إن كان يحيى يقدِّر

عليَّ فاللَهُ أقدَر

If Yahya deems me unworthy,

If Yahya holds power and sway

God is more powerful than him over me and us.

Over me, then God is mightier still

عليه منه علينا

فمالهُ يتجبّر

Why does he act so arrogantly

Over him, than he could ever be over us,

With a radiant face from which zahar drops drizzle?

So why does he play the tyrant?

وخدّ وجهٍ منيرٍ

بمائهِ الزهرُ يقطر

And with coquetry and flirtation,

By the cheek of a radiant face,

And a lean body like a trimmed branch.

From whose luster the blossoms drip with dew,

ولشغةٍ وخناثٍ

وطيٍّ كشح مخصّر

And when he walks, his buttocks

By a charming lisp and languid grace,

Risk breaking from the swaying.

And the fold of a slender, tapered waist,

وردفهُ حين يمشي

يُخشى عليها التكسّر

O lines of an arched back bending over him

And by hips that sway when he walks,

Like a full inscribed moon.

So heavy one fears the waist might break,

يا خوطَ بانٍ تثنّى

عليه بدرٌ مصوّر

Do not harbor estrangement, for I swore

O swaying bough of the Ban tree,

By a flask and backgammon and the devilish Sheikh, forgive me.

Crowned by a perfect, sculpted moon,

لا تضمر الهجرَ إنّي

حلفتُ إن أنتَ تهجر

I will show you a war in Sowsus

Do not harbor thoughts of leaving, for I

Terrifying and making you flee.

Have sworn a solemn oath if you depart:

بخمرةٍ وبنَردٍ

والشيخِ إبليس فاعذر

And Harith ibn Abbad’s

By deep red wine and the rolling dice,

Thursday gathering I will disrupt.

And by Sheikh Iblis—so accept my excuse!

أُريكَ حربَ بسوسٍ

برهبةٍ وتذعر

And provoke the day of dogs

I shall show you a war like that of Basus,

And do what Zayd did with the stone.

Filled with terror to make you quake,

وحارثَ بن عبادٍ

لذي خميس مجَمهر

And Amer ibn Tufayl

And I shall be as Harith bin 'Abbad,

And the son of Zubair and Antar.

Leading a vast, assembled host,

وهَيجَ يوم كُلابٍ

وفعلَ زيدٍ بحجّر

With the action of a solid palm

And the tumult of the Day of Kulab,

Upon you I have decided a matter.

And the deed Zayd wrought upon Hujr,

وعامرَ بن طفيلٍ

وابن الزبير وعنتر

If you become vain with beauty

And the fury of 'Amir bin Tufayl,

I will come to you with violence and cleave you in two.

And Ibn al-Zubayr and 'Antar too,

بفعل كفّ جلوبٍ

عليك أمراً مقدّر

With the strike of a hand that brings

A destined doom down upon you.

إن تهتَ بالحُسن عُجباً

أتيهُ فَتكاً وأشطر

If you act haughty in your beauty's pride,

I act haughty in slaughter and roguery.