أرى ابنَ حريثٍ لا يُبالي عضيهتي

أرى ابنَ حريثٍ لا يُبالي عضيهتي

وما زال قِدماً بالعضيهة راضيا

وما زال قِدماً بالعضيهة راضيا

I see that Ibn Hurayth cares nothing for my slander,

I see the son of Hurayth who cares not for my satire

and he has long been content with slander.

And continues to be content with my satirizing

ولو نِكتُ أيضاً أمَّه لم يبالني

ولو نِكتُ أيضاً أمَّه لم يبالني

كما أنه لم يلتبِس بهجائيا

كما أنه لم يلتبِس بهجائيا

Even if I fucked his mother too, he would not heed me,

Even if I also satirize his mother, he would not care for me

just as he has not been troubled by my satire.

Just as he was not troubled by my raillery

وما ضرَّه ألا يُبالي بعدها

وما ضرَّه ألا يُبالي بعدها

ركوبي إياها بحيث يرانيا

ركوبي إياها بحيث يرانيا

And what harm would it do him, after that, not to mind

It does not harm him after that

my mounting her where he could see me?

That I satirize her such that he sees me

لساني وأيري لو تبيَّن أمرَه

لساني وأيري لو تبيَّن أمرَه

سواءٌ إذا ما قنَّعاهُ المخازيا

سواءٌ إذا ما قنَّعاهُ المخازيا

My tongue and my cock—if he understood his situation—

Whether my tongue and my companion make clear his matter

are alike when they cloak him in disgrace.

It's the same if the jesters satisfy him

هما الطرفان العارمانِ كلاهما

هما الطرفان العارمانِ كلاهما

سواءٌ على من كان غيران حاميا

سواءٌ على من كان غيران حاميا

They are the two unruly extremities, both

They are two unrestrained parties, both of them

alike to anyone jealous and protective of his honor.

The same to whoever else is not a protector

ألم تر أن اللَّهَ حَدَّ عليهما

ألم تر أن اللَّهَ حَدَّ عليهما

بحدٍّ وكان اللَّهُ بالعدل قاضيا

بحدٍّ وكان اللَّهُ بالعدل قاضيا

Have you not seen that God has prescribed punishment for both

Do you not see that Allah has limited for them both

with a fixed penalty—and God has judged justly?

A limit, and Allah was a just judge

أيا بنَ حريثٍ نكتُ أمَّكَ في استها

أيا بنَ حريثٍ نكتُ أمَّكَ في استها

تصبَّرُ مهجُوّاً وأجزعُ هاجيا

تصبَّرُ مهجُوّاً وأجزعُ هاجيا

O Ibn Hurayth, I fucked your mother in her arse.

Oh son of Hurayth, I satirize your mother angrily

You bear being lampooned, while I fret as the lampooner.

And you show resilience while I am excited

فدونك فاصبِرْ للهجاء فإنني

فدونك فاصبِرْ للهجاء فإنني

زعيمٌ به ما أصبح النيلُ جاريا

زعيمٌ به ما أصبح النيلُ جاريا

So take it, and bear the satire, for I

So refrain, be patient with my satire, for I

am pledged to it as long as the Nile keeps flowing.

Am determined with it, the Nile did not flow

إذا لم يبالِ المرءُ عَبطَ أديمِهِ

إذا لم يبالِ المرءُ عَبطَ أديمِهِ

فعابطُهُ أحرى بأنْ لا يُباليا

فعابطُهُ أحرى بأنْ لا يُباليا

If a man cares nothing for the rending of his skin,

If a man does not care about the chastity of his woman

then the one rending it has still more reason not to care.

Then her chastiser is more worthy to not care

هجائيكَ يَشفيني وإن لم تُبالِه

هجائيكَ يَشفيني وإن لم تُبالِه

وحَسبُك داءً أن أنال شِفائيا

وحَسبُك داءً أن أنال شِفائيا

My satire of you heals me, even if you care nothing for it;

My satirizing you heals me, even if you don't care

and it is illness enough for you that I gain my cure.

