1. انْظُرْ بِحَقِّكَ في أَمْرِ الدَّواوِينِ

    فالكلُّ قد غيَّرُوا وضْعَ القَوانينِ

    By your right, look into the affairs of the bureaus.

    For all have altered the arrangement of the laws.

  2. لَمْ يَبْقَ شَيءٌ عَلَى ما كُنْتَ تَعْهَدُهُ

    إلاَّ تَغَيَّرَ مِنْ عالٍ إلَى دُونِ

    Nothing remains as you once knew it,

    but has changed from high to low.

  3. الكاتِبُونَ وَلَيْسُوا بالكِرامِ فما

    منهمْ على المالِ إنْسانٌ بِمَأْمُونِ

    The scribes are not honorable; there is not

    among them a single person trustworthy with money.

  4. والكُلُّ جَمْعاً بِبَذْلِ المالِ قد خَدَمُوا

    وما سَمِعْنَا بهذا غيرَ ذا الحِينِ

    All together entered service by paying money,

    and we never heard of this before this time.

  5. فَهُمْ على الظَّنِّ لا التَّحْقِيقِ بَذْلُهُمُ

    وما تَحَقَّقَ أمْرٌ مِثْلَ مَظْنُونِ

    Their outlay rests on conjecture, not certainty;

    what is certain is not like what is merely supposed.

  6. نالوا مناصِبَ في الدُّنيا وأخْرَجَهُمْ

    حُبُّ المَناصِبِ في الدُّنيا على الدِّينِ

    They gained worldly offices, and were driven

    by love of worldly office to defy religion.

  7. قد طالَ ما طُرِدُوا عنها وما انْطَرَدُوا

    إلاَّ وَقَومٌ عليها كالذَّبابينِ

    Often they were expelled from them, yet never driven out

    without others swarming over them like flies.

  8. وطالما قُطِّعَ أَذْنابُ الكِلابِ لَهُمْ

    فاسْتُخْدِمُوا بَعْدَ تَقْطِيع المَصارِينِ

    Often dogs' tails were cut off for them,

    so they were employed after intestines were cut up.

  9. قَدْ يَنْفَعُ النَّاسَ حَتَّى الحَشُّ مِنْ غَرَضٍ

    وَغَيْرُهُ مِنْ رَياحِينٍ وَبَشْنِينِ

    Even the privy may benefit people for some purpose,

    as may other things, such as fragrant herbs and water lilies.

  10. ضُمَّانُ رِيحٍ بطَيْرٍ فَوْقَ طائِرِهِمْ

    يَطِيرُ وَالرِّيحُ شُيَّاعٌ بِمَضْمُونِ

    Tax-farmers of wind: a bird above their own bird

    flies, and the wind escorts what is guaranteed.

  11. لَوْ أمْكَنَ الْقَوْمَ وَزْنُ المالِ لاتَّخَذُوا

    لَهُ الموازِينَ مِنْ بَعْدِ القَبابِينِ

    If these people could weigh money, they would adopt

    scales for it, after the steelyards.

  12. وَمَسْحَهُمْ للسَّمواتِ العُلى افْتَعَلُوا

    فِيها كما يَفْعَلُ المَسَّاحُ لِلطِّينِ

    And in surveying the lofty heavens, they fabricated

    there, as the surveyor does with soil.

  13. وَلَمْ يُبالُوا بِرَحْمِ الْغَيْبِ مِنْ أَحَدٍ

    كلاَّ وَلا بِرُجُومِ للشَّياطِينِ

    They heeded no one's 'mercy of the unseen' [wording unclear],

    nor indeed the missiles aimed at devils.

  14. عَزُّوا وَأكْرَمهُمْ قَومٌ لَحَاجَتِهِمْ

    ما نَالَهُمْ بَعْدَ ذَاكَ العِزِّ مِنْ هُونِ

    They grew mighty, and people honored them out of need;

    no humiliation touched them after that honor.

