ألا يا ابن القنوطِ عجبتُ جدّاً

ألا يا ابن القنوطِ عجبتُ جدّاً

لمُستدعاكَ شرّي والتِماسِكْ

لمُستدعاكَ شرّي والتِماسِكْ

Ho, son of despair—I marvel greatly

Ah, Ibn al-Qunut, I marveled greatly

that you should summon my malice and ask for it.

at your summoning my malice and seeking it.

وكيف طمعتَ في استضعافِ ليثٍ

وكيف طمعتَ في استضعافِ ليثٍ

مخالبُهُ شوارع لاختلاسِك

مخالبُهُ شوارع لاختلاسِك

How could you hope to find me weak before you,

And how did you hope to treat a lion as weak,

when its talons are savage, poised to snatch you?

whose claws are outstretched to snatch you?

وثبْتَ على الهزبر وأنت كلبٌ

وثبْتَ على الهزبر وأنت كلبٌ

ولم تحسِبْه ينشطُ لافتراسِكْ

ولم تحسِبْه ينشطُ لافتراسِكْ

You sprang upon the lion, though you are a dog,

You sprang at the mighty lion, though you are a dog,

never reckoning it might rouse itself to devour you.

and did not think he would rouse himself to devour you.

فدونَكَ قد بُليتَ به مليئاً

فدونَكَ قد بُليتَ به مليئاً

بحطم قناةِ ظهرك وانتهاسكْ

بحطم قناةِ ظهرك وانتهاسكْ

So take it: you have been tried by one fully able

So take this: you are beset by one well able

to shatter your backbone and tear you apart.

to crush the shaft of your back and tear your flesh.

وكنتَ مُكلَّفاً تعتسُّ شراً

وكنتَ مُكلَّفاً تعتسُّ شراً

فقد صادفت حتفك في اعتساسك

فقد صادفت حتفك في اعتساسك

You were obsessed with prowling after evil;

And you were bent on prowling by night for evil;

now in your prowling you have met your doom.

so you have met your doom in your nightly prowling.

وأجدِرْ باحتراقكْ حين تعشو

وأجدِرْ باحتراقكْ حين تعشو

إلى نارٍ وأبْعِدْ باقتباسك

إلى نارٍ وأبْعِدْ باقتباسك

How fit that you should burn when, purblind, you grope

And how fitting that you burn when you grope

toward my fire—and how far you are from taking a spark.

toward a fire—and how unlikely that you take a spark!

إذا نحن انتضينا مُنصلَينا

إذا نحن انتضينا مُنصلَينا

عرفت حديدَ قرنِك من نُحاسك

عرفت حديدَ قرنِك من نُحاسك

When you and I unsheathe our blades,

When we draw our two blades,

you will know your rival’s fresh-forged mettle from your copper.

you will tell your rival's iron from your own copper.

ضمنتُ لك احتباسَ الحلمِ حتى

ضمنتُ لك احتباسَ الحلمِ حتى

أطيل على الهوان مدى احتباسك

أطيل على الهوان مدى احتباسك

I guarantee you that clemency shall remain locked away

I have promised you to withhold my forbearance, so that

until I lengthen your confinement in humiliation.

I may prolong your confinement in humiliation.

أتاني عنك أنك عِبتَ شعري

أتاني عنك أنك عِبتَ شعري

وما زلتَ المضلَّل في قياسك

وما زلتَ المضلَّل في قياسك

Word reached me that you had faulted my poetry,

Word reached me of your finding fault with my verse,

and you have never ceased to err in your judgment.

and you have always been misguided in your judgment.

فقلتُ عساهُ كان به نُعاسٌ

فقلتُ عساهُ كان به نُعاسٌ

وعندي ما يُطيِّر من نعاسك

وعندي ما يُطيِّر من نعاسك

I said, “Perhaps he was drowsy,”

So I said: perhaps he had been drowsy;

but I have what will send your drowsiness flying:

and I have what will startle you out of your drowsiness:

هجاء إن سكنتَ له تمادى

هجاء إن سكنتَ له تمادى

وإن شامَسْتَ ذلَّل من شِماسك

وإن شامَسْتَ ذلَّل من شِماسك

a satire that, if you submit to it, will go on,

invective that, if you keep quiet before it, goes on,

and if you buck against it, will tame your restiveness.

and if you resist, it subdues your unruliness.

تفوحُ له فواتحُ منك تحكي

تفوحُ له فواتحُ منك تحكي

صديدك ميتاً عند انبجاسك

صديدك ميتاً عند انبجاسك

Its opening lines waft odors from you that mimic

Its opening strains waft from you, resembling

the pus that bursts from you when you lie dead.

your pus gushing forth when you are dead.

أقِلني لا عَدِمتَ أخاً عَفُوّاً

أقِلني لا عَدِمتَ أخاً عَفُوّاً

يُقيلُكَ عند عَثْرِك وانتكاسك

يُقيلُكَ عند عَثْرِك وانتكاسك

Pardon me—may I never lack a forgiving brother,

Pardon me—may you never lack a forgiving brother,

one who pardons you when you stumble and fall.

who pardons you when you stumble and fall.

جهلتُ الآبنوسَ فقلتُ غصنٌ

جهلتُ الآبنوسَ فقلتُ غصنٌ

ولم أحسبه بعضَ قرون راسك

ولم أحسبه بعضَ قرون راسك

You failed to recognize ebony and called it “a branch”;

I did not recognize the ebony, so I called it a branch,

nor did I suppose it one of the horns upon your head.

and did not think it part of the horns on your head.

وقد فهمتني فرجعتُ عمّا

وقد فهمتني فرجعتُ عمّا

نكرتَ عليَّ فاكففْ حدَّ باسك

نكرتَ عليَّ فاكففْ حدَّ باسك

Now you have understood me and withdrawn from what

You have made me understand, so I retract what

you censured in me; so blunt the edge of your fury.

you held against me; so curb the edge of your fury.

وأنتَ فتىً أحطتَ بكل علمٍ

وأنتَ فتىً أحطتَ بكل علمٍ

لغوصك في است أمك واغتماسك

لغوصك في است أمك واغتماسك

And you are a youth who has mastered every science

And you are a youth who has mastered every field of knowledge,

by diving into your mother’s arse and plunging deep.

by diving into your mother's arse and immersing yourself.

وقد نُوظرتَ في أشياء شتَّى

وقد نُوظرتَ في أشياء شتَّى

فلم تعرف فُساءك من عُطاسك

فلم تعرف فُساءك من عُطاسك

You have been baffled by all manner of things,

And you have been engaged in debate on various matters,

unable to tell your fart from your sneeze.

yet could not tell your farting from your sneezing.