عَجَباً من ذا الزمانِ الساقِطِ

عَجَباً من ذا الزمانِ الساقِطِ

كيفَ لا يرفعُ الهابِطُ

كيفَ لا يرفعُ الهابِطُ

How strange is this fallen age!

How strange is this degraded age

How could it fail to raise the lowly?

That does not raise the fallen one

يخْبِطُ العشواءَ في أحكامِه

يخْبِطُ العشواءَ في أحكامِه

وكما يُعرَفُ حالُ الخابِطِ

وكما يُعرَفُ حالُ الخابِطِ

It blunders like a blind she-camel in its judgments,

It gropes blindly in its laws

and the blunderer's plight is well known.

As is known, the state of the groping one

لا تظنّني عنه راضياً

لا تظنّني عنه راضياً

إنّني أُخْفي ضَميرَ الساخِطِ

إنّني أُخْفي ضَميرَ الساخِطِ

Do not think me content with it;

Do not think I am pleased with it

indeed, I conceal the thoughts of one resentful.

I conceal the feelings of the discontent one

قطعَ اللهُ نياطاً ما لَهُ

قطعَ اللهُ نياطاً ما لَهُ

في تَسابِيبِ العُلا من نائطِ

في تَسابِيبِ العُلا من نائطِ

May God sever the heartstring of one with no

May God sever the bosom friend

link to the cords of eminence,

Who has no merit in noble lineages

وتولّى زمَناً غُرتُه

وتولّى زمَناً غُرتُه

لُطِّخَتْ من أهلِه بالغائطِ

لُطِّخَتْ من أهلِه بالغائطِ

and who held sway in an age whose brow

And assume an era whose pride

was smeared by its people with excrement.

Was stained by its people with feces

لُطِّخَتْ منهُ بما لم يُنْقِه

لُطِّخَتْ منهُ بما لم يُنْقِه

دون أن يُسْلَخَ كفُّ السامِطِ

دون أن يُسْلَخَ كفُّ السامِطِ

Smeared by him with what could not be cleansed

Stained by what did not cleanse it

without the scalder's palm being flayed.

Without the palm of the filthy one being skinned

أيها القابضُ عنّي جاهَهُ

أيها القابضُ عنّي جاهَهُ

إنّني مشتغلٌ بالباسطِ

إنّني مشتغلٌ بالباسطِ

O you who withhold your influence from me,

O you who withheld your support from me

I am occupied with the openhanded one.

I am busy with the outstretcher

أعِدِ الحسبانَ في مسألةٍ

أعِدِ الحسبانَ في مسألةٍ

جئتَ فيها بحسابٍ غالطِ

جئتَ فيها بحسابٍ غالطِ

Redo the reckoning in a problem

Recalculate in an issue

for which you produced a faulty calculation.

In which you came with a wrong calculation

ربِّ أنصف قلماً من إبرةٍ

ربِّ أنصف قلماً من إبرةٍ

تجعلُ الكاتبَ دون الخائطِ

تجعلُ الكاتبَ دون الخائطِ

My Lord, give a pen justice against a needle

Lord, do justice to a pen of a needle

that puts the writer beneath the tailor.

That makes the writer inferior to the wall

يا بن من حُلَّتْ عُرى عُصْعُصِها

يا بن من حُلَّتْ عُرى عُصْعُصِها

فهي لم توثَقْ بعَقْدِ الرابطِ

فهي لم توثَقْ بعَقْدِ الرابطِ

O son of her whose tailbone's bonds were undone,

O son of her whose flimsy ropes were undone

so they were not secured by the binder's knot.

So she did not tie a firm knot

لكُما بيتٌ سمعنا ذِكْرَهُ

لكُما بيتٌ سمعنا ذِكْرَهُ

بُغيةَ الزاني به واللائِطِ

بُغيةَ الزاني به واللائِطِ

You two have a house we have heard spoken of,

You both have a house whose mention we heard

a place sought by the fornicator there and the sodomite.

For the purpose of the adulterer and the sneaky one

أبداً ترتضيا دَفْعَيهما

أبداً ترتضيا دَفْعَيهما

لا تقولا لزبونٍ شارطِ

لا تقولا لزبونٍ شارطِ

You two always accept their two thrusts;

You will always accept their payment

never say no to a client who sets his terms.

Do not say to a bargaining client

كسُلَ الدهرُ ولا بدّ لنا

كسُلَ الدهرُ ولا بدّ لنا

أن نرى منه وثوبَ الناشِطِ

أن نرى منه وثوبَ الناشِطِ

Time has grown lazy, yet we are bound

Time has been lazy and we have no choice

to see it make the leap of the vigorous one.

But to see the garment of the active one from it