ما مَعَ أَنَّكَ يَومَ الوِردِ ذو لَغَطٍ

ما مَعَ أَنَّكَ يَومَ الوِردِ ذو لَغَطٍ

ضَخمُ الجُزارَةِ بِالَسلمَينِ وَكّارُ

ضَخمُ الجُزارَةِ بِالَسلمَينِ وَكّارُ

For all that, on watering day, you are a noisy fellow,

What of it, though on watering day you are full of clamor,

Though you were loquacious on Rose Day

hulking of limb, nesting at al-Salmayn;

Huge of head and limb, a glutton at al-Salmayn?

Huge in pretentiousness with the two rapiers and deceiver

تَكفي الوَليدَةَ في النادِيِّ مُؤتَزِراً

تَكفي الوَليدَةَ في النادِيِّ مُؤتَزِراً

فَاِحلُب فَإِنَّكَ حَلّابٌ وَصَرّارُ

فَاِحلُب فَإِنَّكَ حَلّابٌ وَصَرّارُ

you take the serving-girl’s place in the assembly, your waistcloth tied.

You spare the slave girl her work in the assembly, girded with a waistcloth;

You sufficed the young lady in the club wearing an apron

So milk away: you are a milker and an udder-tier.

So milk, for you are a milker and an udder-binder.

So milk, for you are a dairyman and stirrer

ما كُنتَ أَوَّلَ ضَبٍّ صابَ تَلعَتَهُ

ما كُنتَ أَوَّلَ ضَبٍّ صابَ تَلعَتَهُ

غَيثٌ فَأَمرَعَ وَاِستَرخَت بِهِ الدارُ

غَيثٌ فَأَمرَعَ وَاِستَرخَت بِهِ الدارُ

You were not the first lizard whose hillside was struck

You were not the first spiny-tailed lizard whose gully was struck

You were not the first hyena satiated by its game

by rain, so that it grew lush and the household lived at ease through it.

By rain; it found lush pasture, and its home grew spacious because of it.

A downpour, so it sped away and the house relaxed with it

أَنتَ الَّذي لا نُرَجّي نَيلَهُ أَبَداً

أَنتَ الَّذي لا نُرَجّي نَيلَهُ أَبَداً

جَلدُ النَدى وَغَداةَ الرَوعِ خَوّارُ

جَلدُ النَدى وَغَداةَ الرَوعِ خَوّارُ

You are the man whose bounty we never hope to gain:

You are one whose bounty we never hope to receive,

You are the one we never hope to attain

unyielding against generosity, but fainthearted on the morning of terror.

Tight-fisted with bounty, and fainthearted on the morning of terror.

The skin of dew and the morn of fear, coward

تَدعو بُنَيَّيكَ عَبّاداً وَحَذيَمَةً

تَدعو بُنَيَّيكَ عَبّاداً وَحَذيَمَةً

فا فَأرَةٍ شَجَّها في الجُحرِ مِحفارُ

فا فَأرَةٍ شَجَّها في الجُحرِ مِحفارُ

You call your two little boys ʿAbbād and Ḥadhayma

You call your two little sons ʿAbbād and Ḥadhyamah—

You call your sons devotees and prudent

with the mouth of a mouse, gashed in its burrow by a mattock.

Two mouths of a mouse whose head a mattock split in its burrow.

Like a mouse its burrow hollowed by a digger