إِن تَصلُح فَإِنَّكَ عابِدِيٌّ

إِن تَصلُح فَإِنَّكَ عابِدِيٌّ

وَصُلحُ العابِدِيِّ إِلى فَسادِ

وَصُلحُ العابِدِيِّ إِلى فَسادِ

If you mend your ways, you are an ʿĀbidī,

If you are righteous, you are but a worshipper

and an ʿĀbidī's reform leads to corruption.

And the righteousness of a worshipper leads to corruption

وَإِن تَفسُد فَما أُلفيتَ إِلّا

وَإِن تَفسُد فَما أُلفيتَ إِلّا

بَعيداً ما عَلِمتُ مِنَ السَدادِ

بَعيداً ما عَلِمتُ مِنَ السَدادِ

And if you turn corrupt, you have been found to be nothing but

If you are corrupt, you were never anything

far from uprightness, so far as I know.

But far from rectitude, as far as I knew

وَتَلقاهُ عَلى ما كانَ فيهِ

وَتَلقاهُ عَلى ما كانَ فيهِ

مِنَ الهَفَواتِ أَو نوكِ الفُؤادِ

مِنَ الهَفَواتِ أَو نوكِ الفُؤادِ

And you find him, with all that is in him

And I find him as he was

of lapses or foolishness of heart,

Full of folly, or sickness of heart

مُبينَ الغَيِّ لا يَعيا عَلَيهِ

مُبينَ الغَيِّ لا يَعيا عَلَيهِ

وَيَعيا بَعدُ عَن سُبُلِ الرَشادِ

وَيَعيا بَعدُ عَن سُبُلِ الرَشادِ

plainly wayward—he has no difficulty with that,

Revealing evil, not perceiving it

yet still at a loss for the paths of right guidance.

And perceiving later, astray from the path of guidance

فَفيمَ تَقولُ يَشتُمُني لَئيمٌ

فَفيمَ تَقولُ يَشتُمُني لَئيمٌ

كَخِنزيرٍ تَمَرَّغَ في رَمادِ

كَخِنزيرٍ تَمَرَّغَ في رَمادِ

Why, then, do you say, “A vile man insults me,

Why does a scoundrel insult me?

like a pig that has wallowed in ashes”?

Like a pig wallowing in ashes

فَأَشهَدُ أَنَّ أُمَّكَ مِلبَغايا

فَأَشهَدُ أَنَّ أُمَّكَ مِلبَغايا

وَأَنَّ أَباكَ مِن شَرِّ العِبادِ

وَأَنَّ أَباكَ مِن شَرِّ العِبادِ

So I bear witness that your mother is among the prostitutes,

I bear witness that your mother is a whore

and that your father is among the worst of men.

And your father among the worst of men

فَلَن أَنفَكَّ أَهجو عابِدِيّاً

فَلَن أَنفَكَّ أَهجو عابِدِيّاً

طَوالَ الدَهرِ ما نادى المُنادي

طَوالَ الدَهرِ ما نادى المُنادي

So I shall never cease lampooning an ʿĀbidī,

So I shall never cease lampooning a worshipper

throughout all time, as long as the caller calls.

As long as the caller calls

وَقَد سارَت قَوافٍ باقِياتٌ

وَقَد سارَت قَوافٍ باقِياتٌ

تَناشَدَها الرُواةُ بِكُلِّ وادي

تَناشَدَها الرُواةُ بِكُلِّ وادي

And enduring rhymes have already traveled,

And rhymes have circulated

which reciters have recited to one another in every valley.

Recited by narrators in every valley

فَقُبِّحَ عابِدٌ وَبَنو أَبيهِ

فَقُبِّحَ عابِدٌ وَبَنو أَبيهِ

فَإِنَّ مَعادَهُم شَرُّ المَعادِ

فَإِنَّ مَعادَهُم شَرُّ المَعادِ

So may ʿĀbid and his father's sons be disgraced,

So cursed is the worshipper and the sons of his father

for their final return is the worst of returns.

For their fate is the worst fate