وَلمّاand when رَأَيتُكَI saw you لاnot فاسِقاًan evildoer
وَلمّا رَأَيتُكَ لا فاسِقاً
تُهابُyou are feared وَلاnor أَنتَyou بِالزّاهِدan ascetic
تُهابُ وَلا أَنتَ بِالزّاهِد
And when I saw you were no evildoer
When I saw you were no libertine to be feared,
To be feared, nor were you an ascetic,
Nor an ascetic to be revered,
وَلَيسَand is not عَدُوّكyour enemy بِالمُتّقىwary of you
وَلَيسَ عَدُوّك بِالمُتّقى
وَلَيسَand is not صَديقُكَyour friend بِالحامِدone who praises you
وَلَيسَ صَديقُكَ بِالحامِد
And your enemy was not wary of you,
No pious man takes you as a foe,
Nor did your friend praise you,
No friend sings your praise or cheers.
أَتَيتُI came بكwith you السوقَthe market سوقَthe market of الرَّقيقslaves
أَتَيتُ بك السوقَ سوقَ الرَّقيق
فَنادَيتُso I called out هلis there? فيكَfor you منany زائِدa higher bidder
فَنادَيتُ هل فيكَ من زائِد
I brought you to the market—the slave market.
To the slave market I brought you, crying aloud,
Then I cried, “Will anyone bid more for you—
"Who bids more for this man I'm selling?"
عَلىfor رَجلa man غادَرtreacherous بِالصَّديقtoward the friend
عَلى رَجل غادَر بِالصَّديق
كَفورdeeply ungrateful لِنَعمائِهfor his favors جاحِدdenying them
كَفور لِنَعمائِه جاحِد
For a man treacherous to his friend,
Than for one who betrayed a friend sincere,
Ungrateful for his favors, denying them?”
Ungrateful for blessings, rebelling.
فَماbut not جاءَنيcame to me رجلa man واحدsingle
فَما جاءَني رجل واحد
يَزيدbids more علىthan درهمa dirham واحِدsingle
يَزيد على درهم واحِد
Yet not a single man came to me
Not one man came, except a lonely soul,
Bidding more than a single dirham,
Whose misfortune fulfilling his father's curse,
سِوىexcept رجلa man حانhad come مِنهfor him الشقاءmisery
سِوى رجل حان مِنه الشقاء
وَحلّتand descended بهupon him دَعوَةُthe curse الوالِدthe father
وَحلّت به دَعوَةُ الوالِد
Except a man whose hour of misery had come,
Who offered one dirham, no more, no less,
And his father's curse had fallen upon him.
So without witness I sold you, nervous.
فَبعتكso I sold you مِنهto him بِلاwithout شاهِدa witness
فَبعتك مِنه بِلا شاهِد
مَخافَةَfor fear of رَدِّكreturning you بِالشّاهِدon the witness's testimony
مَخافَةَ رَدِّك بِالشّاهِد
So I sold you to him without a witness,
Then homeward I walked, safe and secure,
For fear you might be returned on a witness's testimony.
While misfortune befell he who criticized.
وأُبتand I returned إِلىto مَنزِليmy home سالِماsafe
وأُبت إِلى مَنزِلي سالِما
وَحلّand fell البَلاءcalamity عَلىupon النّاقِدthe cash-paying buyer
وَحلّ البَلاء عَلى النّاقِد
And I returned to my home safely,
And calamity fell upon the cash-paying buyer.
Partial English translation: 14 of 16 Arabic lines translated.