It suffices you as an illness that I gain my remedy

حلفتُ لئن أصبحت تضحكُ هازئاً

حلفتُ لئن أصبحت تضحكُ هازئاً

بشعري لقد أمسى ضَميرُك باكيا

بشعري لقد أمسى ضَميرُك باكيا

I have sworn: if you laugh in mockery by morning

I swear if you laugh mockingly

at my verse, your inner self is surely weeping by evening.

At my poetry, your conscience has cried

وإنك في تنبيح شِعْري وقد بدَتْ

وإنك في تنبيح شِعْري وقد بدَتْ

نواقدُه من صفْحتَيك دواميا

نواقدُه من صفْحتَيك دواميا

And you, barking at my verse, while there protrude

And you barking at my poetry after

its piercing barbs, bloodied, from your two flanks,

Its fires have appeared from your cheeks constantly

لَكالكلبِ في تَعضيضه قرنَ قِرنه

لَكالكلبِ في تَعضيضه قرنَ قِرنه

وقد أنفَدَتْه طعنةٌ هي ماهيا

وقد أنفَدَتْه طعنةٌ هي ماهيا

are indeed like a dog gnawing its adversary's horn,

Is like the dog in his biting the horn of his horn

though a thrust—what a thrust!—has already exhausted it.

After a stab depleted him completely

وأصبحَ يُخفي ما به مُتَجَلِّداً

وأصبحَ يُخفي ما به مُتَجَلِّداً

وإن كان لا يُخفي بذلك خافيا

وإن كان لا يُخفي بذلك خافيا

And he now hides what afflicts him, feigning fortitude,

And he pretended with what pained him while hiding it

though by doing so he conceals no secret.

Though he does not conceal with that what is hidden

تكلَّف حِلماً ليس منه سَجيةً

تكلَّف حِلماً ليس منه سَجيةً

وأَغضى على أقذائه مُتغاضيا

وأَغضى على أقذائه مُتغاضيا

He affected forbearance that was not his nature,

He feigned calmness which is not of his nature

and shut his eyes on their grit, pretending not to notice,

And turned away from his sores while pretending

ليُبلِغَني عنه رباطةَ جأشِه

ليُبلِغَني عنه رباطةَ جأشِه

فيكسرُ في ذَرْعي ويكْسِفُ باليا

فيكسرُ في ذَرْعي ويكْسِفُ باليا

to have word of his steadfast heart reach me,

To convey to me the tightness of his abdomen

thus sapping my strength and darkening my spirits.

So he can vent in my presence and frown

وما احتالَ إلا بعدما عيلَ صبرُه

وما احتالَ إلا بعدما عيلَ صبرُه

وأَوْلى بداهٍ أن يُخادعَ داهيا

وأَوْلى بداهٍ أن يُخادعَ داهيا

And he resorted to guile only after his patience was exhausted,

He did not scheme except after his patience ran out

and it best befits a cunning man to outwit another.

More fitting for an ignorant one to trick the cunning

كأني أراهُ حين قَدَّر أمرَهُ

كأني أراهُ حين قَدَّر أمرَهُ

فأمَّر نفسيه هنالك خاليا

فأمَّر نفسيه هنالك خاليا

I seem to see him as he weighed his situation,

It's as if I see him when he assessed his matter

then put his two selves in command, alone there.

Then counseled himself there in solitude

فقالت له إحداهما إنَّ ذِلةً

فقالت له إحداهما إنَّ ذِلةً

من المرءِ أن يُحمَى وألا يُحاميا

من المرءِ أن يُحمَى وألا يُحاميا

Then one of them said to him, 'It is a humiliation

So one of them said to him, "It is disgrace

for a man to be provoked and not fight back.

For a man to be protected while not protecting"

ولستَ من القومِ الذين إذا حَمَوا

ولستَ من القومِ الذين إذا حَمَوا

فلا تتعرضْ للذي لستَ كافيا

فلا تتعرضْ للذي لستَ كافيا

And you are not of the men who, when roused—

You are not of those people; if they are protected

so do not take on what you cannot handle.'

Then do not expose yourself to what you cannot suffice

وقالتْ له الأخرى وما نصحتْ له

وقالتْ له الأخرى وما نصحتْ له

بلى وارْكب الغوْصاءَ واغشَ المغاشيا

بلى وارْكب الغوْصاءَ واغشَ المغاشيا

And the other said to him—and gave him no sound counsel—

And the other said to him, advising him

'Yes! Ride into the turmoil and enter the perilous places!'

