not content
And I am not satisfied with my thirst
With a draught from a dwindling trickle.
With a drink of drained moisture
وَلاand no شَكَّdoubt فيabout أَنَّنيthat I هارِبٌfleeing
وَلا شَكَّ في أَنَّني هارِبٌ
فَدَبِّرso make arrangements لِنَفسِكَfor yourself فيconcerning كاتِبِa scribe
فَدَبِّر لِنَفسِكَ في كاتِبِ
And there is no doubt that I am fleeing,
And no doubt I am an escapee
So make your own arrangements for a scribe.
So plan for yourself a writer
Sol 6.1