ما أَنصَفَ القَومُ ضَبَّه

وَأُمَّهُ الطُرطُبَّه

The people have not treated Dabbah fairly,

Nor his mother, that flabby, wretched hag.

رَمَوا بِرَأسِ أَبيهِ

وَباكَوا الأُمَّ غُلبَه

They cast aside his father's head,

And ravished the mother by sheer force.

فَلا بِمَن ماتَ فَخرٌ

وَلا بِمَن نيكَ رَغبَه

No honor lies in the one who died,

Nor desire in the one who was bedded down.

وَإِنَّما قُلتُ ما قُل

تُ رَحمَةً لا مَحَبَّه

I only spoke the words I spoke

Out of pity, not out of love,

وَحيلَةً لَكَ حَتّى

عُذِرتَ لَو كُنتَ تيبَه

A ruse on your behalf, until

You might be excused, were you but a simpleton.

وَما عَلَيكَ مِنَ القَتـ

ـلِ إِنَّما هِيَ ضَربَه

You feel no shame from murder's stain,

For to you, it is merely a blow.

وَما عَلَيكَ مِنَ الغَد

رِ إِنَّما هُوَ سُبَّه

You feel no guilt for treachery,

For to you, it is merely a slur.

وَما عَلَيكَ مِنَ العا

رِ إِنَّ أُمَّكَ قَحبَه

You feel no weight of scandal's brand,

That your mother is a common whore.

وَما يَشُقُّ عَلى الكَل

بِ أَن يَكونَ اِبنَ كَلبَه

Indeed, it burdens not the dog

To be born the son of a bitch.

ما ضَرَّها مَن أَتاها

وَإِنَّما ضَرَّ صُلبَه

No visitor ever caused her harm,

He only exhausted his own loins.

وَلَم يَنِكها وَلَكِن

عِجانُها ناكَ زُبَّه

He did not pierce her, truth be told,

Her perineum engulfed his rod.

يَلومُ ضَبَّةَ قَومٌ

وَلا يَلومونَ قَلبَه

Some folk cast blame on Dabbah,

Yet they do not blame his heart.

وَقَلبُهُ يَتَشَهّى

وَيُلزِمُ الجِسمَ ذَنبَه

For his heart craves what it craves,

And binds the body to its sin.

لَو أَبصَرَ الجِذعَ شَيئاً

أَحَبَّ في الجِذعِ صَلبَه

If the palm trunk saw a threat approaching,

He’d wish to be nailed upon that wood.

يا أَطيَبَ الناسِ نَفساً

وَأَليَنَ الناسِ رُكبَه

O you of the most 'generous' spirit,

And the softest knees in all the land,

وَأَخبَثَ الناسِ أَصلاً

في أَخبَثِ الأَرضِ تُربَه

Most rotten of men in your roots,

Grown from the earth's most filthy soil.

وَأَرخَصَ الناسِ أُمّاً

تَبيعُ أَلفاً بِحَبَّه

You possess the cheapest of mothers,

Selling a thousand men for a single grain.

كُلُّ الفُعولِ سِهامٌ

لِمَريَمٍ وَهيَ جَعبَه

Every stallion is but an arrow,

For Maryam, and she is the quiver.

وَما عَلى مَن بِهِ الدا

ءُ مِن لِقاءِ الأَطِبَّه

There is no blame on one diseased

For seeking out the doctor’s cure.

وَلَيسَ بَينَ هَلوكٍ

وَحُرَّةٍ غَيرُ خِطبَه

There stands naught 'twixt a slattern

And a lady, save a marriage vow.

يا قاتِلاً كُلَّ ضَيفٍ

غَناهُ ضَيحٌ وَعُلبَه

O slayer of every wandering guest,

Whose wealth is but milk and a wooden bowl,

وَخَوفُ كُلِّ رَفيقٍ

أَباتَكَ اللَيلُ جَنبَه

The terror of every comrade,

Whom night has placed beside your flank.

كَذا خُلِقتَ وَمَن ذا الـ

ـلَذي يُغالِبُ رَبَّه

Thus were you made; and who is he

That can contend against his Lord?

وَمَن يُبالي بِذَمٍّ

إِذا تَعَوَّدَ كَسبَه

And who would care for censure's sting,

If earning it is his daily trade?

أَما تَرى الخَيلَ في النَخـ

ـلِ سُربَةً بَعدَ سُربَه

Do you not see the cavalry in the grove,

Charging forward, troop on troop?

عَلى نِسائِكَ تَجلو

فَعولَها مُنذُ سَنبَه

Upon your women they display

Their tools of war, since time began.

وَهُنَّ حَولَكَ يَنظُر

نَ وَالأُحَيراحُ رَطبَه

They stand around you, gazing on,

While their eager parts grow moist.

وَكُلُّ غُرمولِ بَغلٍ

يَرَينَ يَحسُدنَ قُنبَه

And every mule-like member there,

They eye with envy for its sheath.

فَسَل فُؤادَكَ يا ضَبـ

ـبَ أَينَ خَلَّفَ عُجبَه

So ask your own heart, O Dabbah,

Where it left its vanity behind.

وَإِن يَخُنكَ لَعَمري

لَطالَما خانَ صَحبَه

And if it betrays you—by my life!—

It has long betrayed its friends.

وَكَيفَ تَرغَبُ فيهِ

وَقَد تَبَيَّنتَ رُعبَه

How can you hope to find it now,

When you have clearly seen its dread?

ما كُنتَ إِلّا ذُباباً

نَفَتكَ عَنّا مِذَبَّه

You were never more than a fly,

That a swatter drove away from us.

وَكُنتَ تَفخَرُ تيهاً

فَصِرتَ تَضرِطُ رَهبَه

You used to boast with haughty pride,

Now you break wind in sheer panic.

وَإِن بَعُدنا قَليلاً

حَمَلتَ رُمحاً وَحَربَه

If we withdrew but a little ways,

You’d brandish spear and javelin,

وَقُلتَ لَيتَ بِكَفّي

عِنانَ جَرداءَ شَطبَه

And say, 'If only my hand held

The reins of a swift, lean mare!'

إِن أَوحَشَتكَ المَعالي

فَإِنَّها دارُ غُربَه

If noble deeds feel strange to you,

For they are a land of exile to your kind.

أَو آنَسَتكَ المَخازي

فَإِنَّها لَكَ نِسبَه

But if disgrace brings you comfort,

Then know that it is your true kin.

وَإِن عَرَفتَ مُرادي

تَكَشَّفَت عَنكَ كُربَه

If you have grasped my meaning well,

Then a burden is lifted from your mind.

وَإِن جَهِلتَ مُرادي

فَإِنَّهُ بِكَ أَشبَه

But if my meaning escapes you still,

Then ignorance suits you best of all.