وَماand not خِفتُI feared جِدّيmy earnestness فيtoward الصَديقِthe friend يَسوءُهُwould offend him
وَما خِفتُ جِدّي في الصَديقِ يَسوءُهُ
ولَكِنَّand yet كَثيراًoften مايَخافُhe does fear مُزاحيmy jesting
ولَكِنَّ كَثيراً مايَخافُ مُزاحي
And I never feared my earnestness would offend a friend,
but he often fears my jesting.
وَرُبَّand many a مُبارٍone competing لِلرِياحِwith the winds بِجودِهِin his generosity
وَرُبَّ مُبارٍ لِلرِياحِ بِجودِهِ
مِنَamong الأَجوَدينِthe most generous الغُرِّthe illustrious آلِthe house of رِياحِRiyah
مِنَ الأَجوَدينِ الغُرِّ آلِ رِياحِ
And many a man rivals the winds in his generosity,
among the most generous, illustrious men of the house of Riyah.
مَتىwhenever بِعتُI sell مُختاراًwillingly رِضاهُhis goodwill بِسُخطِهِfor his anger
مَتى بِعتُ مُختاراً رِضاهُ بِسُخطِهِ
تَبَدَّلتُI took in exchange خُسريmy loss كُلَّهُall of it بِفِلاحيin place of my success
تَبَدَّلتُ خُسري كُلَّهُ بِفِلاحي
Whenever I willingly sell his goodwill for his anger,
I exchange my success for utter loss.
وَكَمand many a عاتِبٍreproacher بِالرَيِّin Rayy يَثلِمُchips عَتبُهُhis reproach
وَكَم عاتِبٍ بِالرَيِّ يَثلِمُ عَتبُهُ
مَضارِبُthe cutting edges of سَيفيmy sword أَوor يَهيضُbreaks جَناحيmy wing
مَضارِبُ سَيفي أَو يَهيضُ جَناحي
And many a reproacher in Rayy has a rebuke that chips
my sword's cutting edges or breaks my wing.
وَقَفتُI offered up لَهُto him نَفسيmyself عَلىin ذُلِّthe abasement of مُذنِبٍa culprit
وَقَفتُ لَهُ نَفسي عَلى ذُلِّ مُذنِبٍ
يُكَثِّرُmultiplies مِنof زارٍa detractor عَلَيهِagainst him وَلاحِand a reviler
يُكَثِّرُ مِن زارٍ عَلَيهِ وَلاحِ
I have offered myself to him, abased like a culprit
who draws many to disparage and rebuke him.
كَأَنَّas though الرِياحِيِّينَthe Riyahis حَيثُwherever لَقيتَهُمyou meet them
كَأَنَّ الرِياحِيِّينَ حَيثُ لَقيتَهُم
وَإِنand even though لَؤُمواthey are base أَصلاًin ancestry قُرَيشُQuraysh بِطاحِthe valley floors
وَإِن لَؤُموا أَصلاً قُرَيشُ بِطاحِ
The Riyahis, wherever you meet them, seem
the Quraysh of the valley floors, though base in ancestry.
وَلَمand not أَرَI have seen قَوماًa people لَمnot يَكونواthey were لِرِشدَةٍof legitimate birth
وَلَم أَرَ قَوماً لَم يَكونوا لِرِشدَةٍ
أَحَقَّmore deserving بِسَروٍof nobility مِنهُمُthan they وَسَماحِand generosity
أَحَقَّ بِسَروٍ مِنهُمُ وَسَماحِ
And I have never seen a people of illegitimate birth
more deserving of nobility and generosity than they.
مَضىhas gone حَسَنٌHasan لاnot عَهدُهُhis memory بِمُذَمَّمٍreviled
مَضى حَسَنٌ لا عَهدُهُ بِمُذَمَّمٍ
لَدَيناamong us وَلاnor أَفعالُهُhis deeds بِقِباحِvile
لَدَينا وَلا أَفعالُهُ بِقِباحِ
Hasan has gone; his memory is not reviled
among us, nor are his deeds vile.
وَدارَكَand continued in succession مِنwith نَجوِexcrement النَغيلِthe bastard احتِشاؤُهُhis filling up
وَدارَكَ مِن نَجوِ النَغيلِ احتِشاؤُهُ
فَباتَso he spent the night as حُبارىa bustard هَيضَةٍindigestion وَسُلاحِand droppings
فَباتَ حُبارى هَيضَةٍ وَسُلاحِ
And his gut kept filling with the bastard's dung,
so he spent the night a bustard, all indigestion and droppings.
فَإِلّاso unless يُقِلناrelieves us of اللَهُGod عَثرَةَthe stumble of دُبرِهِhis anus
فَإِلّا يُقِلنا اللَهُ عَثرَةَ دُبرِهِ
نَبِتwe shall spend the night نَصبَa target of حُزنٍsorrow لِلنُفوسِfor souls مُتاحِlaid in store
نَبِت نَصبَ حُزنٍ لِلنُفوسِ مُتاحِ
So unless God rescue us from his anus's stumble,
we shall spend the night as targets for sorrow laid in store for souls.
وَمِنand among أَبرَحِthe most agonizing الأَشجانِsorrows إِبراحُthe tormenting intensity of وَجدِناour grief
وَمِن أَبرَحِ الأَشجانِ إِبراحُ وَجدِنا
عَلىover مِعَدٍstomachs مَأفونَةٍdiseased وَفِقاحِand anuses
عَلى مِعَدٍ مَأفونَةٍ وَفِقاحِ
And among the cruelest sorrows is our anguished grief
over diseased stomachs and anuses.