نصحت أبا بكر فردَّ نصيحتي

نصحت أبا بكر فردَّ نصيحتي

وقال صهٍ وجهُ المحرِّش أقبحُ

وقال صهٍ وجهُ المحرِّش أقبحُ

I advised Abu Bakr, but he rejected my counsel,

I advised Abu Bakr, but he rejected my advice.

saying, “Hush! The instigator’s face is uglier.”

And he said, 'Hush! The instigator's face is uglier.'

وحدثتُه عن أخته فصَدَقته

وحدثتُه عن أخته فصَدَقته

وأمحضُ نصح الناصحين المصرَّحُ

وأمحضُ نصح الناصحين المصرَّحُ

I spoke to him about his sister—and spoke truthfully to him—

And I told him about his sister, speaking truthfully to him;

offering the pure, forthright counsel of sincere advisers.

And the purest counsel advisers give is that spoken plainly.

فقال عذيري منك شَيْخاً مضلَّلاً

فقال عذيري منك شَيْخاً مضلَّلاً

أنَبْخَلُ يا هذا وأختي تَسمَّحُ

أنَبْخَلُ يا هذا وأختي تَسمَّحُ

He said, “Who will rid me of you, misguided old man?

So he said, 'Who will defend me against you, you misguided old man?

Should I begrudge this man that, when my sister is so generous?

Shall we be stingy, fellow, while my sister gives freely?

لها أجرُها إن أحسنتْ فلنفسها

لها أجرُها إن أحسنتْ فلنفسها

وميزانُها يومَ القيامة يرجَحُ

وميزانُها يومَ القيامة يرجَحُ

Her reward is hers: if she does good, it is for her own soul,

She has her reward; if she does good, it is for herself,

and on Resurrection Day her scale will weigh heavy.

And her scales will weigh heavy on the Day of Resurrection.

أتعجب من أنثى تُناك بحقِّها

أتعجب من أنثى تُناك بحقِّها

وهأنذا شيخٌ أُكَبُّ فأُنكَحُ

وهأنذا شيخٌ أُكَبُّ فأُنكَحُ

Do you marvel that a woman is fucked as is her due,

Do you marvel at a woman being fucked as is her right,

when here am I, old and bent over, being fucked?”

While here I am, an old man, thrown face-down and then fucked?'

فقلت له حسبي لها بك قدوةً

فقلت له حسبي لها بك قدوةً

أَقِلْني فإني إنما كنت أمزحُ

أَقِلْني فإني إنما كنت أمزحُ

I told him, “Enough—you yourself are model enough for her;

So I said to him, 'For me, you are example enough for her;

forgive me, for I was only joking.”

Let me off, for I was only joking.'

فذلك أغراه بهجري ولن ترى

فذلك أغراه بهجري ولن ترى

زمانَك هذا تاجرَ النصح يربحُ

زمانَك هذا تاجرَ النصح يربحُ

That made him take to shunning me; and never will you see,

That encouraged him to shun me; and you will not see

in this age of yours, a merchant in counsel turn a profit.

In this age of yours, a merchant of counsel turn a profit.

أيا ابن حريثٍ لا تَهِدْك عَضيهَةٌ

أيا ابن حريثٍ لا تَهِدْك عَضيهَةٌ

فإنك بالهُون الطويل موقَّحُ

فإنك بالهُون الطويل موقَّحُ

O Ibn Hurayth, let no nasty charge unsettle you:

O Ibn Hurayth, let no slander crush you,

long humiliation has hardened you beyond shame.

For long humiliation has made you thick-skinned.

وكن آمناً سير الهجاء فإنما

وكن آمناً سير الهجاء فإنما

يسيِّره المرءُ المهجَّى الممدَّحُ

يسيِّره المرءُ المهجَّى الممدَّحُ

Do not fear how lampoon travels, for

And have no fear of satire's spread, for it is only

it is the man lampooned or praised who sends it abroad.

The man satirized or lavishly praised who makes it circulate.

نباهةُ أشعار الفتى وخمولُها

نباهةُ أشعار الفتى وخمولُها

على حَسْبِ من تلقاه يهجو ويمدحُ

على حَسْبِ من تلقاه يهجو ويمدحُ

The fame or obscurity of a young man’s verses

The renown of a young man's poems, and their obscurity,

depends upon the stature of whom he meets to lampoon or praise.

Depend on whom you find him lampooning and praising.

فإن قالها في نابهٍ حُمِلَتْ له

فإن قالها في نابهٍ حُمِلَتْ له

وإن قالها في خاملٍ فهي رُزَّحُ

وإن قالها في خاملٍ فهي رُزَّحُ

If he speaks them of a notable man, they are carried abroad for him;

For if he speaks them of a man of note, they are carried abroad for him;

if he speaks them of an obscure man, they languish under their weight.

