زامرُنا لو شاءَ إكرامَنا

كان ولو قُطِّع لم يَزْمُرِ

Had our piper desired to honor us

He would have, even were he dismembered, still piped

باكَرَ بالناي فيا ليتَه

باكرَ بالنّأيِ فلم يحضُرِ

He piped early with the flute - would that he

Had piped early with remoteness and not attended

ومرّ في شتى أفانينِه

فنحنُ شتّى عنه في المحْضَرِ

And he passed by in diverse places of his

While we are diverse from him in the assembly

من رَخَمٍ يُطرِشُ آذانَنا

وحازقٍ يقبضُ بالمنخر

With harshness that deafens our ears

And spite that clutches the nostrils

وبعد هذاك وذا ما ابتدا

إلا وكلُّ قائلٍ مَنْ خَري

And after this and that he did not begin

Except that every speaker went too far