ما كُلُّ مَن طال عُثنونهُ

يَزدادُ فَضلاً يا أَبا الفَضلِ

Not every one who lengthens his braids

Grows in merit, O Abu Al-Fadl

طَوَّلتَ عُثنونَكَ تَبغي العُلا

أَيُّ عَلا في ذَنَبِ البَغلِ

You lengthen your braids seeking glory

What glory in the tail of a mule?

وَلَستُ أَحصى كَم رَأَيتُ اِمرأً

الحَي وَلكِن كَوَسَجِ العَقلِ

And I cannot count how many a man

I have seen learned yet lacking in reason

قَد مَلَأَت لِحيَتُهُ صَدرَهُ

وَرَأسُهُ أَفرُغُ مِن طَبلِ

With a beard filling up his chest

And a head as empty as a drum