أيا فَضلاً غدا فضلاً

أيا فَضلاً غدا فضلاً

عن الخلق وفي الزَّمْنَى

عن الخلق وفي الزَّمْنَى

O Faḍl, who has become superfluous

O one whose merit tomorrow becomes greater

to humankind, and among the infirm!

Above people and through time

أَمَا والعَرَجِ المحض الـ

أَمَا والعَرَجِ المحض الـ

ـلذي أنت به تُكنَى

ـلذي أنت به تُكنَى

Indeed, by the sheer lameness

Yet, you miserable cripple

by which you are nicknamed—

Whom I address with this name

لئن صُغِّرَ ما تُدعى

لئن صُغِّرَ ما تُدعى

به ما كُبِّر المعنَى

به ما كُبِّر المعنَى

though your nickname is a diminutive,

If I lessen what you are called

its meaning has not been made greater.

It does not lessen the meaning

بَلَونا منك كوفياً

بَلَونا منك كوفياً

لئيم الأصل والمَجنْى

لئيم الأصل والمَجنْى

In you we have tested a Kufan,

We have tested you, an ignoble Kufan

base in origin and in fruit.

Of despicable origin and destiny

وأهل الكوفة الرذل

وأهل الكوفة الرذل

ة أدنى الأرذل الأدنى

ة أدنى الأرذل الأدنى

And the people of vile Kufa

The people of Kufa are the lowest of the low

are the lowest of the basest and lowest.

A people, all individuals

أُناس كلُّهم فَرْدٌ

أُناس كلُّهم فَرْدٌ

وسوآتُهُمُ مَثْنَى

وسوآتُهُمُ مَثْنَى

People, each of them but one,

Their defects come in pairs

yet their disgraces come in pairs.

So neither their near ones are saved

فلا دانيهمُ يُجنَى

فلا دانيهمُ يُجنَى

ولا نائيهمُ يُدنى

ولا نائيهمُ يُدنى

So their near ones cannot be harvested,

Nor their distant ones approached

nor are their far ones brought near.

The ribs of the people of this world

فأضلاع بني الدنيا

فأضلاع بني الدنيا

على بغضهمُ تُحْنَى

على بغضهمُ تُحْنَى

So the ribs of this world's sons

Bend in their hatred of them

are bent around hatred of them.

Ignorant deviants

مَجاهيلُ مَعازيل

مَجاهيلُ مَعازيل

إلى اليسرى عن اليمنى

إلى اليسرى عن اليمنى

Nobodies, outcasts,

To the left instead of the right

to the left, away from the right;

Swerving misleaders

مخاذيلُ مَمَاييل

مخاذيلُ مَمَاييل

إلى السَّوْأَى عن الحسنى

إلى السَّوْأَى عن الحسنى

forsaken men, ever leaning

To evil instead of good

toward the worst, away from the best.

Their verses built

على غير تقى اللَّه

على غير تقى اللَّه

غدْت أَبياتُهم تُبنَى

غدْت أَبياتُهم تُبنَى

Not upon reverence for God

Without piety to God

have their houses been built.

And their guest reads in them

ويُقرى ضيفُهم فيها

ويُقرى ضيفُهم فيها

مَلاطاً بعده مَزْنَى

مَلاطاً بعده مَزْنَى

And their guest is entertained there

Mud and filth afterwards

with sodomy, followed by fornication.

We fattened them like lambs

فَسَمْنَاهُمْ كعَجْفاهم

فَسَمْنَاهُمْ كعَجْفاهم

وأنَّى لهمُ السَّمنى

وأنَّى لهمُ السَّمنى

Their fat ones are like their lean ones—

Yet how can there be fat for them?

and how could they have fat ones?

The place of shameless mongrels

محلُّ الشيمة الهَجْنى

محلُّ الشيمة الهَجْنى

وأهل اللغة اللَّكنى

وأهل اللغة اللَّكنى

The home of debased character,

And people of cowardly dialect

and speakers of a mangled tongue.

When we say "we" to them

إذا قلنا لهم نحن

إذا قلنا لهم نحن

فمن قولهمُ نِحْنَى

فمن قولهمُ نِحْنَى

When we say to them 'naḥnu'—'we'—

We bend from their speech

their way of saying it is 'niḥnā.'

How many deceitful ones among them

وكم من مورِق فيهم

وكم من مورِق فيهم

لآل اللَّه ما أجنى

لآل اللَّه ما أجنى

And how many a leafy one among them

Have cheated the family of God

bore no fruit for God's family!

How many supporters among them

وكم من ناصرٍ فيهم

وكم من ناصرٍ فيهم

لآل اللَّه ما أغنى

لآل اللَّه ما أغنى

And how many a supporter among them

Have availed the family of God nothing

availed God's family nothing!

How many traitors among them

وكم من خاذل فيهم

وكم من خاذل فيهم

لآل اللَّه قد أخنى

لآل اللَّه قد أخنى

And how many a deserter among them

Have betrayed the family of God

has brought ruin upon God's family!

We examined them of old

تأملناهُمُ قِدْماً

تأملناهُمُ قِدْماً

بعينٍ لم تكن وَسْنى

بعينٍ لم تكن وَسْنى

We scrutinized them long ago

With an eye that knew no sleep

with an eye that was not drowsy.

Yet no generation was too short for them

فلم يَقْصُر لهم قرن

فلم يَقْصُر لهم قرن

ولا طال لهم مَبْنَى

ولا طال لهم مَبْنَى

So no rival proved their inferior,

Nor dwelling too long

nor did any building of theirs rise high.

When their disgraces are counted

إذا عُدَّت مخازيهم

إذا عُدَّت مخازيهم

فما تُحْصَى ولا تَفْنَى

فما تُحْصَى ولا تَفْنَى

When their disgraces are counted,

They are beyond number or limit

they are beyond counting and never end.

So God granted them no well-being

فلا عافاهُمُ اللَّه

فلا عافاهُمُ اللَّه

ولا أَغْنى ولا أَقْنَى

ولا أَغْنى ولا أَقْنَى

So may God grant them no well-being,

Or wealth or tranquility

nor riches, nor lasting possessions!

God's hand is over the inhabitants

يدُ اللَّهِ على المسكَـ

يدُ اللَّهِ على المسكَـ

ـنِ والساكنِ والسُّكنى

ـنِ والساكنِ والسُّكنى

God's hand be upon the dwelling,

The dwellers, and the dwellings

and the dweller, and the act of dwelling!

And each has a trouble

وكلٌّ فَلَهُ هَمٌّ

وكلٌّ فَلَهُ هَمٌّ

من السوء به يُعْنَى

من السوء به يُعْنَى

And each one has a concern

That keeps him concerned

with some evil that absorbs him.

The worry of the despicable cripple

وهمُّ الأعرج الوغدِ

وهمُّ الأعرج الوغدِ

مِنيٌّ في استه يُمْنَى

مِنيٌّ في استه يُمْنَى

And the vile lame man's concern

Comes from me and lingers in his mind

is semen ejaculated into his arse.

His ascension is pure madness

صحيحٌ عُلْوهُ جَلْد

صحيحٌ عُلْوهُ جَلْد

عليلٌ سُفْله مُضْنى

عليلٌ سُفْله مُضْنى

His upper part is healthy and strong;

His descent thoroughly crazed

his lower part is sick and wasted.

Whenever his hernia bulged

إذا ما فَيْشةً لاحت

إذا ما فَيْشةً لاحت

صَبا قيسٌ إلى لبنى

صَبا قيسٌ إلى لبنى

Whenever a glans comes into view,

Qais inclined toward Labna

Qays longs for Lubnā.