أيا ذا الذي في كفّه مرهف الشبا

يصيب به عمدا مكان المقاتل

O you in whose palm is a keen-edged blade,

who deliberately plays with it at the vital spots,

يبعّض أجسام الورى غير هائب

ويأخذ جذرا من عطاء ونائل

cutting the bodies of humankind, unafraid,

and extracting a root from ʿAṭāʾ and Nāʾil.

يريق دماء الناس وهو صديقهم

يحبّ ويدني نحوه بالوسائل

He spills people’s blood, though he is their friend;

he loves them and draws them close to him by various means.

ترى الناس أفواجاً إليه رجالهم

ونسوانهم جمعا كمثل المحافل

You see the people flocking to him—their men,

and their women, gathered like great assemblies.

إذا غاب يستبطى وإن كان حاضرا

يحيّا ويوما نحوه بالأنامل

When absent, he is thought slow to arrive; but when present,

he is greeted, and fingers point toward him.