ناظِرُ الديوانِ يحتا

ناظِرُ الديوانِ يحتا

جُ لِنُورَيْ ناظرَيْنِ

جُ لِنُورَيْ ناظرَيْنِ

The overseer of the bureau needs

the twin lights of two eyes.

نَهَب العَيْنَ وإِنْ كا

نَهَب العَيْنَ وإِنْ كا

نَ بلا إِنْسانِ عَيْنِ

نَ بلا إِنْسانِ عَيْنِ

He plundered the cash, although he was

without the pupil of an eye.

ودَعَوْنَاهُ أَشَلاً

ودَعَوْنَاهُ أَشَلاً

فأَرانَا ذا اليَدَيْنِ

فأَرانَا ذا اليَدَيْنِ

And we called him wither-handed,

but he showed us he had two hands.

وطَلَبْنَاهُ من الجا

وطَلَبْنَاهُ من الجا

رِي على الرَّسْمِ بِدَيْنِ

رِي على الرَّسْمِ بِدَيْنِ

And we asked him, out of the regular

allowance, for repayment of a debt, as was customary.

فغَدا الأَرْعَنُ يختا

فغَدا الأَرْعَنُ يختا

لُ ببُرْدَيْ ذِي رُعَيْنِ

لُ ببُرْدَيْ ذِي رُعَيْنِ

Then the fool went swaggering

in the two cloaks of Dhu Ru‘ayn,

ويَهُزُّ الرَّأْسَ حُمْقاً

ويَهُزُّ الرَّأْسَ حُمْقاً

هزَّ أَعطافِ الرُّدْينِي

هزَّ أَعطافِ الرُّدْينِي

and shaking his head in folly,

like the quivering shaft of a Rudayni spear.

فانْصَرَفْنَا عنهُ إِذْ هُزَّ

فانْصَرَفْنَا عنهُ إِذْ هُزَّ

بِلاَ خَفَّيْ حُنَيْنِ

بِلاَ خَفَّيْ حُنَيْنِ

So we turned away from him at that shaking,

without even Hunayn’s two slippers.