وَأَما وَعيدك بِالقَولة ال

وَأَما وَعيدك بِالقَولة ال

تي نَسج السَخفُ سربالها

تي نَسج السَخفُ سربالها

And as for your threat in the utterance

As for your threat with the poem

whose robe folly wove,

Which nonsense wove its cloak

فَتلك الَّتي ضَربت مِصرَنا

فَتلك الَّتي ضَربت مِصرَنا

بِها في السَخافة أَمثالها

بِها في السَخافة أَمثالها

that is the one our city has used

It is the one that struck our Egypt

to coin its proverbs of foolishness.

With the like of it in silliness

وَناهيكَ مِن قَولةٍ جررت

وَناهيكَ مِن قَولةٍ جررت

عَلى كُف السَلح أَذيالَها

عَلى كُف السَلح أَذيالَها

And what an utterance—I dragged

Let alone a poem that dragged

its trailing skirts over the palm of shit.

At the edge of weapons, its trains

صَفعت بِصَفعك مِنها القَفا

صَفعت بِصَفعك مِنها القَفا

وَأَوضحتُ للناس أَشكالَها

وَأَوضحتُ للناس أَشكالَها

I slapped your nape with the slap you dealt in it,

You slapped with your slap from it the nape

and I made its forms plain to the people.

And I clarified for people its forms

وَلَو كُنت وَفيتها حَقها

وَلَو كُنت وَفيتها حَقها

خَرئتُ عَلى ذَقن مَن قالها

خَرئتُ عَلى ذَقن مَن قالها

And had I given it its due,

And if I had given it its right

I would have shat on the chin of whoever said it.

I would have spat on the chin of whoever said it

فَتُهني أَعاديك أَن قَد رَأَت

فَتُهني أَعاديك أَن قَد رَأَت

بِنظمكها فيكَ آمالها

بِنظمكها فيكَ آمالها

So you gladden your enemies, for they have seen

So your enemies rejoice that they have seen

their hopes for you fulfilled in your versifying it.

In your composing it hope in you

وَأَما عَقاربك اللاسِعاتُ

وَأَما عَقاربك اللاسِعاتُ

بِشَولة هُجومك مِن طالها

بِشَولة هُجومك مِن طالها

And as for your scorpions, which sting

As for your stinging scorpions

whoever reaches them with your attack's upraised tail,

With the audacity of your attack, so long

فَعِندي لَها رَقيةٌ ما وَعَت

فَعِندي لَها رَقيةٌ ما وَعَت

مَسامع مَخلوقٍ أَمثالها

مَسامع مَخلوقٍ أَمثالها

I have an incantation for them; never have

I have for them an incantation they never knew

any creature's ears heard its like.

The hearing of any creature like them

تُميت العَقارب مِن حينها

تُميت العَقارب مِن حينها

وَتُبرئُ مَلسوعَها يا لَها

وَتُبرئُ مَلسوعَها يا لَها

It kills the scorpions at once,

It kills scorpions instantly

and heals those they stung—what a charm!

And heals their sting, oh my!

وَدرياق مَنظومة شُربُها

وَدرياق مَنظومة شُربُها

يُذيب السُموم وَأَغوالها

يُذيب السُموم وَأَغوالها

And an antidote in verse: drinking it

And an antidotal poem, drinking it

dissolves poisons and their deadly harms.

Dissolves poisons and their conglomerate

فَإِن هِيَ دَبَت إِلى لَسعِها

فَإِن هِيَ دَبَت إِلى لَسعِها

وَعادَت إِلى الغَيّ عُدنا لَها

وَعادَت إِلى الغَيّ عُدنا لَها

So if they creep forth to sting,

So if they crept to their sting

and return to waywardness, we shall return to them.

And returned to delusion, we repeat it for them