دَعانا أبو عَمرٍو عُمَيْرُ بنُ جَعْفَرٍ

على لَحْمِ دِيكٍ دَعْوةً بعدَ مَوْعِدِ

Abu Amr Umayr ibn Ja'far invited us

To a feast of cock after the appointed time

فَقَدَّمَ ديكاً عُدْمُلِيّاً مُلَدَّحاً

مُبَرْنَسَ أَثيابٍ مُؤَذِّنَ مَسْجِدِ

He brought forward a fattened, stuffed cock

Dressed in the clothes of a mosque's muezzin

يُحدِّثُنا عنْ قَوْمِ هُودٍ وصالحٍ

وأغربِ مَنْ لاقاهُ عَمْرُو بنُ مرثدِ

Telling us tales of the people of Hud and Salih

And the strangest he met, Amr ibn Murthid

وقال لقد سَبّحْتُ دهراً مُهَلِّلاً

وأَسْهَرْتُ بالتّأْذينِ أَعْيُنَ هُجّدِ

And he said, "For long have I glorified dawn

Staying up through the night, vigilant like a sentry"

أَيُذْبَحُ بين المسلمينَ مُؤَذِّنٌ

مُقيمٌ على دِينِ النّبِيِّ مُحَمّدِ

"Shall a muezzin be slaughtered amongst Muslims

Faithful to the religion of the Prophet Muhammad?"

فقلتُ لَهُ يا ديكُ إِنّكَ صادقٌ

وإِنّكَ فيما قُلْتَ غَيْرُ مُفَنّدِ

So I said to him, "O cock, you speak truly,

In what you have said, none can find fault."

ولا ذَنْبَ للأَضْيافِ إِنْ نالَكَ الرَّدَى

فإنَّ المنايا للدُّيُوكِ بِمَرْصَدِ

"It is no sin of the guests should doom befall you.

For death lies in wait to ambush all cocks."