أُحاجِيكُمُ ما لحيةٌ غير كثةٍ

أُحاجِيكُمُ ما لحيةٌ غير كثةٍ

وَنَى عن لحوقِ العَارِضَينِ نَبَاتُها

وَنَى عن لحوقِ العَارِضَينِ نَبَاتُها

I pose you a riddle: what beard is not thick,

I challenge you, what is a beard but abundant growth

whose growth has fallen short of reaching both cheeks?

And its foliage has shunned joining of the cheeks

على كل عينٍ أوجَبَ الحالُ دهنَها

على كل عينٍ أوجَبَ الحالُ دهنَها

وتطردُ عند الدهن عنها ثُبَاتُها

وتطردُ عند الدهن عنها ثُبَاتُها

Circumstance has made oiling it incumbent on every eye,

Obligatory to grease every eye with its lotion

and during oiling its bands are driven away from it.

And its firmness is dispelled by the grease

وإن دَهَنَ الفَالونَ مِن جَنَباتُها

وإن دَهَنَ الفَالونَ مِن جَنَباتُها

رَجَّى شعثت من دهنهم جَنَبَاتُها

رَجَّى شعثت من دهنهم جَنَبَاتُها

And if the lice-pickers oiled some of its sides,

Even if the laymen grease their cheeks

Hopes were raised [wording unclear]; its sides grew disheveled from their oiling.

Their scruffy beards hope from their cheeks' grease

لِحضرَتِها تُجبَى الجِبَاياتُ عنوةً

لِحضرَتِها تُجبَى الجِبَاياتُ عنوةً

كَأنَّ جُبَاةَالناسِ طُرَّا جُبَاتُها

كَأنَّ جُبَاةَالناسِ طُرَّا جُبَاتُها

For its court, levies are collected by force,

Taxes are forcibly collected for its presence

as though all the people's tax-collectors were its collectors.

As if the people's collectors are its beard's lice

قَضَت حلباتُ التُّرهات بِسَبِقهَا

قَضَت حلباتُ التُّرهات بِسَبِقهَا

إذَا ما استَوَت في شَأوِهَا حلباتُها

إذَا ما استَوَت في شَأوِهَا حلباتُها

The racing fields of folly have declared it the winner,

The orbits of the spindle have won their race

whenever its racing fields are evenly matched on its course.

When their orbits become equal in their task

لها كُرُباتٌ في القلوب مُرِبَّةٌ

لها كُرُباتٌ في القلوب مُرِبَّةٌ

فياليتها قد فًرِّجت كُربَاتُهَا

فياليتها قد فًرِّجت كُربَاتُهَا

It has afflictions that abide within hearts;

It has anguishes in the hearts that hurt

so, oh, would that its afflictions had already been relieved!

If only its anguishes could be relieved

ويا ليتَ مِقراضاً أتِيحَ لِحضزِّهَا

ويا ليتَ مِقراضاً أتِيحَ لِحضزِّهَا

لِتَقصُرَ عن بعضِ الوَرَى وَثَبَاتُها

لِتَقصُرَ عن بعضِ الوَرَى وَثَبَاتُها

And oh, would that shears were provided to cut it [uncertain reading],

If only scissors were made available to trim it

so that its leaps might fall short of some people.

To shorten from some of the people its growth

ولا نَبَتَت مِن بَعدٍ ذا ببلادنا

ولا نَبَتَت مِن بَعدٍ ذا ببلادنا

فَإنَّ عَذَاباً في البلاد نَبَاتُها

فَإنَّ عَذَاباً في البلاد نَبَاتُها

And may it never sprout in our land after this,

Never to grow again in our country afterwards

for its growth is a torment in the land.

For its growth is torment in the countries