يعقوبُ ويلَ أبيك أيَّةُ هُوةٍ

يعقوبُ ويلَ أبيك أيَّةُ هُوةٍ

دلّاك في لهواتِها الإقدامُ

دلّاك في لهواتِها الإقدامُ

Ya‘qub, woe to your father! What an abyss—

Jacob, woe to your father! What abyss

daring has lowered you into its jaws!

Led you to its precipices of recklessness?

بل أيُّ شأنٍ رمتَ مني لم يكن

بل أيُّ شأنٍ رمتَ مني لم يكن

لولا سفاهُك مثلهُ فيرامُ

لولا سفاهُك مثلهُ فيرامُ

Rather, what did you seek from me? Its like would never

Rather, what business had you with me that was not

exist to be sought, were it not for your folly.

Due to your foolishness, unmatched as it is?

حاولتَهُ والهولُ يزخرُ دونَه

حاولتَهُ والهولُ يزخرُ دونَه

كالبحرِ جلَّلَ متنه الإظلامُ

كالبحرِ جلَّلَ متنه الإظلامُ

You attempted it while terror surged before it,

You attempted it though horror lay beneath

like the sea, its surface shrouded in darkness.

Like a sea, its surface cloaked in darkness.

غطَّى عماكَ على هُداكَ فجئتني

غطَّى عماكَ على هُداكَ فجئتني

وعلى بصيرةِ هادييك غمامُ

وعلى بصيرةِ هادييك غمامُ

Your blindness veiled your guidance, so you came to me,

It covered the sight upon your guidance, so you came to me

while a cloud lay over your two guides’ insight,

While clouds obscured your guiding light.

عشوَ الفراشةِ نحو موقدِ مُصطلٍ

عشوَ الفراشةِ نحو موقدِ مُصطلٍ

فانتاشها من جانبيه ضِرامُ

فانتاشها من جانبيه ضِرامُ

blundering like a moth toward a hearth where someone warms himself;

Like a moth drawn to a kindled flame,

then flames from both sides of the hearth snatched it up.

Burned by it on both sides, wings scorched.

فاقبضْ حصائدَ ما زرعتَ قصائداً

فاقبضْ حصائدَ ما زرعتَ قصائداً

شُنُعا تجدِّدُ عارها الأيامُ

شُنُعا تجدِّدُ عارها الأيامُ

So gather the harvest of what you sowed: poems

So reap what you sowed in odious poems

hideous, whose disgrace the days renew.

Whose disgrace is renewed by days.

يا ابن العواهر قولةً وضعت بها

يا ابن العواهر قولةً وضعت بها

عن ظهري الأوزارُ والآثامُ

عن ظهري الأوزارُ والآثامُ

O son of whores! An utterance by which

O son of harlots, in words you attributed to me

burdens and sins were lifted from my back.

The burdens and sins from my back.

ليس الحرامُ عضيهتي لك مُفحشاً

ليس الحرامُ عضيهتي لك مُفحشاً

بل مهنتي فيكَ القريضَ حرامُ

بل مهنتي فيكَ القريضَ حرامُ

My slandering you obscenely is not what is forbidden;

Forbidden vice with me is no disgrace to you

rather, my debasing poetry by using it on you is forbidden.

Rather, satirizing you became forbidden to me.

ولقد ردعتُ الشعرَ عنك تنزُّهاً

ولقد ردعتُ الشعرَ عنك تنزُّهاً

إذ لامني في شتمك الأقوامُ

إذ لامني في شتمك الأقوامُ

And indeed I held poetry back from you, out of scruple,

I held poetry back from you out of piety

when people reproached me for insulting you.

When people blamed me for insulting you.

فأبتْ جوامحُ للهجاء نوازعٌ

فأبتْ جوامحُ للهجاء نوازعٌ

لا يستطيعُ جِماحهن لجامُ

لا يستطيعُ جِماحهن لجامُ

But unruly verses, straining toward satire, refused restraint;

But passions for invective had unruly urges

no bridle can check their bolting.

That could not be reined in by any bridle.