وَبَينَ نُهَيرَي الشاغورِ قَومٌ

وَبَينَ نُهَيرَي الشاغورِ قَومٌ

يَرَونَ الفَخرَ كَونَهُم لُصوصا

يَرَونَ الفَخرَ كَونَهُم لُصوصا

And between al-Shāghūr’s two rivulets is a people

And between al-Shaghur's two little streams dwell people

who deem their being thieves a source of pride.

Who take pride in being thieves.

فَكُلُّهُمُ مَتى يَظفَرُ بِشاةٍ

فَكُلُّهُمُ مَتى يَظفَرُ بِشاةٍ

تَحَوَّلَ شوحَةً تَغتال صوصا

تَحَوَّلَ شوحَةً تَغتال صوصا

For every one of them, whenever he seizes a sheep,

For each of them, whenever he gets hold of a sheep,

turns into a kite that snatches away a chick.

Turns into a kite that stealthily kills a chick.

وَما طَبَخَت قُدورُهُم حَلالاً

وَما طَبَخَت قُدورُهُم حَلالاً

فَلَيتَهُم بِها طَبَخوا مَصوصا

فَلَيتَهُم بِها طَبَخوا مَصوصا

Never have their pots cooked anything lawfully gained;

And their pots have never cooked lawful food;

if only they had cooked maṣūṣ in them!

If only they had cooked vinegar-steeped meat in them!

وَلَو أَنّا نُصافِحُ خَيِّريهِم

وَلَو أَنّا نُصافِحُ خَيِّريهِم

لَسَلّوا مِن خَواتِمِنا الفُصوصا

لَسَلّوا مِن خَواتِمِنا الفُصوصا

Even if we shook hands with the best of them,

And if we were to shake hands with their upright men,

they would surely pull the gemstones from our rings.

They would pluck the gemstones from our rings.

مُبارِزُ خُذ بِحُكمِ النَصِّ فيهِم

مُبارِزُ خُذ بِحُكمِ النَصِّ فيهِم

فَأَنتَ تُعَلِّمُ الناسَ النُصوصا

فَأَنتَ تُعَلِّمُ الناسَ النُصوصا

Mubāriz, hold them to the judgment of the Text,

Mubariz, follow the text's ruling in their case,

for you are the one who teaches people the texts.

For you teach people the texts.