ما سَمِعَ الناسُ وَلا أَبصَروا

ما سَمِعَ الناسُ وَلا أَبصَروا

أَلأَمَ نَفساً مِن أَبي جَعفَرِ

أَلأَمَ نَفساً مِن أَبي جَعفَرِ

People have neither heard of nor seen

What people have not heard of nor seen

anyone baser in soul than Abu Ja'far.

Is a soul like that of Abi Ja'far

وَزيرُ سوءٍ قَيَّضَ اللَهُ

وَزيرُ سوءٍ قَيَّضَ اللَهُ

لِلأُمَّةِ مِنهُ شَرَّ مُستَوزَرِ

لِلأُمَّةِ مِنهُ شَرَّ مُستَوزَرِ

An evil vizier—God has appointed

An evil minister whom Allah has ordained

for the community, in him, the worst of viziers.

As the worst advisor for the nation

جَعدُ بَنانِ الكَفِّ لَو شاءَ أَن

جَعدُ بَنانِ الكَفِّ لَو شاءَ أَن

يَبسُطَها بِالجودِ لَم يَقدُرِ

يَبسُطَها بِالجودِ لَم يَقدُرِ

His hand's fingers are clenched; even if he wished to

With clasped, curled fingers, if he wished

open it in generosity, he could not.

To extend them generously, he wouldn't be able

مُحَكَّمٌ لَو أَنصَفَ الدَهرُ في ال

مُحَكَّمٌ لَو أَنصَفَ الدَهرُ في ال

أَحكامِ لَم يَنهَ وَلَم يَأمُرِ

أَحكامِ لَم يَنهَ وَلَم يَأمُرِ

An appointed arbiter—had Fate been just in its

An arbitrator, if fate judged fairly in its

judgments, he would neither forbid nor command.

Rulings, he would neither forbid nor instruct

يَبدو لِراجيهِ عَلى وَجهِهِ

يَبدو لِراجيهِ عَلى وَجهِهِ

غَلظَةُ لَيثٍ بِالشَرى مُخدِرِ

غَلظَةُ لَيثٍ بِالشَرى مُخدِرِ

To those seeking his favor, his face displays

To those seeking him, his face shows

the fierceness of a lion in its lair in al-Shara.

The roughness of a fierce lion with blinded eyes

لَو أَنَّها بِالأَرضِ ما أَخصَبَت

لَو أَنَّها بِالأَرضِ ما أَخصَبَت

أَو بِالسَحابِ الجونِ لَم يُمطِرِ

أَو بِالسَحابِ الجونِ لَم يُمطِرِ

Were that fierceness in the earth, it would not grow fertile;

If the earth did not grow fertile

or in the dark clouds, they would not rain.

Or the rain clouds did not rain

ناهيكَ مِن وَجهٍ لَهُ عابِسٍ

ناهيكَ مِن وَجهٍ لَهُ عابِسٍ

كَأَنَّهُ سُقلٌ عَلى بَيدَرِ

كَأَنَّهُ سُقلٌ عَلى بَيدَرِ

What a scowling face he has—

Let alone his frowning face

as though it were a threshing sledge on a threshing floor!

Like a sullen man at the watering hole

لَيسَ بِهِ ماءُ حَياءٍ فَلو

لَيسَ بِهِ ماءُ حَياءٍ فَلو

عَصَرتَهُ بِالسَهمِ لَم يَقطُرِ

عَصَرتَهُ بِالسَهمِ لَم يَقطُرِ

There is no moisture of shame in it; even if

He has no shame, so if you squeezed him

you squeezed it with an arrow, it would not drip.

With an arrow, no water would drip

يَحذِفُ في الدَستِ بِأَعضادِهِ

يَحذِفُ في الدَستِ بِأَعضادِهِ

كَأَنَّهُ المَلّاحُ في المَعبَرِ

كَأَنَّهُ المَلّاحُ في المَعبَرِ

He flails his arms in the seat of honor,

He hurls in the cooking pot with his shoulders

as though he were a boatman aboard a ferry.

As if he were the cook at the crossing

أُنظُر مَتى شِئتَ إِلى قُبحِهِ

أُنظُر مَتى شِئتَ إِلى قُبحِهِ

وَاِغنَ عَنِ المَنظَرِ بِالمَخبَرِ

وَاِغنَ عَنِ المَنظَرِ بِالمَخبَرِ

Look whenever you wish at his ugliness,

Look whenever you wish at his ugliness

and let his inner character spare you the sight.

And ignore the sight from the informant

لَو عُوِّضَ الناظِرُ عَن ذَلِكَ ال

لَو عُوِّضَ الناظِرُ عَن ذَلِكَ ال

وَجهِ عَمى العَينَينِ لَم يَخسَرِ

وَجهِ عَمى العَينَينِ لَم يَخسَرِ

Were the beholder given, in exchange for that

If the onlooker were compensated for that

face, blindness in both eyes, he would lose nothing.

Face with blindness, he would not lose out

يَفوحُ نَتنُ العِرضِ مِنهُ وَلَو

يَفوحُ نَتنُ العِرضِ مِنهُ وَلَو

ضَمَّختَهُ بِالمِسكِ وَالعَنبَرِ

ضَمَّختَهُ بِالمِسكِ وَالعَنبَرِ

The stench of his reputation wafts from him, even if

The stench of shame emanates from him, and if

you anointed him with musk and ambergris.

You doused him in musk and ambergris

كَأَنَّهُ شِلوُ قَتيلٍ أَتَت

كَأَنَّهُ شِلوُ قَتيلٍ أَتَت

لَهُ ثَلاثٌ وَهوَ لَم يُقبَرِ

لَهُ ثَلاثٌ وَهوَ لَم يُقبَرِ

As though he were a slain man's corpse that has lain

He is like the corpse of a paralyzed man

three nights, still unburied.

Whose burial was delayed for three days