مدحتُك مختاراً فلم تكُ طائلاً

مدحتُك مختاراً فلم تكُ طائلاً

فلا تَلْحَيَنِّي إنْ هجوتُك مُحْرَجا

فلا تَلْحَيَنِّي إنْ هجوتُك مُحْرَجا

I praised you freely, but you proved of no worth.

I praised you sincerely, but to no avail,

So do not reproach me if I satirize you under duress.

So don't reproach me if I satirize you frankly.

إذا مادحٌ أرَّقْتَ عينيهِ باطلاً

إذا مادحٌ أرَّقْتَ عينيهِ باطلاً

كواكَ بمكْواة الهِجاء فأنضجا

كواكَ بمكْواة الهِجاء فأنضجا

When you have kept a praise-poet's eyes sleepless in vain,

When a praiser pleases you with lies,

he brands you with satire's branding iron and cooks you through.

You reward him. But if I censure, you ripen.

فإن قلت سَمْجٌ ما أتيتَ فصادقٌ

فإن قلت سَمْجٌ ما أتيتَ فصادقٌ

وبخسُك حقّي كان من قبلُ أسمجا

وبخسُك حقّي كان من قبلُ أسمجا

If you say, "What you did is ugly," you speak the truth;

If you say I'm rude, while truthful,

yet your earlier withholding of my due was uglier.

My criticism of you was never crude.

على أنه لا ذنب عند ذوي النُّهى

على أنه لا ذنب عند ذوي النُّهى

لناقِد أرضٍ عرَّفَ الناسَ بهرجا

لناقِد أرضٍ عرَّفَ الناسَ بهرجا

Besides, in the eyes of the wise, there is no blame

Those of good conduct see no wrong

for a skilled assayer who reveals counterfeit coin to the people.

In one who shows a barren land as barren.

رأى الناسَ يغترُّون منك بظاهرٍ

رأى الناسَ يغترُّون منك بظاهرٍ

كذوبٍ فجلَّى منْ غرُورِك ما دَجَا

كذوبٍ فجلَّى منْ غرُورِك ما دَجَا

He saw people taken in by an outward show of yours—

People are fooled by your fake façade.

a lying one—and brought the darkness of your deceit to light.

So I unveil the fraud you've made.

هجاكَ فلم يترك رجاء لمَنْ رجا

هجاكَ فلم يترك رجاء لمَنْ رجا

جداكَ ولا بقَّى هجاءً لمن هجا

جداكَ ولا بقَّى هجاءً لمن هجا

He satirized you, leaving no hope for anyone hoping

In satirizing you I leave no hope for dreamers.

for your bounty, and left no satire for another satirist.

In judging you I leave no room for slanderers.

وقد كان من يرجوك في سجن حيرةٍ

وقد كان من يرجوك في سجن حيرةٍ

فأَوجَدَهم مِن ذلك السِّجْنِ مخرجا

فأَوجَدَهم مِن ذلك السِّجْنِ مخرجا

Those who put their hopes in you had been in a prison of bewilderment,

Those hoping in you are locked in confusion’s prison.

so he gave them a way out of that prison.

I free them from that jail with clear vision.

ألا رُبَّ غِرٍّ باعك النومَ لَيْلَهُ

ألا رُبَّ غِرٍّ باعك النومَ لَيْلَهُ

وراقبَ ضوء الفجر حتى تبلّجا

وراقبَ ضوء الفجر حتى تبلّجا

Ah, many a naïve soul sold you his night's sleep,

Oh, many a sleeper you robbed of sleep all night.

and watched for dawn's light until it shone forth,

Who watched the dawn break through till daylight.

يدبِّجُ فيك الشعر ضَلّ ضلالهُ

يدبِّجُ فيك الشعر ضَلّ ضلالهُ

فكافأتَ بالحرمانِ ما كانَ دَبَّجَا

فكافأتَ بالحرمانِ ما كانَ دَبَّجَا

embroidering poetry in your praise—how utterly he went astray!

One who weaved poetry to you, his art gone astray,

And you rewarded what he had embroidered with deprivation.

You rewarded with deprivation for his array.