بِأَبِي أَقِيْكَ مِنَ الحَوَادِثِ وَالرَّدَى

يَا عُودُ بَلْ مِنْ طَارِقِ الحَدَثَانِ

With your father I protect you from misfortunes and decay,

O lute but rather from the strikers of mischief.

فُجِعَتْ بِهِ غَرِدَ الأَنِيْنِ كَأَنَّهُ

صَبَّانِ مَهْجُورَانِ يَشْتَكِيَانِ

With it the dirges were grieved as if they were

Two abandoned lovers complaining.

هَزِجَاً قِوَامُ لِسَانِهِ فِي أُذْنِهِ

يَا مَنْ رَأَى أُذُنَا قِوَامُ لِسَانِ

Its neck sways unsteadily, its tongue in its ear,

O you who saw an ear standing upright like a tongue!

وَكَأَنَّ مَوْقِعَ زِيْرِهِ زِيْرَانِ

وَكَأَنَّهُ عُودَانِ يَصْطَخِبَانِ

And as if the place of its sound were the buzzing of wasps

And as if it were two sticks kindling each other.

وَمُخَفَّف الأَجْزَاءِ لَيْسَ لِجِرْمِهِ

وَزْنٌ يُمِيْلُ كِفَّةَ المِيْزَانِ

Lightened of its parts, for its figure,

It has no weight to tilt the scale of the balance.

وَكَأَنَّ مِقْبَضَهُ جَبِيْرَةُ سَاعِدٍ

قَدْ فُصِّلَتْ بِالدُّرِّ وَالعِقْيَانِ

And as if its handle were the wrist of an arm

Adorned with pearls and cornelian.

فِي صَدْرِهِ مِنْ ثَقْبِهِ عَيْنَانِ

وَبِنَحْرِهِ طَوْقٌ مِنَ الدَّسْتَانِ

In its breast from its hole are two eyes

And at its throat a necklace of ivory bits.

لاَ غَرْوَ سَيِّدَةَ القِيَانِ فَأُنْسُنَا

يَبْقَى وَيَهْلِكُ سَيِّدُ العِيْدَانِ

No wonder, mistress of the throng, so we are consoled,

The master of the festivals remains while the master of the staffs perishes.