  15. وَطَاعَنُوا النَّاسَ بالأَفْلاءِ وَاسْتَلَبُوا

    مِنْهُمْ بِهَا كُلَّ مَعْلُومٍ وَمَكْنُونِ

    They assailed the people with foals, and seized

    from them every known and hidden thing,

  16. وَمِنْ مَواشٍ وَأَطْيارٍ وَآتِيَةٍ

    وَمِنْ زُرُوعٍ وَمَكْيُولٍ وَمَوْزُونِ

    including livestock, birds, and things yet to come,

    and crops, and goods measured or weighed.

  17. لَهُمْ مَوَاقِفُ في حَرْبِ الشُّرُورِ كَمَا

    حَرْبُ البَسُوسِ وَحَرْبٌ يَوْمَ صِفِّينِ

    They have their stands in wars of evil, like

    the War of al-Basus and the battle on the day of Siffin.

  18. لا يَكْتُبُونَ وُصُولاتٍ عَلَى جِهَةٍ

    مُفَصَّلاتٍ بأسمَاءٍ وَنَبِيِينِ

    They write no receipts for any office,

    itemized with names and prophets,

  19. إلاَّ يَقُولُونَ فِيما يَكْتُبُونَ لَهُ

    مِنَ الحُقُوقِ وَماذَا وَقْتُ تَعْيِينِ

    without saying, concerning what they write for him

    in dues: 'And what is the time of assessment?'

  20. فَاسْمَعْ وَكاسِرْ وَحَسِّ الرِّيحَ يا فَطِناً

    فَلَسْتَ أَوَّلَ مَقْهُورٍ وَمَغْبُونِ

    So listen, bargain, and sip the wind, clever one;

    you are not the first to be overpowered and cheated.

  21. وَكُلُّ ذلِكَ مَصْرُوفٌ وَمَصرِفُهُمْ

    لِلشِّيخِ يُوسُفَ أبي هَبْصِ بنِ لَطْمِينِ

    All this is spent, and their spending goes

    to Shaykh Yusuf, Abu Habs ibn Latmin,

  22. وَلِلشَّرَابِ وَتَبْيِيتِ الْخَطاءِ بِهِ

    يَجْلُو الْعُقَارَ بِأجْناسِ الرَّياحِينِ

    and to drink and plotting wrongdoing over it;

    he presents the wine with varieties of fragrant herbs.

  23. وَلِلْعُلُوقِ وَأَنْواعِ الْفُسُوقِ مَعاً

    وَلِلْخُرُوقِ الْكَثِيراتِ التَّلاوِينِ

    And to male paramours and every kind of debauchery together,

    and to rags of many colors,

  24. وَلِلْبِغالِ الْوَطِيَّاتِ الرِّكابِ تَرَى

    غِلْمانَهُمْ خَلْفَهُمْ فَوْقَ الْبراذِينِ

    and to mules comfortable to ride; you see

    their servant boys behind them on non-Arabian horses.

  25. وَلِلْمَنَادِيلِ فِي أَوْساطِ مَنْ مَلَكُوا

    وَلِلْمَنَاطِقِ فيها وَالهمايِينِ

    And to kerchiefs at the waists of those they own,

    and to belts there, and money-pouches,

  26. وَلِلرَّباعِ العَوَالِي الارْتِفاعِ بِناً

    وَلِلْبَساتِينِ تُنْشَأُ وَالدَّكاكِينِ

    and to dwellings built to towering heights,

    and to gardens being laid out, and shops,

  27. وَلِلْفَجَاجِ وَحُمْلاَنِ النَّعاجِ

    وَأَطْيارِ الدَّجاجِ وَأَنْواعِ السَّمامِينِ

    and to unripe produce and lambs of ewes,

    and chickens and varieties of quail,

  28. وَلِلشَّباذِي وَلِلأنْطَاعِ تُفْرَشُ في

    تَمُّوزَ فَوْقَ رُخامٍ في الأَوَاوِينِ

    and to shabadhi mats and leather spreads laid out in

    Tammuz upon marble in the iwans,

  29. وَلِلْمَجَالِسِ في أوْسَاطِها خَرَكٌ

    وَلِلطَّنافِسِ في أيَّامِ كانُونِ

    and to sitting rooms with pavilions in their midst,

    and to carpets in the days of Kanun.

  30. وَلَسْتُ أَحْصُرُ أَلْوَاناً لأَطْعِمَةٍ

    تَفَنَّنَ الْقَوْمُ فيها كُلَّ تَفْنِينِ

    I cannot enumerate the varieties of foods

    in which these people have displayed every ingenuity.

