إنindeed الدمشقيَّthe Damascene عبدُa slave to حاجتِهِhis need
إن الدمشقيَّ عبدُ حاجتِهِ
وعبدُand a slave to منwhomever يرتجِيhe looks to لحاجتِهِfor his need
وعبدُ من يرتجِي لحاجتِهِ
Indeed, the Damascene is a slave to his own need,
Indeed, the Damascene is a slave to his need,
and a slave to whomever he hopes will fulfill it.
And a slave to whomever he looks to for that need.
يُبرِمhe pesters إخوانَهhis friends بزوجتِهِabout his wife
يُبرِم إخوانَه بزوجتِهِ
فيin كلِّevery يومٍday وبادِّلاجتِهِand on his predawn journey
في كلِّ يومٍ وبادِّلاجتِهِ
He bores his friends with talk of his wife
He pesters his friends about his wife,
every day, and with his nocturnal expeditions,
Every day and on his predawn journey,
حتىuntil إذاwhen ماan emphatic particle قضىhe fulfilled لُبانتَهُhis desire
حتى إذا ما قضى لُبانتَهُ
منfor حاجةٍa need غابhe vanished فيin عَجاجتِهِhis dust cloud
من حاجةٍ غاب في عَجاجتِهِ
until, once he has satisfied his desire
Until, once he has satisfied his desire
in some affair, he vanishes in the dust-cloud he raises,
For something he needs, he vanishes into his dust cloud.
وانصاعand he turned away إماeither إلىto غَضارتِهِhis earthenware bowl
وانصاع إما إلى غَضارتِهِ
مسارعاًhurrying أوor إلىto زجاجتِهِhis bottle
مسارعاً أو إلى زجاجتِهِ
then heads either toward his earthenware bowl,
And turns away, either to his earthenware bowl,
hurrying, or toward his bottle.
Hurrying, or to his bottle.
يخلدhe gives himself over فيto اللحمthe meat والثّريدand broth-soaked bread وفيand to
يخلد في اللحم والثّريد وفي
ماwhat مَجَّهit spat out الكوبُthe cup منof مُجاجتِهِits spittle
ما مَجَّه الكوبُ من مُجاجتِهِ
There he gives himself over to meat and tharid, and to
He gives himself over to meat and broth-soaked bread, and to
whatever spittle the cup has spat out.
What the cup has spat out of its spittle.
أصبحhe has become قدalready لجٍpersisted obstinately فيin مُهاجرتيshunning me
أصبح قد لجٍ في مُهاجرتي
لاmay not فَكَّهrelease him اللهGod منfrom لجَاجتِهِhis obstinacy
لا فَكَّه الله من لجَاجتِهِ
By now he has grown stubborn in forsaking his friends—
Now he obstinately persists in shunning me;
may God never free him from his obstinacy!
May God never free him from his obstinacy.
لاnot يذكرُhe remembers الخِلَّthe close friend عندat ذلكthat فيin
لا يذكرُ الخِلَّ عند ذلك في
ضغطةstraits دهرٍtime ولاnor انفراجتِهِits easing
ضغطة دهرٍ ولا انفراجتِهِ
Then he gives no thought to a close friend amid
He remembers no close friend then, in
Fortune’s straits or its relief.
Time's straits or in its easing.
تَباركblessed is اللهGod كيفhow خِفَّتُهُhis flightiness
تَبارك الله كيف خِفَّتُهُ
إذاwhen تَشاحَىhe wrangles علىdespite فَجاجتِهِhis crudeness
إذا تَشاحَى على فَجاجتِهِ
Blessed be God—how frivolous he is
Blessed be God—how flighty he is
when he vies so stubbornly in boorishness!
When he wrangles despite his crudeness!
فقدfor indeed رأىhas seen القلبُthe heart منin نذالتهhis baseness
فقد رأى القلبُ من نذالته
ماwhat رأتِhas seen العينُthe eye منin سماجتِهِhis ugliness
ما رأتِ العينُ من سماجتِهِ
For the heart has perceived in his baseness
For the heart has seen in his baseness
what the eye has seen in his repulsive ugliness.
What the eye has seen in his ugliness.
ثُمَّتthen يأويhe retires إلىto حليلتهhis wife
ثُمَّت يأوي إلى حليلته
كالديكlike a rooster يأويhe retires إلىto دجاجتِهِhis hen
كالديك يأوي إلى دجاجتِهِ
Then he retires to his lawful wife,
Then he retires to his wife,
as a rooster retires to his hen:
As a rooster retires to his hen.
شَقّاقُa splitter of ساجٍteak يبيتhe spends the night ليلَتَهُhis night
شَقّاقُ ساجٍ يبيت ليلَتَهُ
منشارُهhis saw فيin مَشَقِّthe cleft of ساجتِهِhis teak plank
منشارُه في مَشَقِّ ساجتِهِ
a tireless cleaver of teak, he spends the whole night
A splitter of teak, he spends his night
with his saw in the cleft of his teak plank.
With his saw in the cleft of his teak plank.
ثمthen انتحىhe turned to ينسجweaving القريضَverse وماand not
ثم انتحى ينسج القريضَ وما
نِساجةُthe weaving of الشعرِpoetry منpart of نساجتِهِhis weaving
نِساجةُ الشعرِ من نساجتِهِ
Then he sets about weaving verse, though
Then he turned to weaving verse, but
the weaving of poetry is none of his craft.
The weaving of poetry is not his kind of weaving.
