ذَكَّرتَنيكَ رَوحَةٌ لِلشُمولِ

ذَكَّرتَنيكَ رَوحَةٌ لِلشُمولِ

أَوقَدَت غُلَّتي وَهاجَت غَليلي

أَوقَدَت غُلَّتي وَهاجَت غَليلي

A breath of wine brought you to mind;

You reminded me of a soul yearning for inclusion,

it kindled my thirst and stirred my burning longing.

You ignited my embers and stirred my ardour.

لَيتَ شِعري يا اِبنَ المُدَبِّرِ هَل يُدني

لَيتَ شِعري يا اِبنَ المُدَبِّرِ هَل يُدني

كَ فَرطُ الرَجاءِ وَالتَأميلِ

كَ فَرطُ الرَجاءِ وَالتَأميلِ

Would that I knew, Ibn al-Mudabbir: will it draw

I wish I knew, O son of the Wise One, if you would bring closer,

you near—my boundless hope and expectation?

As excess of hope and expectation,

بَعُدَ العَهدُ غَيرَ رَجعِ كِتابٍ

بَعُدَ العَهدُ غَيرَ رَجعِ كِتابٍ

يَصِفُ الخَوقَ أَو بَلاغِ رَسولِ

يَصِفُ الخَوقَ أَو بَلاغِ رَسولِ

Our last meeting is long past, save for a letter in reply

After a long absence with no letter

expressing longing [uncertain reading], or a messenger's report.

Describing the condition or a messenger's report,

أَيُّ شَيءٍ أَلهاكَ عَن سُرَّ مَن را

أَيُّ شَيءٍ أَلهاكَ عَن سُرَّ مَن را

ءَ وَظِلٍ لِلعَيشِ فيها ظَليلِ

ءَ وَظِلٍ لِلعَيشِ فيها ظَليلِ

What has distracted you from Surr Man Ra'a,

What thing distracted you from the secret of one who saw

and the deep, sheltering shade of life there?

And lived in its shade, sheltered.

أَقتِصارٌ عَلى أَحاديثِ فَضلٍ

أَقتِصارٌ عَلى أَحاديثِ فَضلٍ

فَهوَ مُستَكرَهٌ كَثيرُ الفُضولِ

فَهوَ مُستَكرَهٌ كَثيرُ الفُضولِ

Is it that you settle for Fadl's talk?

Is it disdain for idle talk of favours

For he is disagreeable and full of idle chatter.

That you find reprehensible, though plentiful?

لَم تَكُن نُهزَةَ الوَضيعِ وَلا رو

لَم تَكُن نُهزَةَ الوَضيعِ وَلا رو

حُكَ كانَت لِفقاً لِروحِ لثَقيلِ

حُكَ كانَت لِفقاً لِروحِ لثَقيلِ

You were no easy prey for the lowly, nor was your soul

You were not the stirrings of the lowly, nor your spirit

a match for the soul of a bore.

For bearing hardship and drudgery.

فَعَلامَ اِصطَفَيتَ مُنكَشِفَ الزي

فَعَلامَ اِصطَفَيتَ مُنكَشِفَ الزي

فِ مُعادَ المِخراقِ نَزرَ القَبولِ

فِ مُعادَ المِخراقِ نَزرَ القَبولِ

Why, then, have you chosen one whose fraud is plain,

Why then did you choose one with a torn cloak

whose tricks are stale and whose appeal is scant?

At the return of the feeble, of little acceptance?

إِن تَزُرهُ تَجِدهُ أَخلَقَ مِن شَي

إِن تَزُرهُ تَجِدهُ أَخلَقَ مِن شَي

بِ الغَواني وَمِن تَعَفّي الطُلولِ

بِ الغَواني وَمِن تَعَفّي الطُلولِ

If you visit him, you find him more worn-out than the graying

If you visit him, you’ll find him of baser morals than

of beautiful women, and the fading of deserted camps.

The libertines, and weaker of resolution than the indolent.

رائِحٌ مُغتَدٍ وَما مَتَعَ الصُب

رائِحٌ مُغتَدٍ وَما مَتَعَ الصُب

حُ إِدِّلاجاً لِلشَحذِ وَالتَطفيلِ

حُ إِدِّلاجاً لِلشَحذِ وَالتَطفيلِ

Going out at evening and morning, before dawn has risen,

A sponger, guzzling, whose morning draught brought no joy

he sets forth in darkness to beg and sponge.

But pleading and scrounging all day.

