يا عَبدَ باهِلَةَ الَّذي يَتَوَعَّدُ

أَعَلَيَّ تُبرِقُ إِذ شَبِعتَ وَتُرعِدُ

O ignorant slave who threatens me

Will you flash lightning at me once your belly is full and thunder?

يا عَبدَ باهِلَةَ اِبتُليتَ بِحَيَّةٍ

فَتَرَكتَ طاعَتَنا وَرُحتَ تُهَدِّدُ

O ignorant slave, you were tested by a serpent

So you abandoned obeying us and went on to threaten

وَشَتَمتَ رَبَّكَ في العَشيرَةِ قائِماً

لِتَكونَ مَوجوداً وَلَيتَكَ توجُدُ

You insulted your Lord among the clan while standing

Just to make yourself present, if only you wouldn't exist

وَكَذاكَ عَبدُ السوءِ يَشتُمُ رَبَّهُ

سَفَهاً وَلَكِن هَل تُجابُ الأَعبُدُ

That's how an evil slave insults his Lord

Foolishly, but do the slaves get answered?

اِقعُد فَإِنَّكَ باهِلِيٌّ واغِلٌ

يَجزيكَ سَوأَتَكَ الضِياعُ الرُوَّدُ

Sit down, for you are foolish and stubborn

Your wickedness will only lead you to ruin

وَإِذا سَكِرتَ فَخُذ بِأَيرِ مُساعِفٍ

وَاِسكُن فَإِنَّكَ ناطِقٌ لا تُرشَدُ

And if you get drunk, take the rope of a brave one

And settle down, for you are a talker not guided

تَجري مِنَ الذَهَبِ المُصَنَّمِ راحَتي

كَرَماً وَناري بِاليَفاعِ تَوَقَّدُ

My gold adorned palms flow

With generosity, while my fire is lit with dry wood

وَلَئِن عَمِرتَ لَتَعرِفَنَّ قَصيدَةً

تَجِبُ الصَلاةُ لَها عَلَيكَ فَتَسجُدُ

And if you live long enough, you will recognize a poem

For which you must bow in prayer to it and prostrate

وَتَظَلُّ تُرعَدُ مِن هَديلِ حَمامَةٍ

وَإِذا دُعيتَ لِسَوأَةٍ لا تُرعَدُ

And you will remain thunderstruck by the cooing of a dove

Yet if called upon for an evil you do not shudder

وَمَلَأتَ ثَوبَكَ إِن رَأَيتَ كَتيبَةً

في النَومِ أَلَّلَها الحَديدُ الموجَدُ

And you filled your garment if you saw in your dream

An army fully equipped with polished swords

وَمَجِنتَ حَتّى ما تُصَلّي رَكعَةً

وَنَسيتَ ما قالَ النَبِيُّ مُحَمَّدُ

You frowned until you did not pray a single bow

And forgot what Prophet Muhammad said

وَحَسِبتَني كَأَبيكَ لا يَنكي العِدى

فَاِصبِر لِحِسبَتِكَ الَّتي لا تُحمَدُ

And you reckoned me like your father who does not reproach injustice

So be patient for your reckoning that is not praised

مَولاكَ أَرقَبُ مِن رَبيعَةِ عامِرٍ

أَهدى لِكَفِّكَ قائِماً لا يَرقُدُ

Your Master keeps watch over you more than Rabia and Amir

He guides your palms while standing, never slumbering

فَتَرَكتُ عُقرَ قَناتِكُم عِندَ اِمرِىءٍ

جَمَحَ الشَبابُ بِهِ الأَنيقُ الأَغيَدُ

So I left the uprooting of your CHANNEL to a man

Whose youth was adorned by grace and beauty

وَكَذاكَ كانَ أَبوكَ يُؤثَرُ بِالهُنى

وَيَظَلُّ في لَقطِ النَوى يَتَرَدَّدُ

That's how your father always preferred dishonor

And kept lurking for fallen seeds

فَلَئِن قَعَدتَ عَلى الخَنا وَحَسَدتَني

إِنَّ الكَريمَ إِذا جَرى لَمُحَسَّدُ

So if you sit upon the tavern and envy me

Surely the generous one is not envied when he flows

يا عَبدَ باهِلَةَ الَّذي لَزَمَ الخَنا

وَأَضاعَ عُقرَ قَناتِهِ لا تَسعَدُ

O ignorant slave who stuck to the tavern

And wasted the uprooting of his channel, you will not be fortunate

لَولا دَلَفتَ لِمَن دَهاكَ بِأَيرِهِ

فَحَسَرتَ عَنكَ حَزازَةً لا تَبرُدُ

Had you not deferred to the one who misguided you with his rope

You would have felt remorse beyond cooling

لَو كُنتَ مِن أَسدِ العَشيرَةِ لَم تَنَم

حَتّى يُخالِطَهُ الحُسامُ الأَربَدُ

If you were from the lion of the clan, you wouldn't have slept

Until the polished swords mix with him

عَوَّدتَ نَفسَكَ أَن تُضامَ فَخَلِّها

كُلُّ اِمرِىءٍ رَهنٌ بِما يَتَعَوَّدُ

You accustomed yourself to being squeezed, so release it

Every man is hostage to what he accustoms himself to

وَأَبى لَكَ الحَسَبُ اللَئيمُ فَنالَهُ

وَكَساكَ ذِلَّتَهُ أَبوكَ القُعدُدُ

Your deficient lineage refused you, so it reached him

And clothed you in its humiliation, your sitting duck father

لا تَستَطيعُ مُرَفَّلاً مِن عامِرٍ

عَجِلَ العِقابَ وَأَنتَ عَبدٌ أَقفَدُ

You cannot withstand a knight from Amir

Who hastens punishment while you are a shackled slave

وَخَشيتَ سَطوَةَ عامِرِيٍّ فاتِكٍ

تَقِفُ الوُفودُ بِبابِهِ وَالوُفَّدُ

And you feared the tyranny of a mighty Amirite

Before whose door delegations and envoys stand

وَبَنَيتَ بِالبَعرِ المَحَلَّ وَبِالنَوى

بَيتاً عَلَيهِ خَزايَةٌ لا تَنفَدُ

And you built with fleabane and lupine

A house upon which an unending pantry sits

وَطَلَبتَ بِالخَلَقِ المُرَقَّعِ شَأوَنا

فَلَتَرجِعَنَّ وَبَظرُ أُمِّكَ يُرعَدُ

And you sought through patchwork manners our esteem

So you will surely return while your mother's belly rumbles

مَهلاً مَوالينا أَقيموا خَرجَنا

وَإِذا غَضِبنا غَضبَةً فَتَبَدَّدوا

Gently, our loyalists, prepare our campaign

And when we rage, rage fully then scatter about

خَدَمُ المُلوكِ إِذا قَعَدنا في الحُبى

قاموا وَإِن نَفزَع لِرَوعٍ يَقعُدوا

The servants of kings when we sit back in ease

Rise up, and if we shudder from fright they sit

كونوا لِمَولاكُم يَداً وَصَلَت يَداً

وَدَعوا الفَسادَ يَعيثُ فيهِ المُفسِدُ

Be for your Master a connected hand

And leave corruption to flow through the corrupt

وَتَشَبَّهوا بِأَبٍ وَعَمٍّ صالِحٍ

مُتَعَبِّدَينِ لَنا وَنِعمَ العُبَّدُ

And emulate a righteous father and uncle

Devoutly obedient to us - and excellent is the devout