1. أيا ضيفاً أطالَ المك

    ثَ حتى قَبُحَ الضيفُ

    O guest who has prolonged his stay,

    until the guest became loathsome.

  2. لقد خطوا لكَ السوآ

    تِ حرفاً بعدَهُ حرفُ

    Indeed, they have inscribed the evils for you,

    letter after letter.

  3. وأقداهمُ الأقلا

    مُ والأرضُ هي الصحفُ

    And their [feet] are the pens,

    and the earth is the pages.

  4. وكم زلزلتَ دورهمُ

    فخرَّ عليهم السقفُ

    And how often you shook their homes,

    so the roof fell upon them.

  5. لئنْ يصفُ لنا يومٌ

    فأيامكَ لا تصفو

    Even if a day is serene for us,

    your days are never serene.

  6. وقد ماتَ ذوو الكافا

    تِ والندمانُ والقصفُ

    And those of the kāfs have died,

    along with the boon companions and revelry.

  7. وباتَ الناسُ من أرضا

    هُ يومَ ساءَهُ ألفُ

    And people have come to this: whoever was pleased

    by one day was distressed by a thousand.