يا آخِذَ اللَّحْنِ على ال

يا آخِذَ اللَّحْنِ على ال

قَيْنةِ عِنْدَ الطَرَبِ

قَيْنةِ عِنْدَ الطَرَبِ

O you who hold a grammatical slip against the

O you who take melody upon the lute

singing girl amid musical rapture,

when ecstasy comes,

تُريدُ أَنْ تُفْهِمَها

تُريدُ أَنْ تُفْهِمَها

حَدَّ لُغاتِ العَرَبِ

حَدَّ لُغاتِ العَرَبِ

You wish to make her understand

You wish to make it understand

the rules of the Arabs' dialects.

the limit of Arabian tongues,

أُقْسِمُ باللهِ وما

أُقْسِمُ باللهِ وما

سَطَّرَ أهْلُ الكُتُبِ

سَطَّرَ أهْلُ الكُتُبِ

I swear by God and by what

I swear by Allah and what

the men of books have written:

the people of the book have written,

لَلْكَلبُ خَيْرٌ أدباً

لَلْكَلبُ خَيْرٌ أدباً

من بَعْضِ أَهْلِ الأَدَبِ

من بَعْضِ أَهْلِ الأَدَبِ

a dog is surely better-mannered

The dog is better mannered

than some men of letters.

than some possessors of manners.