1. زارَ الفَرَزدَقُ أَهلَ الحِجازِ

    فَلَم يَحظَ فيهِم وَلَم يُحمَدِ

    Al-Farazdaq visited the people of the Hijaz.

    But he found no favor among them and was not praised.

  2. وَأَخزَيتَ قَومَكَ عِندَ الحَطيمِ

    وَبَينَ البَقيعَينِ وَالغَرقَدِ

    And you disgraced your people at al-Hatim,

    And between the two Baqi tracts and al-Gharqad.

  3. وَجَدنا الفَرَزدَقَ بِالمَوسِمَينِ

    خَبيثَ المَداخِلِ وَالمَشهَدِ

    We found al-Farazdaq at the two pilgrimage gatherings

    Foul in his dealings and his public presence.

  4. نَفاكَ الأَغَرُّ اِبنُ عَبدِ العَزيزِ

    بِحَقِّكَ تُنفى عَنِ المَسجِدِ

    The illustrious son of 'Abd al-'Aziz banished you.

    Rightly are you banished from the mosque.

  5. وَشَبَّهتَ نَفسَكَ أَشقى ثَمودَ

    فَقالوا ضَلِلتَ وَلَم تَهتَدِ

    And you likened yourself to the most wretched of Thamud,

    So they said, 'You went astray and found no guidance.'

  6. وَقَد أُجِّلوا حينَ حَلَّ العَذابُ

    ثَلاثَ لَيالٍ إِلى المَوعِدِ

    And when the punishment descended, they were granted respite:

    Three nights until the appointed time.

  7. وَشَبَّهتَ نَفسَكَ حوقَ الحِمارِ

    خَبيثَ الأَوارِيَّ وَالمِروَدِ

    And you likened yourself to the donkey's glans,

    Foul in its tethering-stalls and tether-swivel.

  8. وَجَدنا جُبَيراً أَبا غالِبٍ

    بَعيدَ القَرابَةِ مِن مَعبَدِ

    We found Jubayr, father of Ghalib,

    Distant in kinship from Ma'bad.

  9. أَتَجعَلُ ذا الكيرِ مِن مالِكٍ

    وَأَينَ سُهَيلٌ مِنَ الفَرقَدِ

    Do you count the bellows-man among Malik's people?

    And how far is Suhayl from al-Farqad!

  10. وَشَرُّ الفِلاءِ اِبنُ حوقِ الحِمارِ

    وَتَلقى قُفَيرَةَ بِالمَرصَدِ

    And the worst of foals is the son of the donkey's glans;

    And you find Qufayra lying in wait.

  11. وَعِرقُ الفَرَزدَقِ شَرُّ العُروقِ

    خَبيثُ الثَرى كابِيُ الأَزنُدِ

    And al-Farazdaq's root is the worst of roots,

    Foul in its soil, with fire-sticks that yield no spark.

  12. وَأَوصى جُبَيرٌ إِلى غالِبٍ

    وَصِيَّةَ ذي الرَحِمِ المُجهَدِ

    And Jubayr gave Ghalib a charge,

    The charge of a hard-pressed kinsman:

  13. فَقالَ اِرفُقَنَّ بِلَيَّ الكَتيفِ

    وَحَكِّ المَشاعِبِ بِالمِبرَدِ

    He said, 'Be gentle in bending the iron band,

    And scraping the awls with the file.'

  14. كَليلاً وَجَدتُم بَني مِنقَرٍ

    سِلاحَ قَتيلِكُمُ المُسنَدِ

    Blunt you found, O sons of Minqar,

    The weapon of your propped-up slain man.

  15. تَقولُ نَوارُ فَضَحتَ القُيونَ

    فَلَيتَ الفَرَزدَقَ لَم يولَدِ

    Nawar says, 'You have disgraced the smiths;

    Would that al-Farazdaq had never been born!'

