أَنا الشِهابُ شِهابُ الدينِ لا كَذِبا
لي هِمَّةٌ عانَقت في أَوجِها الشُهُبا
I am the meteor, Shihab al-Din—no lie.
I am the meteor, the meteor of religion, no lie
Mine is an ambition that embraced the meteors at its zenith.
I have an ambition that reached its zenith
مَن كَان جَمَّلَه في دهرِهِ لَقَبٌ
فَإِنَّني أَنا مِمَّن جَمَّلَ اللَّقَبا
If a title has graced a man in his lifetime,
Whoever was adorned in his time with a title
I, indeed, am among those who have graced the title.
I am one of those who adorned the title
لا دَرَّ دَرُّكَ إِنّي في ذرى مَلِكٍ
فاضَت أَياديهِ حَتّى فاقَتِ السُحُبا
No blessing on you! I am in the shelter of a king
No harm, your harm, I am in the protection of a king
whose benefactions overflowed until they outdid the clouds,
Whose hands overflowed until they surpassed the clouds
في رَوضَةٍ وَغَديرٍ مِن مَواهِبِهِ
مُرَفَّهاً وادِعاً لا أَرهَبُ النُوَبا
amid a garden and a pool bestowed by his bounty,
In a garden and brook of his gifts
pampered and at peace, fearing no reversals of fortune.
Pampered and pleading, I do not fear blame
وَالكَلبُ إِن ينبَح البَدر المُنير فلَن
يُضيرَهُ وَيُعاني الذُلَّ وَالتَعَبا
And if the dog barks at the radiant full moon, it will not
Even if the dog barks at the shining full moon
harm it, and will itself suffer humiliation and weariness.
It will not harm it, though it suffers humiliation and fatigue
أَولا فَسَلهُ وَقَد شالَت نَعامَتُهُ
مِن شِدَّة الخَوفِ مِنهُ مُمعِناً هَرَبا
Otherwise, ask him—he has taken to his heels,
Ask it while its ostrich fled
from sheer terror of him, rushing headlong in flight.
In extreme fear of it, insisting on fleeing
يَبُلُّ بِالسَلحِ ساقَيهِ وَذَلِكَ مِن
عاداتِهِ وَهوَ تَحتي يَلثُمُ التُرُبا
He wets his shins with excrement, and this is among
Wetting its legs with urine, and that is due to
his habits, while beneath me he kisses the dust.
Its habits while it is under me licking the dust
مِثلَ الحُبارَى إِذا ما الصَّقرُ عاجَلَها
تَهَوَّرَت قُصبُها مِن سرمِها رَهَبا
Like the houbara bustard when the falcon took her by surprise,
Like the bustards, when the falcon abruptly attacks them
her entrails tumbled from her anus in terror.
Their reeds shake in fear
فَلَم يَذَرها إِلى أَن عادَ مِخلَبُهُ
رَطبَ الغرازِ مِنَ التامورِ مُختَضَبا
and it did not let her go until its talon became
Until its talons returned
wet at the piercing point, stained with heart's blood.
Wet with the blood of the dates, dyed red
مَن تَهجُهُ فَهوَ مَحسودٌ لأَنَّكَ ما
هَجَوت إِلّا صُدوراً جَمَّلوا الرُتَبا
Whoever you lampoon is envied, for you have not
Whoever you satirize is envied because you have
lampooned anyone but dignitaries who have graced their ranks.
Only satirized chests adorned with positions
مَن عَضَّ مِثلَكَ أَعراضَ الكِرامِ فَما
يُنجيهِ مِنهُم هُروبٌ أَينَما هَرَبا
Whoever, like you, has bitten at the honor of the noble—no
Whoever bites the honor of the generous like you
flight will save him from them, wherever he flees.
Will not be saved from them no matter where he flees
Sol 6.1