قُولا لنحوِيِّنا أبي حسنٍ

قُولا لنحوِيِّنا أبي حسنٍ

إن حسامي متى ضربتُ مضى

إن حسامي متى ضربتُ مضى

Tell our grammarian, Abu Hasan:

You two, tell our grammarian Abu Hasan:

Whenever I strike with my sword, it cleaves straight through;

Indeed, whenever I strike, my sword cuts through.

وإن نَبلي متى هممتُ بأن

وإن نَبلي متى هممتُ بأن

أرْميَ نصَّلْتُها بجمر غضا

أرْميَ نصَّلْتُها بجمر غضا

and whenever I resolve to shoot

And my arrows, whenever I intend to

my arrows, I tip them with embers of ghada wood.

shoot, I tip them with embers of ghada wood.

لا تَحسبَنَّ الهِجاء يحفلُ بال

لا تَحسبَنَّ الهِجاء يحفلُ بال

رفع ولا خفض خافضٍ خَفضا

رفع ولا خفض خافضٍ خَفضا

Do not suppose that invective pays heed to

Do not suppose satire gives a thought to the

raising, or to an abaser's lowering.

nominative, or any inflector's lowering into the genitive.

ولا تخَلْ عَوْدتي كبادئتي

ولا تخَلْ عَوْدتي كبادئتي

سأُسْعِط السم من عصى الحُضضا

سأُسْعِط السم من عصى الحُضضا

Nor imagine that my second assault will resemble my first;

Nor think my return will be like my first attack.

I shall dose him through the nose with poison from the stalks of bitter colocynth.

I shall dose with poison through the nose whoever rejects the bitter remedy.

أعرفُ بالأشقياء بي رجُلاً

أعرفُ بالأشقياء بي رجُلاً

لا ينتهى أو يصيرَ لي غرضا

لا ينتهى أو يصيرَ لي غرضا

How well the wretches know me as a man

I know, among those made wretched by me, a man

who never stops until his foe becomes his target!

who will not desist until he becomes my target.

يُليحُ لي صفحةَ السلامة وال

يُليحُ لي صفحةَ السلامة وال

سِلم ويُخفي في قَلبه مرضا

سِلم ويُخفي في قَلبه مرضا

He shows me the face of goodwill and—

He displays to me a face of harmlessness and

peace, while concealing malice in his heart.

peace, but hides sickness in his heart.

قال فقلنا ثم استقال فأع

قال فقلنا ثم استقال فأع

فَيناهُ ثم استحال فانتقضا

فَيناهُ ثم استحال فانتقضا

He spoke, so we answered; then he begged release, and we—

He spoke, and we replied; then he sought pardon, and we

pardoned him. Then he changed course and broke his word.

pardoned him; then he changed and broke his pledge.

ممَّن إذا جاهلٌ تعرَّض لي

ممَّن إذا جاهلٌ تعرَّض لي

أصبحَ في جُنده قد افترضا

أصبحَ في جُنده قد افترضا

He is one of those who, if a fool challenges me,

He is one of those who, whenever an ignoramus attacks me,

by morning finds himself already conscripted into his ranks.

has already enlisted in that fellow's army.

يجر بين الصفوفِ حربتَهُ

يجر بين الصفوفِ حربتَهُ

وهو جديرٌ بأن يُرى حرضا

وهو جديرٌ بأن يُرى حرضا

He drags his spear between the battle lines,

He drags his spear among the ranks,

though he deserves to be seen wasted nearly to death,

though he deserves to be seen wasting away.

إذ لم ينفِّل هناك نافلةً

إذ لم ينفِّل هناك نافلةً

تكونُ من نفسهِ له عِوضا

تكونُ من نفسهِ له عِوضا

since no extra grant was awarded him there

For there he has received no bounty

that might compensate him for his very life.

that might compensate him for his own life.

قد قبضَ الجندُ والمكلَّفُ لم

قد قبضَ الجندُ والمكلَّفُ لم

يقبض على أنه قد اعترضا

يقبض على أنه قد اعترضا

The troops have collected their pay, but the conscript has not—

The troops have drawn their pay, but the man assigned to duty has not

been paid, though he had presented himself for muster.

drawn his, although he has presented himself for muster.

يا ويحَهُ من فتىً وحسرتَهُ

يا ويحَهُ من فتىً وحسرتَهُ

إن قُبضتْ رُوحُهُ وما قَبضا

إن قُبضتْ رُوحُهُ وما قَبضا

Alas for him—what a young man, and what bitter regret

Ah, pity him, the young man—and his grief,

if his soul is taken while he has taken no pay!

if his soul is taken and he has drawn no pay!

