لست أنسى عهد ليل قريب

زارني فيه خليلٌ أريب

I still remember a recent night,

when a clever friend visited me,

بحسن الوصف بحذق عجيب

وله في الشعر ذوقٌ سليم

adept at fine description, with wondrous skill;

and he had sound taste in poetry.

بات يروي لي غريب السمر

فكأني سامعٌ للنديم

He spent the night recounting curious evening tales to me,

so it was as though I were listening to a boon companion.

قاللي جارٌ حسودٌ غيور

أبدا من حول ختلى يدور

He said: I have an envious, jealous neighbor,

who forever hovers, plotting to deceive me.

حرت في استعطاف هذا النفور

لم أكن أعلم أن اللئيم

I was at a loss how to win over this aloof man;

I did not know that the base fellow

حاسدٌ لي فهو حيث استقر

لذوي الفضل عدوّ خصيم

envied me; for wherever he settled,

he was an enemy and adversary to men of merit.

فسعى بي عند قاضي البلد

زاعما أني شديد اللدد

So he denounced me to the town's judge,

claiming that I was fiercely contentious,

ليس ينجو من لساني أحد

فإن استحسن رأيا قويم

and that no one escaped my tongue;

so, if he deemed it a sound course,

فليكن بالسجن أو بالسفر

قاضيا فللذنب ذنبي عظيم

let him impose imprisonment or exile,

passing judgment—for my offense was grievous.

فرأى القاضي الحكيم الرزين

أن بثّ الحكم قبل اليقين

But the wise, sober judge saw

that issuing judgment before certainty

ليس حزما من بصير رصين

فدعاني شأن قاض حليم

was not the prudence of a discerning, steadfast man.

So he summoned me, as a forbearing judge would,

كي يرى صحة ما قد هذر

ذلك الوغد الحسود الدميم

to test the truth of what had been babbled

by that ugly, envious scoundrel.

وحكى ما عدّد المفتري

من ذنوب أنا منها برى

And he recounted what the slanderer had listed

of offenses of which I was innocent,

ودعا من كان في المحضر

لاستماعي بعد قول الغريم

and called on those present at the hearing

to hear me after my adversary's statement.

فاشرأبّ الجمع ممن حضر

ليراني ايّ قرد زنيم

Then all those present craned their necks

to see what base-born monkey I might be.

قلت ياذا الحاكم العادل

قد وشى بي عندك العاذل

I said: O just judge,

the faultfinder has slandered me before you.

ظنّ هذا الحاسد الجاهل

حطّ قدري بعلاه زعيم

This ignorant envier thought

that lowering my standing would guarantee his own rise;

فابتغى ثلبي وكيدي نذر

وهو ينوي الشر لي من قديم

so he sought to defame me and vowed to plot against me,

having long intended me harm.

والذي أوجب منه الضغن

ليلةٌ مرت لنا في الزمن

And what had stirred his rancor

was a night we once spent

مع صحب من كرام الوطن

أطرأوا نثري وشعري النظيم

with companions among our country's noble men.

They praised my prose and my well-woven verse,

ثم قالوا أنت ربّ الغرر

فصف الجاهل ثم العليم

then said: You are the master of brilliant pieces;

describe the ignorant man, then the learned.

قلت رب الجهل من يذهب

وهو في تخليطه معجب

I said: The master of ignorance is one who believes,

admiring his own confused thinking,

أن جدّ الناس إذ ينسبُ

نسل قردٍ هو نعم الحميم

that mankind's forefather, when his lineage is traced,

is a monkey's offspring—what a fine kinsman he is!

فانظروا يا خير أهل النظر

كيف عار الجهل عارٌ عميم

Consider, then, O finest of discerning men,

how ignorance's shame is a universal shame.

ثم إذ كنت أسوق الحديث

قد تصدّى لي هذا الخبيث

Then, as I was continuing my discourse,

this scoundrel confronted me,

قائلا هذا كلامٌ غثيث

باردٌ في جنب قول الحكيم

saying: This is paltry talk,

cold beside the sage's words.

قلت من ذاك وماذا ذكر

قال إنّ الفكر مني عقيم

I asked: Who is that, and what did he say?

He said that my thinking was barren.

فانبرى من كان في المجلس

من كرام الأصل والأنفس

Then those who were in the gathering rose up,

noble in lineage and soul,

لحسود فاسد المغرس

ورموه بالملام الأليم

against an envier of corrupt stock,

and assailed him with painful reproach.

