العَيشُ ثِقلٌ وَقاضي الأَرضِ مُمتَحِنٌ

العَيشُ ثِقلٌ وَقاضي الأَرضِ مُمتَحِنٌ

يُضحي وَنِصفُ خُصومِ المِصرِ يَشكونَه

يُضحي وَنِصفُ خُصومِ المِصرِ يَشكونَه

Life is a burden, and the land’s judge is put to the test.

By morning, half the city’s litigants are complaining about him.

زَكّوهُ دَهراً فَلَمّا صارَ قاضِيَهُم

زَكّوهُ دَهراً فَلَمّا صارَ قاضِيَهُم

وَاِستَعمَلَ الحَقَّ عادوا لا يُزَكّونَه

وَاِستَعمَلَ الحَقَّ عادوا لا يُزَكّونَه

They vouched for him for years; but when he became their judge

and upheld justice, they ceased to vouch for him.

يَصومُ ناسٌ عَنِ الزادِ المُباحِ لَهُم

يَصومُ ناسٌ عَنِ الزادِ المُباحِ لَهُم

وَيَغتَذونَ بِلَحمٍ لا يُذَكّونَه

وَيَغتَذونَ بِلَحمٍ لا يُذَكّونَه

Some people fast from food permitted to them,

yet feed on meat they have not slaughtered lawfully.