قَد سَمعنا وَليتنا ما سَمعنا

وَنَفعنا لَكننا ما اِنتَفَعنا

We heard, but would that we had not heard!

We benefited, but truly we did not gain.

إِن فَخري نعم الوَزير المرجَّى

أَعرض الآن بِالأصالة عَنا

Though the honored vizier is our pride,

He now turns from us for no reason.

حَيث رامَ اِنتِقاص مدّة شُغل

مِن مَعاش لِطالب قَد تعنَّى

When he sought to reduce the years we served,

Of a livelihood for one who strove so hard,

مُدة في مَحاكم الحُكم قُمنا

بِالَّذي قَد علمته ما اِستَطَعنا

In the courts where we toiled night and day

Doing all that we were capable of.

فَإِذا قيل إِنَّهُم كافؤونا

بِنُقود تَمحو عَناء المُعَنّى

And when told that we'll be compensated

With coins to erase our tribulation,

فَهيَ نزر مِن غَير شَك يَسير

بَعد رَفع مِن قَبلها قَد وَضَعنا

It's but a trifle, without any doubt,

After all we previously laid down.

وَلَقَد فاتَنا التَرقّي وَلَولا

خَفضنا في حَضيضها لارتفعنا

We missed promotion, and were it not

For abasement, we would have risen high.

وَعَلى النُصف في المَرتَّب ظلماً

عامَلونا وَالحَق مِنهُ مُنعنا

With injustice, they halved our salary,

Denying us what was rightfully ours.

فَإلامَ وَالصَبر عيلَ نُلاقي

ما نُلاقي مِما بِهِ قَد فُجعنا

To what end is patience, when we suffer

All these wrongs that have caused us such grief -

مِن جَفاء مُحرّمٍ وَاِنتِقاص

لِسِنين في عُمرنا قَد جَمَعنا

Callous injustice and docked years

From a lifetime of service we gave.

بِكَ مِن قَبل في الصِعاب اِستَغَثنا

وَعَلى حادث الزَمان اِستَعنا

In hardships, we sought aid from you before,

And in times of adversity found strength.

فَظفرنا بِما أَرَدنا وَنِلنا

ما غَدَونا بِهِ نُعادل مَعنا

We gained what we wanted and got

What made us equal to any task.

فَلِماذا تَسومنا الخسف لَما

غَيرنا قَد عَصى وَنَحنُ أَطَعنا

Why then condemn us to ruin, when

Others disobeyed while we complied?

قسماً بِالوَفا وَعَهد التَصافي

ما لِغَير الصَواب يَوماً خَضَعنا

I swear by good faith and loyalty true,

Never strayed we from what was right.

لا وَلا قادَنا إِلى الذُل عَيش

بَعدَ عَز من ثَديه قَد رَضعنا

No life of disgrace after honor's milk

From its teat we suckled and were sustained.

أَفَمَن بَعد أَربعين نُجازي

في خداماتِنا بِما قَد سَمعنا

After forty years of service, would you

Repay us with what now we have heard?

كَيفَ تَرضى حرماننا في قَضاء

مِن سِنين بِالحُكم فيها قمعنا

How can you approve denying us years

Of rule we enforced and injustice we quelled?

ما عَهدنا في عَدلك الجور كلا

لا وَلا رابك الَّذي قَد صَنَعنا

Your justice, we know, is never unjust.

Nor your judgment which we have witnessed.

فَابذل الهمة العَلية فيما

فيهِ إِصلاح حالنا وَاِصطَنِعنا

Exert then your powers to set right

Our condition - redress and redeem us!

فَبِلاد الأَغراب فيها مَعاشٌ

لِلَّذي في خدامة القُطر مَعنا

For in foreign lands there is livelihood

For those who served their homeland with us.

هَذِهِ حاجة الجَميع فَعجِّل

بِسَريع الإِنصاف حساً وَمَعنى

This is the need of us all, so hasten

With swift justice in word and in deed.