يا سائلي عَن لَيْلَتي بالمَنْسرِ

يا سائلي عَن لَيْلَتي بالمَنْسرِ

يُغنيكَ شاهدُ مَنْظَري عَنْ مَخبري

يُغنيكَ شاهدُ مَنْظَري عَنْ مَخبري

O you who ask about my night with the robber band,

O you who ask about my night at Minshar,

the evidence of my appearance spares you my account.

My appearance will suffice you instead of my words,

خارَتْ لسُكنى الخورِ قُوَّتي التي

خارَتْ لسُكنى الخورِ قُوَّتي التي

كانَتْ تفوقُ على شجاعةِ عَنْتَرِ

كانَتْ تفوقُ على شجاعةِ عَنْتَرِ

My strength failed as weakness settled in—the strength that

My strength to dwell in Khour has vanished,

had surpassed the courage of ʿAntar.

Which surpassed the bravery of Antar,

نزَلَتْ بداري عُصْبَةٌ فَتَاكةٌ

نزَلَتْ بداري عُصْبَةٌ فَتَاكةٌ

هَتَكَتْ حِجابي بعدَ طولِ تَستُّرِ

هَتَكَتْ حِجابي بعدَ طولِ تَستُّرِ

A murderous gang descended on my home,

A vicious gang descended upon my house,

tearing away my veil after long concealment.

And tore away my veil after long concealment,

من كُلِّ مُنْقَفلِ اللِّثامِ مُفَتِّح

من كُلِّ مُنْقَفلِ اللِّثامِ مُفَتِّح

أقفالَها بشَبا الحديدِ الأَخضرِ

أقفالَها بشَبا الحديدِ الأَخضرِ

Each with his face-veil shut tight, yet an opener

Each one with unveiled face,

of its locks with the sharp edges of green iron.

Unlocking its locks with green iron swords,

وافى يُّكَوِّرني ولولا أنْ عرى

وافى يُّكَوِّرني ولولا أنْ عرى

شَمسي الكسوفُ لَكانَ غيرَ مُّكَوَّري

شَمسي الكسوفُ لَكانَ غيرَ مُّكَوَّري

He came to roll me up; had there not befallen

Binding and bending me, and had it not been for

my sun an eclipse, he would not have rolled me up.

My sun undergoing an eclipse, I would not be bent,

بمُلَثَمٍ وَمُكَمّمٍ وَمُعَمّمٍ

بمُلَثَمٍ وَمُكَمّمٍ وَمُعَمّمٍ

ومخرَّصٍ وَمُوَشّحِ وَمُوَزَّرِ

ومخرَّصٍ وَمُوَشّحِ وَمُوَزَّرِ

With masked, muffled, and turbaned men,

Wearing masks, mufflers and turbans,

and earringed, sash-girt, and waist-wrap-clad men.

Intertwined, armed and fully dressed,

مزجوا القَساوةَ بالجهالةِ وانبرى

مزجوا القَساوةَ بالجهالةِ وانبرى

كلٌّ يُهَدِّدُني بلَفظٍ حوتري

كلٌّ يُهَدِّدُني بلَفظٍ حوتري

They mingled cruelty with ignorance, and forward sprang

They mixed cruelty with ignorance, and each

each one, threatening me in thieves' cant.

Threatened me with vulgar language,

في صورَةِ المرِّيخ إلا أنّه

في صورَةِ المرِّيخ إلا أنّه

زُحَلٌ لهُ في كُلِّ سوقٍ مُشتَري

زُحَلٌ لهُ في كُلِّ سوقٍ مُشتَري

In the guise of Mars, except that he was

In the image of Mars, except that he

Saturn, with a buyer—Jupiter—in every market.

Is Saturn, purchased in every market,

طَرَقوا بساطي بالطّوارقِ والقنا

طَرَقوا بساطي بالطّوارقِ والقنا

متلاعبينَ بأبيضٍ وبأسمرِ

متلاعبينَ بأبيضٍ وبأسمرِ

They came by night upon my carpet with shields and spears,

They stomped my carpet with blacks and spears

toying with a white blade and a brown spear.

Playing with white and black,

لم أنْتَبهْ إلاَّ بكوزَةِ رامحٍ

لم أنْتَبهْ إلاَّ بكوزَةِ رامحٍ

منهم أقامتني إلى ألحالِ الزَّري

منهم أقامتني إلى ألحالِ الزَّري

I woke only to a jab from a spearman

I did not notice until the stroke of a lance

among them, which set me upright in a wretched state,

Made me stand up to the stroker’s attacks,

وَبضَربةٍ من ذي حُسامٍ منتضى

وَبضَربةٍ من ذي حُسامٍ منتضى

يَفري الفريسة من جهولٍ مُفترى

يَفري الفريسة من جهولٍ مُفترى

and to a blow from one with a drawn sword,

And a blow from a drawn sword

rending its prey—a blow from an ignorant slanderer.

That made the prey flee from an ignorant aggressor,

صَفحاً بلا صَفْح فليتَ تبدَّلتْ

صَفحاً بلا صَفْح فليتَ تبدَّلتْ

بالعينِ حاءً بالأديمِ الأَحمرِ

بالعينِ حاءً بالأديمِ الأَحمرِ

A flat-blade blow, without pardon—would that it had exchanged

Without any forgiveness, oh how I wish it would change

its ḥā for an ʿayn upon my reddened skin!

