السَوطُ أَبلَغُ مِن قالٍ وَمِنِ قيلِ

السَوطُ أَبلَغُ مِن قالٍ وَمِنِ قيلِ

وَمِن نُباحُ سَفيهِ بِالأَباطيلِ

وَمِن نُباحُ سَفيهِ بِالأَباطيلِ

The whip is more eloquent than talk and hearsay,

The whip is more eloquent than words and sayings,

and than a fool's barking of falsehoods.

And the barking of an ignorant fool with nonsense.

مُرُّ المَذاقِ كَحَرِّ النارِ أَبرَدُهُ

مُرُّ المَذاقِ كَحَرِّ النارِ أَبرَدُهُ

يُعَقِّلُ المُتَعاطي أَيَّ تَعقيلِ

يُعَقِّلُ المُتَعاطي أَيَّ تَعقيلِ

Bitter to taste, even at its coolest it is like fire's heat;

Bitter in taste is cooler than fire's heat,

it brings the offender to his senses most thoroughly.

It brings wisdom to the partaker, what wisdom!

رَأى مِنَ الطِبِّ ما بُقراطُ لَم يَرَهُ

رَأى مِنَ الطِبِّ ما بُقراطُ لَم يَرَهُ

في بُرءِ كُلِّ سَخيفِ العَقلِ مَخذولِ

في بُرءِ كُلِّ سَخيفِ العَقلِ مَخذولِ

It has seen in medicine what Hippocrates never saw,

It saw in medicine what Hippocrates did not see,

in curing every witless, forsaken wretch.

In curing every foolish, weak-minded fool.

ضَئيلُ جِسمٍ تَخافُ الخَيلُ سَطوَتَهُ

ضَئيلُ جِسمٍ تَخافُ الخَيلُ سَطوَتَهُ

أَعدى وَأَطغى مِنَ التِمساحِ في النيلِ

أَعدى وَأَطغى مِنَ التِمساحِ في النيلِ

Slender in body, yet horses fear its onslaught;

A small body whose might horses fear,

more aggressive and more tyrannical than the crocodile in the Nile.

More vicious and tyrannical than a crocodile in the Nile.

يَرقُصُ المَرءَ تَرقيصاً بِلا طَرَبٍ

يَرقُصُ المَرءَ تَرقيصاً بِلا طَرَبٍ

لَو كانَ أَثقَلَ أَو أَجسى مِنَ الفيلِ

لَو كانَ أَثقَلَ أَو أَجسى مِنَ الفيلِ

It makes a man dance without delight,

It makes a man dance without joy,

even if he were heavier or stiffer than an elephant.

Even if he were heavier or bulkier than an elephant.

عِندَ السَخيفِ بِهِ خُبرٌ وَتَجرِبَةٌ

عِندَ السَخيفِ بِهِ خُبرٌ وَتَجرِبَةٌ

فَقَد رَمى تَحتَهُ ما عُدَّ بِالفولِ

فَقَد رَمى تَحتَهُ ما عُدَّ بِالفولِ

The fool has knowledge and experience of it:

To the foolish it is an experience and knowledge,

for he has dropped beneath himself what was counted as beans.

For he has cast under it what was counted as fava beans.

وَقَد حَسا مِنهُ أَمراقاً مُفَلفَلَةً

وَقَد حَسا مِنهُ أَمراقاً مُفَلفَلَةً

جَشَّتهُ شَرَّ الجُشا مِن شَرِّ مَأكولِ

جَشَّتهُ شَرَّ الجُشا مِن شَرِّ مَأكولِ

And he has sipped from it peppered broths,

And it has made him taste intensely spicy dishes,

which made him belch the worst of belches from the worst of food.

That ruptured him with the worst rupture of consumed evils.

وَقَد هجاهُ بِهَجوٍ مُؤلِمٍ وَجِعٍ

وَقَد هجاهُ بِهَجوٍ مُؤلِمٍ وَجِعٍ

لا يُشبِهُ الشِعرَ في نَظمٍ وَتَفصيلِ

لا يُشبِهُ الشِعرَ في نَظمٍ وَتَفصيلِ

And it has lampooned him with painful, agonizing satire,

And it has satirized him with painful, hurtful satire,

unlike poetry in its composition and detail.