"Yes, ride the rough seas and dive in the depths"

فزوالها عن كيدِها ونكيرِها

فزوالها عن كيدِها ونكيرِها

فلم يرَ إلا التُّرَّهاتِ اللواهيا

فلم يرَ إلا التُّرَّهاتِ اللواهيا

Then, as she withdrew from her scheming and her opposition,

So he did not see except for ruinous recklessness

he saw nothing but frivolous nonsense.

Due to its withdrawal from his scheming and denial

فأصغى إلى أمرِ التي نصحتْ له

فأصغى إلى أمرِ التي نصحتْ له

وإمّا أتى رشداً فما ذاك غاويا

وإمّا أتى رشداً فما ذاك غاويا

So he heeded the counsel of the one who advised him well,

Thus he listened to the order of the one who advised him

and if he acted wisely, that man was not astray.

Whether he came to consciousness or not, he is not astray

عسى ابن حُريثٍ تستريحُ ظنونُه

عسى ابن حُريثٍ تستريحُ ظنونُه

إلى أنني عانيتُ فيه القوافيا

إلى أنني عانيتُ فيه القوافيا

Perhaps Ibn Hurayth's fancies find comfort

Perhaps the son of Hurayth's suspicions will relax

in the thought that I labored over rhymes about him,

To the extent I suffered rhymes for him

فيَشفي جواهُ أو يُنفِّس كَربه

فيَشفي جواهُ أو يُنفِّس كَربه

تظنِّيهِ أنْ قد شقَّني وعنانيا

تظنِّيهِ أنْ قد شقَّني وعنانيا

so that his anguish is healed or his distress relieved

So his madness or troubles are cured

by his supposing that he has taxed and wearied me.

By his imagining that he split me open and restrained me

فلا يتخيلْ فيَّ ذاك بجهله

فلا يتخيلْ فيَّ ذاك بجهله

فلستُ لما أهدي إليه مُعانيا

فلستُ لما أهدي إليه مُعانيا

Let him not, in his ignorance, imagine that of me,

Let him not imagine that about me in his ignorance

for I do not labor over what I give him.

I am not what I am guided to meanings for him

وأنَّى أعاني فيه شعراً أقوله

وأنَّى أعاني فيه شعراً أقوله

وهاجيهِ لا يبغي إليه المرَاقيا

وهاجيهِ لا يبغي إليه المرَاقيا

And how could I toil over verse I compose about him,

And how can I compose poetry for him that I speak

when his lampooner seeks no uphill paths to reach him?

While the one I criticize does not seek passages to me?

وذاك لأن الشتْم في كلِّ ساقط

وذاك لأن الشتْم في كلِّ ساقط

يجيء مَجيءَ السيل يطلبُ واديا

يجيء مَجيءَ السيل يطلبُ واديا

And that is because abuse of every base man

That is because vilification comes to every fallen one

comes like a torrent seeking a valley:

Like a flood seeking a valley

سيولٌ دعاها مستقَرٌّ وقادها

سيولٌ دعاها مستقَرٌّ وقادها

مَسيلٌ فجاءت مُفْعَمات طواميا

مَسيلٌ فجاءت مُفْعَمات طواميا

torrents summoned by a resting place and guided

Torrents called by a dwelling and led

by a watercourse, arriving brimful and overflowing.

By a channel, so they came full of floods

بَلى إنما المَرقَى الكؤود على امرئٍ

بَلى إنما المَرقَى الكؤود على امرئٍ

تطلَّع أشرافَ الجبالِ العواليا

تطلَّع أشرافَ الجبالِ العواليا

Yes, the arduous ascent is only for a man

Yes, passageways rising high are only for a man

who aspires to the summits of lofty mountains,

Who looked to the peaks of lofty mountains

كأهل الندى والبأس والعِلم والحجى

كأهل الندى والبأس والعِلم والحجى

سقى اللَّه هاتيك الذُّرى والروابيا

سقى اللَّه هاتيك الذُّرى والروابيا

such as men of generosity, valor, knowledge, and reason—

Like the people of bounty, courage, knowledge, and argument

may God water those summits and hills!

May Allah water those generations and meadows