يا بَانِيَ الدَّرج الذي

يا بَانِيَ الدَّرج الذي

أولى به هدمُ الدَّرَجْ

أولى به هدمُ الدَّرَجْ

O builder of the stairs, who

O builder of the staircase which

would do better to tear the stairs down!

Should rather be demolished

بئس البُنَا هِي في المسا

بئس البُنَا هِي في المسا

جد والديار فلا تَلِجْ

جد والديار فلا تَلِجْ

Wretched structures they are in mos-

How wretched is this building that

ques and homes—so do not enter—

Leads to neither mosque nor home, do not build

لاسِيما لأبي البنا

لاسِيما لأبي البنا

تِ الناظرات من الفُرَجْ

تِ الناظرات من الفُرَجْ

especially for the father of daugh-

Especially for Abul Banat

ters who look out through the gaps.

Whose balconies peer upon the clefts

وإخالُ أنك قائلٌ

وإخالُ أنك قائلٌ

فيها لنسوتنا فَرَجْ

فيها لنسوتنا فَرَجْ

And I suppose you are saying,

As if saying for our womenfolk

"In them there is relief for our women."

Provide in them some clefts

وكذاك أنتُم معشرٌ

وكذاك أنتُم معشرٌ

في عُودِ غَيْرَتِكُمْ عِوَجْ

في عُودِ غَيْرَتِكُمْ عِوَجْ

And likewise, you are a people

Thus you are, o tribe

with a bend in the staff of your jealousy.

In your zeal for chastity, twisted

لو أنَّ قمل رؤوسكم

لو أنَّ قمل رؤوسكم

ذات القرون إذا درجْ

ذات القرون إذا درجْ

If the lice upon your heads—

If the lice of your horned heads

those horned heads—when they crawled,

When they crawled

شاء العُرُوجَ إلى السما

شاء العُرُوجَ إلى السما

ء على قرونكُمُ عَرَجْ

ء على قرونكُمُ عَرَجْ

wished to ascend to hea-

Wished to climb to the sky

ven, they would climb up your horns.

On your horns they'd have climbed

لولا الجوارُ وحفظُهُ

لولا الجوارُ وحفظُهُ

حدَّثتُ عنك ولا حرجْ

حدَّثتُ عنك ولا حرجْ

Were it not for neighborliness and respect for it,

Were it not for duty of protection

I would have spoken of you without restraint.

I'd speak of you without restraint