أضحى مغيظاً عليَّ أنْ غضب ال

أضحى مغيظاً عليَّ أنْ غضب ال

لَهُ عليه ونلتُ منه رِضا

لَهُ عليه ونلتُ منه رِضا

He grew furious with me because the wrath of—

He grew enraged at me because of the wrath

God fell upon him, while I attained His favor.

of God against him, while I gained His favor.

قولا له ينطحُ الجدارَ إذا

قولا له ينطحُ الجدارَ إذا

أعيا وصُمَّ الصَّفا إذا امتعضا

أعيا وصُمَّ الصَّفا إذا امتعضا

You two, tell him: let him butt the wall whenever

Tell him to butt the wall when

he is thwarted, and solid rock whenever he is incensed.

baffled, and the unyielding rocks when vexed.

ولا يُحَمِّل ضعيفَ مُنَّته

ولا يُحَمِّل ضعيفَ مُنَّته

حربي فما مثله بها نهضا

حربي فما مثله بها نهضا

Let no man whose strength is frail undertake

And let him not burden his feeble strength with

my war: no one like him has proved equal to it.

war against me: none like him has ever risen to it.

وليس تجدي عليه مَوعِظتي

وليس تجدي عليه مَوعِظتي

إن قدَّرَ اللَهُ حيْنَهُ وقضى

إن قدَّرَ اللَهُ حيْنَهُ وقضى

My warning will avail him nothing

My admonition will do him no good

if God has decreed his hour and issued the judgment.

if God has decreed his hour of death and ordained it.

كأنني بالشَّقيِّ مُعتذراً

كأنني بالشَّقيِّ مُعتذراً

إذا القوافي أذقنَهُ المضضا

إذا القوافي أذقنَهُ المضضا

I can already see our “dear brother” making excuses

I can almost see the wretch apologizing

when my verses make him taste their anguish.

when the rhymes have made him taste anguish.

ينشُدني العهدَ يومَ ذلك وال

ينشُدني العهدَ يومَ ذلك وال

عهدُ خِضابٌ أذاله فنضا

عهدُ خِضابٌ أذاله فنضا

That day he will appeal to me by the covenant—and a—

He will implore me by our pledge that day; but the

covenant is dye: wear makes it fade away.

pledge is a dye he wore down until it faded.

لا يأمننَّ السفيه بادرتي

لا يأمننَّ السفيه بادرتي

فإنني عارضٌ لمن عرضا

فإنني عارضٌ لمن عرضا

Let the fool never feel safe from my sudden onslaught,

Let the fool not feel safe from my sudden wrath,

for I confront whoever confronts me.

for I confront whoever confronts me.

عندي له السَّوط إن تلوَّم في ال

عندي له السَّوط إن تلوَّم في ال

سير وعندي اللّجام إن ركضا

سير وعندي اللّجام إن ركضا

I have the whip for him if he dawdles on the—

I have a whip for him if he lingers on the

march, and I have the bridle if he bolts.

journey, and a bridle if he gallops.

فَلْيَسِرِ المرءُ سيرةً وسطاً

فَلْيَسِرِ المرءُ سيرةً وسطاً

فليس ما لا يُطيقُ مُفتَرَضا

فليس ما لا يُطيقُ مُفتَرَضا

Let a man pursue a middle course,

Let a man therefore follow a moderate course;

for no one is charged with what he cannot bear.

for what he cannot bear is not obligatory.

أسمعتُ إنباضتي أبا حسن

أسمعتُ إنباضتي أبا حسن

والنصحُ لا شكَّ نُصحُ من مَحضا

والنصحُ لا شكَّ نُصحُ من مَحضا

I have sounded my bowstring's twang, Abu Hasan;

I have made Abu Hasan hear my bowstring's twang;

and counsel, beyond doubt, is counsel sincerely given.

and counsel, surely, is the counsel of one sincere.

وهو معافىً من السُّهاد فلا

وهو معافىً من السُّهاد فلا

يجهل فيشري فراشُه قضضا

يجهل فيشري فراشُه قضضا

He is spared all sleeplessness; so let him not

He is spared sleeplessness, so let him not

act foolishly and buy sharp gravel for his bed.

act rashly, so that his bed acquires gravel.

من ذا تراه غدا يتّرِسُه

من ذا تراه غدا يتّرِسُه

إِنْ وَتَرِي بالنَوافذِ انتفضا

إِنْ وَتَرِي بالنَوافذِ انتفضا

Who, do you suppose, will shield him tomorrow?

Who do you think will shield him tomorrow

Indeed, my bowstring and I have sprung into action with piercing shafts.

if my bowstring quivers with piercing shafts?

أقسمتُ باللَهِ لا غفرْتُ له

أقسمتُ باللَهِ لا غفرْتُ له

إن واحدٌ من عُروقهِ نبضا

إن واحدٌ من عُروقهِ نبضا

By God, I swear I will never forgive him

I have sworn by God: I shall not forgive him

while even a single one of his veins still pulses.

if a single one of his veins still throbs.