That does not resemble poetry in meter and composition.

فَقُل لَهُ إِن جَرى هَجوٌ بِخاطِرِهِ

فَقُل لَهُ إِن جَرى هَجوٌ بِخاطِرِهِ

أُذكُر قِيامَكَ مَحلولَ السَراويلِ

أُذكُر قِيامَكَ مَحلولَ السَراويلِ

So tell him, if satire should cross his mind:

So say to him if satire comes to his mind:

Remember standing with your trousers undone,

I recall your standing, your pants down.

وَاِذكُر طَوافَكَ في الأَسواقِ مُفتَضِحاً

وَاِذكُر طَوافَكَ في الأَسواقِ مُفتَضِحاً

مُجَرَّداً خاشِعاً في ذُلِّ معزولِ

مُجَرَّداً خاشِعاً في ذُلِّ معزولِ

and remember your circuit through the markets, disgraced,

And I recall your wandering in the markets disgraced,

stripped bare, abject, in an outcast's humiliation.

Stripped, humble, in the lowliness of the isolated.

وَاِذكُر عُقوبَةَ ما زَوَّرتَهُ سَفَهاً

وَاِذكُر عُقوبَةَ ما زَوَّرتَهُ سَفَهاً

في السادَةِ القادَةِ الشُمَّ البَهاليلِ

في السادَةِ القادَةِ الشُمَّ البَهاليلِ

And remember the punishment for what you foolishly fabricated

And recall the punishment of what you foolishly forged

against the lords and leaders, lofty and magnanimous.

Against the masters, leaders, the prominent shining stars.

عِصابَةٌ عَظَّمَ الرَحمَنُ حُرمَتَها

عِصابَةٌ عَظَّمَ الرَحمَنُ حُرمَتَها

وَخَصَّها مِنهُ إِكراماً بِتَبجيلِ

وَخَصَّها مِنهُ إِكراماً بِتَبجيلِ

A company whose sanctity the All-Merciful has exalted,

A group whom the Merciful made inviolable,

and which He has singled out for reverence, as an honor from Him.

And singled out for honor with veneration.

هُمُ لُبابُ الوَرى حَقّاً وَغَيرُهُم

هُمُ لُبابُ الوَرى حَقّاً وَغَيرُهُم

عِندَ الحَقيقَةِ أَبقالُ الغَرابيلِ

عِندَ الحَقيقَةِ أَبقالُ الغَرابيلِ

They are truly the choicest kernels of mankind; all others

They are truly the essence of all people, and others

are, in truth, the refuse left in sieves.

Are, in truth, worthless rabble.

إِنَّ اِبنَ تَوبَةَ فيهِم رافِعٌ عَلَماً

إِنَّ اِبنَ تَوبَةَ فيهِم رافِعٌ عَلَماً

مِنَ القَضاءِ وَمُمتازٌ بِإِكليلِ

مِنَ القَضاءِ وَمُمتازٌ بِإِكليلِ

Indeed, Ibn Tawba among them raises a banner

Indeed, amongst them ibn Tawbah is a standard bearer

of justice, and is distinguished by a crown.

Of justice, distinguished with a wreath.

قَضى بِتَنكيلِ مَن لَم يَرعَ حَقَّهُمُ

قَضى بِتَنكيلِ مَن لَم يَرعَ حَقَّهُمُ

وَحَصَّنَ الحُكمَ في هَذا بِتَسجيلِ

وَحَصَّنَ الحُكمَ في هَذا بِتَسجيلِ

He decreed exemplary punishment for whoever failed to respect their rights,

He punished those who did not respect their rights,

and secured the judgment in this matter by recording it.

And fortified the ruling in this with documentation.

الظَهرُ قِرطاسُهُ وَالسَوطُ يَطلُبُهُ

الظَهرُ قِرطاسُهُ وَالسَوطُ يَطلُبُهُ

بِئسَ الكِتابُ بِعَقدٍ غَيرِ مَحلولِ

بِئسَ الكِتابُ بِعَقدٍ غَيرِ مَحلولِ

The back is his paper, and the whip seeks it:

The back is his paper, and the whip seeks him -

what a wretched writ, with a knot not undone!

What an awful script without loosened knot!