ألا أبلغ معاوية بنَ حربٍ

ألا أبلغ معاوية بنَ حربٍ

فقد خرب السوادُ فلا سَوادا

فقد خرب السوادُ فلا سَوادا

Listen: tell Muʿawiya son of Harb:

Tell Mu'awiya ibn Harb

For the Sawad lies ruined; no Sawad remains.

The land is ruined, no more a land

أرى العمال آفتنا علينا

أرى العمال آفتنا علينا

بعاجلِ نَفعِهِم ظلموا العِبَادا

بعاجلِ نَفعِهِم ظلموا العِبَادا

I see the officials as the scourge afflicting us;

I see the workers are our plague upon us

For their own immediate gain, they have oppressed the people.

With their urgent benefit they wronged the servants

فهل لك أن تَداركَ ما لدينا

فهل لك أن تَداركَ ما لدينا

وتدفَع عن رعيَّتك الفَسَادا

وتدفَع عن رعيَّتك الفَسَادا

Will you, then, remedy what we face,

So can you redress what we have

And ward off corruption from your subjects,

And ward off harm from your citizens

وتعزلَ تابعاً أبداً هَواه

وتعزلَ تابعاً أبداً هَواه

يخرِّب مِن بلادَتِهِ البِلادَا

يخرِّب مِن بلادَتِهِ البِلادَا

And dismiss one who always follows his whims,

And dismiss a follower ever his whim

Who lays the land waste through his stupidity?

Who ruins countries in his foolishness

إِذا قلتُ أقصرَ عن مداهُ

إِذا قلتُ أقصرَ عن مداهُ

تمادَى في ضَلالته وزادَا

تمادَى في ضَلالته وزادَا

Whenever I say, 'He has stopped short of his limit,'

When I say be brief of extent

He persists in his error and goes further still.

He persists in his misguidance and increased