دَعِ اِبنَ الأَعمَشِ المِسكينَ يَبكي

دَعِ اِبنَ الأَعمَشِ المِسكينَ يَبكي

لِداءٍ ظَلَّ مِنهُ في وَثاقِ

لِداءٍ ظَلَّ مِنهُ في وَثاقِ

Leave poor Ibn al-Aʿmash to weep

Let Ibn al-A'mash, the poor wretch, weep

for an ailment that has kept him bound.

For an illness which has kept him shackled

فَصُفرَةُ وَجهِهِ مِن غَيرِ سُقمٍ

فَصُفرَةُ وَجهِهِ مِن غَيرِ سُقمٍ

تَنِمُّ عَنِ الشَقِيِّ بِما يُلاقي

تَنِمُّ عَنِ الشَقِيِّ بِما يُلاقي

For the sallowness of his face, not caused by illness,

The pallor of his face without any sickness

betrays what the wretched man endures.

Betrays the miserable with what he endures

لَبِئسَ الداءُ وَالداءُ اِستَكَفّا

لَبِئسَ الداءُ وَالداءُ اِستَكَفّا

عَلَيهِ مِنَ السَماجَةِ وَالحُلاقِ

عَلَيهِ مِنَ السَماجَةِ وَالحُلاقِ

How dreadful are the two ailments that have closed in

What a wretched illness that sufficed

upon him—hideousness and baldness.

To inflict on him ugliness and barbering

كُحِلتُ بِقُبحِ صورَتِهِ فَأَضحى

كُحِلتُ بِقُبحِ صورَتِهِ فَأَضحى

لَها إِنسانُ عَيني في السِياقِ

لَها إِنسانُ عَيني في السِياقِ

His ugly appearance was my kohl, and so

I have been lined with the ugliness of his image, so

the pupil of my eye lay in death's throes because of it.

My eyes see him as a human being constantly

مَساوٍ لَو قُسِمنَ عَلى الغَواني

مَساوٍ لَو قُسِمنَ عَلى الغَواني

لَما جُهِّزنَ إِلّا بِالطَلاقِ

لَما جُهِّزنَ إِلّا بِالطَلاقِ

Blemishes—were they divided among beautiful women,

Ugly as if he were distributed among singers

those women would be outfitted with nothing but divorce.

He would only be divorced with divorce papers

قَبُحتَ وَزِدتَ فَوقَ القُبحِ حَتّى

قَبُحتَ وَزِدتَ فَوقَ القُبحِ حَتّى

كَأَنَّكَ قَد خُلِقتَ مِنَ الفِراقِ

كَأَنَّكَ قَد خُلِقتَ مِنَ الفِراقِ

You are ugly, and have gone beyond ugliness, so far

You have become ugly and exceeded ugliness

that it is as though you were created out of parting itself.

As if you were created from separation