اخْتِلَابِي1My deceptionبِتَهْوِينِby easingالْأَمْرِthe matterعَلَيْهِupon him
My deception ⟦1⟧ by easing the matter upon him.
وَقُلْتُ:And I said:
And I said:
إِنَّIndeedهَذَاthisكَقَوْلِlike the sayingالرَّجُلِ:of the man:
Indeed this is like the saying of the man:
يَاOغُلَامُboyأَطْعِمْنَاfeed usكِسْرَةً،a piece of bread,
O boy, feed us a piece of bread,
وَأَطْعِمِand feedالسَّائِلَthe beggarخَمْسَfiveتَمَرَاتٍ.dates.
and feed the beggar five dates.
وَمَعْنَاهُAnd its meaningأَضْعَافُmultiplesمَاwhatوَقَعَfellاللَّفْظُthe expressionعَلَيْهِ.upon it.
And its meaning is multiples of what the expression literally denoted.
وَمَاAnd notأَظُنُّI thinkأَنَّthatأَحَدًاanyoneيَدْعُوcallsمِثْلِيlike meإِلَىtoالْخَرِيبَةِ2al-Khariba
And I do not think that anyone calls someone like me to al-Khariba ⟦2⟧
مِنَfromالْبَاطِنَةِ3the inner،
from the inner ⟦3⟧,
ثُمَّthenيَأْتِيَهُhe comes to himبِكِسَرَاتٍwith pieces of breadوَمِلْحٍ.and salt.
then he comes to him with pieces of bread and salt.
فَلَمَّاAnd whenصِرْتُI becameعِنْدَهُ،at his place,
And when I became at his place,
وَقَرَّبَهُand he brought it nearإِلَيَّ،to me,
and he brought it near to me,
إِذْwhenوَقَفَstoodسَائِلٌa beggarبِالْبَابِat the door
when a beggar stood at the door
فَقَالَ:and said:
and said:
أَطْعِمُونَاFeed usمِمَّاfrom whatتَأْكُلُونَ،you eat,
Feed us from what you eat,
أَطْعَمَكُمُmay feed youاللهُAllahمِنْfromطَعَامِthe foodالْجَنَّةِ.of Paradise.
may Allah feed you from the food of Paradise.
قَالَ:He said:بُورِكَMay be blessedفِيكَ.in you.
He said: May you be blessed.
فَأَعَادَAnd he repeatedالْكَلَامَ،the speech,
And he repeated the speech,
فَأَعَادَand he repeatedعَلَيْهِto himمِثْلَthe likeذَلِكَof thatالْقَوْلِ.saying.
and he repeated to him the like of that saying.
فَأَعَادَAnd he repeatedعَلَيْهِto himالسَّائِلُ،the beggar,
And the beggar repeated to him,
فَقَالَ:and he said:
and he said:
اِذْهَبْ،Go,وَيْلَكَwoe to youفَقَدْindeedرَدُّواthey refusedعَلَيْكَ.you.
Go, woe to you, for they have refused you.
فَقَالَAnd saidالسَّائِلُ:the beggar:
And the beggar said:
سُبْحَانَGlory be toاللهِAllah
Glory be to Allah,
مَاnotرَأَيْتُI sawكَالْيَوْمِlike todayأَحَدًاanyoneيَرُدُّwho refusesمِنْfromلُقْمَةٍ،a morsel,
I have never seen anyone like today who refuses a morsel
وَالطَّعَامُwhile the foodبَيْنَbetweenيَدَيْهِ.his hands.
while the food is before him.
قَالَHe saidاِذْهَبْgoوَيْلَكَ،woe to you,
He said: Go, woe to you,
وَإِلَّاand if notخَرَجْتُI will go outإِلَيْكَ،to you,
otherwise I will come out to you,
وَاللهِ،by Allah,
by Allah,
فَدَقَقْتُand I will crushسَاقَيْكَ.your legs.
and I will crush your legs.
قَالَSaidالسَّائِلُ:the beggar:
The beggar said:
سُبْحَانَGlory be toاللهِ،Allah,
Glory be to Allah,
يَنْهَىforbidsاللهُAllahأَنْthatيُنْهَرَ4be rebuked
Allah forbids that the beggar be rebuked ⟦4⟧
السَّائِلُ،the beggar,
the beggar,
وَأَنْتَand youتَدُقُّcrushسَاقَيْهِ؟his legs?
and you crush his legs?
