وَمُبخّلٍ بِالمالِ قُلتُ لَعَلَّهُ

وَمُبخّلٍ بِالمالِ قُلتُ لَعَلَّهُ

يَنْدَى وَظَنّي فيهِ ظَنٌ مُخْلِفُ

يَنْدَى وَظَنّي فيهِ ظَنٌ مُخْلِفُ

And to a miser with money I said, hoping he

I chided one hoarding wealth, perhaps

would be generous—but my expectation of him proved false:

He would regret it—but my hopes in him were false.

جَمْعُ الدَّراهِمِ لَيسَ جَمْعَ سَلامَةٍ

جَمْعُ الدَّراهِمِ لَيسَ جَمْعَ سَلامَةٍ

فأَجَابني لكنَّهُ لا يُصْرَفُ

فأَجَابني لكنَّهُ لا يُصْرَفُ

“Gathering dirhams is no safe gathering (no sound plural).”

Amassing dirhams is no surety of safety;

So he answered me, “But it is not spent (not fully declined).”

He answered me: But it cannot be spent.