إِن كنتَ ما إِن سمعتَ بي فاسمعْ

إِن كنتَ ما إِن سمعتَ بي فاسمعْ

شعريَ من شعر عنترٍ أَشجَعْ

شعريَ من شعر عنترٍ أَشجَعْ

If you have not heard of me, then listen.

If you have never heard of me, then listen.

My poetry is braver than ʿAntarah’s poetry.

My poetry is braver than ʿAntar's poetry.

يخاف شعري من لا يخافُ كما

يخاف شعري من لا يخافُ كما

يَجزَعُ منه من كان لا يجزَع

يَجزَعُ منه من كان لا يجزَع

My verse frightens one who knows no fear, just as

Those who fear nothing fear my poetry, just as

it makes one tremble before it who has never trembled.

those who never quailed quake at it.

أنا الذي تُبَّعٌ يموتُ إِذا

أنا الذي تُبَّعٌ يموتُ إِذا

ما صُلْتُ من صولتي ومَنْ تُبَّع

ما صُلْتُ من صولتي ومَنْ تُبَّع

I am he whose pursuer dies whenever

I am the one: Tubbaʿ dies when

I charge in one of my assaults—and whoever follows me dies.

I charge, from my onslaught—and who is Tubbaʿ?

لو صِحْتُ بالَّليْثِ صيحةً لمضى

لو صِحْتُ بالَّليْثِ صيحةً لمضى

وَصَدْرُهُ من فؤادِهِ بَلْقَع

وَصَدْرُهُ من فؤادِهِ بَلْقَع

Were I to cry out once at the lion, it would flee,

If I shouted once at a lion, it would go off,

its breast emptied of its heart, a barren waste.

its chest a wasteland emptied of its heart.

وكلُّ عاصٍ من البريّةِ لي

وكلُّ عاصٍ من البريّةِ لي

وحديَ منْ كلِّ طائعٍ أطْوَع

وحديَ منْ كلِّ طائعٍ أطْوَع

Every rebel among humankind, before me

And every rebel among creation is, to me

alone, is more obedient than every obedient man.

alone, more obedient than all the obedient.

فيا كُرَيزيُّ كيف تَثْبُتْ يا

فيا كُرَيزيُّ كيف تَثْبُتْ يا

ريشةُ قُدَّامَ ريحيَ الزَّعْزَع

ريشةُ قُدَّامَ ريحيَ الزَّعْزَع

So, Qurayzi, how can you stand firm—O

So, Kurayzi, how can you stand firm, O

feather—before a raging, violent wind?

feather before my tempestuous wind?

رُمتَ مَنِ الشَّوْكُ عنده فَنَكٌ

رُمتَ مَنِ الشَّوْكُ عنده فَنَكٌ

رُزْتَ مَنِ النبعُ عنده خِرْوَع

رُزْتَ مَنِ النبعُ عنده خِرْوَع

My thorns flew from me at him and pierced him;

You targeted one for whom thorns are fennec fur;

shafts of nabʿ wood planted beside them would seem mere castor stalks.

you tested one for whom nabʿ bow-wood is castor stalk.

فاحصدْ بكفَّيكَ ما زرعتَ فما

فاحصدْ بكفَّيكَ ما زرعتَ فما

تَحْصُدُ شيئاً سوى الذي تَزْرَع

تَحْصُدُ شيئاً سوى الذي تَزْرَع

Reap with your own two hands what you have sown, for

So reap with both your hands what you have sown, for you do not

you will reap nothing but what you sow.

reap anything but what you sow.

إِن كنتَ فكَّرتَ في مقاومتي

إِن كنتَ فكَّرتَ في مقاومتي

فأنت لا شكَّ بعدها تُصْرَع

فأنت لا شكَّ بعدها تُصْرَع

If you have contemplated opposing me,

If you have thought of resisting me,

then you will undoubtedly be struck down.

then afterward you will surely be laid low.

كم بينَ سيفٍ يفوقُ صاعقةً

كم بينَ سيفٍ يفوقُ صاعقةً

وبين سيفٍ يفوقُه مِبضَع

وبين سيفٍ يفوقُه مِبضَع

How vast the gulf between a sword that outstrips a thunderbolt

How great the gulf between a sword surpassing a thunderbolt

and a sword outstripped by a scalpel!

and a sword surpassed by a lancet!

