يا صَلاحَ الدينِ خُذ حِذ

يا صَلاحَ الدينِ خُذ حِذ

رَكَ مِن صِلِّ العِراقِ

رَكَ مِن صِلِّ العِراقِ

O Salah al-Din, take

O Salah al-Din, take heed

heed of the viper of Iraq.

From making peace with Iraq

فَلَقَد وافاكَ في ثَو

فَلَقَد وافاكَ في ثَو

بي عِنادٍ وَنِفاقِ

بي عِنادٍ وَنِفاقِ

For he has come to you in the two robes

For he has met you with stubbornness

of obstinacy and hypocrisy.

And hypocrisy and faction

لا يَغُرَّنَّكَ مِنهُ

لا يَغُرَّنَّكَ مِنهُ

مَنطِقٌ حُلوُ المَذاقِ

مَنطِقٌ حُلوُ المَذاقِ

Do not ever be deceived by his

Let not his sweet words deceive you

speech, sweet to the taste.

Underneath lies all sorts of lies and deceit

تَحتَهُ ما شِئتَ مِن إِف

تَحتَهُ ما شِئتَ مِن إِف

كٍ وَزورِ وَاِختِلاقِ

كٍ وَزورِ وَاِختِلاقِ

Beneath it lies all you could wish of

Do not draw near, for nothing prospers

falsehood, lies, and fabrication.

Except separation from him

لا تُقَرِّبهُ فَما يَص

لا تُقَرِّبهُ فَما يَص

لُحُ إِلّا لِلفِراقِ

لُحُ إِلّا لِلفِراقِ

Do not bring him close; he is fit

He is clever in his subtle meanings

only to be sent away.

And skilled in his fine debates

دَقَّ لُؤماً فَتَفَطَّن

دَقَّ لُؤماً فَتَفَطَّن

في مَعانيهِ الدِقاقِ

في مَعانيهِ الدِقاقِ

He is subtle in baseness, so look closely

Quench him with cups of your bitter wrath

into his subtle intentions.

Before he bears what cannot be borne

وَاِسقِهِ مِن سُخطِكَ المُر

وَاِسقِهِ مِن سُخطِكَ المُر

رِ بِكَأساتٍ دِهاقِ

رِ بِكَأساتٍ دِهاقِ

And give him your bitter wrath to drink

Do not keep company, those who intercede for him

in cups filled to the brim,

Are mixed with the riffraff

قَبلَ أَن تَحمِلَ مِن مَك

قَبلَ أَن تَحمِلَ مِن مَك

روهِهِ غَيرَ المُطاقِ

روهِهِ غَيرَ المُطاقِ

Before you bear of his harm

He is a disease in the guts

what is beyond endurance.

With an infected wound between the ribs

لا تُخالِطهُ وَسائِل

لا تُخالِطهُ وَسائِل

عَنهُ أَخلاطَ الرِفاقِ

عَنهُ أَخلاطَ الرِفاقِ

Do not associate with him, and ask

The greatest liar when he swears

companions of every sort about him.

A solemn oath of divorce

فَهوَ داءٌ في الخَياشي

فَهوَ داءٌ في الخَياشي

مِ شَجاً بَينَ التَراقي

مِ شَجاً بَينَ التَراقي

For he is a disease in the nostrils,

A smooth talker who brings them together

a choking bone between the collarbones.

With his agreement and consensus

أَكذَبُ الناسِ إِذا آ

أَكذَبُ الناسِ إِذا آ

لى يَميناً بِالطَلاقِ

لى يَميناً بِالطَلاقِ

The greatest liar of all when he swears

He divides and fragments any alliance

an oath by divorce,

With his sowing of discord and disunity

أَبيَضُ الرِجلِ بِإِجما

أَبيَضُ الرِجلِ بِإِجما

عٍ عَلَيهِ وَاِتِّفاقِ

عٍ عَلَيهِ وَاِتِّفاقِ

White-footed, by unanimous

A viper whose mouth spews

judgment and agreement concerning him.

Poison into the veins

أَيُّ شَملٍ ما رَماهُ

أَيُّ شَملٍ ما رَماهُ

بِشَتاتٍ وَاِفتِراقِ

بِشَتاتٍ وَاِفتِراقِ

What gathering has he not struck

May God protect you from the snake

with dispersal and separation?

With the colored stripes

أَفعُوانٌ ما لِما يَن

أَفعُوانٌ ما لِما يَن

فِثُهُ مِن فيهِ راقي

فِثُهُ مِن فيهِ راقي

A great serpent: for what he spits

How many has he wronged with falsehoods

from his mouth there is no healer by incantation.

Whose tears are shedding in torrents

فَلَكَ اللَهُ مِنَ الحَي

فَلَكَ اللَهُ مِنَ الحَي

يَةِ ذي الإِطراقِ واقي

يَةِ ذي الإِطراقِ واقي

So may God, against the serpent

And wounds too deep for consolers

with its bowed head, be your protector.