With the eye, the red leather,

في شَر نوروزِ بَدالِي نَطعُهُ

في شَر نوروزِ بَدالِي نَطعُهُ

بالسّيْفِ مُقْتَرِناً يُلاحِظُ مَنْخري

بالسّيْفِ مُقْتَرِناً يُلاحِظُ مَنْخري

In the worst Nowruz, his execution-mat appeared to me,

On the eve of the worst New Year's, I'll pierce him

paired with the sword, eyeing my nostril.

With a sword, while watching his nostril,

فَجُرِرتُ بعدَ الرَّفعِ في أيديهِم

فَجُرِرتُ بعدَ الرَّفعِ في أيديهِم

وَنُصِبتُ ذا نَصب بِحالِ مُسَمّرِ

وَنُصِبتُ ذا نَصب بِحالِ مُسَمّرِ

Then, after being lifted, I was dragged in their grip,

I was dragged by their hands after being lifted

and set upright, in torment, like one nailed fast.

And erected with a posture like one nailed,

هذا يقولُ المالُ أين خَبَأتَهُ

هذا يقولُ المالُ أين خَبَأتَهُ

فأجبتُهُ خوفاً جوابَ مُحَيِّر

فأجبتُهُ خوفاً جوابَ مُحَيِّر

This one says: 'The money—where have you hidden it?'

One said, where did you hide the money?

So in fear I gave him a bewildering answer:

I answered him confusedly out of fear,

وأقولُ مالي غير برذَوني وأث

وأقولُ مالي غير برذَوني وأث

وابي وَجُزءٌ من صِحاحِ الجّوهَري

وابي وَجُزءٌ من صِحاحِ الجّوهَري

And I say: 'All I own is my packhorse and my clo-

And said I have no money but my gown and staff

thes, and a volume of al-Jawharī's Ṣiḥāḥ,

And part of the dictionary of Al-Jawhari,

وَمُسَوِّداتُ الشّعرِ مَدْحُكُمُ بها

وَمُسَوِّداتُ الشّعرِ مَدْحُكُمُ بها

قالوا سَبَالُكَ في أمِّ البحتري

قالوا سَبَالُكَ في أمِّ البحتري

and poetry drafts, with praise of you in them.'

And the drafts of poetry praising you in them

They said: 'Your whiskers in al-Buḥturī's mother!'

They said your urine is in Umm Al-Bahtri,

فَبَكَتْ صِغاري إذْ رأوني بينَهم

فَبَكَتْ صِغاري إذْ رأوني بينَهم

مثلَ الأسير وما أنا بالموسِرِ

مثلَ الأسير وما أنا بالموسِرِ

So my little ones wept when they saw me among them,

My little ones cried when they saw me among them

like a prisoner, though I was not wealthy.

Like a captive, and I am not wealthy,

قالوا اقتلوهُ واطرَحوهُ إنّهُ

قالوا اقتلوهُ واطرَحوهُ إنّهُ

عينُ الأمير ويا لَهُ منْ مُخْبرِ

عينُ الأمير ويا لَهُ منْ مُخْبرِ

They said: 'Kill him and throw him away! He is

They said, kill him and throw him away, he is

the emir's eye—and what an informer he is!

The prince’s eye, what an informer!

أو فأعصروهُ كالخراء فإنه

أو فأعصروهُ كالخراء فإنه

جَلدٌ وليسَ يقرُّ ما لَمْ يُعْصَر

جَلدٌ وليسَ يقرُّ ما لَمْ يُعْصَر

Or else squeeze him like shit, for he is

Or squeeze him like mud, for he is

tough, and will not confess unless squeezed.'

Skin that does not admit what is not squeezed

عصروا كِعابي بالبَلاطِ وَشَوَّطوا

عصروا كِعابي بالبَلاطِ وَشَوَّطوا

رأسي بِطاساتٍ حُمينَ بِمجمَرِ

رأسي بِطاساتٍ حُمينَ بِمجمَرِ

They crushed my ankle-bones with paving stones, and singed

They squeezed my jug on the floor and scraped

my head with bowls heated over a brazier.

My head with plates heated with embers,

ناديتُهم في السّطح عندي تاجرٌ

ناديتُهم في السّطح عندي تاجرٌ

مُتَمَوِّكٌ مثلَ الخواجا الصّرصري

مُتَمَوِّكٌ مثلَ الخواجا الصّرصري

I called to them: 'On the rooftop at my place is a merchant,

I called them, on the roof I have a merchant,

as wealthy as Khwāja al-Ṣarṣarī.'

An effeminate one like the lisping Khaja,

فَرَمى إلى طَبْيانَ أطولِهْم يداً

فَرَمى إلى طَبْيانَ أطولِهْم يداً

بِشَبا الظُّباةِ وَكُلِّ رمح سَمْهَري

بِشَبا الظُّباةِ وَكُلِّ رمح سَمْهَري

Then the longest-handed of them took aim at Ṭabyān

So he threw the tallest of them a hand

with the points of blades and every stiff-shafted spear.

With the staff of monks and every poisoned spear,

فَبَدا خيفةً من كيدِهم

فَبَدا خيفةً من كيدِهم

وَلَرُبّما وَجَدوهُ خَوْفاً قد

وَلَرُبّما وَجَدوهُ خَوْفاً قد

So he appeared, in fear of their schemes,

He then appeared afraid of their deceit,

and they may well have found him, from fear, already...

And perhaps they found him fearful