إني امرؤ لا تَرى لساني

إني امرؤ لا تَرى لساني

مُنَظِّماً ما حييتُ هَجْوا

مُنَظِّماً ما حييتُ هَجْوا

I am a man whose tongue you will not see

I am a man whose tongue you cannot see

composing satire as long as I live.

Ever uttering blame while I live

كم شاتمٍ لي عَفَوْتُ عَنْهُ

كم شاتمٍ لي عَفَوْتُ عَنْهُ

مُصَمِّماً في اللّسانِ نَهْوا

مُصَمِّماً في اللّسانِ نَهْوا

Many an insulter of mine I have pardoned,

How many slanderers have I forgave

firmly resolved to restrain my tongue.

Determining for the tongue restraint

وابْتَدَهَ الهُجْرَ فيّ ظلماً

وابْتَدَهَ الهُجْرَ فيّ ظلماً

حتى إذا لم أجِبْهُ رَوّى

حتى إذا لم أجِبْهُ رَوّى

And he launched foul abuse against me unjustly,

Yet he persisted to wrong me in ignorance

until, when I did not answer him, he reflected.

Until when I did not answer, he fabricated

لَفْظَتُهُ زَلّةٌ تُلاقي

لَفْظَتُهُ زَلّةٌ تُلاقي

مِنْ لفظَتي في الخطابِ عَفوا

مِنْ لفظَتي في الخطابِ عَفوا

His word is a slip that receives

His slip became one that meets

pardon from mine in our exchange.

My speech in pardon and restraint

كم قائلٍ إذ تركْتُ عنه

كم قائلٍ إذ تركْتُ عنه

بَحري بترك الجوابِ رَهْوا

بَحري بترك الجوابِ رَهْوا

Many have said, when I held back from him

How many speakers when I neglected

my sea, leaving it calm by withholding a reply:

My sea calmed by leaving response still

وَعْوَعَ سِيدٌ على هزَبرٍ

وَعْوَعَ سِيدٌ على هزَبرٍ

فما رآهُ الهزبرُ كُفْوا

فما رآهُ الهزبرُ كُفْوا

“A wolf howled at a lion,

A young lord over an old wise one

but the lion did not deem him an equal.

Yet the old did not see him as equal

ولو سطا قادراً عليه

ولو سطا قادراً عليه

لم يبُقِ للطيرِ فيه شِلوا

لم يبُقِ للطيرِ فيه شِلوا

And had he pounced, having power over him,

If he tried to control him

he would have left not a scrap of him for the birds.”

No trace of him would remain for the birds

إنّ مطايا القريض نُجْبٌ

إنّ مطايا القريض نُجْبٌ

أجِيدُ سَوقاً لها وحَدوا

أجِيدُ سَوقاً لها وحَدوا

Indeed, poetry’s mounts are noble camels;

Truly, the steeds of poetry are excellent

I excel at driving them and chanting them onward,

I know how to lead and spur them on

بمثل زأر الهصورِ جَزْلاً

بمثل زأر الهصورِ جَزْلاً

أو كَبُغامِ الغزال حُلوا

أو كَبُغامِ الغزال حُلوا

in grand tones like the mighty lion’s roar,

With the likes of the trumpeting of lions

or sweet ones like the gazelle’s bleat.

Or the howl of a gazelle, sweetly

لوْ شِئْتُ صَيّرْت بالقوافي

لوْ شِئْتُ صَيّرْت بالقوافي

غارة هجوي عليه شعوا

غارة هجوي عليه شعوا

Had I wished, I would have made, with rhymes,

If I wished, I could form with rhymes

my satire’s raid on him a sweeping onslaught;

A raid of blame upon him raging

ومَزّقَ القولُ منه عِرْضاً

ومَزّقَ القولُ منه عِرْضاً

لا يجدُ المدحُ فيه رَفْوا

لا يجدُ المدحُ فيه رَفْوا

and my words would have shredded his honor,

And speech would tear him with shame

which praise could find no way to mend.

Where praise cannot find access