قلْ لابنِ حرْبٍ قد جَنَيْ

قلْ لابنِ حرْبٍ قد جَنَيْ

تَ عليك حرباً فاصطَبِر

تَ عليك حرباً فاصطَبِر

Tell Ibn Harb: you have brought

Tell Ibn Harb: you have brought

through it, war upon yourself—so endure.

war upon yourself, so bear it patiently.

أنتَ الذي بسقوطِه

أنتَ الذي بسقوطِه

يُدعى أبوه أبو العِبَر

يُدعى أبوه أبو العِبَر

You are the one through whose fall

You are the one whose baseness

your father is called Abu al-ʿIbar—Father of Lessons.

makes his father known as Abu al-ʿIbar.

لِمْ عِبْتَ شِعري وهو أو

لِمْ عِبْتَ شِعري وهو أو

ضاحٌ تَبسَّمُ أو غُرَر

ضاحٌ تَبسَّمُ أو غُرَر

Why fault my poetry, when its smile is

Why did you disparage my poetry, when it is

white markings—or radiant brow-blazes?

gleaming teeth that smile, or white forehead blazes?

أَحُرِمْتَ نَشرَ العَنبرِ ال

أَحُرِمْتَ نَشرَ العَنبرِ ال

وَردِ الذي منه انْتَشر

وَردِ الذي منه انْتَشر

Were you denied the wafted scent of amber—the

Were you denied the fragrance of ambergris—

rose from which it spread?

rose-hued—that wafted from it?

أم قد مُنِعْتَ الفِكْرَ في

أم قد مُنِعْتَ الفِكْرَ في

ه كما مُنِعتَ من النَّظَر

ه كما مُنِعتَ من النَّظَر

Or were you denied reflection upon

Or were you denied the power to reflect on

it, just as you were denied sight?

it, just as you were denied sight?

إني لأرحَمُ شاعراً

إني لأرحَمُ شاعراً

حُرْمَ البصيرةَ والبَصر

حُرْمَ البصيرةَ والبَصر

Indeed, I pity a poet

I truly pity a poet

deprived of insight and of sight.

deprived of insight and eyesight.