دع ذا أبا هاشمٍ وهاتِ أجِب

دع ذا أبا هاشمٍ وهاتِ أجِب

في سرعةٍ فالمجيبُ مَن أَسْرَع

في سرعةٍ فالمجيبُ مَن أَسْرَع

Leave that, Abu Hashim; come now and answer

Put that aside, Abu Hashim; come, answer

quickly—for the true respondent answers fastest.

quickly—the answerer is the one who is quickest.

هل لك فيه ملزَّزٌ أصْلَعْ

هل لك فيه ملزَّزٌ أصْلَعْ

أشبهُ شيءٍ بساعدِ الأقطَع

أشبهُ شيءٍ بساعدِ الأقطَع

Do you have in him a compact, bald object,

Would you care for it—a stout, bald thing,

resembling above all the forearm of a man with a severed hand,

the very image of an amputee's forearm?

مقابَلٌ في الصِّفاتِ قالبُهُ

مقابَلٌ في الصِّفاتِ قالبُهُ

قالبُ رأسِ النعامةِ الأقْرَع

قالبُ رأسِ النعامةِ الأقْرَع

matching in its features and its mold

In its features, its shape matches

the shape of a bald ostrich’s head?

the shape of an ostrich's bald head.

فيه ذراعٌ وما يزيدُ فإن

فيه ذراعٌ وما يزيدُ فإن

شككتَ فيما أقول قُمْ فاذرع

شككتَ فيما أقول قُمْ فاذرع

It is one cubit long, and no longer; so if

It measures a cubit and more; so if

you doubt what I say, rise and measure it.

you doubt what I say, rise and measure it.

تقولُ لا قلت حين تلحظه

تقولُ لا قلت حين تلحظه

ذا شمعةٌ فقحتي له مشمع

ذا شمعةٌ فقحتي له مشمع

You say, “No.” I said, when you caught sight of it,

You say—may you never speak!—when you behold it:

“That is a candle”; then I said to him, “Wax-coated.”

This is a candle; my asshole is its candlestick.

لو يا أبا هاشمٍ ظفرتَ به

لو يا أبا هاشمٍ ظفرتَ به

شبعت نيكاً وكيف لا تشبع

شبعت نيكاً وكيف لا تشبع

If, Abu Hashim, you got hold of him,

If, Abu Hashim, you got hold of it,

you would be sated with fucking—and how could you not be?

you would have your fill of being fucked—and how could you not?

لو يا أبا هاشمٍ ظفرتَ به

لو يا أبا هاشمٍ ظفرتَ به

صَنَعْتَ ما لا يحلُّ أنْ يُصْنَع

صَنَعْتَ ما لا يحلُّ أنْ يُصْنَع

If, Abu Hashim, you got hold of him,

If, Abu Hashim, you got hold of it,

you would do what may not lawfully be done.

you would do what may not lawfully be done.

بهِ أبا هاشمٍ يظلُّ قفا

بهِ أبا هاشمٍ يظلُّ قفا

أيرِكَ في كلِّ ساعةٍ يُصْفَع

أيرِكَ في كلِّ ساعةٍ يُصْفَع

With him, Abu Hashim, the back of

With it, Abu Hashim, the nape

your penis keeps getting slapped every hour.

of your cock keeps getting slapped every hour.

بهِ أبا هاشمٍ كذلك عَيْ

بهِ أبا هاشمٍ كذلك عَيْ

نُ استِكَ في كلِّ ساعةٍ تُقْلَع

نُ استِكَ في كلِّ ساعةٍ تُقْلَع

With him, Abu Hashim, likewise, the eye—

With it, Abu Hashim, likewise the eye—

—of your arse is gouged out every hour.

—of your ass is gouged out every hour.

ما لجِعِبَّاكَ ما لها جَمَعَتْ

ما لجِعِبَّاكَ ما لها جَمَعَتْ

ما لم تكنْ قطُّ جَعْبَةٌ تَجْمَع

ما لم تكنْ قطُّ جَعْبَةٌ تَجْمَع

What is wrong with your quiver—what has it gathered

What ails your asshole? What ails it? It has gathered

that no Friday congregation ever gathered?

what no quiver ever gathered.

قد وسَّعتْها الأيورُ فهيَ إذا

قد وسَّعتْها الأيورُ فهيَ إذا

تقاسُ من كلِّ واسعٍ أوْسَع

تقاسُ من كلِّ واسعٍ أوْسَع

Penises have already widened it, and thus now,

Cocks have stretched it wide, so when it

when measured, it is wider than every wide thing.

is measured, it is wider than anything wide.

