ولائطٍand a sodomite ألثغlisping قلناwe said لهto him
ولائطٍ ألثغ قلنا له
أفلستyou have gone bankrupt قالhe said استمعواlisten, all of you الفدغاthe crushing retort
أفلست قال استمعوا الفدغا
And to a lisping sodomite we said:
A broke man we met and said
“You’ve gone bankrupt!” He said—listen to the crushing retort:
Listen to my tale of woe
أناI امرؤa man درهمa dirham تحصيلهhis earning
أنا امرؤ درهم تحصيله
يخرجgoes out منfrom بغَّاoutside (lisped barrā) إلىto بغَّاoutside (lisped barrā)
يخرج من بغَّا إلى بغَّا
“I am a man whose earned dirham
I'm a man whose only coin
goes from ‘outside’ to ‘outside.’”
Goes from debt to debt to owe