لَولا تَكونُ كَكاتِبٍ لَكَ رَبعَةٌ

لَولا تَكونُ كَكاتِبٍ لَكَ رَبعَةٌ

يَقضي الحَوائِجَ مُستَطيلَ الراسِ

يَقضي الحَوائِجَ مُستَطيلَ الراسِ

Why not let a writing-case serve as a scribe for you,

Had you not been a scribe with fortune’s grace,

attending to needs, with an elongated head?

With elongated head and stately face,

لَم تَغدُ بِالمَلبونِ عِندَ فِطامِهِ

لَم تَغدُ بِالمَلبونِ عِندَ فِطامِهِ

يَوماً وَلا بِمُطَجَّنَ القُلقاسِ

يَوماً وَلا بِمُطَجَّنَ القُلقاسِ

You never went out with milk pudding at his weaning,

You wouldn’t dine on crumbs when weaned from milk,

on any day, nor with pan-fried taro;

Nor on scraps that you snatch in your haste,

أَو كَاِبنِ مَسعَدَةَ الكَريمِ نِجارُهُ

أَو كَاِبنِ مَسعَدَةَ الكَريمِ نِجارُهُ

بَيتِ الكِتابَةِ في بَني العَبّاسِ

بَيتِ الكِتابَةِ في بَني العَبّاسِ

or like Ibn Mas‘adah, whose lineage is noble,

Like the son of Mas’ada, the carpenter,

of the scribal house among the sons of al-‘Abbas,

Who writes at Abbasids’ abode,

يَغدو عَلى أَضيافِهِ مُستَطعِماً

يَغدو عَلى أَضيافِهِ مُستَطعِماً

كَالكَلبِ يَأكُلُ في بُيوتِ الناسِ

كَالكَلبِ يَأكُلُ في بُيوتِ الناسِ

who goes to his guests in the morning, asking for food,

And feeds on guests’ food like a greedy hound,

like a dog eating in people's houses.

That sneaks in homes searching for its feed.