لقد سَوَّدَتْ عِرْسُ ابنِ حَمزَةَ وَجهَهُ

وكان مُضيئاً وَجهُهُ في المَحافِل

The wedding of Ibn Hamza's son has darkened his face,

Though it was bright at gatherings.

وما حيلَةُ الأعمى القبيحِ إذا التَوتْ

عليه حِسانُ الآنساتِ العقائِلِ

What can the ugly blind man do when

The glances of the doe-eyed girls converge on him?

وكان خبيثاً قبلَ ذاكَ مُخاتِلاً

فأَنسَتْهُ أفعالَ الخَبيثِ المُخاتِلِ

He was wicked before, a fraud,

But his wicked, fraudulent acts made him forgettable.

أرادَتْ قضاءَ الحَقِّ يَوْماً بِزَورِها

ومأرَبَ حَقٍّ شِيبَ منها بباطِلِ

One day she wanted to destroy the truth with her lies

And mix the pure truth with falsehood.

فسارَتْ على قَصْدِ السَّبيلِ هُنيهَةً

وماَلتْ إلى غُصنٍ من البانِ مائلِ

So she set out with purpose on the path,

Swaying to a branch of acacia.

فمرَّ لها يَوْمٌ على النَّهْرِ صالحٌ

غَريبٌ من الأيامِ حلوُ الشَّمائلِ

A fine day passed her by the riverbank,

A stranger among days, beautiful in character.

يُعاطي النَّدامى طَرفُها سِحْرَ بابلٍ

وتأخُذُ من أيديِهمُ خَمْرَ بابلِ

Her glances give the repentant the magic of Babylon,

And she takes the wine of Babylon from their hands.

إلى أن قَضَتْ حَقَّ الرِّجالِ وضَيَّعَتْ

بباطِلها حقَّ النِّساءِ الثَّواكلِ

Until she destroyed the rights of men and ruined

The rights of the neglected women with her lies.

وعادَتْ بِوَرْدِ ذابلِ الوَرْدِ حائلٍ

بِعَضِّ الثَّنايا لا بِعَضِّ الأناملِ

She returned with a withered bouquet,

Grasping some petals, not hands.

فلم تَدْنُ من شقِّ الجيوبِ ولم تَغِضْ

مَعَ الشَّربِ أسرابُ الدُّموعِ الهَوَامِلِ

She did not draw near to slit pockets or shed

Tears with the drinking throngs wailing.

ولو صدَقَتْ لم تُلْقَ ثَكْلى تَسلَّبت

مِنَ الحُزْنِ في حُمْرِ الحِلَى والغَلائلِ

Had she been truthful, she would not have found desolate,

Sorrow-stricken in the red slippers and anklets.