أَلَم تَرَ كُرسوعَ الغُرابِ وَما وَأَت

أَلَم تَرَ كُرسوعَ الغُرابِ وَما وَأَت

مَواعيدُهُ عادَت ضَلالاً وَباطِلا

مَواعيدُهُ عادَت ضَلالاً وَباطِلا

Have you not seen Kursuʿ al-Ghurab (Crow’s Wristbone) and what was pledged

Have you not seen the cawing of the raven, and what

By his promises, which turned to futility and falsehood?

Its trysts have turned to, gone astray and null?

وَلَو كانَ مُرِّيّاً لَأَصبَحَ قَولُهُ

وَلَو كانَ مُرِّيّاً لَأَصبَحَ قَولُهُ

وَفِيّاً عَلى ما كانَ شَدَّ الحَبائِلا

وَفِيّاً عَلى ما كانَ شَدَّ الحَبائِلا

And had he been a Murri, his word would have proved

Had it been an harbinger, its word by morn

True to what he had bound with snares.

Would have proved true, binding fast the cords.

وَسَوفَ يَرى مَرَّ القَوافي إِذا غَدَت

وَسَوفَ يَرى مَرَّ القَوافي إِذا غَدَت

عَلَيهِ بِأَمثالٍ تَشينُ المَقاوِلا

عَلَيهِ بِأَمثالٍ تَشينُ المَقاوِلا

And he will know the bitterness of rhymes when they set forth

And it will see, when rhymes shall come to it

Against him with proverbs that disgrace kings.

With parables like those that shame builders.