طلب البيهقي قَرناً فلم يُحْ

طلب البيهقي قَرناً فلم يُحْ

رمْهُ لكنه أصيب بأذْنِهْ

رمْهُ لكنه أصيب بأذْنِهْ

Al-Bayhaqi sought a horn and was not

Al-Bayhaqi sought a horn but was not granted it

denied it, but was wounded in his ear.

Yet he was struck on his ear

لا كمن لم يَنَلْه واصطُلِمت إذ

لا كمن لم يَنَلْه واصطُلِمت إذ

ناه لمّا ابتغاهُ يا طُولَ حُزنِهْ

ناه لمّا ابتغاهُ يا طُولَ حُزنِهْ

Unlike one who failed to gain it and had both his ears

Not like one who did not attain it, so he persevered

cut off when he sought it—how long his grief!

When he wanted it, O how long was his sadness!

ويك يا بيْنُ أيُّ قَرن عليه

ويك يا بيْنُ أيُّ قَرن عليه

ليتَ للبيهقي عَقْلاً بوزنِه

ليتَ للبيهقي عَقْلاً بوزنِه

Woe to you, O Bayn! What a horn he bears!

O Bain, which horn could be upon him?

Would al-Bayhaqi had a mind to match its weight!

If only there was intellect for Al-Bayhaqi equal to his weight

قرنه مثل بظرِ أمك في الطو

قرنه مثل بظرِ أمك في الطو

ل ولكنه غليظ كذهنه

ل ولكنه غليظ كذهنه

His horn is like your mother's clitoris in

His horn was like his mother's vulva in length

length, but it is as thick as his wits.

But it was thick like his mind

لو مكانَ الهجاء سَدَّدَهْ نَحْ

لو مكانَ الهجاء سَدَّدَهْ نَحْ

وي توليتُ هارباً خَوْف طعْنه

وي توليتُ هارباً خَوْف طعْنه

Had he, instead of satire, aimed it toward

If he aimed his satire at me

me, I would have fled, fearing its thrust.

I would have fled in fear of his stab

لكنِ الوغدُ جاهلٌ لَيْسَ يدري

لكنِ الوغدُ جاهلٌ لَيْسَ يدري

أَيْن منه تكونُ شدَّةُ رُكْنه

أَيْن منه تكونُ شدَّةُ رُكْنه

But the scoundrel is ignorant: he does not know

But the stupid person does not know

where his strength lies within him.

Where in him lies the intensity of his pillar

لَيْس يدري من الغباوة أين ال

لَيْس يدري من الغباوة أين ال

بأسُ منه وأين مَوْضِعُ وَهْنه

بأسُ منه وأين مَوْضِعُ وَهْنه

In his stupidity, he does not know where

He does not know, out of ignorance, where in him

his might lies, and where his weakness is.

Lies the power and where the place of his weakness

بل أراهُ أراد إترارَ روحي

بل أراهُ أراد إترارَ روحي

بأهاجيه لي ضلالاً لأفْنه

بأهاجيه لي ضلالاً لأفْنه

Rather, I think he meant to sever my soul

Rather I see he wanted to take away my soul

with his lampoons against me, misled by his folly.

With his nonsense, leading me astray to destroy me

أَتُرى الثور ما درى أَنَّ قلبي

أَتُرى الثور ما درى أَنَّ قلبي

بين جنبيَّ فيه نيرانُ ذهنه

بين جنبيَّ فيه نيرانُ ذهنه

Do you think the bull did not know that my heart,

Does the bull not know that my heart

between my sides, holds the fires of his mind?

Between my ribs contains the fires of his mind?

بل أبى علمَهُ بذاك عماهُ

بل أبى علمَهُ بذاك عماهُ

ما له سَدَّ ثُقْبَتي جدَّةِ ابنه

ما له سَدَّ ثُقْبَتي جدَّةِ ابنه

Rather, his blindness kept him from knowing that.

But his ignorance of that blinded him

What ails him? May his son's grandmother's two holes be plugged!

He did not plug the hole of his son's intensity

لست أخشى إذا بدا حُرُّ شِعْري

لست أخشى إذا بدا حُرُّ شِعْري

مُلْبسي دون بُرْده دِرْع أَمْنه

مُلْبسي دون بُرْده دِرْع أَمْنه

I have no fear when my finest verse appears,

I do not fear when the free part of my poetry appears

clothing me beneath its cloak in the armor of its protection.

Wearing, underneath the cold, the armor of its protection

لعنةُ اللَّه كُلّ يوم عليه

لعنةُ اللَّه كُلّ يوم عليه

فهو أَولى من المجوس بلعنه

فهو أَولى من المجوس بلعنه

God's curse be upon him every day:

May God's curse be upon him everyday

he deserves His curse more than the Magi.

