عَيّاشُ زُفَّ إِلَيكَ جَهدٌ جاهِدُ

عَيّاشُ زُفَّ إِلَيكَ جَهدٌ جاهِدُ

وَاِحتَلَّ ساحَتَكَ البَلاءُ الراكِدُ

وَاِحتَلَّ ساحَتَكَ البَلاءُ الراكِدُ

Ayyash, exhausting hardship has been ushered to you,

'Ayyash poured onto you tremendous effort

and stagnant calamity has occupied your courtyard.

And misfortune settled upon your field.

ما اللُؤمُ لُؤماً إِن عَداكَ لُبانُهُ

ما اللُؤمُ لُؤماً إِن عَداكَ لُبانُهُ

وَعَدَوتَهُ وَلَهيعَةٌ لَكَ والِدُ

وَعَدَوتَهُ وَلَهيعَةٌ لَكَ والِدُ

Baseness is not baseness if its desire passes you by,

Blame is no blame if others blame you,

and you pass it by, with Lahi'a as your father.

And their enmity to you is innate and natural.

أَلِفَ الهِجاءَ فَمايُبالي عِرضُهُ

أَلِفَ الهِجاءَ فَمايُبالي عِرضُهُ

أَهَجاهُ أَلفٌ أَم هَجاهُ واحِدُ

أَهَجاهُ أَلفٌ أَم هَجاهُ واحِدُ

He has grown used to satire, so his honor does not care

He grew accustomed to blame so he does not care for his honor—

whether a thousand have lampooned him or only one.

Did thousands blame him or did one?

سَمُجَت بِكَ الدُنيا فَما لَكَ حامِدٌ

سَمُجَت بِكَ الدُنيا فَما لَكَ حامِدٌ

وَسَمَجتَ بِالدُنيا فَما لَكَ حاسِدُ

وَسَمَجتَ بِالدُنيا فَما لَكَ حاسِدُ

The world has grown ugly through you, so none praises you;

The world was deafened by you yet no one praises you,

and you have grown ugly through the world, so none envies you.

And you were deafened by the world yet no one envies you.

لَأُنَكِّلَنَّكَ أَن تَكونَ لِشاعِرٍ

لَأُنَكِّلَنَّكَ أَن تَكونَ لِشاعِرٍ

مِن بَعدِها غَرَضاً وَأَصلُكَ فاسِدُ

مِن بَعدِها غَرَضاً وَأَصلُكَ فاسِدُ

I shall surely chastise you to keep you from becoming a poet's

I will surely incapacitate you from being, after this,

target hereafter, though your stock is corrupt.

A purpose for a poet and your origin is corrupt.

وَلَأُشهِرَنَّ عَلَيكَ شُنعَ أَوابِدٍ

وَلَأُشهِرَنَّ عَلَيكَ شُنعَ أَوابِدٍ

يُحسَبنَ أَسيافاً وَهُنَّ قَصائِدُ

يُحسَبنَ أَسيافاً وَهُنَّ قَصائِدُ

And I shall brandish against you dreadful, far-roaming verses,

And I will unleash upon you the evils of abandoned places

taken for swords, though they are poems.

Which are reckoned to be swords though they are poems.

فيها لِأَعناقِ اللِئامِ جَوامِعٌ

فيها لِأَعناقِ اللِئامِ جَوامِعٌ

تَبقى وَأَعناقِ الكِرامِ قَلائِدُ

تَبقى وَأَعناقِ الكِرامِ قَلائِدُ

In them are fetters for the necks of the base,

In them are the total destruction of the necks of villains

which endure, and necklaces for the necks of the noble.

Remaining, while the necks of the generous have necklaces.

يَلزَمنَ عَرضَ قَفاكَ وَسمَ خَزايَةٍ

يَلزَمنَ عَرضَ قَفاكَ وَسمَ خَزايَةٍ

لَم يُخزِها بِأَبي عُيَينَةَ خالِدُ

لَم يُخزِها بِأَبي عُيَينَةَ خالِدُ

They shall cling across your nape as a brand of disgrace

They will stick to the honor of your nape and the stigma

such as Khalid never inflicted upon Abu Uyayna.

Of disgrace which even Khalid did not dishonor Abu ‘Uyaynah with.

وَاللَهُ يَعلَمُ أَنَّ شِعراً شابَهُ

وَاللَهُ يَعلَمُ أَنَّ شِعراً شابَهُ

فيكَ الهِجاءُ أَوِ المَديحُ لَكاسِدُ

فيكَ الهِجاءُ أَوِ المَديحُ لَكاسِدُ

And God knows that poetry mingled

And God knows that poetry which resembles

with satire or praise of you is surely unsaleable.

Blame of you or praise is unprofitable.

فَاِلبَس ثِيابَ فَضائِحٍ أَسدَيتَها

فَاِلبَس ثِيابَ فَضائِحٍ أَسدَيتَها

أَشراً وَأَلحَمَها أَخوكَ البارِدُ

أَشراً وَأَلحَمَها أَخوكَ البارِدُ

So wear the garments of disgrace whose warp you laid

So wear the clothes of disgrace which you tailored,

in wantonness, and whose weft your dull brother supplied.

The evilest, and which your cold brother patched together.'