اخسأْ لَحَاكَ اللّهُ كلبَ دَنَاءَةٍ

اخسأْ لَحَاكَ اللّهُ كلبَ دَنَاءَةٍ

كلباً يروح على النِّباحِ ويغْتدي

كلباً يروح على النِّباحِ ويغْتدي

Away with you—may God curse you, dog of vileness!

Begone—may God curse you, vile dog!

A dog that goes barking evening and morning,

A dog that goes out barking in the evening and in the morning.

يهدي المدائِحَ للِّئَامِ فإنْ هَجا

يهدي المدائِحَ للِّئَامِ فإنْ هَجا

فهجاؤه أبَداً لأهل السُّؤْدُدِ

فهجاؤه أبَداً لأهل السُّؤْدُدِ

He offers praises to the ignoble; but when he lampoons,

He offers praises to the ignoble; and if he satirizes,

His satire is always aimed at people of noble eminence.

Then his satire is always aimed at the noble.

مثل المسَلَّجِ في المخارج خَارِياً

مثل المسَلَّجِ في المخارج خَارِياً

وتراه يضْرُطُ على عِراصِ المسجِدِ

وتراه يضْرُطُ على عِراصِ المسجِدِ

Like a man with the runs, defecating in the privies,

Like a man with loosened bowels, shitting in the privies,

You see him farting across the courtyards of the mosque.

And you see him farting in the mosque's courtyards.

لو لم أعَفْهُ أجبْتُهُ فقتلتُهُ

لو لم أعَفْهُ أجبْتُهُ فقتلتُهُ

لكنَّ لساني لَمْ يُجِبْهُ ولا يَدي

لكنَّ لساني لَمْ يُجِبْهُ ولا يَدي

Were I not disgusted by him, I would answer him—and kill him.

Had I not loathed him, I would have answered him and then killed him;

But my tongue gave him no answer, nor did my hand.

But neither my tongue nor my hand answered him.