أراكَI see you علىdespite ماwhat فيكَis in you تُبلغُنيyou inflict on me الأذىharm
أراكَ على ما فيكَ تُبلغُني الأذى
فدعنيَso leave me alone وافعلْand do مثلَthe like of ذاthis ببليدِto a dullard
فدعنيَ وافعلْ مثلَ ذا ببليدِ
I see you, despite all your faults, inflicting harm upon me;
I see you, for all your faults, doing me harm.
so leave me be—and do the like to me in my own country.
So leave me alone, and do such things to a dullard.
أماwill you not تستقيلُseek to be spared الشرَّharm منيfrom me وتتقيand guard against
أما تستقيلُ الشرَّ مني وتتقي
علىon صفحاتِthe pages of الدهرِtime عارَthe shame of نشيديmy song
على صفحاتِ الدهرِ عارَ نشيدي
Will you not seek release from my venom, and guard against
Will you not seek to be spared my harm, and guard against
the shame of my verse upon the pages of time?
the shame of my song upon the pages of time?
ولوand if رمتُI sought هجوَto lampoon الشمسِthe sun قلتُI would say قرونَهاits horns
ولو رمتُ هجوَ الشمسِ قلتُ قرونَها
طوالٌlong وقدْand indeed كانتْit was سراجَthe lamp of ثمودِThamud
طوالٌ وقدْ كانتْ سراجَ ثمودِ
Were I minded to lampoon the sun, I would say: its hornlike rays
And were I to lampoon the sun, I would say: its horns
are long—and it once served as the lamp of Thamud;
are long, and it was once the lamp of Thamud,
رهينةُcaptive to تكويرٍbeing rolled up وكسفٍand eclipse كأنهاas though it were
رهينةُ تكويرٍ وكسفٍ كأنها
رغيفُa loaf of bread غلاءٍhigh prices أوor كقرصِlike a disc of حديدِiron
رغيفُ غلاءٍ أو كقرصِ حديدِ
doomed to be furled and eclipsed, as though it were
captive to being rolled up and eclipsed, as though it were
a loaf in a time of dearth, or a disk of iron.
a loaf in a time of high prices, or like a disc of iron.
ولوand if رمْتُI sought ذَمَّto disparage البدرِthe full moon شبهتُI would liken وجهَهُits face
ولو رمْتُ ذَمَّ البدرِ شبهتُ وجهَهُ
بدفِّto the tambourine of بغيٍّa harlot أوor بخفِّto the padded foot of قعودِa young male camel
بدفِّ بغيٍّ أو بخفِّ قعودِ
And were I minded to disparage the full moon, I would liken its face
And were I to disparage the full moon, I would liken its face
to a harlot’s tambourine, or the padded foot of a young riding camel.
to a harlot's tambourine, or a young camel's padded foot.
وقلتَand you said حكىit resembled فيin بردِهِits coldness واصفرارِهِand its yellowness
وقلتَ حكى في بردِهِ واصفرارِهِ
وكلفتِهِand its mottling السوداءِblack وجهَthe face of يهوديa Jew
وكلفتِهِ السوداءِ وجهَ يهودي
I would say it mimicked, in its coldness and pallor,
And you said: it resembled, in its coldness and yellowness,
and in its black mottling, the face of a Jew.
and its black mottling, the face of a Jew.
ومَنْand whoever كانَis حالُthe standing of الشمسِthe sun والبدرِand the full moon عندَهُin his estimation
ومَنْ كانَ حالُ الشمسِ والبدرِ عندَهُ
كذاكَlike that فَمَنْthen whoever عاداهُmakes an enemy of him غيرُnot رشيدِwise
كذاكَ فَمَنْ عاداهُ غيرُ رشيدِ
And one in whose eyes the sun and full moon stand
And whoever regards the sun and the full moon
thus—whoever makes an enemy of him is no man of sense.
in this way—whoever makes an enemy of him is unwise.
