شَهِدتُ عَلى الزَيدِيِّ أَنَّ نِساءَهَ

شَهِدتُ عَلى الزَيدِيِّ أَنَّ نِساءَهَ

ضِياعٌ إِلى أَيرِ العُقَيلِيِّ تَزفِرُ

ضِياعٌ إِلى أَيرِ العُقَيلِيِّ تَزفِرُ

I testified against al-Zaydi that his women

I bear witness that Zayd's wives

are neglected, sighing for al-Uqayli’s cock.

Are lost property to Ibn Uqail

بَلَوتُ بَني زَيدٍ فَما في كِبارِهِم

بَلَوتُ بَني زَيدٍ فَما في كِبارِهِم

حُلومٌ ولا في الأَصغَرينَ مُطَهَّرُ

حُلومٌ ولا في الأَصغَرينَ مُطَهَّرُ

I have tested the sons of Zayd: among their elders there is no

I have tested the Zayds, and amongst their elders

wisdom, nor among the younger ones anyone untainted.

There is neither sweetness nor purity among the young

فَأَبلِغ بَني زَيدٍ وَقُل لِسُراتِهِم

فَأَبلِغ بَني زَيدٍ وَقُل لِسُراتِهِم

وَإِن لَم يَكُن فيهِم سُراةٌ تُوَقَّرُ

وَإِن لَم يَكُن فيهِم سُراةٌ تُوَقَّرُ

So inform the sons of Zayd, and tell their chiefs—

So inform the Zayds and say to their elite

though among them there are no chiefs worthy of respect—

Even if there are no respected elite among them

لأُمِّكُمُ الوَيلاتُ إِنَّ قَصائِدي

لأُمِّكُمُ الوَيلاتُ إِنَّ قَصائِدي

صَواعِقُ مِنها مُنجِدُ وَمُغَوِّرُ

صَواعِقُ مِنها مُنجِدُ وَمُغَوِّرُ

“Woes upon your mother! My poems

Woe to their mother! My poems

are thunderbolts, some bound for the uplands, others for the lowlands.”

Are thunderbolts, some supportive, some destructive

أَجَدَّهُمُ لا يَتَّقون دَنِيَّةً

أَجَدَّهُمُ لا يَتَّقون دَنِيَّةً

وَلا يُؤثِرونَ الخَيرَ وَالخَيرُ يُؤثَرُ

وَلا يُؤثِرونَ الخَيرَ وَالخَيرُ يُؤثَرُ

Is it really true that they shun no base deed,

They are extremely ignoble, fearing no baseness

nor prefer goodness, though goodness is preferred?

Preferring neither good nor the preference of good

يَلُفّونَ أَولادَ الزِنى في عِدادِهِم

يَلُفّونَ أَولادَ الزِنى في عِدادِهِم

فَعِدَّتُهُم مِن عِدَّةِ الناسِ أَكثَرُ

فَعِدَّتُهُم مِن عِدَّةِ الناسِ أَكثَرُ

They gather children of fornication into their ranks,

They count the children of adultery among their number

so their number is greater than other people’s.

So their number among the people is greater

إِذ ما رَأَوا مَن دَأبُهُ مِثلُ دَأبِهِم

إِذ ما رَأَوا مَن دَأبُهُ مِثلُ دَأبِهِم

أَطافوا بِهِ وَالغَيُّ لِلغَيِّ أَصورُ

أَطافوا بِهِ وَالغَيُّ لِلغَيِّ أَصورُ

Whenever they see someone whose ways resemble theirs,

When they saw one whose habit was like theirs

they gather around him: vice is drawn most strongly to vice.

They circled around him, and the wicked are kin to the wicked

وَلو فارَقوا ما فيهِمُ مِن دَعارَةٍ

وَلو فارَقوا ما فيهِمُ مِن دَعارَةٍ

لَما عَرَفَتهُم أُمُّهُم حينَ تَنظُرُ

لَما عَرَفَتهُم أُمُّهُم حينَ تَنظُرُ

And if they abandoned the depravity within them,

If they were to abandon the depravity that is in them

their mother would not recognize them when she looked.

Their mother would not recognize them when she looked

لَقَد فَخَروا بِالمُلحَقين عَشِيَّةً

لَقَد فَخَروا بِالمُلحَقين عَشِيَّةً

فَقُلتُ اِفخَروا إِن كانَ في اللُؤمِ مَفخَر

فَقُلتُ اِفخَروا إِن كانَ في اللُؤمِ مَفخَر

They indeed boasted one evening of those added to their lineage,

They took pride in attaching themselves to me one evening

so I said, “Boast, if there is cause for pride in baseness!”

So I said: take pride if there is pride in villainy

يُريدونَ مَسعاتي وَدونَ لِقائِها

يُريدونَ مَسعاتي وَدونَ لِقائِها

قَناديلُ أَبوابِ السَماواتِ تَزهَرُ

قَناديلُ أَبوابِ السَماواتِ تَزهَرُ

They aspire to my achievement, but between them and its attainment

They want my visits, and without meeting me

the lamps at the gates of the heavens gleam.

The lanterns of the gates of heaven bloom

فَقُل في بَني زَيدٍ كَما قالَ مُعرِبٌ

فَقُل في بَني زَيدٍ كَما قالَ مُعرِبٌ

قَواريرُ حَجّامٍ غَداً تَتَكَسَّرُ

قَواريرُ حَجّامٍ غَداً تَتَكَسَّرُ

So say of the sons of Zayd what an eloquent speaker said:

So say about the Zayds what Mu'arib said

“A bloodletter’s glass bottles—tomorrow they will shatter.”

The bleeding cups of the cupper will be shattered tomorrow