And agonizing laments

فَلَكَم غادَرَ بِالزَو

فَلَكَم غادَرَ بِالزَو

راءِ مِن دَمعٍ مُراقِ

راءِ مِن دَمعٍ مُراقِ

For how much he has left behind in al-Zawra:

Eyes whose lids are rubbed raw

tears spilled,

That look to him without yearning

وَجُروحٍ تَعجِزُ النا

وَجُروحٍ تَعجِزُ النا

صِحَ وَالآسي عِماقِ

صِحَ وَالآسي عِماقِ

And wounds too deep for the stitcher

God has led him to our wealth

and the healer;

Along the worst course

وَعُيونٍ قُرِّحَت مِن

وَعُيونٍ قُرِّحَت مِن

ها جُفونٌ وَمَآقي

ها جُفونٌ وَمَآقي

And eyes with ulcerated

He has swallowed it with deceit

lids and inner corners,

Hypocrisy and betrayal

يَتَطَلَّعنَ إِلى رُؤ

يَتَطَلَّعنَ إِلى رُؤ

ياهُ مِن غَيرِ اِشتِياقِ

ياهُ مِن غَيرِ اِشتِياقِ

They look out for the sight

With words smoother than white silk

of him, without longing.

And his hands toy with it

ساقَهُ اللَهُ إِلى أَم

ساقَهُ اللَهُ إِلى أَم

والِنا شَرَّ سِياقِ

والِنا شَرَّ سِياقِ

God drove him to our wealth

Now by force, now by agreement and consent

in the worst of ways.

And he escaped while the winds don't catch up

فَحَواها بِخِداعٍ

فَحَواها بِخِداعٍ

وَرِياءٍ وَنِفاقِ

وَرِياءٍ وَنِفاقِ

So he took possession of it through deceit,

Fleeing the lame she-camels

ostentation, and hypocrisy,

Filling his arms with naked disgrace

وَبِأَلفاظٍ هِيَ أَمضى

وَبِأَلفاظٍ هِيَ أَمضى

مِنَ البيضِ الرِقاقِ

مِنَ البيضِ الرِقاقِ

And with words more cutting

Seeking your protection, do not let him attain

than slender white swords.

The market of hypocrisy

وَغَدَت تَلعَبُ فيها

وَغَدَت تَلعَبُ فيها

يَدُهُ لُعبَ الخِفاقِ

يَدُهُ لُعبَ الخِفاقِ

And now at play with it was

So fear God and do not leave

his hand, as in games of chance,

The slave of wickedness

تارَةً غَصباً وَطوراً

تارَةً غَصباً وَطوراً

عَن تَراضٍ وَوِفاقِ

عَن تَراضٍ وَوِفاقِ

At times by force, and at others

Prepare, our Master, against him

through mutual consent and agreement.

And prepare him for captivity

وَنَجا وَالريحُ لا تَط

وَنَجا وَالريحُ لا تَط

مَعُ مِنهُ في لِحاقِ

مَعُ مِنهُ في لِحاقِ

And he escaped; the wind could not hope

Do not relieve the anguish

to overtake him,

Of the tight noose around the neck of the worthless

هارِباً مِنها نَجاءَ ال

هارِباً مِنها نَجاءَ ال

أَعوَجِيّاتِ العِتاقِ

أَعوَجِيّاتِ العِتاقِ

Fleeing from it with the swift flight of

And seek refuge from faces with

noble A‘waj-bred steeds,

Wickedness, betrayal and corruption

مالِئاً حُضنَيهِ مِن عا

مالِئاً حُضنَيهِ مِن عا

رٍ عَلى الأَيّامِ باقَي

رٍ عَلى الأَيّامِ باقَي

Filling both sides of his bosom with

That he not see beneath your shade

shame that endures through the ages,

Or in your hall

طالِباً عِندَكَ لا بُل

طالِباً عِندَكَ لا بُل

لِغَها سوقَ نَفاقِ

لِغَها سوقَ نَفاقِ

Seeking with you—may he never

For the likes of you are not suited

attain it—a ready market.

To the ropes of hypocrisy

فَاِتَّقِ اللَهَ وَلا تُب

فَاِتَّقِ اللَهَ وَلا تُب

قِ عَلى عَبدِ الإِباقِ

قِ عَلى عَبدِ الإِباقِ

So fear God, and do not

spare the runaway slave.

أَعِد مَولانا عَلَيهِ

أَعِد مَولانا عَلَيهِ

وَأَعِدهُ في وِثاقِ

وَأَعِدهُ في وِثاقِ

Grant our lord redress against him,

and send him back in bonds.

لا تُنَفِّس عَن لَئيمٍ

لا تُنَفِّس عَن لَئيمٍ

أَبَداً ضيقَ خِناقِ

أَبَداً ضيقَ خِناقِ

Do not loosen for a base man

his tight noose, ever.

وَاِستَعِذ مِن أَوجُهٍ بِال

وَاِستَعِذ مِن أَوجُهٍ بِال

لُؤمِ وَالغَدرِ صِفاقِ

لُؤمِ وَالغَدرِ صِفاقِ

And seek refuge from faces

brazen with baseness and treachery,

أَن يَرى تَحتَ ظِلالٍ

أَن يَرى تَحتَ ظِلالٍ

لَكَ أَو تَحتَ رُواقِ

لَكَ أَو تَحتَ رُواقِ

Lest he be seen beneath shades

of yours, or beneath a portico.

فَعَلى مِثلِكَ لا

فَعَلى مِثلِكَ لا

تَنفُقُ أَعلاقُ النِفاقِ

تَنفُقُ أَعلاقُ النِفاقِ

For with one such as you,

the precious wares of hypocrisy do not sell.