كم نائكٍ قد حمدتَ موقعه

كم نائكٍ قد حمدتَ موقعه

كلاكما واقفٌ على أرْبَع

كلاكما واقفٌ على أرْبَع

How many a fucker’s mounting-place have you praised,

How many a fucker you have praised for his thrust,

both of you standing there on all fours!

with both of you standing on all fours!

مَن يَرَ من تحتِ ذاك يَقُلْ

مَن يَرَ من تحتِ ذاك يَقُلْ

كأنَّ ذا ساجدٌ وذا يَرْكَع

كأنَّ ذا ساجدٌ وذا يَرْكَع

Whoever sees that from below will say,

Whoever sees that from below will say:

“It is as though this one prostrates and that one bows.”

It is as though this one prostrates and that one bows.

يا كلبُ يا قردُ يا أخَسَّ ويا

يا كلبُ يا قردُ يا أخَسَّ ويا

أنْذلَ مِنْ ذا وذا ويا أوضَع

أنْذلَ مِنْ ذا وذا ويا أوضَع

O dog! O ape! O vilest of men—and O

You dog! You ape! You are viler and

more contemptible than this and that—O basest one!

baser than either—most abject of all!

رأيتَ طُرقَ الهجاءِ ضَيِّقَةً

رأيتَ طُرقَ الهجاءِ ضَيِّقَةً

فَعُذتَ منها بالأوسَع الأوسع

فَعُذتَ منها بالأوسَع الأوسع

I found the paths of satire too narrow,

You found the paths of satire narrow,

so I sought refuge from them in the broadest expanses.

so you fled them for the widest—the very widest.

وكان سهلاً عليك قذفيَ إِيّ

وكان سهلاً عليك قذفيَ إِيّ

اك بما قد قَذفْتُ أو أبشَع

اك بما قد قَذفْتُ أو أبشَع

It was easy for you to accuse me; indeed, I

And it was easy for you to bear my accusing you—

may be what you accused me of—or fouler still.

—of what I have already accused you of, or worse.

قل فيَّ ما فيك حينَ يُعجِزكَ ال

قل فيَّ ما فيك حينَ يُعجِزكَ ال

قولُ ففي بعضِ ذاك مُستَمْتَع

قولُ ففي بعضِ ذاك مُستَمْتَع

Say of me whatever lies within you; when

Say of me what is true of you when you are at a loss for the

speech fails you, there is some amusement in that.

words, for there is amusement in some of that.

قالوا الكُرَيزيُّ قد هجاك قد اس

قالوا الكُرَيزيُّ قد هجاك قد اس

تقتلَ للهجوِ بل قد استَصفَع

تقتلَ للهجوِ بل قد استَصفَع

They said, “Al-Qurayzi has lampooned you; he has courted—

They said: Kurayzi has lampooned you; he has courted

—death through satire.” No—he has asked to be slapped:

death through satire—rather, he has asked to be slapped.

ذو أُبنةٍ أطْمَعَتْهُ أُبنَتُهُ

ذو أُبنةٍ أطْمَعَتْهُ أُبنَتُهُ

في مَطمَعٍ ليس فيه مِنْ مَطمَع

في مَطمَعٍ ليس فيه مِنْ مَطمَع

a man craving to be sodomized, whose daughter excited that craving

A man craving to be fucked—his craving made him covet

toward an object of hope in which there is no hope.

a prospect that offers nothing to covet.

أَجُرْأةً هكذا عليكَ ولو

أَجُرْأةً هكذا عليكَ ولو

طرتَ به في الهجوع لم يَهجَع

طرتَ به في الهجوع لم يَهجَع

What audacity is this against you! Even if

Such audacity against you? Yet if

you flew off with it in slumber, it would never slumber.

you sent him flying in his sleep, he would not sleep.

فانفخهُ حتى يطيرَ من حَلَبٍ

فانفخهُ حتى يطيرَ من حَلَبٍ

فإنّ في نفخةٍ له مَقنَع

فإنّ في نفخةٍ له مَقنَع

So blow him up until he flies out of Aleppo,

So blow on him until he flies out of Aleppo,

for a single puff at him is enough.

for a single puff will suffice for him.