ليحَيى بن عبد اللهِ عِرسٌ كريمةٌ

ليحَيى بن عبد اللهِ عِرسٌ كريمةٌ

تعاتبُه أن صاغهُ اللهُ ساقطا

تعاتبُه أن صاغهُ اللهُ ساقطا

Yahya ibn Abd Allah has a noble wife,

O Yaḥyá ibn ʿAbd Allāh, a noble wedding is forbidden

who reproaches him because God fashioned him base.

He reproaches him that God made him deficient

فما يمنعُ البطنَ الخميصةَ زانياً

فما يمنعُ البطنَ الخميصةَ زانياً

ولا يحرمِ الظهرَ الموطَّأ لائطا

ولا يحرمِ الظهرَ الموطَّأ لائطا

He denies no adulterer her slender belly,

So what prevents the belly from being an adulterer

nor any sodomite her well-trodden back.

And does not deprive the prone back from being sodomized

فأىّ سبيليْها أراد سلوكَه

فأىّ سبيليْها أراد سلوكَه

اصاب له فيه شريكا مخالطا

اصاب له فيه شريكا مخالطا

Whichever of her two paths he wishes to travel,

So whichever path he wanted to take

he finds a partner there, sharing it with him.

He found for it a partner to accompany him

ولو حَمَل الثَّورُ السمائِى قَرنَهُ

ولو حَمَل الثَّورُ السمائِى قَرنَهُ

لخرَّ من الأفلاكِ بالأرض هابطا

لخرَّ من الأفلاكِ بالأرض هابطا

Were the celestial Bull to bear his horn,

And if the celestial bull carried its horn

it would tumble from the celestial spheres down to earth.

It would fall from the celestial spheres to the earth descending

ومن كان ذاك الوجهُ مِرآةَ وجههِ

ومن كان ذاك الوجهُ مِرآةَ وجههِ

فلا نُكرَ أنْ يُمسِى ويُصبحَ ساخطا

فلا نُكرَ أنْ يُمسِى ويُصبحَ ساخطا

And whoever has that face as the mirror of his own,

And whoever that face was a mirror of his face

it is no wonder he is displeased evening and morning.

It’s no wonder he becomes angry and upset

عَبوسٌ تظلُّ العينُ منه قريحةً

عَبوسٌ تظلُّ العينُ منه قريحةً

كأنّ عليه للقَتادةِ حائطا

كأنّ عليه للقَتادةِ حائطا

Grim-faced, he leaves the eye sore at his sight,

Gloomy, so that the eye remains sore from him

as though a wall of thornbushes covered him.

As if for pick-pocketing there is a wall against him

ألا ضلَّةً للقوم ردُّوا ولايةً

ألا ضلَّةً للقوم ردُّوا ولايةً

إليك ولو كانت تُغِلُّ قَرارِطا

إليك ولو كانت تُغِلُّ قَرارِطا

Ah, the folly of those who handed over a governorship

Alas! Misguidance for the people, they rejected governance

to you, even if it yielded mere qirats!

To you, even if it was producing dinars

فما استحفظوا إلا ذؤيْبا مُغاورا

فما استحفظوا إلا ذؤيْبا مُغاورا

وما استودعوا إلا لُصَيْصا مغالطا

وما استودعوا إلا لُصَيْصا مغالطا

For they appointed as guardian only a little marauding wolf,

So they did not preserve except a slinking fox

and entrusted their goods only to a little deceitful thief.

And they did not entrust except a deceiving swindler

فلا تبتهج بعاجل الأمر فيهمُ

فلا تبتهج بعاجل الأمر فيهمُ

فسوف تَرى في أخدَعيْك المَشارِطا

فسوف تَرى في أخدَعيْك المَشارِطا

So do not rejoice in your present authority over them;

So do not rejoice at the quickness of the command among them

for soon you will see lancets in your neck-veins.

For soon you will see in your deceivers the conniving

ستلقَى أليمَ الأخذ للعظم كاسرا

ستلقَى أليمَ الأخذ للعظم كاسرا

وللّحم مِنضاجا وللجِلد سامِطا

وللّحم مِنضاجا وللجِلد سامِطا

You will meet one whose grasp brings pain, who breaks bones,

You will suffer a painful seizure, breaking bones

and cooks flesh thoroughly and scalds skin.

And cooking meat, stripping skin

وإن تنجُ لا يُنجيك منسطواته

وإن تنجُ لا يُنجيك منسطواته

بنفسك إلا أن تُحلَّ الخرائطا

بنفسك إلا أن تُحلَّ الخرائطا

And if you escape, nothing will save you from his assaults

And if you escape, your tricks will not save you

with your life, unless you untie the moneybags.

Unless you deploy your elite forces

فأعدِدْ لهم ما خنتَ فيه سواهُمُ

فأعدِدْ لهم ما خنتَ فيه سواهُمُ

وعَدِّك لم تنظر يعينيك واسطا

وعَدِّك لم تنظر يعينيك واسطا

So prepare for them what you embezzled from others,

So prepare for them what you betrayed them in

and reckon yourself never to have seen Wasit with your own eyes.

And your promise, you did not consider a mediator for it

ويا بَردَها عند الفؤادِ بأن تَرى

ويا بَردَها عند الفؤادِ بأن تَرى

على قارعات الطُّرْق كفيّك باسِطا

على قارعات الطُّرْق كفيّك باسِطا

And oh, how cooling to the heart, to see

And oh how cold it is around the heart, that you see

both your palms outstretched on the thoroughfares!

On the sides of roads, your hands outstretched