أَلا أَبلِغا عَنّي أُسَيداً رِسالَةً

أَلا أَبلِغا عَنّي أُسَيداً رِسالَةً

فَخالُكَ عَبدٌ بِالشَرابِ مُجَرَّبُ

فَخالُكَ عَبدٌ بِالشَرابِ مُجَرَّبُ

Listen, you two: convey a message from me to Usayd.

Shall I not send a message to Usāyid?

For your maternal uncle is a slave, tried and tested by wine.

Your maternal uncle is a man well experienced in wine-drinking.

لَعَمرُكَ ما أَوفى أُسيداً لِجارِهِ

لَعَمرُكَ ما أَوفى أُسيداً لِجارِهِ

وَلا خالِدٌ وَابنُ المُفاضَةِ زَينَبُ

وَلا خالِدٌ وَابنُ المُفاضَةِ زَينَبُ

By your life, Usayd kept no faith with his neighbor,

By your life! Usāyid has not dealt justly with his neighbour;

nor Khalid, nor the son of large-bellied Zaynab.

Nor Khālid, nor the son of al-Mufaddah - Zaynab!

وَعَتّابُ عَبدٌ غَيرُ موفٍ بِذِمَّةٍ

وَعَتّابُ عَبدٌ غَيرُ موفٍ بِذِمَّةٍ

كَذوبُ شُؤُونِِ الرَأسِ قِردٌ مُؤَدَّبُ

كَذوبُ شُؤُونِِ الرَأسِ قِردٌ مُؤَدَّبُ

And Attab is a slave, faithful to no covenant—

And 'Attāb is a slave who pays no heed to obligations -

a liar to the very seams of his skull, a trained monkey.

A liar in all the affairs of his head, a trained ape!