لَستُ بِمُضطَّرٍّ وَلا ذي ضَراعَةٍ

لَستُ بِمُضطَّرٍّ وَلا ذي ضَراعَةٍ

فَخَفِّض عَلَيكَ القَولَ يا با المُثَلَّمِ

فَخَفِّض عَلَيكَ القَولَ يا با المُثَلَّمِ

I am neither hard-pressed nor abject.

I am neither desperate nor pleading for help,

So temper your words, O Abu al-Muthallam.

So lower your voice, O spotted one!

وَخَفِّض عَلَيكَ القَولَ وَاِعلَم بِأَنَّني

وَخَفِّض عَلَيكَ القَولَ وَاِعلَم بِأَنَّني

مِنَ الأَنَسِ الطاحي الجميعِ العَرَمرَمِ

مِنَ الأَنَسِ الطاحي الجميعِ العَرَمرَمِ

And temper your words, and know that I

Lower your voice and know that I am

am of a far-spreading people, united and mighty.

From a barbarous people, wholly intractable!

أَبَت لبي عُمَرٌو أَن أُضامَ وَمازِنٌ

أَبَت لبي عُمَرٌو أَن أُضامَ وَمازِنٌ

وَقِردٌ وَلَحيانٌ وَفَهمٌ فَسَلِّمِ

وَقِردٌ وَلَحيانٌ وَفَهمٌ فَسَلِّمِ

ʿAmr and Māzin refused to let me be wronged,

The tribes of Amr, Mazin, monkeys, and vipers

and Qird, Liḥyān, and Fahm—so yield.

Refuse that I be submissive - so farewell!

إِذا هُو أَمسى بِالحِلاءَةِ شاتِياً

إِذا هُو أَمسى بِالحِلاءَةِ شاتِياً

تَقَشِّر أَعلى أَنفِهِ أُمُّ مِرزَمِ

تَقَشِّر أَعلى أَنفِهِ أُمُّ مِرزَمِ

When evening finds him wintering at al-Ḥilāʾah,

When he pretends to be elegant in the evening,

Umm Mirzam peels the skin from the top of his nose.

The skin peels off the bridge of his nose, O mother of Mirzam!