And if he speaks them of an obscure man, they lie exhausted.

تسير بسيْر اسم المقُولَة باسمه

تسير بسيْر اسم المقُولَة باسمه

فَتَسْنَحُ في الآفاق طوراً وتبرحُ

فَتَسْنَحُ في الآفاق طوراً وتبرحُ

They travel as the name of the one named in them travels,

They travel as the name of the man they are spoken about travels,

roaming the horizons for a time, then moving on.

And so they cross the horizons, now rightward, now leftward.

عجبت لِقيل الناس إنك أَقرنٌ

عجبت لِقيل الناس إنك أَقرنٌ

وأنت الأجَمُّ المُستضام المُنطحُ

وأنت الأجَمُّ المُستضام المُنطحُ

I marvel that people say you are horned,

I marveled at people's claim that you are horned,

though you are hornless—the wronged one with his throat laid bare.

When you are hornless, bullied and butted.

فكيف تُبارى بالقرون وطولها

فكيف تُبارى بالقرون وطولها

ولستَ تُرَى عن نعجة لك تَنطحُ

ولستَ تُرَى عن نعجة لك تَنطحُ

How can you compete in horns and in their length

How, then, can you be rivaled in horns and their length,

when you are never seen butting in defense of an ewe of yours?

When you are never seen butting in defense of a ewe of your own?

تعرضتَ لي جهلاً فلما عَجمتني

تعرضتَ لي جهلاً فلما عَجمتني

تكشَّف عنك الجهلُ والليل يُصْبَحُ

تكشَّف عنك الجهلُ والليل يُصْبَحُ

In ignorance you challenged me; but once you had tested me,

You challenged me in ignorance; then, when you tested my mettle,

your ignorance showed itself, as night gives way to morning.

Ignorance lifted from you, and night turned to dawn.

وما كنت إلا ثعلباً بتَنوفة

وما كنت إلا ثعلباً بتَنوفة

أتيحت له صقعاءُ في الجو تَلمحُ

أتيحت له صقعاءُ في الجو تَلمحُ

You were nothing but a fox in a trackless waste

And you were nothing but a fox in a desert waste,

when a bald-headed eagle appeared to him, flashing in the sky—

To whom a white-headed eagle was sent, watching from the sky.

تَصُفُّ له طوراً وتقبضُ تارةً

تَصُفُّ له طوراً وتقبضُ تارةً

إذا ما أفاءت فوقه ظل يَضْبَحُ

إذا ما أفاءت فوقه ظل يَضْبَحُ

now spreading its wings above him, now folding them;

She spreads her wings above him at times, and folds them at others;

whenever it cast its shadow over him, he kept yelping.

Whenever she casts her shadow above him, he keeps yelping.

فلمَّا تعالت في السماء فحلّقت

فلمَّا تعالت في السماء فحلّقت

وأمكنَها والأرض دَرْمَاءُ صَرْدَحُ

وأمكنَها والأرض دَرْمَاءُ صَرْدَحُ

Then it rose high into the sky and circled,

Then, when she rose high into the sky and circled,

gaining command while the earth lay level and bare;

And he gave her an opening, the ground smooth and wide-open,

تدلَّت عليه من مدى مُسْتَقَلّها

تدلَّت عليه من مدى مُسْتَقَلّها

وبينهما خَرقٌ من اللوح أفيحُ

وبينهما خَرقٌ من اللوح أفيحُ

it swooped down upon him from the reach of its lofty station,

She swooped down upon him from the height of her ascent,

with a vast tract of open air between them,

And between them stretched a vast expanse of air,

برِزٍّ تُصيخُ الطير منه مخافة

برِزٍّ تُصيخُ الطير منه مخافة

فهنَّ مُصِفَّاتٌ على الأرض جُنّحُ

فهنَّ مُصِفَّاتٌ على الأرض جُنّحُ

uttering a shriek to which the birds hearken in fear,

With a whir at which the birds listen in fear,

then crouch upon the earth with humbled wings.

So they remain upon the ground, wings outspread and lowered.

وكم قَائلٍ لَمَّا هجوتك غيرةً

وكم قَائلٍ لَمَّا هجوتك غيرةً

أمالك في أعراضنا مُتَنَدَّحُ

أمالك في أعراضنا مُتَنَدَّحُ

How many a man, when I lampooned you, said indignantly,

And how many a speaker, when I lampooned you, said jealously:

“Have you nowhere to range far from our honor?”

'Is there not ample scope for you in our reputations?'