أيا بؤسَ قومٍ حسانِ الشخو

أيا بؤسَ قومٍ حسانِ الشخو

صِ لكن حُشُوا بطباع النَّعَمْ

صِ لكن حُشُوا بطباع النَّعَمْ

Alas for a people, handsome in form,

Oh what misfortune for a people whose eloquence is exalted

yet stuffed with the dispositions of livestock!

But their natures are filled with the traits of luxury

يزينيهمُ في جفون الغبىِّ

يزينيهمُ في جفون الغبىِّ

حُلِىُّ الغِنىَ وثياب النِّعَمْ

حُلِىُّ الغِنىَ وثياب النِّعَمْ

In the fool's eyes they are adorned

Wealth and fine clothes adorn them in the eyes of fools

by the ornaments of wealth and the garments of plenty.

The riches and garments of luxury

حدوناهمُ بفصيح القريِض

حدوناهمُ بفصيح القريِض

فما استحسنوا منهُ غيرَ النغمْ

فما استحسنوا منهُ غيرَ النغمْ

We chanted to them in eloquent verse,

They have bounded us with eloquent prose

but they admired nothing in it except the melody.

Yet they did not appreciate anything but the rhythm

وكان الذي خاض أسماعَهم

وكان الذي خاض أسماعَهم

سواءً ونقراتُ زِير وبَمّْ

سواءً ونقراتُ زِير وبَمّْ

And what plunged into their ears

And what poured into their ears

was no different from the plucking of treble and bass strings.

Was the same, the bleating of goats and baaing of sheep

وقد جعلوا عذَر حرماننا الثَّ

وقد جعلوا عذَر حرماننا الثَّ

وابَ خلَّوهُمُ من فَهمْ

وابَ خلَّوهُمُ من فَهمْ

And they made their excuse for withholding our reward

And they made the excuse for depriving us of respon

their lack of understanding.

ding that their clothes kept them from understanding

وهبْ أنهم جهِلوا ما نقولُ

وهبْ أنهم جهِلوا ما نقولُ

فأين السخاءُ واينَ الكَرمْ

فأين السخاءُ واينَ الكَرمْ

And suppose they did not understand what we say:

Supposing they were ignorant of what we say

where, then, is openhandedness, and where is generosity?

Then where is the generosity and where is the nobility?

أغرَّعمُ كَتبُنا في الرِّقا

أغرَّعمُ كَتبُنا في الرِّقا

عِ نحنُ العبيدُ ونحنُ الخدَمْ

عِ نحنُ العبيدُ ونحنُ الخدَمْ

Did our writing on sheets of paper delude them—

Have our books disgusted them with subtlety?

"We are the slaves, and we are the servants"?

We are the slaves and we are the servants

ومن دون ذلك تُشوَى الوجوهُ

ومن دون ذلك تُشوَى الوجوهُ

وتُقذَى العيونُ ويُفرَى الادَمْ

وتُقذَى العيونُ ويُفرَى الادَمْ

And for less than that, faces are scorched,

And without that, faces are tormented

and eyes are filled with grit, and skins are torn.

Eyes are gouged out and skin is shredded

فإن هم أنابوا ببذل النوالِ

فإن هم أنابوا ببذل النوالِ

وصلنا الثناءَ كوصل الرِحمْ

وصلنا الثناءَ كوصل الرِحمْ

So if they repent by bestowing bounty,

So if they repent with generosity

we shall sustain praise as one sustains kinship ties.

We will join them with praise as we join ties of kinship

وإن هم أصرُّوا على لؤمهم

وإن هم أصرُّوا على لؤمهم

وهبنا ثناياهمُ للندّمْ

وهبنا ثناياهمُ للندّمْ

And if they persist in their meanness,

But if they persist in their villainy

we shall consign their front teeth to remorse.

We will give their sides to regret

إذا جاوزوا الحدّ في منعهم

إذا جاوزوا الحدّ في منعهم

خلعنا الحياء وجزنا اللَّمَمْ

خلعنا الحياء وجزنا اللَّمَمْ

When they overstep the bounds in withholding,

When they exceed the limit in their prevention

we cast off modesty and go beyond lesser sins.

We will shed our shyness and reap the recklessness