سَتَجِدُهُYou will find himمُبَارَكًاblessed
You will find him blessed.
إِنَّمَاIndeedكَانَwasيَنْبَغِيshouldأَنْthatأَكُونَI beأَجِدُهُI find himأَنَاIلَاnotأَنْتَyou
Indeed, it was I who should have found him, not you.
وَقَالَAnd saidخَاقَانُKhaqanبْنُibnصَبِيحٍ1Sabih
And Khaqan ibn Sabih said: [footnote 1]
دَخَلْتُI enteredعَلَىuponرَجُلٍa manمِنْfromأَهْلِpeople ofخُرَاسَانَKhurasanلَيْلًاat night
I entered upon a man from Khurasan at night
وَإِذَاand beholdهُوَheقَدْindeedأَتَانَاhad brought usبِمَسْرَجَةٍ2a lamp
and behold, he had brought us a lamp [footnote 2]
فِيهَاin itفَتِيلَةٌa wickفِيinغَايَةِextremeالدِّقَّةِthinness
in it was an extremely thin wick
وَإِذَاand beholdهُوَheقَدْindeedأَلْقَىhad thrownفِيinدُهْنِoil ofالمَسْرَجَةِthe lampشَيْئًاsomethingمِنْofمِلْحٍ3salt
and behold, he had thrown something of salt into the oil of the lamp [footnote 3]
وَقَدْand indeedعَلَّقَhe had hungعَلَىonعَمُودِpole ofالمَنَارَةِthe lampعُودًاa stickبِخَيْطٍwith a string
and he had hung a stick on the lamp pole with a string
وَقَدْand indeedحَزَّhe had cutفِيهِin itحَتَّىuntilصَارَbecameفِيهِin itمَكَانٌa placeلِلرِّبَاطِfor the binding
and he had cut into it until there became in it a place for the binding
فَكَانَand so wasالمِصْبَاحُthe lampإِذَاwhenكَادَalmostيَنْطَفِئُgoes outيُشْخِصُ4raisesرَأْسَhead ofالفَتِيلَةِthe wickبِذَلِكَby that
So when the lamp was about to go out, it would raise the head of the wick by that [footnote 4]
قَالَHe saidفَقُلْتُSo I saidلَهُto himمَاwhatبَالُmatter ofالعُودِthe stickمَرْبُوطًاbound
He said: So I said to him, "What is the matter of the stick being bound?"
قَالَHe saidهَذَاThisعُودٌa stickقَدْindeedتَشَرَّبَabsorbedالدُّهْنَthe oil
He said: This is a stick that has absorbed the oil
فَإِنْfor ifضَاعَit is lostوَلَمْand notيُحْفَظْit is keptاحْتَجْنَاwe needإِلَىtoوَاحِدٍoneعَطْشَانَthirsty
for if it is lost and not kept, we would need a thirsty one
فَإِذَاand whenكَانَisهَذَاthisدَأْبَنَا5our habitوَدَأْبَهُand his habit
and when this is our habit and his habit [footnote 5]
ضَاعَwas lostمِنْfromدُهْنِنَاour oilفِيinالشَّهْرِthe monthبِقَدْرِan amountكِفَايَةِsufficiency ofلَيْلَةٍa night
there would be lost from our oil in the month an amount equal to the sufficiency of a night
قَالَHe saidفَبَيْنَاAnd whileأَنَاIأَتَعَجَّبُam marvelingفِيinنَفْسِيmyself
He said: And while I was marveling in myself
وَأَسْأَلُand askingاللهَAllahجَلَّglorifiedوَذِكْرُهُand His mentionالعَافِيَةَwell-beingوَالسَّتْرَand covering
and asking Allah, glorified and His mention, for well-being and covering
إِذْwhenدَخَلَenteredشَيْخٌan old manمِنْfromأَهْلِpeople ofمَرْوٍMerv
when an old man from the people of Merv entered
فَنَظَرَand lookedإِلَىatالعُودِthe stickفَقَالَand said
and looked at the stick and said
يَاOأَبَاfather ofفُلَانٍso-and-soفَرَرْتَyou fledمِنْfromشَيْءٍsomethingوَوَقَعْتَand you fellفِيintoشَيْءٍsomething
O Abu so-and-so, you fled from something and fell into something
أَمَاdo notتَعْلَمُyou knowأَنَّthatالرِّيحَthe windوَالشَّمْسَand the sunتَأْخُذَانِtakeمِنْfromسَائِرِallالأَشْيَاءِthings
Do you not know that the wind and the sun take from all things?
