قَدindeed أَهدَفَoffered a target الغَثُّthe worthless one العَمىthe blind one لَوif لَمnot يَكُنbe
قَد أَهدَفَ الغَثُّ العَمى لَو لَم يَكُن
وَغداًa knave وَلَيسَand is not الوَغدُthe knave مِنamong أَهدافيmy targets
وَغداً وَلَيسَ الوَغدُ مِن أَهدافي
The worthless blind man would have been a target, had he not been
The blind rain has targeted blindness, had it not been
A knave—and knaves are not among my targets.
And tomorrow, yet tomorrow is not among my targets
وَأَتىand he came بِأَبياتٍwith verses لَهُbelonging to him مَسروقَةٍstolen
وَأَتى بِأَبياتٍ لَهُ مَسروقَةٍ
شَتّىdisparate النِجارِorigins وَنِسبَةٍand lineage أَفوافِpatchwork
شَتّى النِجارِ وَنِسبَةٍ أَفوافِ
And he brought stolen verses of his,
And came up with verses stolen for him
Of disparate stock and patchwork lineage.
Scattered carpenter work and dubious lineage
ماnot إِنindeed يَزالُceases يَجُرُّdrags مِنfrom أَشعارِهِhis poems
ما إِن يَزالُ يَجُرُّ مِن أَشعارِهِ
جيفاًcarcasses فَكَيفَso how أَقولُshall I speak فيabout الجَيّافِthe carrion-scavenger
جيفاً فَكَيفَ أَقولُ في الجَيّافِ
He never stops dragging from his poems
He still drags from his poems
Carcasses—so what can I say of the carrion-scavenger?
A carcass, so how can I speak amid the barrenness
باتَspent the night الشَقِيُّthe wretch قَتيلَslain by أَيرٍa cock بَعدَafter ماthat
باتَ الشَقِيُّ قَتيلَ أَيرٍ بَعدَ ما
آلَended الهِجاءُsatire بِهِwith him قَتيلَslain by قَوافِrhymes
آلَ الهِجاءُ بِهِ قَتيلَ قَوافِ
The wretch lay slain by a cock, after
The wretched one perished, a victim of spite after
Satire had left him slain by rhymes.
Invective made him a victim of canyon pits
يُنبيكَinforms you عَنof حَلَقِيَّةٍan anal-ring inclination فيin شِعرِهِhis poetry
يُنبيكَ عَن حَلَقِيَّةٍ في شِعرِهِ
بِتَعَصُّبٍthrough partisanship لِلّامِfor lām دونَrather than الكافِkāf
بِتَعَصُّبٍ لِلّامِ دونَ الكافِ
His verse betrays a fondness for the 'ring',
It cautions you of a circle in his poetry
Through his zeal for lām rather than kāf.
With bias for the 'l' over the 'k'
وَالشاعِرُand the poet السَرّاجُthe saddler كانَused to يَفوتُناsurpass us
وَالشاعِرُ السَرّاجُ كانَ يَفوتُنا
عَجَباًin wonder فَقُلso speak فيof الشاعِرِthe poet الإِسكافِthe cobbler
عَجَباً فَقُل في الشاعِرِ الإِسكافِ
And the saddler-poet used to leave us
The illuminating poet Sarraj did amaze us
Marveling—so what of the cobbler-poet!
So speak of the ignorant poet
مُتَلَفِّفُbunched up العُثنونِthe chin-beard مِنfrom إِكبابِهِhis stooping
مُتَلَفِّفُ العُثنونِ مِن إِكبابِهِ
لِلخَرزِfor leather-stitching بَينَamong قَوالِبٍlasts وَأَشافِand awls
لِلخَرزِ بَينَ قَوالِبٍ وَأَشافِ
His beard is bunched up from his stooping
Wrapped in the bent posture of his hunchback
To stitch leather, among lasts and awls.
