وَلَقَد نَهَيتُ مُخَرِّقاً فَتَخَرَّقَت

وَلَقَد نَهَيتُ مُخَرِّقاً فَتَخَرَّقَت

بِمُخَرِّقٍ شُطنُ الدِلاءِ شَغورُ

بِمُخَرِّقٍ شُطنُ الدِلاءِ شَغورُ

Indeed I warned Mukharriq, but they tore apart—

I surely forbade him who tears clothes, yet he tore (them)

the buckets’ loose-hanging ropes, because of Mukharriq.

With weapons when the buckets overflowed their tops.

وَلَقَد نَهَيتُكَ مَرَّتَينِ وَلَم أَكُن

وَلَقَد نَهَيتُكَ مَرَّتَينِ وَلَم أَكُن

أُثني إِذا حَمِقٌ ثَنى مَغرورُ

أُثني إِذا حَمِقٌ ثَنى مَغرورُ

Indeed I warned you twice, though I was not

And I surely forbade you twice but I was not

one to repeat my warning when a deluded fool repeated his folly,

Going to repeat when a fool bent, deceived.

حَتّى يُداوِيَ أَهلُهُ مَأمومَةً

حَتّى يُداوِيَ أَهلُهُ مَأمومَةً

في الرَأسِ تُدبِرُ مَرَّةً وَتَثورُ

في الرَأسِ تُدبِرُ مَرَّةً وَتَثورُ

until his family treated a wound reaching the brain’s covering,

Until his family cure an affliction

in the head, now subsiding, now flaring up.

In the head, recurring once, boiling again.