يا سُخْرةَ الشيخِ بلا أُجْرَهْ

وفَسْوةَ المَبْطونِ في السُّحْرَهْ

O ridicule of a Sheikh without payment,

And nakedness of the glutton at dawn,

ويا كِرا الدارِ على مُفْلِسٍ

وسَلْحةَ المَطْرودِ في وَعْرَهْ

And criticism of the house on a bankrupt,

And weapon of the expelled in his wasteland,

وضَرْطَة السلطانِ في مَوْكبٍ

به وُفودٌ تطلُب النُّضْرَهْ

And fart of the Sultan in a procession,

In which are delegations seeking bien,

وضَيْعة الهِمْيانِ من عائلٍ

قُبَيْل عِيدٍ أعْوَزَ الفِطْرَهْ

And loss of the bereaved from a family,

Before Eid, the party pooper,

ونَظْرةَ المَخْمورِ عَبْداً له

قد كسَّر الأقْدَاح والْجَرَّهْ

And look of the drunk at a servant of his,

Who broke the cups and the jars,

وحَسْرةَ العِلْقِ إذا أقْبلَتْ

لِحْيتُه في آخِر الشَّعْرَهْ

And regret of a beard when it grows,

In the end of the hair,

وحَكَّةَ المَقْطوعِ كَفاً له

ودُمَّلاً يخرُج في الشَّعْرَهْ

And scratch of a handless on his stump,

And blood oozing in the hair,

ونَظْرةَ الخِنْزِيرِ من خَارِىءٍ

يَرْمِيه لَمَّا جاع بالصَّخْرَهْ

And look of the pig from a dunghill,

Pelting it when hungry with pebbles,

ويا قَفَا المَهْزومِ من فارسٍ

أدْرَكَه في ساحةٍ قَفْرَهْ

And behind of the defeated by a horseman,

Who reached him in an empty plain,

وبَهْتةَ السَّكْرانِ من هَاجمٍ

في ليلةٍ مُظْلمةٍ قِرَّهْ

And shock of a drunkard from an assailant,

In a dark night, secluded,

ويا نَعِيّاً جاءَ عن واحِدٍ

إلى عَجُوزٍ ما لَها أُسْرَهْ

And you, the obituary of a man,

To an old woman with no family,

ووَحْدةَ الحُرَّةِ في ليلةٍ

مات بها الزَّوْجُ لَدَى الضَّرَّهْ

And loneliness of a free woman at night,

In which her husband died due to harm

وحُجَّةَ المُعْتزِليِّ الذي

يسْمعُ نَصّاً ناقِضاً أمْرَهْ

And argument of a schismatic who,

Hears a contradicting text, outraged,

وطَلْعةَ الزِّنْدِيقِ في مَسْجدٍ

يخافُ مِن جِيرانِه هُجْرَهْ

And appearance of a heretic in a mosque,

Fearing isolation by his neighbors,

ووَجْهَ تِمْساحٍ لَدىَ ساحلٍ

أتاه غَرْقانُ رأى بَرَّهْ

And face of a crocodile by a coast,

Came to it the drowning who saw land,

وُعرَّةً قد خَرِبتْ فوقَه

ذُبابةُ الذُّلِّ غدا غُرَّهْ

And nakedness that was ravaged on it,

The flies of dishonor in the morning swarm,

ومَن غدا في النَّظَرِ ابنَ الأُلَى

في عَيْنِ إبْلِيسَ بهم قُرَّهْ

And he who has become the son of vileness,

In the eye of Satan, an abomination,

كم تَدَّعِي الفضلَ ولا تَرْعوِي

تُعِيد ما قال ذَوُو الخِبْرَهْ

How you claim virtue but do not take heed,

Repeating what the experts said,

فهْو على تكْريرِ أقْوالِهم

كالجَملِ المَشْغول بالْجَرَّهْ

For he is in reiterating their words,

Like a camel busy with pregnancy,

يا أيها الفَخَّار من أجْلِ ما

طَوَّل رَبٌّ خَالِقٌ عُمْرَهْ

O you potter for how long,

Did the Lord prolong your life?

هَل تصدُق الأمْثالُ في قَوْلِها

ما كُلُّ يومٍ تسْلَمُ الْجَرَّهْ

Do proverbs speak the truth in their saying:

Not every day is saved from harm?

يا جُعَلَ الجهلِ إلى كم تُرَى

مُدَحْرِجاً في طَرَفِ البَعْرَهْ

O made ignorance, for how long, I wonder,

Rolling at the edge of the wasteland?