يا ساكني حلب العوا

يا ساكني حلب العوا

صم جادها صوب الغمامه

صم جادها صوب الغمامه

O dwellers of Aleppo of al-ʿAwāṣim—

O residents of Aleppo the lofty

may the raincloud’s downpour water her!

Deafen its path towards the clouds

أنا في مدينتكم غري

أنا في مدينتكم غري

ب لست من أهل الإقامه

ب لست من أهل الإقامه

I am a stranger in your city;

I am a stranger in your city

I am not one of its settled inhabitants.

But I'm not one to settle

والخان يحدث للغري

والخان يحدث للغري

ب إذا أبن بن سآمه

ب إذا أبن بن سآمه

And the inn brings a stranger

And the Khan tells strangers

boredom whenever he lodges there.

When Ibn Sama is bored

فقرضت من طول المقا

فقرضت من طول المقا

م بها وأعوزت المدامه

م بها وأعوزت المدامه

So I grew restless from staying so long

So I took from the long residence

there, and wine ran short.

In it and missed the bottle

وخرجت في بعض الليا

وخرجت في بعض الليا

لي قاصداً باب السلامه

لي قاصداً باب السلامه

And I went out one night,

And I went out one night

heading for Bāb al-Salāmah.

Heading to the door of safety

وشربت من بئر بها

وشربت من بئر بها

من يأتها ينقع أوامه

من يأتها ينقع أوامه

And I drank from a well there:

And I drank from a well in it

whoever comes to it quenches his burning thirst.

Whoever comes to it soaks his tent

ورتعت في فلواته

ورتعت في فلواته

وعلوت مرتقياً أكامه

وعلوت مرتقياً أكامه

And I roamed freely through its open wastes,

And I grazed in its wilderness

and climbed up its hillocks.

And ascended climbing its dunes

فلمحت في بعض الوها

فلمحت في بعض الوها

د وقد قعدت سواد هامه

د وقد قعدت سواد هامه

I glimpsed, in one of the hollows,

So I caught sight of in some of the lowlands

while seated, the dark outline of a head.

And she sat the black protector

فسعيت أحسبها غرا

فسعيت أحسبها غرا

باً أو حداة أو حمامه

باً أو حداة أو حمامه

So I hurried over, thinking it a raven,

So I tried, thinking she was

or a kite, or a dove.

A cow or a nanny goat or a pigeon

وإذا بأسود كالفني

وإذا بأسود كالفني

ق يقل إيراً كالدعامه

ق يقل إيراً كالدعامه

And lo! a black man like a stud camel,

And lo a hyena as black as coal

bearing a cock like a pillar.

Says little like a pillar

وإذا بشيخ تحته

وإذا بشيخ تحته

حسن الوسامة والقسامه

حسن الوسامة والقسامه

And lo! an old man beneath him,

And lo a Shaykh under it

handsome in face and features.

Of good appearance and division

والشيخ يعصر تحته

والشيخ يعصر تحته

قد بل من عرق حزامه

قد بل من عرق حزامه

The old man was being squeezed beneath him,

And the Shaykh squeezes underneath

his belt already soaked with sweat.

He reached the sweat of his belt

فزجرت نايكه فقا

فزجرت نايكه فقا

ل له ألست ترى مقامه

ل له ألست ترى مقامه

I rebuked his fucker, who then said

So I scolded his shepherd and he

to him, “Do you not see his rank?

Said to him, do you not see his position?

انهض فديتك علنا

انهض فديتك علنا

نقضي بنهضتنا ذمامه

نقضي بنهضتنا ذمامه

Rise, may I be your ransom; perhaps

Get up for your sake, let's

by rising we may pay him his due,

Get our reins by your rise

ونعود بعد عزوبه

ونعود بعد عزوبه

عنا وتربحنا خصامه

عنا وتربحنا خصامه

and return after he has gone

And return after separation

away from us; and you will spare us a quarrel with him.”