فَقُلْتُAnd I saidلِلسَّائِلِ:to the beggar:
And I said to the beggar:
اِذْهَبْGoوَأَرِحْand give restنَفْسَكَ،yourself,
Go and give yourself rest,
فَإِنَّكَfor youلَوْifتَعْرِفُyou knowمِنْfromصِدْقِthe truthfulnessوَعِيدِهِof his threat
for if you knew the truthfulness of his threat
مِثْلَthe likeالَّذِيof whichأَعْرِفُ،I know,
like what I know,
لَمَاwould notوَقَفْتَyou would have stoodطَرْفَةَa blinkعَيْنٍ،of an eye,
you would not have stood even the blink of an eye
بَعْدَafterرَدِّهِhis refusalإِيَّاكَ.of you.
after he refused you.
[أَبُو[AbuيَعْقُوبَYa'qubالدَّقْنَانُ]al-Daqnan]
[Abu Ya'qub al-Daqnan]
وَكَانَAnd he wasأَبُوAbuيَعْقُوبَYa'qubالدَّقْنَانُ5al-Daqnan
And Abu Ya'qub al-Daqnan ⟦5⟧
يَقُولُ:used to say:
used to say:
مَاnotفَاتَنِيmissed meاللَّحْمُmeatمُنْذُsinceمَلَكْتُI possessedالْمَالَ.wealth.
Meat has never missed me since I possessed wealth.
وَكَانَAnd he wasإِذَاwhenكَانَit wasيَوْمُthe dayالْجُمُعَةِof Friday
And when it was Friday
اشْتَرَىhe boughtلَحْمَmeatبَقَرٍof cowبِدِرْهَمٍ،for a dirham,
he bought cow meat for a dirham,
وَاشْتَرَىand boughtبَصَلًاonionsبِدَانِقٍ6for a daniq
and bought onions for a daniq ⟦6⟧,
وَبَاذِنْجَانًاand eggplantsبِدَانِقٍ،for a daniq,
and eggplants for a daniq,
وَقَرْعَةًand a pumpkinبِدَانِقٍ،for a daniq,
and a pumpkin for a daniq,
فَإِذَاand whenكَانَit wasأَيَّامُthe daysالْجَزَرِof carrots
and when it was the days of carrots
فَجَزَرًاthen carrots
then carrots
Footnotes
- 1.اخْتِلَابِي: تَخْفِيفِي وَتَسْهِيلِي، وَهُوَ مِنَ الْخَلْبِ بِمَعْنَى الْخَدِيعَةِ وَالْإِطْعَامِ بِالْوَعْدِ.
My deception: my easing and facilitating, it is from khalb meaning deception and feeding with promise.
- 2.الْخَرِيبَةُ: مَوْضِعٌ بِالْبَصْرَةِ أَوِ الْكُوفَةِ، وَيُقَالُ إِنَّهَا خَرِبَةُ بَنِي أُمَيَّةَ.
Al-Khariba: a place in Basra or Kufa, said to be the ruin of the Umayyads.
- 3.الْبَاطِنَةُ: الْجَانِبُ الدَّاخِلِيُّ مِنَ الْمَدِينَةِ أَوِ الْقَرْيَةِ.
Al-Batina: the inner side of a city or village.
- 4.يَنْهَرَ: يَزْجُرَ وَيُعَنِّفَ، وَالْآيَةُ الْكَرِيمَةُ: {فَأَمَّا الْيَتِيمَ فَلَا تَقْهَرْ * وَأَمَّا السَّائِلَ فَلَا تَنْهَرْ}.
Yunhar: to rebuke and scold, the noble verse: {So as for the orphan, do not oppress, and as for the beggar, do not rebuke}.
- 5.الدَّقْنَانُ: لَقَبٌ لِأَبِي يَعْقُوبَ، وَهُوَ مَنْسُوبٌ إِلَى الدَّقْنِ وَهُوَ اللِّحْيَةُ.
Al-Daqnan: a nickname for Abu Ya'qub, attributed to daqn meaning beard.
- 6.الدَّانِقُ: جُزْءٌ مِنْ سِتَّةِ أَجْزَاءٍ مِنَ الدِّرْهَمِ، وَهُوَ وَزْنٌ قَدِيمٌ.
Daniq: a sixth of a dirham, an ancient weight.