في أَيِّ سَلحٍ تَرتَطِم

في أَيِّ سَلحٍ تَرتَطِم

وَبِأَيِّ كَفٍّ تَلتَقِم

وَبِأَيِّ كَفٍّ تَلتَقِم

In what dung do you flounder,

In what shit are you floundering?

and with what palm do you gobble it?

And with which hand do you fill your mouth?

أَدخَلتَ رَأسَكَ في الرَحِم

أَدخَلتَ رَأسَكَ في الرَحِم

وَعَلِمتَ أَنَّكَ تَنهَزِم

وَعَلِمتَ أَنَّكَ تَنهَزِم

You thrust your head back into the womb,

You thrust your head into the womb,

knowing that you would be defeated.

And knew that you would be defeated.

يا بُحتُرِيُّ حَذارِ وَي

يا بُحتُرِيُّ حَذارِ وَي

حَكَ مِن قُضاقِضَةٍ ضُغُم

حَكَ مِن قُضاقِضَةٍ ضُغُم

O Buhturi, beware—woe

O Buhturi, beware—woe to you—

to you—of bone-crushing lions!

Of savage, bone-crushing lions!

فَلَقَد أَسَلتَ بِوادِيَي

فَلَقَد أَسَلتَ بِوادِيَي

كَ مِن الهِجا سَيلَ العَرِم

كَ مِن الهِجا سَيلَ العَرِم

For you have sent flowing through your two valleys

For you have loosed in your two valleys

a torrent of invective—the Flood of al-ʿArim.

The dam's flood of invective.

فَبِأَيِّ عِرضٍ تَعتَصِم

فَبِأَيِّ عِرضٍ تَعتَصِم

وَبِهَتكِهِ جَفَّ القَلَم

وَبِهَتكِهِ جَفَّ القَلَم

Behind what honor can you seek refuge,

In what honor, then, can you seek refuge,

when its violation has made the pen run dry?

When the pen has dried from disgracing it?

وَاللَهِ حِلفَةَ صادِقٍ

وَاللَهِ حِلفَةَ صادِقٍ

وَبِقَبرِ أَحمَدَ وَالحَرَم

وَبِقَبرِ أَحمَدَ وَالحَرَم

By God—an honest man’s oath—

And by God, with a truthful man's oath,

and by Ahmad’s grave and the Sacred Sanctuary,

And by Ahmad's tomb and the Sanctuary,

وَبِحَقِّ جَعفَرٍ الإِما

وَبِحَقِّ جَعفَرٍ الإِما

مِ اِبنِ الإِمامِ المُعتَصِم

مِ اِبنِ الإِمامِ المُعتَصِم

and by the right of Jaʿfar, the Imam,

And by the sanctity of Jaʿfar, the Imam,

son of the Imam al-Muʿtasim:

Son of the Imam al-Muʿtasim,

لأصَيِّرَنَّكَ شُهرَةً

لأصَيِّرَنَّكَ شُهرَةً

بَينَ المَسيلِ إِلى العَلَم

بَينَ المَسيلِ إِلى العَلَم

I shall surely make you a notorious byword

I shall surely make you a byword

from al-Masīl as far as al-ʿAlam.

Between the watercourse and the landmark.

حَيِّ الطُلولَ بِذي سَلَم

حَيِّ الطُلولَ بِذي سَلَم

حَيثُ الأَراكَةُ وَالخِيَم

حَيثُ الأَراكَةُ وَالخِيَم

Salute the abandoned dwellings at Dhū Salam,

Salute the ruins at Dhu Salam,

where stand the arak tree and the tents—

Where the arak tree and the tents are.

يا اِبنَ الثَقيلَةِ وَالثَقي

يا اِبنَ الثَقيلَةِ وَالثَقي

لِ عَلى قُلوبِ ذَوي النِعَم

لِ عَلى قُلوبِ ذَوي النِعَم

O son of the heavy woman, yourself burdensome

O son of the burdensome woman and the burdensome man,

upon the hearts of those blessed with favor,

Weighing on the hearts of the prosperous,

وَعَلى الصَغيرِ مَعَ الكَبي

وَعَلى الصَغيرِ مَعَ الكَبي

رِ مِنَ المَوالي وَالحَشَم

رِ مِنَ المَوالي وَالحَشَم

upon young and old alike,

And on the young as well as the old

among clients and household retainers.

Among the clients and retainers.

في أَيِّ سَلحٍ تَرتَطِم

في أَيِّ سَلحٍ تَرتَطِم

وَبِأَيِّ كَفٍّ تَلتَقِم

وَبِأَيِّ كَفٍّ تَلتَقِم

In what dung do you flounder,

In what shit are you floundering?

and with what palm do you gobble it?

And with which hand do you fill your mouth?

يا ابنَ المُباحَةِ لِلوَرى

يا ابنَ المُباحَةِ لِلوَرى

أَمِنَ العَفافِ أَمِ التُهَم

أَمِنَ العَفافِ أَمِ التُهَم

O son of the woman available to all mankind—

O son of the woman available to all,

was that through chastity, or through scandal?

Is this chastity, or grounds for suspicion?

إِذ رَحلُ أُختِكَ لِلعَجَم

إِذ رَحلُ أُختِكَ لِلعَجَم

وَفِراشُ أُمِّكَ في الظُلَم

وَفِراشُ أُمِّكَ في الظُلَم

Your sister’s saddle is at the foreigners’ disposal,

When your sister's saddle is for non-Arabs,

and your mother’s bed lies in the darkness.

And your mother's bed is in the darkness,

وَبِبابِ دارِكَ حانَةٌ

وَبِبابِ دارِكَ حانَةٌ

في بَيتِهِ يؤتى الحَكَم

في بَيتِهِ يؤتى الحَكَم

At the door of your house stands a tavern,

And at your house's door there is a tavern,

and in his house al-Hakam is sexually taken.

In his house, the judge is bedded.