أَلا رُبَّ مُحتالِ عَذلٍ غَدا

أَلا رُبَّ مُحتالِ عَذلٍ غَدا

يَجُرُّ إِلَيَّ ذُيولَ الطَمَع

يَجُرُّ إِلَيَّ ذُيولَ الطَمَع

Ah, many a cunning reproacher set out,

Alas! Many a scheming flatterer

Dragging toward me the skirts of greed.

Drags to me the tails of greed,

فَأَبرَمَ سَمعي بِتَطويلِهِ

فَأَبرَمَ سَمعي بِتَطويلِهِ

وَضَيَّقَ صَدري بِما قَد صَنَع

وَضَيَّقَ صَدري بِما قَد صَنَع

Then he wearied my hearing with his long-windedness,

So I deafen my ears to his prolixity

And constricted my breast with what he had done.

And am stifled by what he has done.

فَوَشَحتُ بِالدَلوِ آذانَهُ

فَوَشَحتُ بِالدَلوِ آذانَهُ

وَقَطَّعتُ أَخدَعَهُ بِالخُدَع

وَقَطَّعتُ أَخدَعَهُ بِالخُدَع

So I garlanded his ears with cajolery,

So I turn a cold shoulder to his bucket

And severed his neck-vein with tricks.

And cut short his guile with guile.