  31. وَلِلْمَلاَبِسِ كَمْ ثَوْبٍ مُلَوَّنَةٍ

    فِيهَا العِرَاقِي مَعَ الهِنْدِيِّ وَالْبَوْني

    And to clothing—how many colored garments,

    including Iraqi cloth, with Indian and Bawni!

  32. وَكَمْ ذَخائِرَ ما عِنْدَ المُلُوكِ لَها

    مِثْلٌ فَمِنْ مُودَعٍ سَقْفاً وَمَدفُونِ

    And how many treasures have, among kings' possessions,

    no equal—some stored in a roof, and others buried!

  33. وَكَمْ مجالِسَ أُنْسِ عُيِّنَتْ لَهُمْ

    تُنْسِي الهُمُومَ وَتُسْلِي كُلِّ مَخْزونِ

    And how many gatherings of pleasure were arranged for them,

    banishing cares and consoling every 'stored one' [wording unclear]!

  34. وَكَمْ حُلِيِّ نِساءٍ لاَ يُثَمِّنُهُ

    مُقَوِّمٌ قَطُّ في الدُّنيا بِتَثْمِينِ

    And how much women's jewelry cannot be valued

    by any appraiser, ever, in this world!

  35. فَقُلْ لِسُلْطَانِ مِصْرَ وَالشآمِ مَعاً

    يا قَاهِراً غَيْرَ مَخْفِيِّ الْبَرَاهِينِ

    Then tell the sultan of Egypt and al-Sham together:

    'O conqueror whose proofs are not concealed,

  36. وَمَنْ يُخَوِّفُ مِنْ سَيْفٍ بِراحَتِهِ

    ذَوِي السُّيُوفِ وَأَصْحَابَ السَّكاكِينِ

    and you who frighten, with a sword in your palm,

    bearers of swords and wielders of knives:

  37. اكْشِفْ بِنَفْسِكَ أُسْوَاناً وَمَنْ مَعَها

    مِنَ الصَّعِيدِ بَلاَ قَوْمِ مَسَاكِينِ

    inspect Aswan yourself, and those with it

    in Upper Egypt—the plight of a wretched people.

  38. عُمَّالُها قَدْ سَبَوْهُمْ مِنْ تَطَيُّبِهِمْ

    ما لا يَكُونُ بَمَفْرُوضِ وَمَسْنُونِ

    Its officials have enslaved them for their own pleasure—

    something neither obligatory nor sanctioned by tradition.

  39. كُلٌُّ تَرَى كاتِباً لِلسُّوءِ يُنْظَرُهُ

    لِنَهْبِهِمْ كَمْ كَذَا عامٍ وكَمْ حِينِ

    Every scribe you see is granted respite for wrongdoing [wording unclear],

    to plunder them for so many years and so many seasons.

  40. سَبَوُا الرَّعِيَّةَ لَمْ يُبْقُوا عَلَى أحَدٍ

    ولا أَمانَةَ لِلْقِبْطِ المَلاعِينِ

    They enslaved the subjects, sparing no one;

    there is no trustworthiness in the accursed Copts.

  41. لاَ تَأمَنَنَّ عَلَى الأَمْوَالِ سَارِقَها

    ولا تُقَرِّبْ عّدُوُّ اللهِ والدِّينِ

    Never entrust funds to the one who steals them,

    nor draw near the enemy of God and religion.

  42. وخَلِّ غَزْوَ هُلاكو وَالْفَرَنْسِ مَعاً

    وانْهَضْ بِفُرْسانِكَ الغُرِّ المَيامِينِ

    Leave aside war against Hulagu and the French together,

    and rise with your illustrious, fortunate horsemen.

  43. واغْزُنَّ عَامِلَ أسْوانَ تنال بِهِ

    جَنَّاتِ عَدْنٍ بإحْسَانٍ وَتَمْكِينِ

    Attack Aswan's governor; by doing so you will gain

    the Gardens of Eden, through beneficence and empowerment.

