أإسماعيلُ من رَجلٍ

أإسماعيلُ من رَجلٍ

تَعرَّب بعد ما شاخا

تَعرَّب بعد ما شاخا

Is Ismāʿīl truly a man?

Ismāʿīl—what a man,

He became Arabized only after growing old;

who became an Arab after growing old!

فأصبح من بني شَيْبا

فأصبح من بني شَيْبا

نَ ضخم الشأن بذَّاخا

نَ ضخم الشأن بذَّاخا

then he became one of Banū Shaybā—

So he became one of the sons of Shaybā-

—n, imposing in rank and ostentatiously grand.

n, great in standing and boastful.

وصار أبوه بِسْطاماً

وصار أبوه بِسْطاماً

وكان أبوه قَيْبَاخا

وكان أبوه قَيْبَاخا

His father became Bustām,

And his father became Bisṭām,

though formerly his father was Qaybākh.

though his father had been Qaybākh.

وصار يقول قُمْ عَنَّا

وصار يقول قُمْ عَنَّا

وكان يقول قُوهَاخَا

وكان يقول قُوهَاخَا

Now he says, “Get away from us,”

And he began saying, “Get away from us!”

where once he used to say, “Qūhākhā.”

whereas he used to say, “Qūhākhā.”

وشُيِّدت القصورُ له

وشُيِّدت القصورُ له

وكانت قبلُ أكواخا

وكانت قبلُ أكواخا

Palaces have been raised for him,

And palaces were built for him,

though once they were mere huts.

though before they had been huts.

وصار أخسُّ من معه

وصار أخسُّ من معه

له عشرون طبَّاخا

له عشرون طبَّاخا

And now even the basest of his retinue

And the lowliest of those with him came to have

has twenty cooks at his service.

twenty cooks at his service.

وكانت أمُّه كَمَّا

وكانت أمُّه كَمَّا

خَةً وأبوه كمَّاخا

خَةً وأبوه كمَّاخا

His mother was Kummā—

His mother had been a condiment-

—khabath, and his father Kammākha.

maker, and his father a condiment-maker.

عجبتُ لمن رأى هذا

عجبتُ لمن رأى هذا

بعينيه فما ساخا

بعينيه فما ساخا

I marvel that anyone who saw all this

I marvel at whoever saw this

with his own eyes did not sink into the earth.

with his own eyes, yet did not sink into the ground.

إلى اللَّه الصُّراخ فهل

إلى اللَّه الصُّراخ فهل

يُحِيرُ إليَّ إصْراخا

يُحِيرُ إليَّ إصْراخا

To God I raise my cry for help—will He

To God goes the cry for help—will He

return to me an answering cry?

send me relief in return?

عدمتُ المُلْك إن له

عدمتُ المُلْك إن له

لأَوْضَاراً وأوساخا

لأَوْضَاراً وأوساخا

May I be bereft of the monarch! Truly, he bears

May I be rid of kingship! It has

stains and filth;

foul stains and filth indeed.

عَلَتْهُ وحشةٌ بهمُ

عَلَتْهُ وحشةٌ بهمُ

وأصبح نورهُ باخا

وأصبح نورهُ باخا

gloom has overtaken him because of them,

Through them, bleakness has overspread it,

and his light has gone out.

and its light has faded.

سأُمْجدُ من هجائي فيـ

سأُمْجدُ من هجائي فيـ

ـهِ حُفَّاظاً ونُسَّاخا

ـهِ حُفَّاظاً ونُسَّاخا

Through my satire of—

I shall lavish my satire of

—him, I shall immortalize reciters and copyists.

him on memorizers and copyists.