أَعَلَيَّ يُقدِمُ عُتبَةُ المُستَحلِقُ
هَيهاتَ يَطلُبُ شَأوَ مَن لا يُلحَقُ
Does Utbah the barber presume to insult me?
Absurd! One so wretched seeks my disfavor?
كَم حَلقِ أَيرٍ لَم يَكُن لَكَ ظالِماً
قَد باتَ وَهوَ بِحَلقِ جُحرِكَ يَخفِقُ
How many a shorn scalp have I never wronged?
He slept while in fear for his burrow quivering.
لَو كُنتَ تَعلَمُ يا مُخَنَّثُ طائِلاً
لَعَلِمتَ أَنَّكَ في هِجائي أَحمَقُ
If you but knew, you misshapen fool,
You’d know in my satire you are stupid.
فَلتَعلَمَن حِرُ أُمِّ مَن وَإِهابُ مَن
وَقَديمُ مَن وَحَديثُ مَن يَتَمَزَّقُ
So know the free mother who bore you, whose tribe you are,
Whose ancient line and whose new line will be torn apart.
لَجَّجتَ في بَحري فَناكَ عَجوزَهُ
مَن كانَ في شَكٍّ بِأَنَّكَ تَغرَقُ
You dared to plunge in my sea and so perished there,
He who doubts it, knows you will drown.
وَاللَهِ لَو أَلصَقتَ نَفسَكَ بِالغَرا
في كَلبَ لَاِستَيقَنتَ أَنَّكَ مُلصَقُ
By God, if you clung to pride itself
Like a dog, you’d find yourself still clinging.
دَع مَعشَري لا مَعشَرٌ لَكَ إِنَّني
مِن خَلفِهِم وَأَمامِهِم لَكَ موبِقُ
Leave my company, you have no company, for I
In front and behind will ruin you.
كَم نادَمَت أَسيافُنا أَرماحَهُم
بَينَ الجُيوشِ عَلى دَمٍ يَتَرَقرَقُ
How often amid the armies our swords made them rue
The blood they spilled as it flowed free.
عُميٌ حَدَوكَ إِلَيَّ أَيُّ عَجيبَةٍ
أَعمى دَليلُ هُدىً وَأَخرَسُ يَنطِقُ
Blindness led you to me - how strange!
A blind guide, a mute man who speaks!
قولوا فَلَستُم ضائِرِيَّ وَأَنتُمُ
نَسلُ البَغايا تَكذِبونَ وَأَصدُقُ
Say you have not harmed me, while you
Sons of whores lie, and I speak true.