وَإِذا ما غَدا يُريدُ اِبنَ نَصرٍ

وَإِذا ما غَدا يُريدُ اِبنَ نَصرٍ

راحَ مِن عِندِهِ بِخيرٍ قَليلِ

راحَ مِن عِندِهِ بِخيرٍ قَليلِ

And whenever he sets out in the morning seeking Ibn Nasr,

And if Ibn Nasr comes to visit,

he returns from him with little bounty.

He leaves with little good.

وَكَذا المُلحِفُ المُلِحُّ إِذا أَن

وَكَذا المُلحِفُ المُلِحُّ إِذا أَن

شَبَ في نائِلِ اللَجوجِ البَخيلِ

شَبَ في نائِلِ اللَجوجِ البَخيلِ

And so fares the importunate, persistent beggar when he latches

And so too the obsequious sycophant, when he latches

onto the bounty of a stubborn miser.

Onto the grudging, stingy man.

مدَّعٍ نِسبَةً مَتى صَحَّ يَوماً

مدَّعٍ نِسبَةً مَتى صَحَّ يَوماً

كانَ فيها مَولى أَبي البَهلولِ

كانَ فيها مَولى أَبي البَهلولِ

He claims a lineage which, if ever substantiated,

Claiming ancestry, which, if true one day,

would make him a client of Abu al-Bahlul.

Would make him servant of Abul Hawl.

قَد أَتاني عَنهُ وَما خِلتُ حَقّاً

قَد أَتاني عَنهُ وَما خِلتُ حَقّاً

وَضعُهُ مِن كُثَيِّرٍ وَجَميلِ

وَضعُهُ مِن كُثَيِّرٍ وَجَميلِ

I have heard about him, though I did not believe it true,

Word reached me of him, and I have no doubt

that he disparages Kuthayyir and Jamil.

Of his station, far below Kuthayyir and Jamil.

وَيحَهُ لِيَقولُ ما يُفسِدُ الذِه

وَيحَهُ لِيَقولُ ما يُفسِدُ الذِه

نَ وَيُري بِالفَهمِ وَالتَحصيلِ

نَ وَيُري بِالفَهمِ وَالتَحصيلِ

Woe to him! He surely says what corrupts the mind,

Woe to him, saying what corrupts the mind

and makes a show of understanding and learning.

And claiming understanding and learning!

فَإِذا ما تَنازَعَ الناسُ مَعنىً

فَإِذا ما تَنازَعَ الناسُ مَعنىً

مِن مُبينِ الفُرقانِ أَو مَجهولِ

مِن مُبينِ الفُرقانِ أَو مَجهولِ

So whenever people dispute a meaning

So if people dispute the meaning

from the clear or obscure passages of the Furqan,

Of an explicit or ambiguous verse of the Criterion,

قالَ هَذا لَنا وَنَحنُ فَتَقنا

قالَ هَذا لَنا وَنَحنُ فَتَقنا

غَيبَهُ لِلسائِلِ وَالمَسؤولِ

غَيبَهُ لِلسائِلِ وَالمَسؤولِ

he says, 'This is ours, and we have unraveled

He says “This is for us – we unlocked

its hidden meaning for questioner and respondent.'

Its mystery for the questioner and respondent.”

ضَرَبَ الأَصمَعِيُّ فيهِمُ أَمِ الأَح

ضَرَبَ الأَصمَعِيُّ فيهِمُ أَمِ الأَح

مَرُ أَم لُقِّحوا بِأَيرِ الخَليلِ

مَرُ أَم لُقِّحوا بِأَيرِ الخَليلِ

Did al-Asma'i sire them, or al-Ahmar,

Did the Asma’i strike them, O Command

or were they impregnated with al-Khalil's cock?

Or were they sired by the seed of Khalil?

هَل هُمُ لا رَأَيتُهُمُ غَيرُ أَبنا

هَل هُمُ لا رَأَيتُهُمُ غَيرُ أَبنا

ءِ شُيَيخٍ رَثِّ الأَداةِ ضَئيلِ

ءِ شُيَيخٍ رَثِّ الأَداةِ ضَئيلِ

Are they—may I never see them—anything but sons

Have I not seen them to be naught but sons

of a puny little old man with a worn-out tool?

Of a shabby old man, useless and feeble,

جُلُّ ما عِندَهُ التَعَمُّقُ في الفا

جُلُّ ما عِندَهُ التَعَمُّقُ في الفا

عِلِ مِن والِدَيهِ وَالمَفعولِ

عِلِ مِن والِدَيهِ وَالمَفعولِ

Most of his learning is probing who was the doer

Whose sum of knowledge is delving into the

among his two parents, and who was acted upon.

Doings of his parents and their offspring?