الزَنجُ أَكرَمُ مِنكُمُ وَالرومُ

الزَنجُ أَكرَمُ مِنكُمُ وَالرومُ

وَالحَينُ أَيمَنُ مِنكُمُ وَالشومُ

وَالحَينُ أَيمَنُ مِنكُمُ وَالشومُ

The Zanj are more generous than you, and so are the Romans.

The black man is more honorable than you, and the Romans

And doom is more auspicious than you, and so is ill fortune.

And the present is more auspicious than you, and ill omens

عَيّاشُ إِنَّكَ لَلَّئيمُ وَإِنَّني

عَيّاشُ إِنَّكَ لَلَّئيمُ وَإِنَّني

مُذ صِرتَ مَوضِعَ مَطلَبي لَلَئيمُ

مُذ صِرتَ مَوضِعَ مَطلَبي لَلَئيمُ

Ayyash, you are truly base, and I too,

Ayash, you are despicable and I

since you became the object of my petition, am truly base.

Have become despicable since I made you the target of my desire

السُحتُ أَطيَبُ مِن نَوالِكَ مَطمَعاً

السُحتُ أَطيَبُ مِن نَوالِكَ مَطمَعاً

وَالمُهلُ وَالغِسلينُ وَالزَقّومُ

وَالمُهلُ وَالغِسلينُ وَالزَقّومُ

Ill-gotten gain is more wholesome to seek than your bounty,

Begging from you is more bitter than colocynth

and so are molten metal, foul pus, and zaqqum.

And aloeswood, purging cassia and poison

نَجِسٌ تُدَبِّرُ أَمرَهُ شِيَمٌ لَهُ

نَجِسٌ تُدَبِّرُ أَمرَهُ شِيَمٌ لَهُ

شُكسٌ يُدَبِّرُ أَمرَهُنَّ اللومُ

شُكسٌ يُدَبِّرُ أَمرَهُنَّ اللومُ

A filthy man, whose affairs are ruled by his own dispositions—

An unclean man managing his affairs, a disgrace to him

ill-tempered dispositions, themselves governed by baseness.

A graceless woman managing their affairs, blameworthy

وَمَنازِلٌ لَم يَبقَ فيها ساحَةٌ

وَمَنازِلٌ لَم يَبقَ فيها ساحَةٌ

إِلّا وَفيها سائِلٌ مَحرومُ

إِلّا وَفيها سائِلٌ مَحرومُ

And dwellings in which no courtyard remains

And residences in which no area remains

without a petitioner left empty-handed.

Without a deprived beggar

عَرَصاتُ سوءٍ لَم يَكُنَّ لِسَيِّدٍ

عَرَصاتُ سوءٍ لَم يَكُنَّ لِسَيِّدٍ

وَطَناً وَلَم يَرتَع بِهِنَّ كَريمُ

وَطَناً وَلَم يَرتَع بِهِنَّ كَريمُ

Wretched grounds that have never been, for any lord,

Lands of evil that have never belonged to a master

a home, nor has any noble man lived at ease in them.

Nor grazed in them a generous man

لَمّا بَدا لي مِن صَميمِكَ ما بَدا

لَمّا بَدا لي مِن صَميمِكَ ما بَدا

بَل لَم يُصَب لَكَ لا أُصيبَ صَميمُ

بَل لَم يُصَب لَكَ لا أُصيبَ صَميمُ

When what emerged of your true stock became clear to me—

When what emerged from your innermost being emerged to me

rather, no true stock was found for you—may none be found!—

But no, your innermost being was not harmed

جَرَّدتُ في ذَمّيكَ خَيلَ قَصائِدٍ

جَرَّدتُ في ذَمّيكَ خَيلَ قَصائِدٍ

حالَت بِكَ الدُنيا وَأَنتَ مُقيمُ

حالَت بِكَ الدُنيا وَأَنتَ مُقيمُ

I mustered a cavalry of poems to revile you.

I unleashed in your condemnation the steeds of poems

The world turned against you while you stayed put.

While you remain still, the world turned against you

أَلحَقنَ بِالجُمَّيزِ أَصلَكَ صاغِراً

أَلحَقنَ بِالجُمَّيزِ أَصلَكَ صاغِراً

وَالشيحُ يَضحَكُ مِنكَ وَالقَيصومُ

وَالشيحُ يَضحَكُ مِنكَ وَالقَيصومُ

They linked your humbled stock to the sycamore fig,

I made your origin meet the hyena groveling

and wormwood laughs at you, and so does desert yarrow.

And the jackal laughs at you and the little mourning owl

طَبَقاتُ شَحمِكَ لَيسَ يَخفى أَنَّها

طَبَقاتُ شَحمِكَ لَيسَ يَخفى أَنَّها

لَم يَبنِها آءٌ وَلا تَنّومُ

لَم يَبنِها آءٌ وَلا تَنّومُ

The layers of your fat—it is no secret that they

The layers of your fat, it is clear they were not built

were built up by neither āʾ nor tannūm.

By a mason or a carpenter

يا شارِباً لَبَنَ اللِقاحِ تَعَزِّياً

يا شارِباً لَبَنَ اللِقاحِ تَعَزِّياً

الصَبرُ مَن يَقنيهِ وَالحالومُ

الصَبرُ مَن يَقنيهِ وَالحالومُ

O you who drink milch-camels' milk to claim descent—

Oh you who drinks the milk of flowers vauntingly

aloe and halum cheese: who keeps them?

Patience, who attains it, and dreams

وَالمُدَّعي صورانَ مَنزِلَ جَدِّهِ

وَالمُدَّعي صورانَ مَنزِلَ جَدِّهِ

قُل لي لِمَن أَهَناسُ وَالفَيّومُ

قُل لي لِمَن أَهَناسُ وَالفَيّومُ

And you who claim Suran as your grandfather's home—

And pretends the abode of his grandfather is Suran

tell me: to whom do Ahnas and the Fayyum belong?

Tell me, to whom belongs Ahanas and Fayyum