بُلينَا بِقوْمٍ خالفوا أَوْضَحَ الحُجَجْ

بُلينَا بِقوْمٍ خالفوا أَوْضَحَ الحُجَجْ

وحادُوا عن النّهج القويم إلى عَرَجْ

وحادُوا عن النّهج القويم إلى عَرَجْ

We have been afflicted with people who defied the clearest proofs,

We were afflicted by a people who opposed the clearest proofs

and turned from the straight path to a limping course.

And deviated from the straight path to crookedness

وفي زعمهم أنّ الغنى ذا قربةٌ

وفي زعمهم أنّ الغنى ذا قربةٌ

ورقصٌ بتصفيقٍ وصَعْقٌ بِمُخْتَلَجْ

ورقصٌ بتصفيقٍ وصَعْقٌ بِمُخْتَلَجْ

And they claim that this singing is an act of devotion,

And in their view, wealth has virtue

as are dancing with clapping and swooning with convulsive agitation.

Dancing with clapping and thunder with perturbation

وهل كان في الصّدر القديم صنيعُكُم

وهل كان في الصّدر القديم صنيعُكُم

وقد سمِعَت آذانكم من بها لَهَجْ

وقد سمِعَت آذانكم من بها لَهَجْ

And was your practice found in the earliest age,

Was their conduct in the ancient chests

though your ears have heard those who spoke incessantly of it?

While their ears heard the one with elocution

صدقتُمْ فانّ السامريّ إمامُكم

صدقتُمْ فانّ السامريّ إمامُكم

وشَيْخُكُمُ لاَ شكَّ فيه ولا حَرَجْ

وشَيْخُكُمُ لاَ شكَّ فيه ولا حَرَجْ

You have spoken truly, for the Samiri is your imam,

You spoke truly, the Samaritan is their imam

and your sheikh—no doubt about him, nor any misgiving.

And their elder, no doubt in him and no embarrassment

ويعلوه طربوش كحمرة خدّه

ويعلوه طربوش كحمرة خدّه

وما ذاك إلاّ من هرج الهرج

وما ذاك إلاّ من هرج الهرج

And a fez sits atop him, as red as his cheek,

And above him is a hat red like the redness of his cheek

and that is nothing but uproar upon uproar.

And that is only from the nonsense of nonsense