حميدُ ماذا دهاكا

حميدُ ماذا دهاكا

جُنِنتَ أم ما اعتراكا

جُنِنتَ أم ما اعتراكا

Humayd, what has befallen you?

Hamid, what has possessed you?

Hamid, what calamity has struck your head?

Have you gone mad, or what has come over you?

Have you gone mad or what has afflicted you?

Have you gone mad, or by some madness led?

لو أنّ كفّي عنانٍ

لو أنّ كفّي عنانٍ

رطوبةً كفّاكا

رطوبةً كفّاكا

Even if ʿInān's palms

If only my palms were reins

Even if the palms of 'Anan, soft and fine,

were yours in their moist softness,

Wetting your palms

Possessed the clammy moisture found in thine,

ووجنَتي تمتامٍ

ووجنَتي تمتامٍ

تحكيهما وجنَتاكا

تحكيهما وجنَتاكا

and Tamtām's cheeks

And my cheeks were bridles

And if the cheeks of Tamtam, fair and sleek,

were mirrored by your cheeks,

That would restrain your cheeks

Were mimicked by the contours of your cheek,

ومُقلتي رحمةٍ في

ومُقلتي رحمةٍ في

زِناهُما مُقلتاكا

زِناهُما مُقلتاكا

and Raḥma's eyes, in

And my eyelashes were merciful

And if the eyes of Rahma, wild and free,

their lewdness, were your eyes,

In their blinking upon your eyelashes

Found their wanton likeness reflected in thee,

ووزّةَ ابنِ تبيع

ووزّةَ ابنِ تبيع

منوطةً من وراكا

منوطةً من وراكا

and Ibn Tabīʿ's goose

And the son of Tabia were a mule

And if the goose of Ibn Tabi', dangling low,

were hanging behind you,

Tied behind you

Were hung upon your backside to and fro,

وكنتَ في الحسن فردا

وكنتَ في الحسن فردا

لما حملتُ جفاكا

لما حملتُ جفاكا

and you were peerless in beauty,

Yet you were unique in beauty

And were you unique in beauty, set apart,

I would not endure your coldness.

When I carried your disregard

I would not bear the harshness of your heart.

لأقمطَنَّك في عص

لأقمطَنَّك في عص

بةٍ بفضلِ رداكا

بةٍ بفضلِ رداكا

I will surely truss you up among a

I will diminish you in a group

I shall surely swaddle you, bound in a band,

band, with the spare cloth of your cloak,

Through the excellence of my response to you

With the trailing excess of your robe in hand.

حتى إذا ما جدَلنا

حتى إذا ما جدَلنا

كَ جانباً جئناكا

كَ جانباً جئناكا

until, once we have thrown

Until when we have turned

Until, when we have tossed you to the side,

you aside, we come at you:

Away from you, we will come to you

We shall descend upon you, stripped of pride.

من آخذٍ لكَ نعلاً

من آخذٍ لكَ نعلاً

وآخذٍ مِشواكا

وآخذٍ مِشواكا

one taking up a sandal for you,

One who takes your slipper

One wielding a sandal to strike your face,

and another taking up a goad.

And one who takes your walking stick

Another with a stick to keep the pace.

وقد أتاكَ أُناسٌ

وقد أتاكَ أُناسٌ

يقطّعونَ الشباكا

يقطّعونَ الشباكا

And people have indeed come to you,

And people came to you

And folks have come to you, a gathered set,

cutting up the nets.

Who tear apart the nets

Slicing through the cords of every trap and net.

وقد أمرتُ من الج

وقد أمرتُ من الج

نِّ حوقلاً وضناكا

نِّ حوقلاً وضناكا

And I have commanded, from among the

And I ordered the Jan

And I have ordered Jinn of dark decree,

jinn, Ḥawqal and Ḍanāk,

Hawaqal and Dhinak

Hawqal and Dinak, to attend to thee.

أن يصفِناكَ على أر

أن يصفِناكَ على أر

بع وأن يُبركاكا

بع وأن يُبركاكا

to spank you on all

To line you up in fours and bless you

To yoke you on all fours, a beast in chain,

fours, and make you kneel,

Until when you cannot bear the pounding of the rows moving

And force you to your knees in humble pain.

حتى إذا لم تُطِق من

حتى إذا لم تُطِق من

وقع الصفان حِراكا

وقع الصفان حِراكا

until, when you are unable, from

They kept you, and if

Until, when you no longer can withstand

the impact of the spanking, to move,

You returned after that, they would crucify you

The heavy impact of the binding band,

استبقياكَ فإن عُد

استبقياكَ فإن عُد

تَ بعدها صلَباكا

تَ بعدها صلَباكا

they spare you; but if you

They will spare you; but should you relapse to this,

return afterward, they will crucify you.

They will crucify you in the dark abyss.