وَأَنمَرِ الجِلدَةِ صَيَّرتُهُ

وَأَنمَرِ الجِلدَةِ صَيَّرتُهُ

في الناسِ زاغاً أَو شِقِرّاقا

في الناسِ زاغاً أَو شِقِرّاقا

And a mottled-skinned fellow—I turned him

I made him of spotted hide a fox

And that one of speckled skin—I transformed him,

among people into a crow or a roller.

Among men, or a hyena, forsooth!

Among the people, into a crow or a roller-bird.

إِذا رَآني صَدَّني جانِباً

إِذا رَآني صَدَّني جانِباً

كَأَنَّما جُرِّعَ غَسّاقا

كَأَنَّما جُرِّعَ غَسّاقا

Whenever he sees me, he shuns me, turning aside,

Whenever he saw me, he avoided me,

Whenever he sees me, he turns his flank away,

as though he had been forced to swallow foul pus.

As if made to swallow aloes in truth.

As though he had been forced to swallow the bitter draught of Hell.

وَالمَوتُ لا يُخبِرُ عَن طَعمِهِ

وَالمَوتُ لا يُخبِرُ عَن طَعمِهِ

إِن أَنتَ ساءَلتَ كَمَن ذاقا

إِن أَنتَ ساءَلتَ كَمَن ذاقا

And of death’s taste, no one can tell,

And death tells not of its taste,

For death does not report its flavor,

if you ask, as one who has tasted it can.

If you asked one who'd tasted it, forsooth.

If you merely ask, as it does to one who has tasted.

ما زِلتُ أُجري كَلكَلي فَوقَهُ

ما زِلتُ أُجري كَلكَلي فَوقَهُ

حَتّى دَعا مِن تَحتِهِ قاقا

حَتّى دَعا مِن تَحتِهِ قاقا

I kept bearing down upon him with my breast,

I kept plying my whip above him

I ceased not to grind the weight of my chest upon him,

until from beneath it he cried, ‘Caw!’

Until he cried out from below, in truth.

Until he cried out 'Caw!' from beneath it.

نُبِّئتُ زُنبوراً غَدا آنِفاً

نُبِّئتُ زُنبوراً غَدا آنِفاً

مِنِّيَ وَاِستَصحَبتُ أَبّاقا

مِنِّيَ وَاِستَصحَبتُ أَبّاقا

I was told that Zunbur had grown resentful

I was told of a wasp turned hornet just now,

I was told that a hornet had grown disdainful

of me; and I took Abbaq along.

Sprung from me, and I gained a whelp, forsooth.

Of me, while I had taken a runaway slave along.

فَقُلتُ كُفّوا بَعضَ سُخرِيَّكُم

فَقُلتُ كُفّوا بَعضَ سُخرِيَّكُم

فَلَيسَ بِالهَيِّنِ ما لاقى

فَلَيسَ بِالهَيِّنِ ما لاقى

So I said, ‘Curb some of your mockery,

So I said, "Hold back some of your mockery,

So I said, 'Withhold some of your mockery,

for what he suffered is no light matter.’

For that which he met was no easy thing, in truth."

For what he has encountered is no trivial thing.'

مَرَّ عَلى الكَرخِ وَقَد أَوسَعَت

مَرَّ عَلى الكَرخِ وَقَد أَوسَعَت

يَدُ الهِجاءِ الوَجهَ أَلياقا

يَدُ الهِجاءِ الوَجهَ أَلياقا

He passed through al-Karkh, and already

He passed by el-Karkh, and the hand

He passed by Al-Karkh while the hand of satire

satire’s hand had plastered his face with smears,

Of blame had widened his face with slaps, in truth.

Had already liberally smeared his face with ink,

مُلتَفِتاً يَسحَبُ مِن خَلفِهِ

مُلتَفِتاً يَسحَبُ مِن خَلفِهِ

أَزِمَّةً تَترى وَأَرباقا

أَزِمَّةً تَترى وَأَرباقا

looking back, dragging behind him

Turning, he dragged behind him

Turning about, dragging behind him

reins, one after another, and halters.

Calamities you could see and misfortunes, forsooth.

A trail of successive reins and nooses.

وَكُنتُ قَد شِمتُ لِمَحتومِكُم

وَكُنتُ قَد شِمتُ لِمَحتومِكُم

سَحابَةً تَبرُقُ إِبراقا

سَحابَةً تَبرُقُ إِبراقا

And I had watched, for your decreed fate,

And I had gloated over your destined woe

I had indeed watched, regarding your fated champion,

a cloud flashing with lightning;

A cloud that flashed with lightning, in truth.

A cloud that was flashing with lightning,

حَتّى إِذا اِستَجلَيتُها لَم أَجِد

حَتّى إِذا اِستَجلَيتُها لَم أَجِد

لِبَرقِها ذَلِكَ مِصداقا

لِبَرقِها ذَلِكَ مِصداقا

until, when I examined it, I found no

But when I examined it closely I did not find

But when I sought its rain, I did not find

fulfillment of that lightning of its.

For its lightning that confirmation, in truth.

Any validation for that lightning's promise.

يا شاعِرانِ اِشتَرِكا فِيَّ قَد

يا شاعِرانِ اِشتَرِكا فِيَّ قَد

كُنتُ إِلى ذا اليَومِ مُشتاقا

كُنتُ إِلى ذا اليَومِ مُشتاقا

O two poets, join forces against me! I have indeed

O two poets, share with me, for I

O pair of poets who have joined forces against me,

been yearning for this day.

Have yearned for this day until now, in truth.

Indeed, I have been yearning for this day.

لَم تُسعِداني بِهِجائِكُما

لَم تُسعِداني بِهِجائِكُما

أَكُلُّ ذا بُخلاً وَإِشفاقا

أَكُلُّ ذا بُخلاً وَإِشفاقا

You two have not obliged me with your satire;

You have not gladdened me with your satires,

You have not gladdened me with your satire;

is all this out of stinginess and fear?

Is this from stinginess or self-restraint, in truth?

Is all of this merely stinginess and mercy?

تَتارَكا أَن رَأَياني إِلى

تَتارَكا أَن رَأَياني إِلى

ما هَيَّجا أَغلَبَ مِعناقا

ما هَيَّجا أَغلَبَ مِعناقا

The two backed off, seeing that, in confronting

You left me though you saw me aroused

They desisted when they saw me—facing what they had provoked—

what they had stirred up, I was a thick-necked lion, quick to grapple.

To the point of utter confusion, in truth.

A thick-necked lion, rushing headlong into the fray.

فَاِكتَسَبا مَن يَدَّعي ذا وَذا

فَاِكتَسَبا مَن يَدَّعي ذا وَذا

قَلائِداً تَبقى وَأَطواقا

قَلائِداً تَبقى وَأَطواقا

So the two who claim this and that acquired

So win from him who claims this and that

So they earned—for those who claim this and that—

necklaces that endure, and collars.

Necklaces to last and shackles, forsooth!

Necklaces and collars that shall remain forever.