إِذا باهِلِيٌّ تَحتَهُ حَنظَلِيَّةٌ

إِذا باهِلِيٌّ تَحتَهُ حَنظَلِيَّةٌ

لَهُ وَلَدٌ مِنها فَذاكَ المُذَرَّعُ

لَهُ وَلَدٌ مِنها فَذاكَ المُذَرَّعُ

If a man of Bahila has a woman of Hanzala for a wife,

When an ignoble man sires a child upon a prostitute

and has a child by her, that is the parti-colored one:

That child is bound to have one arm generous, one defective

ذِراعٌ بِها لُؤمٌ وَأُخرى كَريمَةٌ

ذِراعٌ بِها لُؤمٌ وَأُخرى كَريمَةٌ

وَما يَصنَعُ الأَقوامُ فَاللَهُ أَصنَعُ

وَما يَصنَعُ الأَقوامُ فَاللَهُ أَصنَعُ

one arm bears baseness, and the other is noble.

Though people's acts are in God's hands, who's most able

And whatever people fashion, God fashions better.

A boy begotten on his uncle's bastards side

غُلامٌ أَتاهُ اللُؤمُ مِن شَطرِ عَمِّهِ

غُلامٌ أَتاهُ اللُؤمُ مِن شَطرِ عَمِّهِ

لَهُ مِسمَعٌ وافٍ وَآخَرُ أَجدَعُ

لَهُ مِسمَعٌ وافٍ وَآخَرُ أَجدَعُ

A boy whose baseness came from his paternal uncle's side—

Will have one ear that's sharp, the other deaf and idle

he has one ear intact, and the other cropped.