  44. وكُلَّ أمْثالِهِ في الْقِبْطِ أَغْزُهُم

    فالغَزْوُ فِيهِمْ حَلالُ الدَّهْرِ والْحِينِ

    And all his likes among the Copts—attack them;

    for war upon them is lawful for all time and every hour.

  45. وَاسْلُبْهُمْ نِعَماً قَدْ شاطرُوكَ بِها

    كَما يُشاطَرُ فَلاَّحٌ الْفدَادِينِ

    Strip them of blessings they have shared with you,

    as a peasant is made to share his feddans.

  46. فَقَدْ تَواطَوْا عَلَى الأَمْوالِ أجْمَعِها

    وَفَذْلَكُوا كُلَّ تِسْعِينٍ بِعِشْرِينِ

    For they have colluded over all the funds,

    and reckoned every ninety as twenty.

  47. وَصانَعُوا كُلَّ مُسْتَوْفٍ إذَا رَفَعُوا

    لَهُ الْحِسابَ بِسُحْتٍ كالطَّوَاعِينِ

    They bribed every auditor when they presented

    the accounts to him, with illicit gains like plagues.

  48. ورَبَّحُوهُ فقالَ الشَّيْخُ وَالِدُنا

    قَسُّ الْقُسُوِسِ وَمُطْرَانَ المَطارِينِ

    They enriched him, and the shaykh, 'our father,' said—

    the priest of priests and metropolitan of metropolitans:

  49. مِنَّا لَهُ العُذْرُ فيما حَلَّ يَقْبَلُهُ

    إمَّا بِرَسْمٍ مِدَادٍ أوْ لِصابُونِ

    'We excuse him for what he accepts as lawful,

    whether as an allowance for ink or for soap,

  50. وَلِلزُّيُوتِ وَإيقَادِ الْكَنَائِسِ كَمْ

    وَلِلدَّقِيقِ المُهَيَّا لِلْقَرابِينِ

    and for oils and lighting the churches—how much!—

    and for flour prepared for offerings.'

  51. فَذاكَ في الصَّدَقاتِ الجَارِياتِ بِهِ

    يُسْحَبْ عَلَى الْوَجْهِ أَوْ يُقْلَبْ بِسجِّينِ

    That, then, is among the ongoing alms; through it

    he is dragged on his face or cast into Sijjin.

  52. وَكيفَ يَقْبَلُ بِرّاً مِنْ مُصانَعَةٍ

    ومِنْ سحابٍ بِتَحْرِيكٍ وَتَسْكِينِ

    How can he accept charity from bribery,

    and from clouds, with movement and stillness?

  53. وَكَيفَ يَقْبلُ مِنها مِنْ مُصاَنَعَةٍ

    ومِنْ كُلِّ مِسْكِينَةٍ فيه وَمِسْكِينِ

    How can he accept from it what comes from bribery,

    and from every needy woman and needy man within it?

  54. كَمْ هكذَا سَرَقُوا كَمْ هكذا ظَلَمُوا

    كَمْ هكذَا أخَذُوا مالَ السَّلاطِينِ

    How often have they stolen thus; how often wronged thus!

    How often have they thus taken the sultans' wealth!

  55. أتْرُكُ ذَنْبٍ وَسُؤالٌ لِمَغْفِرَةٍ

    عِنْدَ الإلهِ لِقَوْمٍ كالمجانِينِ

    I abandon sin, and plead for forgiveness [syntax unclear]

    before God, for people like madmen.

  56. وَقالَ قَوْمٌ لَقَدْ أَحْصَى مَنالَهُمْ

    وَقامَ فِيها بَمَفْروضِ وَمَسْنُونِ

    Some people said: 'He has indeed tallied their gains,

    and fulfilled both obligation and tradition in doing so.'

  57. فَقلتُ وَاللهِ مَا وَصْفِي لأنشُرَها

    فِيما يَقومُ بِهِ شَرحِي وَتِبيِينِي

    I said: 'By God, my description cannot fully set them out

    through what my explanation and elucidation can accomplish;

  58. وَإنَّما ذاكَ مَجْهُودِي وَمَقْدِرَتِي

    وَطاقَتِي في حِجاناتِ الثَّعابِينِ

    that is only my utmost effort and ability,

    and my capacity with the hooks for snakes.'