قالَ المَلائِكَةُ الَّذينَ تُخَيِّروا

وَالمُصطَفونَ لِدينِهِ الأَخيارُ

The angels who were chosen,

And the elect ones for His religion, the best ones,

أَبكى الإِلَهُ عَلى بَلِيَّةَ مَن بَكى

جَدَثاً يَنوحُ عَلى صَداهُ حِمارُ

Would God weep for the calamity of one who wept

A grave, grieving over its echo, a donkey?

كانَت مُنافِقَةَ الحَياةِ وَمَوتُها

خِزيٌ عَلانِيَةٌ عَلَيكَ وَعارُ

The hypocrisy of her life and her death

Were open disgrace upon you and shame.

فَلَئِن بَكَيتَ عَلى الأَتانِ لَقَد بَكى

جَزَعاً غَداةَ فِراقِها الأَعيارُ

So if you cried over the donkey, indeed

The noble ones cried the next morning over parting with her.

يَنهَسنَ أَذرُعُهُنَّ حينَ عَهِدنَها

وَمَكانُ جُثوَتِها لَهُنَّ دُوارُ

They sniff at her forearms when they remember her,

And her sitting place is constantly circling among them.

تَبكي عَلى اِمرَأَةٍ وَعِندَكَ مِثلُها

قَعساءُ لَيسَ لَها عَلَيكَ خِمارُ

You cry over a woman while the likes of her

Are dull-witted, uncovered before you.

وَلَتَكفِيَنَّكَ فَقدَ زَوجَتِكَ الَّتي

هَلَكَت مُوَقَّعَةُ الظُهورِ قِصارُ

And she who died branded on her back will suffice you,

For the young unmarried women are the best for marriage.

أَخَواتُ أُمِّكَ كُلِّهِنَّ حَريصَةٌ

أَلّا يَفوتَكَ عِندَها الإِصهارُ

Visiting the dead when they enter their graves, I don’t think

Is done by the righteous.

فَاِخطُب وَقُل لِأَبيكَ يَشفَعُ إِنَّهُ

سَيَكونُ أَو سَيُعينُكَ المِقدارُ

When you went mad about her today—they

Flash their front teeth at each other.

بِكراً عَسَت بِكَ أَن تَكونَ حَظِيَّةً

إِنَّ المَناكِحَ خَيرَها الأَبكارُ

You eulogized her and disgraced her in her grave;

The righteous do not do the like of that.

إِنَّ الزِيارَةَ في الحَياةِ وَلا أَرى

مَيتاً إِذا دَخَلَ القُبورَ يُزارُ

You ate what she stored up for herself without her,

And in famine the righteous are distinguished.

لَمّا جَنَنتَ اليَومَ مِنها أَعظُماً

يَبرُقنَ بَينَ فُصوصِهِنَّ فِقارُ

You preferred yourself with greediness, but she

For whom and the likes of her were the storerooms.

وَرَثَيتَها وَفَضَحتَها في قَبرِها

ما مِثلَ ذَلِكَ تَفعَلُ الأَخيارُ

And you see the despicable man, other than his family,

And for his concubine he is self-centered.

وَأَكَلتَ ما ذَخَرَت لِنَفسِكَ دونَها

وَالجَدبُ فيهِ تَفاضَلُ الأَبرارُ

آثَرتَ نَفسَكَ بِاللَوِيَّةِ وَالَّتي

كانَت لَها وَلِمِثلِها الأَذخارُ

وَتَرى اللَئيمَ كَذاكَ دونَ عِيالِهِ

وَعَلى قَعيدَتِهِ لَهُ اِستِئثارُ