ثم قالوا لا يعيب القمر

نبح كلب وهو بدر تميم

Then they said: The moon is not blemished

by a dog's barking, when it is full and perfect.

عند هذا شقّ ذاك الزحام

يافعٌ كالغصن غضّ القوام

At that, through the crowd pressed

a youth, supple in form as a tender branch.

ثم نادى بفصيح الكلام

إي ورب العرش هذا الرجيم

Then he called out in eloquent words:

Yes, by the Lord of the Throne, this accursed man

حاسدٌ يفسد بين البشر

بل عدوّ للنبيل الكريم

is an envier who sows discord among people,

indeed, an enemy to the noble and generous.

كنت أهوى ذات طرف كحيل

ما لها بين الغواني مثيل

I loved a woman with kohl-dark eyes,

who had no equal among beautiful women,

وهي لا تختار مني بديل

فوشى بي ذا الحسود الكظيم

and she would choose no one in my place.

Then this rage-choked envier slandered me,

فأرتني من جفاها سقر

بعد ما قد كنت أرجو النعيم

and through her coldness she showed me Saqar,

after I had hoped for bliss.

بعد هذا قام شيخٌ جليل

من ذوي القدر النبيه النبيل

After this, a venerable elder rose,

a man of distinguished, noble standing.

قال لا بدع لوغب ثقيل

غار من هذ الغلام الوسيم

He said: No wonder a tiresome dolt

was jealous of this handsome youth;

بل عجيبٌ كيف بي قد غدر

حاسدا حرمة شيخ هشيم

what is strange is how he betrayed me,

envying the reverence due a withered old man.

ذاك أني زرت يوما صديق

هو عندي بمقام الشقيق

For one day I visited a friend

who, to me, was like a brother.

فاحتفى بي كالمحب الشفيق

واقتفاه كلّ حرّ صميم

He welcomed me like an affectionate, caring friend,

and every true nobleman followed his example,

كان في مجلسه المعتبر

حرمة للسن أو للزعيم

each one present in his esteemed gathering,

out of respect for age or for the leader.

وعقيد اللؤّم هذا الحسود

كان يرميني بعين الكنود

But this envier, wedded to baseness,

cast an ingrate's gaze upon me.

فغدا يهزأ بين الشهود

بي كأني في ضلال أهيم

Then he began jeering before those present

at me, as though I wandered in delusion,

يوهم الأصحاب أن الكبر

لم يدع لي غير لب سقيم

making the companions think that old age

had left me nothing but an ailing mind.

وأنا أعجب من فعله

وازدرا قدري من مثله

I marveled at his conduct,

and at my worth being scorned by one like him,

دون ذنب لي سوى جهله

فرأيت البعد عن ذا اللئيم

though I had no fault but his ignorance.

So I saw that keeping away from this base man

خير ما يفعله ذو الحذر

فهو للفضل غريم خصيم

was the best course for a cautious person,

for he is merit's adversary and foe.

وهو إن قيل فلانٌ ريح

قال هذا خبر لم يصح

And if it is said: So-and-so is at ease,

he says: This report is untrue.

وتراه لو نفي أو ذبح

لا يرى ذلك رزا جسيم

And if he were exiled or slaughtered, you would see him

not regard that as a grievous calamity,

مثلما لو جئته بالخبر

عن غنى أحرزته أو نعيم

as he would if you brought him news

of wealth you had gained, or bliss.

وإذا استرضيته يغضب

وإذا صدّقته يكذب

And when you try to appease him, he grows angry;

and when you believe him, he lies.

وهو إن أطربته يندبُ

حذرا من أن يسرّ الكليم

If you delight him, he laments,

for fear that his interlocutor might be glad.

فسرورُ الخلق لا يغتفر

عند هذا المتعدّي الأثيم

For people's happiness is unforgivable

to this sinful aggressor.

عند ذا نادى به الحاكم

أيهذا الحاسد الظالم

At that, the judge called out to him:

O you unjust envier,

ما لما قدّمته راحم

قد قضى الشرع المنيف الكريم

there is no pity for what you have done.

The exalted, noble law has decreed

قتل من يؤذي لكي يعتبر

إنّ في قتلك أجراً عظيم

death for whoever does harm, as a warning.

Indeed, killing you brings a great reward.