أَمسَت طُهَيَّةُ كَالبِكارِ أَفَزَّها

بَعدَ الكَشيشِ هَديرُ قَرمٍ بازِلِ

Tuhayya awoke as chaste as an untouched virgin

After the priest a torrent of insults went out of control

يا يَحيَ هَل لِيَ في حَياتِكَ حاجَةٌ

مِن قَبلِ فاقِرَةٍ وَمَوتٍ عاجِلِ

O Yahya, does an impoverished, dying soul like me

Still have a wish left in your life to fulfill?

حَلَّت طُهَيَّةُ مِن سَفاهَةِ رَأيِها

مِنّي عَلى سَنَنِ المُلِحِّ الوابِلِ

Because of her foolishness, Tuhayya is finished with me

My biting sarcasm rains down on her without fail

أَطُهَيُّ قَد غَرِقَ الفَرَزدَقُ فَاِعلَموا

في اليَمِّ ثُمَّ رَمى بِهِ في الساحِلِ

People of Tuhayy, the Farazdaq has drowned, know this well

Then he threw himself into the sea from atop a cliff

مَن كانَ يَمنَعُ يا طُهَيُّ نِساءَكُم

أَم مَن يَكُرَّ وَراءَ سَرحِ الجامِلِ

Who was it, O Tuhayya, that would stop your women

Or who herds behind the cattle left out to graze?

ذاكَ الَّذي وَأَبيكِ تَعرِفُ مالِكٌ

وَالحَقُّ يَدمَغُ تُرَّهاتِ الباطِلِ

The one you and your father know is Malik

And the truth brands absurdities as false

إِنّا تَزيدُ عَلى الحُلومِ حُلومُنا

فَضلاً وَنَجهَلُ فَوقَ جَهلِ الجاهِلِ

Our virtues exceed other virtues by far

Our ignorance surpasses the ignorance of the ignorant