وَيح نَفسي مِن الزَمان المُعادي

وَيح نَفسي مِن الزَمان المُعادي

وَاِصطِباحي بِالوَغد رُكن الفَسادِ

وَاِصطِباحي بِالوَغد رُكن الفَسادِ

Woe to my soul from hostile Time,

Woe to my soul from the hostile times

And from my morning encounter with the scoundrel, corruption's pillar.

And my morning with the scoundrel, the pillar of corruption

كَعبة الفسق مَعدن اللُؤم وَالخب

كَعبة الفسق مَعدن اللُؤم وَالخب

ث حَليف الشَيطان في كُل ناد

ث حَليف الشَيطان في كُل ناد

Kaaba of vice, mine of baseness and wickedness,

The Kaaba of debauchery, the mine of villainy and shame

The Devil's ally at every gathering.

The ally of Satan in every club

هُوَ مثل الحِمار يَحمل أَسَفا

هُوَ مثل الحِمار يَحمل أَسَفا

راً كباراً لم يَدر مِنها المَبادي

راً كباراً لم يَدر مِنها المَبادي

He is like a donkey bearing volumes,

He is like a donkey carrying heavy burdens

Large ones, whose rudiments he does not know.

Unaware of their consequences

بيدَ أَنّي أَراه في الظرف فَرداً

بيدَ أَنّي أَراه في الظرف فَرداً

لا يُضاهيهِ رائحٌ أَو غادي

لا يُضاهيهِ رائحٌ أَو غادي

Yet I see him as unique in wit,

Yet I see him alone in circumstance

No traveler at evening or morning can match him.

With no equal, neither coming nor going

يا سَما أَمطري عَلَيهِ صُخورَاً

يا سَما أَمطري عَلَيهِ صُخورَاً

وَاَلحِقيه بِقَوم لُوط وَعاد

وَاَلحِقيه بِقَوم لُوط وَعاد

O sky, rain rocks upon him,

O sky, rain rocks upon him

And make him join the people of Lot and ʿAd.

And join him with the people of Lot and Aad

فَلَقَد ظَلَّ في ضلال بَعيد

فَلَقَد ظَلَّ في ضلال بَعيد

وَتَعامى عَن الهُدى وَالرَشاد

وَتَعامى عَن الهُدى وَالرَشاد

For he has remained far astray,

For he remained in distant misguidance

And feigned blindness to guidance and right conduct.

And turned away from guidance and integrity

أَسند الفعل لِلطَبيعة كفراً

أَسند الفعل لِلطَبيعة كفراً

بِالمعز المذل رَب العِباد

بِالمعز المذل رَب العِباد

He ascribed action to nature, disbelieving in

He attributed the deed to nature, blaspheming

The Exalter, the Abaser, Lord of His servants.

The disgraced Sustainer, Lord of worshippers

فَجَزاهُ في هَذِهِ الخزي وَالذُل

فَجَزاهُ في هَذِهِ الخزي وَالذُل

لَ وَنار الجَحيم يَوم المعاد

لَ وَنار الجَحيم يَوم المعاد

So may He repay him in this life with disgrace and humiliation,

So may he be rewarded in this disgrace and humiliation

And Hell's fire on the Day of Return.

Nay, the hellfire on the day of judgement

هُوَ كالصفر في الحِساب فَلا قَد

هُوَ كالصفر في الحِساب فَلا قَد

ر له عِندَنا لَدى الإِنفِراد

ر له عِندَنا لَدى الإِنفِراد

He is like zero in arithmetic, so he has no worth

He is like zero in the calculation, with no

In our eyes when he stands alone.

Value to us when alone

هُوَ لا يَستَقيم إِلا بلعن

هُوَ لا يَستَقيم إِلا بلعن

مَع زَجر وَقسوة وَعِناد

مَع زَجر وَقسوة وَعِناد

He will not mend his ways except through cursing,

He cannot be upright except with curse

With rebukes, harshness, and obstinacy.

With rebuke, severity and stubbornness

غرّه عزُّهُ فَصار قُصارى

غرّه عزُّهُ فَصار قُصارى

أَمره ذلُّه بصفَع الأَيادي

أَمره ذلُّه بصفَع الأَيادي

His might deluded him; so the final outcome

His arrogance deluded him, so he became

Of his affair was his humiliation beneath slapping hands.

Humiliated with the slapping of hands

قَد تَمادَيت عَن أَذاه اِحتِقاراً

قَد تَمادَيت عَن أَذاه اِحتِقاراً

فَاِعتَدى في الأُمور عِندَ التَمادي

فَاِعتَدى في الأُمور عِندَ التَمادي

I long refrained from harming him, out of contempt,

I disregarded his harm in disdain, so he

So he transgressed in matters as this continued.

Transgressed in matters upon persistence

وَتَعدّى أَطواره وَتَجارى

وَتَعدّى أَطواره وَتَجارى

وَنَما شرّه نُموّ القتاد

وَنَما شرّه نُموّ القتاد

And he overstepped his bounds and rushed on,

And exceeded his limits and contended

And his evil grew as the qatad thornbush grows.

And his evil grew like creeping ivy

وَأَراد النِضال وَهوَ جَبانٌ

وَأَراد النِضال وَهوَ جَبانٌ

مَع لَيث الشَرى وَشَهم الطراد

مَع لَيث الشَرى وَشَهم الطراد

And he sought combat, though he was a coward,

And he wanted to fight while a coward

With a lion of al-Shara, a gallant champion of the fray.

With the lion of foes and valiant chaser

فَاِمتَلا قَلبه مِن الوَهم رُعباً

فَاِمتَلا قَلبه مِن الوَهم رُعباً

وَغَدا نادِماً كَليم الفُؤاد

وَغَدا نادِماً كَليم الفُؤاد

So his heart filled with terror born of illusion,

So terror filled his heart

And he became remorseful, wounded at heart.

And he regretted, faint of heart

وَلَئن عادَ للطراد غُروراً

وَلَئن عادَ للطراد غُروراً

مِنهُ أَمسى عَلى الثَرى كَالجَماد

مِنهُ أَمسى عَلى الثَرى كَالجَماد

And if he returns to the fray out of conceit

And if he returns to the chase arrogantly

Of his own, he will lie upon the dust like a lifeless thing,

By evening he is on the ground like the dead

حَيث أَرميه مِن بَديع القَوافي

حَيث أَرميه مِن بَديع القَوافي

بِسِهام يَغدو بِها كَالرَماد

بِسِهام يَغدو بِها كَالرَماد

For, from exquisite rhymes, I shall shoot at him

Where I strike him with the unique metaphors

With arrows that leave him like ashes.

With arrows that reduce him to ashes