ذُقْ أبا جعفر مغبَّةَ جُرْمِكْ

ذُقْ أبا جعفر مغبَّةَ جُرْمِكْ

واجْنِ ما أثْمرتْ سفاهةُ حِلْمِكْ

واجْنِ ما أثْمرتْ سفاهةُ حِلْمِكْ

Taste, Abu Jaʿfar, the consequences of your offense.

Taste, O Abu Ja'far, the bitterness of your crime,

And reap what the folly of your reason has borne.

And avoid what your foolish clemency has borne fruit.

ما تعرَّضْتَ لي وجَدّك حتى

ما تعرَّضْتَ لي وجَدّك حتى

قرنَ اللَّه كلَّ نحْسٍ بنَجْمِكْ

قرنَ اللَّه كلَّ نحْسٍ بنَجْمِكْ

You did not assail me—by your fortune—until

You did not confront me though your grandfather did,

God yoked every misfortune to your star.

May God couple all evil with your star!

أبِعَقْل المُعلّمين يُعابُ ال

أبِعَقْل المُعلّمين يُعابُ ال

شعرُ أيري في القعر من بظر أمِّك

شعرُ أيري في القعر من بظر أمِّك

Is it with teachers’ wits that one faults the—

Do men of learning censure the poetry of a blind man

poetry? My cock is in the depths of your mother’s clitoris.

In the depth of the vulva of your mother?

لستَ عندي إن عِبْتَ شعري ملُوماً

لستَ عندي إن عِبْتَ شعري ملُوماً

لك عُذْرٌ لديَّ في ضيقِ علمك

لك عُذْرٌ لديَّ في ضيقِ علمك

You are not blameworthy in my eyes if you fault my poetry.

I am not to be blamed if I satirize your poetry,

You have an excuse with me in your limited knowledge.

You have an excuse with me because of your limited knowledge.

لقَرِيضي يا ابن الزّواني معانٍ

لقَرِيضي يا ابن الزّواني معانٍ

قصُرَتْ دونها مذاهبُ فهْمِك

قصُرَتْ دونها مذاهبُ فهْمِك

My verse, O son of whores, has meanings

My poetry, O son of prostitutes, has meanings

that the avenues of your understanding fail to reach.

Beyond the scope of your comprehension.

هُنْتَ عندي فلا مديحُك يُهْدِي

هُنْتَ عندي فلا مديحُك يُهْدِي

لي سروراً ولا أُساء بذَمّك

لي سروراً ولا أُساء بذَمّك

You are worthless to me: your praise does not bring

You are despicable to me, so your praise does not

me joy, nor am I distressed by your censure.

Bring me joy, nor am I hurt by your dispraise.

أنت نغل من ألف نُطفةِ فَحْلٍ

أنت نغل من ألف نُطفةِ فَحْلٍ

عدداً رُكّبَتْ مفاصِلُ جِسمك

عدداً رُكّبَتْ مفاصِلُ جِسمك

You are a bastard; from a thousand drops of studs’ seed

You are but one of thousands sired by a stallion -

in all, the joints of your body were assembled.

Jointed limbs assembled into your body.

قد أردْتُ الإعراضَ عنك احتقاراً

قد أردْتُ الإعراضَ عنك احتقاراً

لك لا أنَّني جَنَحْتُ لسِلْمِك

لك لا أنَّني جَنَحْتُ لسِلْمِك

I had intended to turn away from you out of contempt

I wanted to scorn you out of disdain,

for you, not because I inclined toward peace with you.

Not because I was inclined to reconcile with you.

فتذكْرتُ موبقاتِ ذُنوبي

فتذكْرتُ موبقاتِ ذُنوبي

فرجَوْتُ الخروجَ منها بشَتْمك

فرجَوْتُ الخروجَ منها بشَتْمك

Then I remembered my ruinous sins,

But I remembered my heavy sins

so I hoped to escape them by reviling you.

And hoped to gain release by lambasting you.

فاحمدِ اللَّهَ قد رُزِقْتَ هجاءً

فاحمدِ اللَّهَ قد رُزِقْتَ هجاءً

بعد طول الخُمول نوَّه باسْمِك

بعد طول الخُمول نوَّه باسْمِك

So praise God: you have been granted a lampoon

So praise God, you have gained satire

that, after long obscurity, has made your name known.

After long silence your name is mentioned.

فخُذَنهُ فإنْ قَنِعْت وإلا

فخُذَنهُ فإنْ قَنِعْت وإلا

فَعَلَيْنا من بعدُ توفيرُ قسْمك

فَعَلَيْنا من بعدُ توفيرُ قسْمك

So take it, if you are satisfied; otherwise,

Take it, and if you are satisfied, otherwise

it falls to us thereafter to increase your share.

We will have to provide you your share after this.