أَرى العَبّاسَ يَنقُصُ كُلَّ يَومٍ

وَيَزعُمُ أَنَّهُ جَهلا يَزيدُ

I see Al-Abbas declining a little every day,

Yet he claims it's from ignorance he grows.

فَلَو نُقَضَت عَزائِمُهُ وَبادَت

سَلامَتُهُ لَكانَ كَما يُريدُ

If his resolves were undone and his composure lost,

He'd be just as he wishes, I suppose.

وَلَكِنَّ المَعايِبَ أَفسَدَتهُ

وَخلَّفَ في عَشيرَتِهِ زَهيدُ

But vice has corrupted him,

And among his clan he's left a fraud.

فَعَبّاسُ بِنُ مِرداسِ بنِ عَمرٍو

وَكَذبُ المَرءِ أَقبَحُ ما يُفيدُ

Al-Abbas, son of Mirdas, son of Amr

A man's lies are the ugliest that he bears.

حَلَفتُ بِرَبِّ مَكَّةَ وَالمُصَلّى

وَأَشياخٍ مُحَلَّقَةٍ تَهودُ

I swear by the Lord of Mecca and the Sacred Mosque,

And by bearded elders donning their Jewish garb,

بِأَنَّكَ مِن مَوَدَّتِنا قَريبٌ

وَأَنتَ مِنَ الَّذي تَهوى بِعيدُ

That you are a dear friend to us.

Yet you are far from what you love.

فَأَبشِر إِن بَقيتَ بِيَومِ سوءٍ

يَشيبُ لَهُ مِنَ الخَوفِ الوَليدُ

So rejoice if you live to see an evil day

That would turn a baby's hair white in fright,

كَيَومِكَ إِذ خَرَجتَ تَفوقُ رَكضاً

وَطارَ القَلبُ وَاِنتَفَخَ الوَريدُ

Like the day when you fled outpacing the horses,

With your heart aflutter and veins fit to burst.

فَدَع قَولَ السَفاهَةِ لا تَقُلهُ

فَقَد طالَ التَهَدُّدُ وَالوَعيدُ

Leave off foolish talk, do not say it,

For threats and warnings have gone on too long.

رَأَينا مَن نُحارِبُهُ شَقِيّاً

وَمَن ذا يا بَني عَوفٍ سَعيدُ

We've seen those we fight against meet misfortune,

And who, O Bani Auf, meets fortune?