أَعَيّاشُ قَد بَرذَنتَ خَيلَكَ كُلُّها

أَعَيّاشُ قَد بَرذَنتَ خَيلَكَ كُلُّها

وَقَد كُنتَ قَبلَ اِبنَي جَديلَةَ مُعرِبا

وَقَد كُنتَ قَبلَ اِبنَي جَديلَةَ مُعرِبا

O ʿAyyāsh, you have turned all your horses into non-Arab hacks,

You exhausted your horses, every one

though before Jadīlah’s two sons you kept purebred Arab steeds.

Yet before that you were partner to Ibn Jadilah

تَحَظّى بِإِنكاحِ اللِئامِ وَإِنَّما

تَحَظّى بِإِنكاحِ اللِئامِ وَإِنَّما

أَتَيتَ الَّتي أَخزَت شُهوداً وَغُيَّبا

أَتَيتَ الَّتي أَخزَت شُهوداً وَغُيَّبا

You seek favor by arranging marriages for the lowborn, yet you have only

You gained by marrying vile women, but

committed the deed that disgraced those present and those absent.

You came to her who disgraced witnesses and was absent

أَتاكَ اِبنُ أَعيا حينَ أَعياهِ شَيخُهُ

أَتاكَ اِبنُ أَعيا حينَ أَعياهِ شَيخُهُ

لِيَجعَلَ بِنتَ الزَبرَقانِ لَهُ أَبا

لِيَجعَلَ بِنتَ الزَبرَقانِ لَهُ أَبا

The son of Aʿyā came to you when his old father left him helpless,

The son of A’yash came to you when his elder chided him

to make al-Zibriqān’s daughter a father for himself.

To make the daughter of Zubrqan his father

نُكِستَ عَنِ التَشبيبِ قِرداً وَلَم تَكُن

نُكِستَ عَنِ التَشبيبِ قِرداً وَلَم تَكُن

لِتُشبِهَ عِندَ السِنِّ حَزناً وَتَغلِبا

لِتُشبِهَ عِندَ السِنِّ حَزناً وَتَغلِبا

You were reduced to an ape, turned away from love-poetry, and you were not

You turned away from youth as an ape, yet you were not

to resemble Ḥazn and Taghlib in old age.

To resemble in old age grief and defeat