بني عَامِرٍ مَا تَأْمُرون بِشَاعِرٍ

بني عَامِرٍ مَا تَأْمُرون بِشَاعِرٍ

تَخَيَّرَ بَابَاتِ الكِتابِ هِجائِيَا

تَخَيَّرَ بَابَاتِ الكِتابِ هِجائِيَا

O sons of ʿĀmir, what do you advise concerning a poet

O clan of Aamir, what do you order for a poet

who chose, from the book’s subjects, to lampoon me?

Who selected the gates of prosody for his poetry

أَأَعْفوا كمَا يَعْفو الكَرِيمُ فَإِنَّني

أَأَعْفوا كمَا يَعْفو الكَرِيمُ فَإِنَّني

أرى الشَّغْبَ فيما بَيْنَنَا مُتَماديا

أرى الشَّغْبَ فيما بَيْنَنَا مُتَماديا

Shall I pardon, as the noble man pardons? For I

Shall I pardon just as the generous pardons, for I see

see the strife between us persisting.

Resentment between us is becoming excessive

فأمَّا سُراقاتُ الهجَاءِ فإِنَّهَا

فأمَّا سُراقاتُ الهجَاءِ فإِنَّهَا

كَلامٌ تَهاداهُ اللِّئَامُ تَهادِيَا

كَلامٌ تَهاداهُ اللِّئَامُ تَهادِيَا

Now, as for stolen scraps of satire, they are

As for stolen lines of satire, they are

words the base pass among themselves as gifts.

Words the vile exchange between them

أمَ اخْبَطَ خَبْطَ الفِيلِ هَامَةَ رَأْسِهِ

أمَ اخْبَطَ خَبْطَ الفِيلِ هَامَةَ رَأْسِهِ

بِحَردٍ فَلا يُبْقِي مِنَ العَظَمِ بَاقِيا

بِحَردٍ فَلا يُبْقِي مِنَ العَظَمِ بَاقِيا

Or shall I pound the crown of his head as an elephant pounds,

Or did he thrash like an elephant its head

in fury, so that no bone remains?

With a rock leaving no bone remaining

وعِنْدي الدُّهَيمُ لوْ أَحُلُّ عِقالَها

وعِنْدي الدُّهَيمُ لوْ أَحُلُّ عِقالَها

فَتُصْعِدُ لَمْ تَعْدَمْ مِنْ الجنِّ حَادِيَا

فَتُصْعِدُ لَمْ تَعْدَمْ مِنْ الجنِّ حَادِيَا

And I have al-Duhaym: were I to loosen her hobble,

And I have fury, if I unleash it

and she set forth, she would not lack a camel-driver from the jinn.

It will rise up, not missing a human hurrying by