From us and make our dispute good

فسطا عليه وقال نك

فسطا عليه وقال نك

لا كان ذاك ولا كرامه

لا كان ذاك ولا كرامه

Then he lashed out at him and said, “Fuck on!

So he jumped on him and said no

None of that, and no courtesies!

That was not the case nor honor

هذا الرقيع بعينه

هذا الرقيع بعينه

لي في رقاعته علامه

لي في رقاعته علامه

This very fool—

This rug in particular

I have a sign of his impudence:

Is mine in its rug a mark

لولا فضول فيه لم

لولا فضول فيه لم

يصرف إلى دبري اهتمامه

يصرف إلى دبري اهتمامه

were he not so meddlesome, he would not

Had it not been extra for him

turn his attention to my ass.”

He would not have turned his attention to my back

وبكى وقال لي امض وي

وبكى وقال لي امض وي

ك واسأل الله السلامه

ك واسأل الله السلامه

He wept and said to me, “Go, woe to you,

And he cried and said to me, go

and ask God for safety.

And ask God for safety

واشكره لما صار سر

واشكره لما صار سر

مك لا يريد له صمامه

مك لا يريد له صمامه

And thank Him that your asshole

And thank him for what was

has no need of a plug.

Your secret, he does not want a lock for it

واعلم بأني كنت من

واعلم بأني كنت من

أهل الرياسة والزعامه

أهل الرياسة والزعامه

And know that I was once among

And know that I was one

the men of authority and leadership.

Of the people of leadership and leadership

يومى إلي إذا عبر

يومى إلي إذا عبر

ت يقال ذا ابن أبي أسامه

ت يقال ذا ابن أبي أسامه

People pointed me out whenever I passed,

My day when you pass

saying, ‘This is Ibn Abī Usāmah,’

It is said this is the son of Abu Asama

حتى ابتليت بمعبري

حتى ابتليت بمعبري

فحصلت بين الناس شامه

فحصلت بين الناس شامه

until I was plagued by my rear passage,

Until I was tested with my passing

and became a blot among the people.”

So I became a defamation among the people

فعجبت من تلك الفصا

فعجبت من تلك الفصا

حة وهو يعفج والعرامه

حة وهو يعفج والعرامه

So I marveled at that eloquence—

So I wondered at that clarity while he blah blah'd and the bats

while he was being fucked!—and at his shamelessness:

A Shaykh who addresses me

شيخ له سمة تخا

شيخ له سمة تخا

طبني بألفاظ مقامه

طبني بألفاظ مقامه

an old man whose bearing addressed

With the words of his position

me in the diction of a maqāmah,

And the hyena drowns in his distraction

والأير يغرق في استه

والأير يغرق في استه

قد غاب في مفساه قامه

قد غاب في مفساه قامه

while the cock was drowning in his ass,

Disappeared into his towering tent

a full man’s height of it already lost in his fart-hole.

So the Abyssinian laughed at

فتضاحك الحبشي من

فتضاحك الحبشي من

ه وقال لا تسمع كلامه

ه وقال لا تسمع كلامه

Then the Abyssinian laughed at

Him and said do not listen to his talk

him and said, “Do not listen to his words.

This and your living is the habit

هذا وعيشك دأبة

هذا وعيشك دأبة

من قبل مبلغه احتلامه

من قبل مبلغه احتلامه

This, by your life, has been his habit

Of one who reached puberty before him

since before he reached puberty.

He always competes with those distracted

أبدا يباري باسته

أبدا يباري باسته

بين الورى صوب الغماه

بين الورى صوب الغماه

With his ass he forever rivals

Towards the clouds of sorrows

the raincloud’s downpour among mankind.”

And took him from his back

واستله من دبره

واستله من دبره

وكأنه عنق النعامه

وكأنه عنق النعامه

Then he drew it out of his ass,

As if he were the ostrich's neck

and it looked like an ostrich’s neck.