وَحليتand you adorned نَفسكyourself بِالشعرwith poetry زَعماًsupposedly
وَحليت نَفسك بِالشعر زَعماً
كَشَفتَyou exposed بِهِwith it بَعضsome of سوءاتِهاits shameful parts
كَشَفتَ بِهِ بَعض سوءاتِها
And you adorned yourself with poetry—or so you claimed;
You adorned yourself with poetry, supposedly
With it you exposed some of your shameful parts.
Exposing through it some of your wrongs.
وَوَجهتand you sent forth مِنكَfrom you قَوافٍrhymes غَداhas come to
وَوَجهت مِنكَ قَوافٍ غَدا
يَنمmakes itself known السُلاحthe dung بلباتهاat their throats
يَنم السُلاح بلباتها
And you sent forth rhymes of your own; now
And you aimed verses from yourself the next day
Dung makes itself known at their throats.
That reveal the flaws in their fabric.
عَدَلتَyou turned aside بِهاwith them عَنfrom سواءthe middle of الطَريقthe road
عَدَلتَ بِها عَن سواء الطَريق
إِلىinto خافياتِthe hidden reaches of بُنياتهاits bypaths
إِلى خافياتِ بُنياتها
With them you strayed from the middle of the road
You turned away with it from the right path
Into the hidden reaches of its bypaths.
To the hidden depths of its structure.
فَقُلso tell ليme بِاللَهِby God إِذwhen قُلتَهاyou uttered them
فَقُل لي بِاللَهِ إِذ قُلتَها
خَرئتyou shat عَلىon بَعضsome of أَبياتِهاtheir verses
خَرئت عَلى بَعض أَبياتِها
So tell me, by God, when you uttered them:
So tell me, by God, since you've said it -
Did you shit on some of their verses?
Did you gag on some of its verses?
Sol 6.1