لَحا اللَهُ وَرداناً وَأُمّاً أَتَت بِهِ

لَهُ كَسبُ خِنزيرٍ وَخُرطومُ ثَعلَبِ

God created Wardan and a mother who bore him,

May God curse Wardan and the mother who bore him,

He has the earning of a pig and the snout of a fox.

With his swine-like gains and the snout of a fox.

فَما كانَ فيهِ الغَدرُ إِلّا دَلالَةً

عَلى أَنَّهُ فيهِ مِنَ الأُمِّ وَالأَبِ

The deceit in him is but a sign,

For the treachery in him serves only as proof

That he is from that mother and father.

That he bears the traits of both mother and father.

إِذا كَسَبَ الإِنسانُ مِن هَنِ عِرسِهِ

فَيا لُؤمَ إِنسانٍ وَيا لُؤمَ مَكسَبِ

When a person earns wickedness from his family,

When a man earns his bread from his wife’s private shame,

Oh, wretched is that man and his earning!

Oh, how vile is the man, and how vile is the trade!

أَهَذا اللَذَيّا بِنتُ وَردانَ بِنتُهُ

هُما الطالِبانِ الرِزقَ مِن شَرِّ مَطلَبِ

Is this the one, daughter of Wardan, daughter of her father,

Is this he whose daughter is Wardan’s own girl?

Both seeking sustenance through the evil of their demand?

Both seeking their fortune from the foulest of paths.

لَقَد كُنتُ أَنفي الغَدرَ عَن توسِ طَيِّئٍ

فَلا تَعذِلاني رُبَّ صِدقٍ مُكَذَّبِ

Verily, I used to deny treachery in Tawus of Tayyi',

I once sought to clear the name of Tayy from deceit,

So do not rebuke me, many a truth is called a lie.

So chide me not; for often a truth is called a lie.