قولوا لمِن قد تنفّر

مِن كلمتي وتثوّر

Say to the one who has turned away in aversion,

Agitated and rebellious because of my words:

إنّي أتوبُ إلى اللَهِ

من مزاحِكَ فاغفر

Truly, I repent to God,

From my joking with you, so forgive.

ما كان من كلماتي

أكلّ ذا منه يحضر

Whatever my words may have been,

Does all this anger stem from them?

فدع وعيدي بقتلٍ

فالوعدُ بالقتل مُنكَر

So leave aside your threats of killing,

For the promise of killing is a reprehensible act.

فليسَ خُلقُكَ من بعد

ذا خُلقَ مَن يتشطّر

Your nature is not, after all this,

The nature of a thug who plays the tyrant.

ولو كذا كنتَ أيضاً

ما خفتُ من ذاك فأقعر

And even if you were exactly that,

I would not fear it, so do your worst.

ولو حملتَ لقتلي

عَضب الشفار مذكّر

And if you bore, intent on slaying me,

A sharp-edged sword of masculine steel,

وبعض ما لسليما

ن كان داودُ يدخر

One of those which Solomon,

Son of David, used to treasure;

تُحدُّ في كلّ شهر

جفونهُ وتُغيّر

Its blade sharpened every single month,

Its scabbard constantly changed and polished.

يَبيَضُّ طوراً وطوراً

تُراهُ في العين أخضر

It turns white at times, and at others,

You see it appear green to the eye.

يكاد في الكفّ من رو

نق الصفاوةِ يقطر

From the brilliance of its purity, it almost,

Within the hand, drips like liquid.

يبادر الأجلَ الوقعُ

منه من قبل يقدر

Its strike races ahead of the destined hour,

Overtaking fate before it is decreed.

وكان قاتلَ كسرى

به فتى الرومِ قيصر

It was the slayer of Chosroes,

Wielded by the youth of the Romans, Caesar.

سبعين عاماً إذا طاح

عسكرٌ ثابَ عسكر

For seventy years, whenever an army fell,

Another army would return to the fray.

يعدُّ كلّ صباح

لهم خميساً وميسَر

He prepared for them every morning,

A mighty legion and abundant wealth.

حتى إذا صار كسرى

بعد العديدِ المجهّر

Until, when Chosroes ended up,

After his numerous, well-equipped hosts,

في الفَلِّ يملأ رُعباً

وواحد منه أكثر

In defeat, filled with terror,

And a single opponent was too much for him.

فقيلَ هاكَ اقتلن ذا

به وسمِّ ستُنصر

It was said: "Take this, and kill that one,"

"With it, and invoke the Name; you shall be victorious."

وأنتَ في بأس ليثٍ

فضافضِ الناب قشوَر

And even if you possessed the might of a lion,

With wide jaws and crushing fangs,

من اللواتي حكاها

أبو زبيدٍ فأكثر

One of those described by the poet,

Abu Zubayd, who described them often.

وكنتَ عمرو بن معدي

أو ابن شدّاد عنتر

And were you Amr ibn Ma'adi Yakrib,

Or the son of Shaddad, Antarah,

أو كنتَ من قوم عادٍ

في البأسِ أو بُخَتَنصَر

Or were you from the people of 'Aad in might,

Or even Nebuchadnezzar himself;

وشدّني بكتافٍ

لما تريد ميسّر

And had you bound me tight with ropes,

Made ready for whatever you desire,

ولو دنوتَ فمكّن

تَ ضارباً لم يؤثر

And had you drawn near and positioned yourself,

Striking a blow, it would leave no mark.

فكيف أخشاكَ يا مَن

يصدُّ عمداً ويهجر

So how could I fear you, O you who,

Deliberately turns away and shuns me?

وكيف يا فاترَ اللحظِ

ساحرَ العين أحور

And how, O you of languid glance,

With bewitching eyes of stark black and white?

تمرّ مثل كميٍّ

مهدد لي بخنجر

You pass by like a heavily armed warrior,

Threatening me with a dagger.

يا ناعماً لو برفق

لمستهُ لي بخنجر

O soft one, whom if I were to touch but gently,

Would feel it as though I had touched him with a dagger.

نسبي المردُ حتى

غلابُ فاللَهُ أكبر

My amorous verses were for beardless youths, until

Ghallab came, so God is Greatest.

تسبّي سبَّ ما شئت

سامع غير منكر

Insult me with whatever insults you wish,

I am listening, and I do not object.

فإنّ خلفكَ شيئاً

بهِ ذنوبُكَ تُغفر

For truly, there is something behind you,

By which your sins are forgiven.

كأنه شحمُ نحلٍ

أو جامُ ثلجٍ مقعّر

As if it is the white wax of bees,

Or a hollowed bowl of snow.

قد كنتُ أصبرُ شيئاً

على الملاح وأجسَر

I used to have some measure of patience,

With the beautiful ones, and was bolder.

فصرتُ من حبِّ غلبون

لا أطيقُ التصبّر

But I have become, through the love of Ghalbun,

Unable to bear any patience.

يا ربّ ماليَ أمشي

على الرخام فأعثر

O Lord, why is it that I walk,

Upon smooth marble, yet I stumble?