بَدانيhe addressed me first بِعَتبٍwith reproach مُضجِرٍwearisome لِأَقَلِّهِeven at its slightest
بَداني بِعَتبٍ مُضجِرٍ لِأَقَلِّهِ
فَلَمso did not أَعتَرِفI confess بِالحُبِّto love قَطعاًputting an end لِعَذلِهِto his blame
فَلَم أَعتَرِف بِالحُبِّ قَطعاً لِعَذلِهِ
He came at me with reproach, wearisome even in its smallest part;
He began reproaching me, even the least of it wearisome;
so I flatly refused to confess to love, cutting short his blame.
so I did not confess to love, to cut short his blame.
وَقُلتُand I said لَهُto him أَمرُthe matter of النَصيحَةِcounsel واجِبٌobligatory
وَقُلتُ لَهُ أَمرُ النَصيحَةِ واجِبٌ
فَماthen what لَكَis with you قَدindeed صادَفتَyou have hit upon غَيرَother than مَحَلِّهِits proper place
فَما لَكَ قَد صادَفتَ غَيرَ مَحَلِّهِ
I told him, “Counsel is indeed a duty—
And I told him: giving counsel is a duty,
but what is wrong with you? You have directed it to the wrong place.
then what ails you? You have hit upon the wrong place for it.
إِذاwhen ماemphatic particle دَواءٌa medicine مَرَّpasses فيin غَيرِthe absence of عِلَّةٍan ailment
إِذا ما دَواءٌ مَرَّ في غَيرِ عِلَّةٍ
بِجِسمٍin a body فَماthen not أَمرَرتَyou have administered غَيرَanything but مُعِلِّهِwhat sickens it
بِجِسمٍ فَما أَمرَرتَ غَيرَ مُعِلِّهِ
When medicine passes, where there is no illness,
When medicine passes where there is no ailment
through a body, what you administer can only make it ill.
in a body, you have administered only what sickens it.
فَلاso do not تَصقُلِpolish السَيفَthe sword الصَقيلَalready polished فَإِنَّماfor only
فَلا تَصقُلِ السَيفَ الصَقيلَ فَإِنَّما
تُحَيِّفُyou wear away حَدَّيهِits two edges بِتَكثيرِby increasing صَقلِهِits polishing
تُحَيِّفُ حَدَّيهِ بِتَكثيرِ صَقلِهِ
Do not polish an already polished sword: you merely
So do not polish a polished sword, for you only
wear away both its edges by polishing it too much.
wear away its two edges by polishing it too often.
كَماjust as يَتَزَيّاputs on a guise بِالهَوىin love غَيرُsomeone outside أَهلِهِits people
كَما يَتَزَيّا بِالهَوى غَيرُ أَهلِهِ
كَذاthus ماnot تَزَيّاhas put on a guise بِالهَوىin love غَيرُanyone outside أَهلِهِits people
كَذا ما تَزَيّا بِالهَوى غَيرُ أَهلِهِ
Just as outsiders to love dress themselves in its guise,
Just as a stranger to love dons its garb,
so, too, none dresses in love’s guise except its own people.
so no stranger to love has donned its garb.
وَلَوand if أَنَّنيthat I أَهوىI love مَحاسِنَthe beauties of رَوضَةٍa garden
وَلَو أَنَّني أَهوى مَحاسِنَ رَوضَةٍ
لَماthen not كانَwould there be ليfor me جَفنٌan eyelid بَخيلٌstingy بِطَلِّهِwith its dew
لَما كانَ لي جَفنٌ بَخيلٌ بِطَلِّهِ
Had I been enamored of a garden’s beauties,
And if I loved the beauties of a garden,
my eyelid would not have been miserly with its dew.
my eyelid would not be stingy with its dew.
وَلَوand if كانَthere were ليfor me والٍa ruler كَماas قَدindeed زَعَمتُمُyou (plural) claimed
وَلَو كانَ لي والٍ كَما قَد زَعَمتُمُ
فَإِنَّthen indeed كِتابَthe writ of الشَيبِgray hair جاءَcame بِعَزلِهِwith his dismissal
فَإِنَّ كِتابَ الشَيبِ جاءَ بِعَزلِهِ
And if I had a governor over me, as you have claimed,
And if I had a ruler, as you have claimed,
the writ of gray hair has come bearing his dismissal.
then the writ of gray hair has come bearing his dismissal.
وَرُبَّand many a صَديقٍfriend قَدindeed سَقَيتُI gave to drink مَوَدَّتيmy affection
وَرُبَّ صَديقٍ قَد سَقَيتُ مَوَدَّتي
فَكانَso it turned out وَريديmy jugular vein قَدalready خَنَقتُI strangled بِحَبلِهِwith his rope
فَكانَ وَريدي قَد خَنَقتُ بِحَبلِهِ
Many an intimate have I given my affection to drink,
And many a friend have I given my affection to drink,
only to find that, with his rope, I had strangled my own jugular.
so it turned out I had strangled my own jugular vein with his rope.
