أرادَ أن يَحظى مُفَضَّلٌ بِما

أرادَ أن يَحظى مُفَضَّلٌ بِما

يَرفَع رَأسَهُ أمام العُلَمَا

يَرفَع رَأسَهُ أمام العُلَمَا

Mufaddal wished to gain something

Mufaddal wished to gain what would

that would let him hold his head high before the scholars.

Raise his head high before the learned

فجَمَعَ الناسَ على مأدُبةٍ

فجَمَعَ الناسَ على مأدُبةٍ

وصارَ يَفخَر بمَا تَعَلَّمَا

وصارَ يَفخَر بمَا تَعَلَّمَا

So he gathered the people at a banquet,

So he gathered the people for a feast

and began boasting of what he had learned.

And began to boast of what he had learned

فقَرَّرَ المُجتمعون أنَّه

فقَرَّرَ المُجتمعون أنَّه

اثقَلُ خَلقِ اللهِ ظِلاًّ وَدَما

اثقَلُ خَلقِ اللهِ ظِلاًّ وَدَما

So those assembled concluded that he was

But those assembled decided he

the most tiresome of God's creatures—heavy in shadow and blood.

Was the most burdensome of God's creations, in their shade and company