وحاملٍ لحيةَ لما بَدَتْ وقَعَتْ

وحاملٍ لحيةَ لما بَدَتْ وقَعَتْ

ما بَيْنَ حالين من نقْضٍ وَتَقويض

ما بَيْنَ حالين من نقْضٍ وَتَقويض

And a man bearing a beard that, when it appeared, fell

And carrying a beard when it appeared, it fell

Between two states: unraveling and demolition.

Between two states of breaking and weakening

سألْتُهُ كيف طالتْ وما عرضت

سألْتُهُ كيف طالتْ وما عرضت

فردَّ إِذ ردَّ قولاً غيرَ تعريض

فردَّ إِذ ردَّ قولاً غيرَ تعريض

I asked him how it grew long but never broad.

I asked him how it lengthened and what was its breadth

So he replied, when he replied, with words free of veiled allusion:

He replied, as he replied, a saying without implication

ما جاد زَرْعَ اللحى لا جاد مذ وقَعَتْ

ما جاد زَرْعَ اللحى لا جاد مذ وقَعَتْ

فيه طيورٌ تُسمَّى بالمقاريض

فيه طيورٌ تُسمَّى بالمقاريض

No rain has watered the crop of beards—may none water it!—since there alighted

The beard crop did not yield, it did not yield since

Within it birds called scissors.

Birds in it called clippers fell