  16. وَقالَت بِذي حَومَلٍ وَالرِماحِ

    شَهِدتَ وَلَيتَكَ لَم تَشهَدِ

    And at Dhu Hawmal she said, 'By the spears,

    You were there—would that you had not been!'

  17. وَفازَ الفَرَزدَقُ بِالكَلبَتَينِ

    وَعِدلٍ مِنَ الحُمَمِ الأَسوَدِ

    And al-Farazdaq won a pair of tongs,

    And a pack-load of black charcoal.

  18. فَرَقِّع لِجَدِّكَ أَكيارَهُ

    وَأَصلِح مَتاعَكَ لا تُفسِدِ

    So patch your grandfather's bellows,

    And mend your gear; do not spoil it.

  19. وَأَدنِ العَلاةَ وَأَدنِ القَدومَ

    وَوَسِّع لِكيرِكَ في المَقعَدِ

    Bring the anvil close, and bring the adze close,

    And make room at your seat for your bellows.

  20. قَرَنتَ البَعيثَ إِلى ذي الصَليبِ

    مَعَ القَينِ في المَرَسِ المُحصَدِ

    You bound al-Ba'ith to the man of the cross,

    With the smith, in tightly twisted rope.

  21. وَقَد قُرِنوا حينَ جَدَّ الرِهانُ

    بِسامٍ إِلى الأَمَدِ الأَبعَدِ

    And when the race became earnest, they were matched

    Against a lofty runner, toward the farthest goal.

  22. يُقَطِّعُ بِالجَريِ أَنفاسَهُم

    بِثَنيِ العِنانِ وَلَم يُجهَدِ

    He cuts off their breath with his running,

    With the rein held back, yet never wearied.

  23. فَإِنّا أُناسٌ نُحِبُّ الوَفاءَ

    حِذارَ الأَحاديثِ في المَشهَدِ

    For we are a people who love fidelity,

    For fear of talk in the assembly.

  24. وَلا نَحتَبي عِندَ عَقدِ الجِوارِ

    بِغَيرِ السُيوفِ وَلا نَرتَدي

    And we do not bind up our knees when pledging protection

    With anything but swords, nor cloak ourselves otherwise.

  25. شَدَدتُم حُباكُم عَلى غَدرَةٍ

    بِجَيشانَ وَالسَيفُ لَم يُغمَدِ

    You tightened your knee-wraps for an act of treachery

    At Jayshan, while the sword was still unsheathed.

  26. فَبُعداً لِقَومٍ أَجاروا الزُبَيرَ

    وَأَمّا الزُبَيرُ فَلا يَبعَدِ

    So perish the people who sheltered al-Zubayr;

    But as for al-Zubayr, may he not perish!

  27. أَعِبتَ فَوارِسَ يَومِ الغَبيطِ

    وَأَيّامَ بِشرِ بَني مَرثَدِ

    Did you disparage the horsemen of the day of al-Ghabit,

    And of the days of Bishr of Banu Marthad,

  28. وَيَوماً بِبَلقاءَ يا اِبنَ القُيونِ

    شَهِدنا الطِعانَ وَلَم تَشهَدِ

    And of a day at Balqa', O son of smiths?

    We witnessed the spear-fighting, and you did not.

  29. فَصَبَّحنَ أَبجَرَ وَالحَوفَزانَ

    بِوِردٍ مُشيحٍ عَلى الرُوَّدِ

    Then at dawn they struck Abjar and al-Hawfazan

    With a fierce onrush against the scouts.

  30. وَيَومَ البَحيرَينِ أَلحَقتَنا

    لَهُنَّ أَخاديدُ في القَردَدِ

    And on the day of al-Buhayrayn you made us catch up;

    Theirs were furrows in the rugged upland.

  31. نُعِضُّ السُيوفَ بِهامِ المُلوكِ

    وَنَشفي الطِماحَ مِنَ الأَصيَدِ

    We make swords bite into the heads of kings,

    And cure the stiff-necked lord of his pride.