For he is more deserving of curse than the Magians

لعنةٌ منه في الإقامة تَغشا

لعنةٌ منه في الإقامة تَغشا

هُ وأخرى تزورهُ يوم ظَعْنه

هُ وأخرى تزورهُ يوم ظَعْنه

A curse from Him, while he stays, envelops

A curse from him covers him when he stays

him; another visits him on the day he departs.

And another visits him on the day of his departure

رجلٌ يدَّعي الصرامة والفت

رجلٌ يدَّعي الصرامة والفت

ك وحَولاؤهُ تُناك بإذنِه

ك وحَولاؤهُ تُناك بإذنِه

A man who claims stern resolve and

A man who claims strictness and conquest

deadly violence, while his cross-eyed woman is fucked with his consent,

While his entourage starves by his permission

مثل ما يدعي من العِلْم بالنحْ

مثل ما يدعي من العِلْم بالنحْ

و على جهله وكَثْرة لحنِه

و على جهله وكَثْرة لحنِه

just as he claims knowledge of

Like what he claims of knowledge of grammar

grammar, despite his ignorance and his many grammatical errors.

Despite his ignorance and frequent mistakes

ساقطٌ يخبنُ الغلاصِمَ والأع

ساقطٌ يخبنُ الغلاصِمَ والأع

ينُ في رُدنه لمنبت قَرْنه

ينُ في رُدنه لمنبت قَرْنه

A lowlife who stashes gullets and

Fallen, he betrays the brave and the eyes

eyes in his sleeve, for the one who makes his horn grow.

In their sleep, due to the sprouting of his horn

أنا آكلته فما بَصُرت عي

أنا آكلته فما بَصُرت عي

ني بشيء كأكله وكخبنِه

ني بشيء كأكله وكخبنِه

I ate with him, and never did my

I ate him but my eyes did not see

eye see anything like his eating and his stashing away.

Anything like eating him and his betrayal

قلت من أنت أيها الشرهُ النذ

قلت من أنت أيها الشرهُ النذ

لُ شهودي عليه آثار رُدنه

لُ شهودي عليه آثار رُدنه

I said, 'Who are you, you greedy

I said, "Who are you, O gluttonous weakling?"

wretch?' The marks on his sleeve bear witness against him.

"Witnesses upon him are the effects of his slumber"

قال عبد الأمير قلتُ هواناً

قال عبد الأمير قلتُ هواناً

لك كلُّ الهوان بل عبدُ بطنه

لك كلُّ الهوان بل عبدُ بطنه

He said, 'The emir's slave.' I said, 'Shame

He said, "I am the servant of the prince." I said, "For you is all disgrace, rather the servant of his stomach."

on you, utter shame! Rather, his belly's slave.'

Al-Bayhaqi is a dead rotten body

إنما البيهقي مَيْتٌ مجيفٌ

إنما البيهقي مَيْتٌ مجيفٌ

وهل الميتُ مالكٌ قطعَ نتنه

وهل الميتُ مالكٌ قطعَ نتنه

Al-Bayhaqi is nothing but a putrid corpse.

And can the dead ever possess anything but stench?

And can a corpse put an end to its own stench?

And in the prince's eye were things

وبِعين الأمير أشياءُ كانت

وبِعين الأمير أشياءُ كانت

مِنْهُ بالأمس مُوجباتٌ لسَجْنِه

مِنْهُ بالأمس مُوجباتٌ لسَجْنِه

And before the emir's eyes are things that were

That yesterday necessitated his imprisonment

done by him yesterday, grounds for his imprisonment.

So let him return him to the mortar, condemned

فليُعده إلى المطابقِ مذمو

فليُعده إلى المطابقِ مذمو

ماً فما للمُجيف شيء كَدفنه

ماً فما للمُجيف شيء كَدفنه

So let him send him back to the dungeons,

For the rotten has nothing like his burial

condemned; nothing suits a putrid corpse like its burial.

I am like Al-Bayhaqi, if I am not

أنا كالبيهقي إن لم أكن مِنْ

أنا كالبيهقي إن لم أكن مِنْ

هُ مكان القذاةِ من بطن جَفْنِه

هُ مكان القذاةِ من بطن جَفْنِه

I am like al-Bayhaqi if I am not to

From him the position of the eyelash to the eye

him as a mote against the inside of his eyelid.

We have ground him and squeezed him, O Bain

قَدْ طَحَنَّاه واعتصرناه يا بي

قَدْ طَحَنَّاه واعتصرناه يا بي

نُ فكُلْ كسبَه وأسرِجْ بدهنه

نُ فكُلْ كسبَه وأسرِجْ بدهنه

We have ground him and pressed him dry, O

So eat all his earnings and saddle his oil

Bayn; eat his press-cake and light a lamp with his oil.