لِلَّهِ دَرُّكَ فَمَا أَعْذَبَ نَفَثَاتِ فِيكَ! وَاهًا لَكَ لَوْلَا خِدَاعٌ فِيكَ!
What delightful expressions you possess! If only they were not tainted by deception!
Lillāhi darruka signals admiration; mā aʿdhaba is an exclamatory evaluation. But lawlā khidāʿun immediately qualifies the praise. The judge likes the eloquence without approving the deceit.
The exchange deliberately separates literary excellence from ethical acceptability. Quoting only the first half would distort the judge's position. His complete utterance consists of praise followed by an explicit exception.
Practice: How does “if only there were no deceit” qualify praise? Skill is admired; conduct is not endorsed.
ExpressionSpeaker’s judgmentMā aʿdhabaAdmiration of artistryLawlā khidāʿMoral reservation