وَهَذِهِ واقِعَةٌ مُستَغرَبَه

في هَوَسِ الأَفعى وَخُبثِ العَقرَبَه

This is a strange happening

In the madness of the serpent and the malice of the scorpion

رَأَيتُ أَفعى من بَناتِ النيلِ

مُعجَبَةً بِقَدِّها الجَميلِ

I saw a serpent, daughter of the Nile

Admiring her beautiful body

تَحتَقِرُ النُصحَ وَتَجفو الناصِحا

وَتَدَّعي العَقلَ الكَبيرَ الراجِحا

Scornful of advice and shunning the advisor

Claiming great mature wisdom

عَنَت لَها رَبيبَةُ السَباخِ

تَحمِلُ وَزنَيها مِنَ الأَوساخِ

A house lizard attacked her

Carrying the weight of its filth

فَحَسِبَتها وَالحِسابُ يُجدي

ساحِرَةً مِن ساحِراتِ الهِندِ

And she deemed it, and reasonably so

A sorceress from the sorceresses of India

فَاِنخَرَطَت مِثلَ الحُسامِ الوالِجِ

وَاِندَفَعَت تِلكَ كَسَهمٍ زالِجِ

So it darted like a sharp sword

And the other rushed like a sliding arrow

حَتّى إِذا ما أَبلَغَتها جُحرَها

دارَت عَلَيهِ كَالسِوارِ دَورَها

Until when it brought her to her burrow

It circled her like a bracelet in its orbit

تَقولُ يا أُمَّ العَمى وَالطَيشِ

أَينَ الفِرارُ يا عَدُوَّ العَيشِ

Saying: O mother of blindness and recklessness

Where can you flee, O enemy of life?

إِن تِلجي فَالمَوتُ في الوُلوجِ

أَو تَخرُجي فَالهُلكُ في الخُروجِ

If you enter, death awaits in the entering

If you exit, ruin awaits in the exiting

فَسَكَتَت طَريدَةُ البُيوتِ

وَاِغتَرَّتِ الأَفعى بِذا السُكوتِ

So the hunted of homes fell silent

And the serpent was fooled by this silence

وَهَجَعَت عَلى الطَريقِ هَجعَه

فَخَرَجَت ضَرَّتُها بِسُرعَه

And slept a sleep on the road

But its enemy quickly emerged

وَنَهَضَت في ذِروَةِ الدِماغِ

وَاِستَرسَلَت في مُؤلِمِ التَلداغِ

And rose at the peak of fury

And unleashed the agony of its sting

فَاِنتَبَهَت كَالحالِمِ المَذعورِ

تُصيحُ بِالوَيلِ وَبِالثُبورِ

So she awoke like a terrified dreamer

Shrieking with woe and ruin

حَتّى وَهَت مِنَ الفَتاةِ القُوَّه

فَنَزَلت عَن رَأسِها العُدُوَّه

Until the strength of the young woman weakened

And the enemy descended from her head

تَقولُ صَبراً لِلبَلاءِ صَبرا

وَإِن وَجَدتِ قَسوَةً فَعُذرا

Saying: Patience for the test, patience

And if you find it harsh, excuse it

فَرَأسُكِ الداءُ وَذا الدَواءُ

وَهَكَذا فَلتُركَبُ الأَعداءُ

For your head is the disease, and this is the cure

And so must enemies be ridden

مَن مَلَكَ الخَصمَ وَنامَ عَنهُ

يُصبِحُ يَلقى ما لَقيت مِنهُ

Whoever spares an opponent and sleeps from him

Awakens to find what I found from him

لَولا الَّذي أَبصَرَ أَهلُ التَجرِبَه

مِنّي لَما سَمّوا الخَبيثَ عَقرَبَه

If not for those with experience who saw

What malice lies in me, the scorpion