1. My friend, is there a drink you can offer
To quench my thirst, as vinegar complains to vinegar?

2. I'm parched, though I know not why I'm parched, not having been
In the valleys of Huzwa, nor by a date palm grove.

3. May God shame him who meets him, with no fresh dew to drink,
No slender waisted fair maid, no shade in which to rest.

4. A prince, if the Nile were in the palm of his hand,
Would deny the earth its bellyful, deny the grief and plain their water.

5. And if he met a guest who was his foe,
He would die of misery without arrow or blade.

6. And if the legs of horses were made of his face,
Their hooves would have no need of shoes.

7. To him water and wealth are equally mean,
So die of thirst if you hope for his charity.

8. How can generosity be his habit,
When his palms were created from the clay of stinginess?

9. A youth he is, more astray in disobedience than a cat,
And more inclined to filth than an ant.