قال الخفنجي والسلام تحيه

تهدى إلى التاريخ بحسن نيه

Al-Khafanji said: Peace is a greeting,

offered to History in good faith.

هذا ولى في زعبتي قضيه

وحجتي في عرضها جليه

Now, I have a case in my pouch,

and my argument is clear when presented.

الشمر ثوران قد مهد وخبص

وقذ أقوال الرجال بالنص

Al-Shamr, that big bull, has laid things out and muddled them up;

he has snipped out men's statements verbatim,

واجتر لابحاث كالوجيم وقحص

وصير التاريخ هو شليه

regurgitated the research like an ox and pawed the ground,

and turned History itself into a tattered scrap.

فجوب التاريخ وقال أبشر

الخوض هذا قد عرف وشهر

History answered and said: Take heart.

This meddling has become known and notorious.

وانت عالم أنني مبهرر

وضربتي ما هي ولا دليه

You know that I am formidable,

and my blow is anything but feeble.

لكنني شادعي إياس وصحبه

والواسعي ثم ابن عبد ربه

But I shall summon Iyas and his companions,

and Al-Wasi‘i, then Ibn ‘Abd Rabbih,

وكل من قد خط لي بكتبه

والوعد يا بني بيننا الغديه

and everyone who has written of me in his books.

Our appointment, my son, is tomorrow morning.

واقبل التاريخ في حمى الله

وقد جرت خلفه عوالم الله

History approached under God's protection,

and God's multitudes ran behind him;

وكل من يرباه يسبح الله

لهيبته والطلعه البهيه

everyone who saw him glorified God

for his majesty and splendid appearance.

وصل إلى الميدان وقال على الفور

هاتو إلى المربيط وادو الثور

He reached the arena and said at once:

Bring him to the tethering place—bring the bull,

مع البقرذي زييت له الشور

فاليوم أخرى من طغى بذيه

with the cows that sweetened the counsel for him.

Today I'll make whoever ran amok here shit himself.

وقال له هذا كتابك اقراه

إن كنت صاحب لفظه ومقراه

He said to him: This is your book—read it,

if you have any command of words and reading.

فضاعت الصعبه وصار مرآه

وقطعته بين الملا زريه

His bravado vanished, and he became a woman,

and his piece was disgraceful before the assembly.

وقشنن الديبع وحمرر اوجان

والخزرجي طنن وبهر راعيان

Al-Dayba‘ scowled, and his cheeks reddened;

Al-Khazraji made a din, and Ra‘yan bellowed.

وصاح في وحه التبيع نشوان

ما هذه الخزوه لك البليه

Nashwan shouted in the young bull's face:

What is this disastrous disgrace of yours?

كرفت للويسي صحايفه كرف

واحمد شرف ما زد تركت له حرف

You scraped Al-Luwaysi's pages clean,

and Ahmad Sharaf—you left him not a single letter!

تشتى تقع ملخيج وانت يا ظرف

ولا تجي للبغل الى هنيه

You want to be a great brain, you empty vessel,

yet you don't come even this close to a mule.

وما كفاك ما قد وقع بالأكوع

واحمد شرف خلاه كسر موقع

Wasn't what happened to Al-Akwa‘ enough for you?

Ahmad Sharaf left him a broken, fallen wreck.

وأنت جيفه أنت حق مرنع

جعلت ظهرك للخنا مطيه

You're a carcass—you belong in a cattle pen;

you've made your back a mount for obscenity.

ما أنت إلا حق تبن حالك

وإلا وجيم من حق بيت مالك

As you are, you're fit for nothing but straw,

or an ox belonging to Bayt Malik;

والهج لا يبرح على فذالك

يكندوك في الصبح والعشيه

the yoke never leaves your nape,

and they cudgel you morning and evening.

وكيف تصدق زقرة الشماحي

وأنت تعرف أنه ملاحي

How can you believe Al-Shamahi's squawking,

when you know he is a flatterer?

كم ظل في قصر الإمام ساحي

يكيل مدحه كيل كبزريه

How long he loitered in the Imam's palace,

doling out praise for him by the measure, like a seed-seller!

وعقبات أحمد مسن حلاق

كاتب بلوك كم زار حوش دهاق

And ‘Aqabat Ahmad—a barber's whetstone—

a company clerk: how often he visited Dahaq's courtyard!

وكان في قصر السيوف دهان

يعاملوه أشوع من البزيه

He was a painter in the Palace of Swords,

and they treated him worse than a beggar woman.

والآن قد أصبح عقيد معمم

ولا معه مهره إلا بيزجم

Now he has become a turbaned colonel,

with no trade except bellowing,

والا على سيده على يرحم

لأنه قد راقصه شويه

or calling on his master ‘Ali for mercy,

because he has danced with him a little.

وحملق التاريخ واشرأبط

فعيقف الثوبر سبلته وعنطط

History glared and craned his neck;

the big bull curled his moustache and reared up.

وأسرع القومان يربطوه ربط

ويرجعوه الى محضر القضيه

The men hurried to bind him fast

and return him to the hearing of the case.

فعاد منكوس القرون ضايم

خايف على جلده يسير قدايم

He returned with his horns lowered, cowed,

afraid his hide would be made into sandals.

ويخوز قوه بالحبل والصرايم

لأن نفسه أصبحت أبيه

He tugged hard at the rope and nose-reins,

for his spirit had grown defiant.

وأصد التاريخ صوت حكمه

مدوياً في جلده وخزمه

History issued his judgment aloud,

resounding through his hide and nose-ring.

وإن يدون ذنبه وجرمه

يتلى مدى الأزمان على البريه

And if his sin and crime are recorded,

they will be recited to humankind throughout the ages.

ودنق القومان في تجمهار

يشنتروا ذاك الكتاب شنتار

The men bent down together in a throng,

tearing that book to shreds,

ويصفعوا به جبهته والادبار

من ميد لا تبقى عبيطريه

and slapping his forehead and backside with it,

so that no foolish bluster would remain.