أَعاذِلَتي إِنَّ الحِسانَ قِباحُ

أَعاذِلَتي إِنَّ الحِسانَ قِباحُ

فَهَل لِظَلامِ العالَمينَ صَباحُ

فَهَل لِظَلامِ العالَمينَ صَباحُ

O woman who reproaches me, beautiful women are ugly;

My reproacher, kindness is truly ugly

So is there a dawn for the darkness of the worlds?

Is there no dawn for the darkness of both worlds?

يُسَمّي اِبنَهُ كِسرى فَقيرٌ مُمارِسٌ

يُسَمّي اِبنَهُ كِسرى فَقيرٌ مُمارِسٌ

شَقاءً وَأَسماءُ البَنينَ تُباحُ

شَقاءً وَأَسماءُ البَنينَ تُباحُ

A poor man names his son Kisra while grappling

A poor man names his son Kisra, though names of sons are vanity,

With misery; and sons’ names are free to use.

And many a man named Amber is but an impostor,

وَرَبَّ مُسَمّى عَنبَراً وَهُوَ مُوهِتٌ

وَرَبَّ مُسَمّى عَنبَراً وَهُوَ مُوهِتٌ

وَلَيثاً وَفيهِ أَن يَهيجَ نُباحُ

وَلَيثاً وَفيهِ أَن يَهيجَ نُباحُ

And many a man named ʿAnbar (‘Ambergris’) is foul-smelling,

Or Lion, yet in him no roar can stir.

And one named Layth (‘Lion’) has barking ready to erupt within him.