أَبا دُلَفٍ إن الفَقيرَ بِعينِهِ

أَبا دُلَفٍ إن الفَقيرَ بِعينِهِ

لَمَن يَرتَجي جَدوى يَدَيكَ وَيَأمَلُه

لَمَن يَرتَجي جَدوى يَدَيكَ وَيَأمَلُه

O Abu Dulaf, the truly poor man

O Abu Dulaf, the poor man's eye

is surely he who hopes for the bounty of your hands and longs for it.

Is on the one who hopes for the use of your hands and desires it

أَرى لَكَ باباً مُغلَقاً مُتَمَنِّعاً

أَرى لَكَ باباً مُغلَقاً مُتَمَنِّعاً

إِذا فَتَحوهُ عَنكَ فَالبُؤسُ داخِلُه

إِذا فَتَحوهُ عَنكَ فَالبُؤسُ داخِلُه

I see you have a door, closed and unyielding;

I see for you a door closed, aloof

when they open it on your behalf, misery lies within it.

If they open it away from you, then misery is its contents

وَإِنك لا تخزي مِنَ اللوم للذي

وَإِنك لا تخزي مِنَ اللوم للذي

تشح عَلَى الشيء الذي أنتَ آكِلُه

تشح عَلَى الشيء الذي أنتَ آكِلُه

And you feel no shame at the reproach for the way

And you are not ashamed of blame for one

you are stingy with the very thing you yourself eat.

Whom you are stingy over something which you consume

كَأَنَّكَ طَبل رافِعُ الصَوتِ مُعجَبٌ

كَأَنَّكَ طَبل رافِعُ الصَوتِ مُعجَبٌ

خلاءٌ مِنَ الخَيراتِ قَفرٌ مَداخِلُه

خلاءٌ مِنَ الخَيراتِ قَفرٌ مَداخِلُه

You are like a drum, loud-voiced and conceited,

As if you were a drum raising sounds, self-admiring

empty of good things, its entrances barren.

Empty of virtues, desolate are its entrances

وَأَعجَبُ شَيءٍ فيكَ تَسليمُ أَمرِهِ

وَأَعجَبُ شَيءٍ فيكَ تَسليمُ أَمرِهِ

إِلَيكَ عَلى طَنزٍ وَأَنَّكَ قابِلُه

إِلَيكَ عَلى طَنزٍ وَأَنَّكَ قابِلُه

And the strangest thing about you is his entrusting his affairs

And the strangest thing about you is the surrender of his matter

to you in mockery—and your accepting them.

To you jestingly, and you are the receiver