كانَ المُغَنّونَ لَهُم خَزرَجٌ

فَصارَ داوُودُ لَنا خَزرَجا

The singers once had Khazraj

The singers of old laid claim to Khazraj,

But David became Khazraj for us

And now Dawud has become a Khazraj for us.

إِن أَنشَدَ الشِعرَ زَوى وَجهَهُ

وَإِن بَقي في صَدرِهِ كَرَّجا

When he recites poetry, his face lights up

When he recites poetry, he contorts his face,

And when it remains in his heart, it stirs

And if it lingers in his chest, it cackles like a hen.

فَنَحنُ لا نَسطيعُ تَفسيرَهُ

أَفلَجَنا داوُدُ أَو ثَلَّجا

We cannot comprehend him

We are unable to interpret his utterance—

Did David unlock us or pierce through us?

Has Dawud struck us with palsy, or frozen us to ice?

مُهَذَّبُ الأَعمامِ مِن كَسكَرٍ

وَماجِدُ الأَخوالِ مِن تَوَّجا

Well-groomed beards from Kaskar

Of refined paternal lineage from the lands of Kaskar,

And glorious uncles from Tawwaja

And of noble maternal uncles from the district of Tawwaj.