أيا فَضلاً غدا فضلاً

عن الخلق وفي الزَّمْنَى

O one whose merit tomorrow becomes greater

Above people and through time

أَمَا والعَرَجِ المحض الـ

ـلذي أنت به تُكنَى

Yet, you miserable cripple

Whom I address with this name

لئن صُغِّرَ ما تُدعى

به ما كُبِّر المعنَى

If I lessen what you are called

It does not lessen the meaning

بَلَونا منك كوفياً

لئيم الأصل والمَجنْى

We have tested you, an ignoble Kufan

Of despicable origin and destiny

وأهل الكوفة الرذل

ة أدنى الأرذل الأدنى

The people of Kufa are the lowest of the low

A people, all individuals

أُناس كلُّهم فَرْدٌ

وسوآتُهُمُ مَثْنَى

Their defects come in pairs

So neither their near ones are saved

فلا دانيهمُ يُجنَى

ولا نائيهمُ يُدنى

Nor their distant ones approached

The ribs of the people of this world

فأضلاع بني الدنيا

على بغضهمُ تُحْنَى

Bend in their hatred of them

Ignorant deviants

مَجاهيلُ مَعازيل

إلى اليسرى عن اليمنى

To the left instead of the right

Swerving misleaders

مخاذيلُ مَمَاييل

إلى السَّوْأَى عن الحسنى

To evil instead of good

Their verses built

على غير تقى اللَّه

غدْت أَبياتُهم تُبنَى

Without piety to God

And their guest reads in them

ويُقرى ضيفُهم فيها

مَلاطاً بعده مَزْنَى

Mud and filth afterwards

We fattened them like lambs

فَسَمْنَاهُمْ كعَجْفاهم

وأنَّى لهمُ السَّمنى

Yet how can there be fat for them?

The place of shameless mongrels

محلُّ الشيمة الهَجْنى

وأهل اللغة اللَّكنى

And people of cowardly dialect

When we say "we" to them

إذا قلنا لهم نحن

فمن قولهمُ نِحْنَى

We bend from their speech

How many deceitful ones among them

وكم من مورِق فيهم

لآل اللَّه ما أجنى

Have cheated the family of God

How many supporters among them

وكم من ناصرٍ فيهم

لآل اللَّه ما أغنى

Have availed the family of God nothing

How many traitors among them

وكم من خاذل فيهم

لآل اللَّه قد أخنى

Have betrayed the family of God

We examined them of old

تأملناهُمُ قِدْماً

بعينٍ لم تكن وَسْنى

With an eye that knew no sleep

Yet no generation was too short for them

فلم يَقْصُر لهم قرن

ولا طال لهم مَبْنَى

Nor dwelling too long

When their disgraces are counted

إذا عُدَّت مخازيهم

فما تُحْصَى ولا تَفْنَى

They are beyond number or limit

So God granted them no well-being

فلا عافاهُمُ اللَّه

ولا أَغْنى ولا أَقْنَى

Or wealth or tranquility

God's hand is over the inhabitants

يدُ اللَّهِ على المسكَـ

ـنِ والساكنِ والسُّكنى

The dwellers, and the dwellings

And each has a trouble

وكلٌّ فَلَهُ هَمٌّ

من السوء به يُعْنَى

That keeps him concerned

The worry of the despicable cripple

وهمُّ الأعرج الوغدِ

مِنيٌّ في استه يُمْنَى

Comes from me and lingers in his mind

His ascension is pure madness

صحيحٌ عُلْوهُ جَلْد

عليلٌ سُفْله مُضْنى

His descent thoroughly crazed

Whenever his hernia bulged

إذا ما فَيْشةً لاحت

صَبا قيسٌ إلى لبنى

Qais inclined toward Labna