For the beads between the molds and rims
فَقَدَتكَhave lost you أَقدامُfeet العُلوجِthe foreign louts فَكُلُّso all مَنwhoever
فَقَدَتكَ أَقدامُ العُلوجِ فَكُلُّ مَن
بِبِلادِin the lands of رَأسِRaʾs (head) العَينِal-ʿAyn (the spring) بَعدَكَafter you حافِbarefoot
بِبِلادِ رَأسِ العَينِ بَعدَكَ حافِ
The foreign louts' feet have lost you, so everyone
Your feet have missed you, so everyone in
In the lands of Raʾs al-ʿAyn is barefoot after you.
The lands of Ras al-Ain after you is lacking
وَزَعَمتَand you claimed أَنَّكَthat you خَثعَمِيٌّa Khathʿamī بَعدَماafter
وَزَعَمتَ أَنَّكَ خَثعَمِيٌّ بَعدَما
عَرَفواthey knew أَباكَyour father فَبَعضَso less of ذاthis الإِرجافِfalse rumor-mongering
عَرَفوا أَباكَ فَبَعضَ ذا الإِرجافِ
And you claimed you were a Khathʿamī, after
And you claimed to be a Khat'ami after
They knew your father—less of this false rumor-mongering!
They knew your father, so some of this quaking
إِنّيindeed I قَنِعتُwas content بِخَثعَمٍwith Khathʿam وَهيَand it الَّتيwhich
إِنّي قَنِعتُ بِخَثعَمٍ وَهيَ الَّتي
لَيسَتis not مِنَamong الأَنسابِlineages غَيرَother than كَفافِbare sufficiency
لَيسَت مِنَ الأَنسابِ غَيرَ كَفافِ
I was content with Khathʿam, though it
I am content with a Khat'ami which is
Is no more than bare sufficiency among lineages.
Not of lineages other than self-sufficiency
ماnot قَصَّرَتfell short بِكَwith you هِمَّةٌambition عَنof هاشِمِHāshim
ما قَصَّرَت بِكَ هِمَّةٌ عَن هاشِمِ
لَولاbut for اتِّقاءُguarding against عُقوبَةِpunishment الأَشرافِthe nobles
لَولا اتِّقاءُ عُقوبَةِ الأَشرافِ
Your ambition would not have stopped short of Hāshim,
No ambition in you fell short of Hashim
But for fear of punishment by the nobles.
Had it not been for fear of the nobility's punishment
أَسَرَقتَdid you steal شِعريmy poetry ثُمَّthen جِئتَyou came تَذُمُّنيto revile me
أَسَرَقتَ شِعري ثُمَّ جِئتَ تَذُمُّني
ياO وَغدُknave ماnot هَذاthis مِنَof الإِنصافِfairness
يا وَغدُ ما هَذا مِنَ الإِنصافِ
Did you steal my poetry, then come to revile me?
You stole my poetry then came to blame me
You knave, this is not fair!
Oh tomorrow what is this lacking in equity
وَجَرَيتَand you raced تَطلُبُنيpursuing me فَرَدَّكَbut sent you back خائِباًthwarted
وَجَرَيتَ تَطلُبُني فَرَدَّكَ خائِباً
حَسبُpedigree الحِمارِthe donkey وَكَبوَةُand the stumble الإِقرافِbase paternal descent
حَسبُ الحِمارِ وَكَبوَةُ الإِقرافِ
You raced to catch me, but were driven back, thwarted,
And you went about pursuing me but were sent back disappointed
By a donkey's pedigree and the stumble of base descent.
The donkey's measure and the shame of begging
إِنif لَمnot أَدُلَّI point out عَلىto أَبيكَyour father فَإِنَّنيthen indeed I
إِن لَم أَدُلَّ عَلى أَبيكَ فَإِنَّني
مِنfrom لُؤمِbaseness نُطفَةِseed جَدِّكَyour grandfather النَطّافِthe water-carrier
مِن لُؤمِ نُطفَةِ جَدِّكَ النَطّافِ
If I do not point out your father, then I am
If I don't identify your father, then I
From the vile seed of your grandfather, the water-carrier.
Am of the vile sperm of your announcer grandfather
Sol 6.1