يا عَجَبا مِن عَبدِ عَمروٍ وَبَغيِهِ

يا عَجَبا مِن عَبدِ عَمروٍ وَبَغيِهِ

لَقَد رامَ ظُلمي عَبدُ عَمروٍ فَأَنعَما

لَقَد رامَ ظُلمي عَبدُ عَمروٍ فَأَنعَما

Oh, how I marvel at ʿAbd ʿAmr and his wrongdoing!

Oh how strange is the slave of Amr and his tyranny

Indeed, ʿAbd ʿAmr sought to wrong me—and did so thoroughly.

Indeed the unjust slave of Amr sought to prosper

وَلا خَيرَ فيهِ غَيرَ أَنَّ لَهُ غِنىً

وَلا خَيرَ فيهِ غَيرَ أَنَّ لَهُ غِنىً

وَأَنَّ لَهُ كَشحاً إِذا قامَ أَهضَما

وَأَنَّ لَهُ كَشحاً إِذا قامَ أَهضَما

And there is no good in him, except that he has wealth,

Yet there is no good in him except his wealth

And that he has a slender waist when he stands.

And that he is stingy when he stands erect

يَظَلُّ نِساءُ الحَيِّ يَعكُفنَ حَولَهُ

يَظَلُّ نِساءُ الحَيِّ يَعكُفنَ حَولَهُ

يَقُلنَ عَسيبٌ مِن سَرارَةِ مَلهَما

يَقُلنَ عَسيبٌ مِن سَرارَةِ مَلهَما

The clan's women spend the day clustered around him,

The women of the tribe cluster around him

Saying, 'A palm-frond stalk from Malham's fertile heart!'

Saying he is a foal from an esteemed mare

لَهُ شَربَتانِ بِالنَهارِ وَأَربَعٌ

لَهُ شَربَتانِ بِالنَهارِ وَأَربَعٌ

مِنَ اللَيلِ حَتّى آضَ سُخداً مُوَرَّما

مِنَ اللَيلِ حَتّى آضَ سُخداً مُوَرَّما

He has two draughts by day, and four

He drinks twice in the day and four times

By night, until he becomes a swollen mass of birth-fluid.

At night until his cheek became bruised

وَيَشرَبُ حَتّى يَغمُرَ المَحضُ قَلبَهُ

وَيَشرَبُ حَتّى يَغمُرَ المَحضُ قَلبَهُ

وَإِن أُعطَهُ أَترُك لِقَلبِيَ مَجثَما

وَإِن أُعطَهُ أَترُك لِقَلبِيَ مَجثَما

And he drinks until pure milk floods his heart,

He drinks until the alcohol soaks his heart

But if I am given it, I leave my heart room to rest.

And if given more I’d let my heart be pierced

كَأَنَّ السِلاحَ فَوقَ شُعبَةِ بانَةٍ

كَأَنَّ السِلاحَ فَوقَ شُعبَةِ بانَةٍ

تَرى نَفَخاً وَردَ الأَسِرَّةِ أَسحَما

تَرى نَفَخاً وَردَ الأَسِرَّةِ أَسحَما

As though the weapons rested on a branch of a bān tree—

As if the weapons atop Mount Banah

You see a bloated, dark-skinned man with ruddy facial creases.

You see blasts and the female captives herded