في أَيِّ سَلحٍ تَرتَطِم

في أَيِّ سَلحٍ تَرتَطِم

وَبِأَيِّ كَفٍّ تَلتَقِم

وَبِأَيِّ كَفٍّ تَلتَقِم

In what shit do you flounder?

With what weapon do you collide

And with what hand do you stuff your mouth?

And with what palm do you devour

أَدخَلتَ رَأسَكَ في الرَحِم

أَدخَلتَ رَأسَكَ في الرَحِم

وَعَلِمتَ أَنَّكَ تَنهَزِم

وَعَلِمتَ أَنَّكَ تَنهَزِم

You have thrust your head into the womb

You have put your head in the womb

and knew that you would be defeated.

And you knew you would be defeated

يا بُحتُرِيُّ حَذارِ وَي

يا بُحتُرِيُّ حَذارِ وَي

حَكَ مِن قُضاقِضَةٍ ضُغُم

حَكَ مِن قُضاقِضَةٍ ضُغُم

O Buhturi, beware—woe

O Buhutiri beware

to you—of fierce, ravenous lions!

Of the gabble of anger

فَلَقَد أَسَلتَ بِوادِيَي

فَلَقَد أَسَلتَ بِوادِيَي

كَ مِن الهِجا سَيلَ العَرِم

كَ مِن الهِجا سَيلَ العَرِم

For you have sent coursing through the two valleys

For you have unleashed in my valley

of yours a flood of satire—the flood of al-‘Arim.

A flood of insults like raging torrents

فَبِأَيِّ عِرضٍ تَعتَصِم

فَبِأَيِّ عِرضٍ تَعتَصِم

وَبِهَتكِهِ جَفَّ القَلَم

وَبِهَتكِهِ جَفَّ القَلَم

What honor, then, can you seek refuge in,

With what honor will you defend yourself

when the pen has run dry dishonoring it?

When the pen has dried from the disgrace

وَاللَهِ حِلفَةَ صادِقٍ

وَاللَهِ حِلفَةَ صادِقٍ

وَبِقَبرِ أَحمَدَ وَالحَرَم

وَبِقَبرِ أَحمَدَ وَالحَرَم

By God—an honest man's oath—

By Allah the oath of the truthful

and by Ahmad's grave and the Sacred Sanctuary,

By the grave of Ahmad and the sanctuary

وَبِحَقِّ جَعفَرٍ الإِما

وَبِحَقِّ جَعفَرٍ الإِما

مِ اِبنِ الإِمامِ المُعتَصِم

مِ اِبنِ الإِمامِ المُعتَصِم

and by the right of Ja‘far, the Imam,

And by the right of Ja'far the Imam

son of the Imam al-Mu‘tasim,

The son of Imam Al-Mu'tasim

لأصَيِّرَنَّكَ شُهرَةً

لأصَيِّرَنَّكَ شُهرَةً

بَينَ المَسيلِ إِلى العَلَم

بَينَ المَسيلِ إِلى العَلَم

I shall surely make you a byword

I will make you famous

from the watercourse to the landmark.

From Al-Musayliq to Al-‘Alam

حَيِّ الطُلولَ بِذي سَلَم

حَيِّ الطُلولَ بِذي سَلَم

حَيثُ الأَراكَةُ وَالخِيَم

حَيثُ الأَراكَةُ وَالخِيَم

Salute the ruined campsites at Dhu Salam,

At Dhi Salam, home of the Arab tents

where the arak tree and the tents stand.

Where are the meadows and the tents

يا اِبنَ الثَقيلَةِ وَالثَقي

يا اِبنَ الثَقيلَةِ وَالثَقي

لِ عَلى قُلوبِ ذَوي النِعَم

لِ عَلى قُلوبِ ذَوي النِعَم

O son of the woman and man who weigh heavily

O son of the heavyweight and the trusted

on the hearts of those blessed with bounty,

Upon the hearts of the prosperous

وَعَلى الصَغيرِ مَعَ الكَبي

وَعَلى الصَغيرِ مَعَ الكَبي

رِ مِنَ المَوالي وَالحَشَم

رِ مِنَ المَوالي وَالحَشَم

and on the young as well as the old

And upon the little and the big

among retainers and servants.

Among the loyal and the modest

في أَيِّ سَلحٍ تَرتَطِم

في أَيِّ سَلحٍ تَرتَطِم

وَبِأَيِّ كَفٍّ تَلتَقِم

وَبِأَيِّ كَفٍّ تَلتَقِم

In what shit do you flounder?

With what weapon do you collide

And with what hand do you stuff your mouth?

And with what palm do you devour

يا ابنَ المُباحَةِ لِلوَرى

يا ابنَ المُباحَةِ لِلوَرى

أَمِنَ العَفافِ أَمِ التُهَم

أَمِنَ العَفافِ أَمِ التُهَم

O son of the woman available to everyone,

O son of the one who makes lawful for people

is this chastity, or grounds for suspicion,

Is it chastity or accusation

إِذ رَحلُ أُختِكَ لِلعَجَم

إِذ رَحلُ أُختِكَ لِلعَجَم

وَفِراشُ أُمِّكَ في الظُلَم

وَفِراشُ أُمِّكَ في الظُلَم

when your sister's saddle is for the non-Arabs,

When your sister traveled to the non-Arabs

and your mother's bed is in the dark,

And your mother's bed is in the dark

وَبِبابِ دارِكَ حانَةٌ

وَبِبابِ دارِكَ حانَةٌ

في بَيتِهِ يؤتى الحَكَم

في بَيتِهِ يؤتى الحَكَم

and at your house's door stands a tavern—

By the door of your house is a tavern

in his house the arbiter is “visited”?

In his home he is given rule