لا تَفخرَنَّ بألقابٍ تُدِلُّ بها

لا تَفخرَنَّ بألقابٍ تُدِلُّ بها

فإنّ ذلك لم يُكسبْكَ تَفْخيما

فإنّ ذلك لم يُكسبْكَ تَفْخيما

Do not boast of titles with which you vaunt yourself;

Do not boast of titles that you use

for that has brought you no grandeur.

To magnify yourself in vain,

شرَيْتَهنّ فما كانتْ مباركةً

شرَيْتَهنّ فما كانتْ مباركةً

بمالِ كلِّ يتيمٍ ظلَّ مَظْلوما

بمالِ كلِّ يتيمٍ ظلَّ مَظْلوما

You bought them—yet they were not blessed—

You bought them, they were never blessed,

with the wealth of every orphan who remained wronged.

With the money of each wronged orphan.

وإنّما سَخِرَ الكُتّابُ منك بها

وإنّما سَخِرَ الكُتّابُ منك بها

وألّفوا لك ألقاباً مَياسيما

وألّفوا لك ألقاباً مَياسيما

And the scribes merely mocked you with them,

The writers only mock you with them

and devised for you titles that were brands of shame.

And compose for you absurd titles.

قُمْ فاحذِفِ الفاءَ من فَخْرٍ ومن شَرَفٍ

قُمْ فاحذِفِ الفاءَ من فَخْرٍ ومن شَرَفٍ

وخُذْ عماداً واجعلْ عَيْنَها جِيما

وخُذْ عماداً واجعلْ عَيْنَها جِيما

Rise, then remove fāʾ from Fakhr (‘Pride’) and from Sharaf (‘Honor’);

Arise, cast off the F from your pride and nobility,

and take ʿImād (‘Pillar’) and change its ʿayn to jīm.

Take a pillar and make its eye a J.