أَوَلَيْسَis it notقَدْindeedكَانَit wasالبَارِحَةَlast nightعِنْدَwhenإِطْفَاءِextinguishing ofالسِّرَاجِthe lampأَرْوَى6more absorbent
Is it not that last night at the extinguishing of the lamp it was more absorbent [footnote 6]
وَهُوَand itعِنْدَwhenإِسْرَاجِكَyour lightingاللَّيْلَةَtonightأَعْطَشُ7thirstier
and it is tonight when you light it thirstier [footnote 7]
قَدْindeedكُنْتُI wasأَنَاIجَاهِلًاignorantمِثْلَكَlike youحَتَّىuntilوَفَّقَنِيguided meاللهُAllahإِلَىtoمَاwhatهُوَisأَرْشَدُmore guiding
Indeed, I was ignorant like you until Allah guided me to what is more guiding
ارْبِطْTieعَافَاكَmay He preserve youاللهُAllahبَدَلَinstead ofالعُودِthe stickإِبْرَةًa needleأَوْorمِسَلَّةًa small awlصَغِيرَةًsmall
Tie, may Allah preserve you, instead of the stick a needle or a small awl
وَعَلَىand althoughأَنَّthatالعُودَthe stickوَالْخِلَالَ8and the toothpickوَالْقَصَبَةَand the reed
And although the stick and the toothpick [footnote 8] and the reed
رُبَّمَاmaybeتَعَلَّقَتْclingsبِهَاto themالشَّعَرَةُa hairمِنْfromقُطْنِcotton ofالفَتِيلَةِthe wickإِذَاwhenسَوَّيْنَاهَاwe straighten itبِهَاwith itفَيُشْخِصُand it raisesلَهَاfor it
maybe a hair from the cotton of the wick clings to them when we straighten it with it, and it raises it
وَرُبَّمَاand maybeكَانَwasذَلِكَthatسَبَبًاa causeلِانْطِفَاءِfor extinguishing ofالسِّرَاجِthe lamp
and maybe that was a cause for the extinguishing of the lamp
وَالْحَدِيدُand ironأَمْلَسُis smootherوَهُوَand itمَعَwithذَلِكَthatغَيْرُnotنَشَّافٍabsorbent
And iron is smoother, and it is with that not absorbent
قَالَHe saidخَاقَانُKhaqanفَفِيSo inتِلْكَthatاللَّيْلَةِnightعَرَفْتُI recognizedفَضْلَvirtue ofأَهْلِpeople ofخُرَاسَانَKhurasan
Khaqan said: So in that night, I recognized the virtue of the people of Khurasan
Footnotes
- 1.خَاقَانُ بْنُ صَبِيحٍ: رَجُلٌ مِنْ رِجَالِ العِلْمِ وَالأَدَبِ فِي العَصْرِ العَبَّاسِيِّ.
Khaqan ibn Sabih: a man of knowledge and literature in the Abbasid era.
- 2.مِسْرَجَةٌ: مِصْبَاحٌ صَغِيرٌ، أَيْ: سِرَاجٌ.
Masraja: a small lamp, i.e., a lamp.
- 3.أَلْقَى فِي دُهْنِ المَسْرَجَةِ شَيْئًا مِنْ مِلْحٍ: لِزِيَادَةِ إِشْرَاقِ النُّورِ.
He threw some salt into the lamp oil: to increase the brightness of the light.
- 4.يُشْخِصُ: يَرْفَعُ، وَالتَّشْخِيصُ: رَفْعُ الشَّيْءِ وَتَقْوِيمُهُ.
Yushkhisu: he raises, and the raising of something and straightening it.
- 5.دَأْبَنَا: عَادَتُنَا وَشَأْنُنَا.
Our habit and affair.
- 6.أَرْوَى: أَكْثَرُ تَشَرُّبًا لِلدُّهْنِ وَامْتِصَاصًا لَهُ.
Arwa: more absorbing of oil and more soaking it up.
- 7.أَعْطَشُ: أَكْثَرُ عَطَشًا وَأَسْرَعُ إِلَى امْتِصَاصِ الدُّهْنِ.
Aatshu: thirstier and quicker to absorb oil.
- 8.الخِلَالُ: العُودُ الَّذِي يُخَلُّ بِهِ الأَسْنَانُ.
Al-Khilal: the stick used to pick teeth.