رأيت خيار بني مسهر
تشاكل في اللؤم أشرارها
I saw the best of Banu Mus'hir
I saw the best of youth awake at night
resemble their worst in baseness.
Evil ones matching in vileness
أطالوا اللحى كي يحوزوا بها
مراد النفوس وأوطارها
They lengthened their beards to attain through them
They grew their beards to gain through them
the souls' desires and their wishes.
What their souls and bodies craved
وحفوا الشوارب عن نخرة
تضرم إن يطفئوا نارها
And they trimmed their mustaches back from a nose
They hid their moustaches from a sneer
that flares up if they extinguish its fire.
That blazes if its fire's not quenched
وكانت ستورا على كنفهم
فلم سلبوا الكنف أستارها
And they had been curtains over their privies—
Their sleeves were screens upon their palms
so why did they strip the privies of their curtains?
Though they stripped the palms, the screens remained
Sol 6.1