1. يا سيد أحمدْ يا قوصي

    ما حدَّ زيَّك في الدنْيَهْ

    O Sayyid Ahmad, O Qusi,

    no one in the world is like you.

  2. أهديكْ ولائي وخلوصي

    ومِيت سلامْ لِك بالعنيهْ

    I offer you my loyalty and sincerity,

    and a hundred heartfelt greetings to you.

  3. أحييتْ لنا فنّ الأزجالِ

    مِن بعد ما طالعْ في الرُّوحِ

    You revived for us the art of zajal,

    after it had been breathing its last.

  4. أبوابْ أدبْ أشكالْ وألوان

    واللي ما يفْهَمْها شي لُوحِ

    Doors of literature, in every shape and hue—

    and whoever cannot understand them is a blockhead.

  5. فاتت على صاحبِ المفتاح

    وتْكسرت فيها أسنانه

    They eluded the holder of the Key,

    and his teeth broke on them.

  6. والسعد فيها عمرُه راح

    حتى انفلقْ بين أقرانُه

    And al-Sa'd spent his lifetime on them,

    until he cracked among his peers.

  7. الفضل فيها للنجار

    ولك يا شيخ أحمد بعدُه

    The credit for them belongs to al-Najjar,

    and to you, Sheikh Ahmad, after him.

  8. أما الألاني له أدوار

    فيها تفوق أدوار عبدُه

    As for al-Alani, he has dawr songs

    in this art surpassing Abdu's dawr songs.

  9. جاني النهارُده حمل خفيفْ

    كلامُه أحلى من السُّكر

    A light load reached me today,

    its words sweeter than sugar.

  10. داشىءْ لطيفْ خالص وطريف

    وفضلْ مثلكْ لا يُنكر

    This is something quite charming and witty,

    and the merit of one like you cannot be denied.

  11. الحق إن بلادْكم عالْ

    فيها الأدب واخد حَدُّه

    The truth is, your land is splendid:

    there, good manners get their full due.

  12. ما حد فيها عمرُه قالْ

    كلام كتير ما هُوش قدُه

    No one there has ever uttered

    a lot of talk he could not live up to.

  13. فيها التواضعْ والطاعهْ

    والحرّ يتمنّوا ودادُه

    There are humility and obedience,

    and they long for the noble man's friendship.

  14. ما يزعّلوا الحاكمْ ساعهْ

    ولا يميلوا لعْنادُهْ

    They never upset the governor for a moment,

    nor are they inclined to defy him.

  15. شغل الدسايس والتهويل

    همَّ بعيدْ خالصْ عنَّه

    The business of intrigue and scaremongering—

    they keep well clear of it.

  16. ما يشتِكوشْ للُّورد أبريل

    ولا يجيبوا مكتوب منه

    They do not complain to Lord April,

    nor do they fetch a letter from him.

  17. أما الحراره في بلادكم

    ما بيدّكم فيها حيله

    As for the heat in your land,

    there is nothing you can do about it.

  18. شهرين ثلاثه ميعادكم

    بوعدها تبقى جميله

    Your appointed time is two or three months away;

    after that, it will be pleasant.

  19. أما الحلاوه في الخلقه

    دا شيء قليل لكن موجودْ

    As for beauty in people's looks,

    it is scarce, but it does exist.

  20. واللي يدوّر كم يلقى

    وأرجع أقول دي للموعودْ

    And whoever searches will find a few,

    and I say again: this is for the fortunate.

  21. كل البلاد ملا تخلاشي

    من الأمور السريهْ

    No town is ever free

    of secret affairs.

  22. لكن بقا ما تنساشي

    إنّ الظواهرْ مرعيهْ

    But now, do not forget

    that outward proprieties are observed.

  23. آدي مزيةْ ناحيةْ قوص

    والكام بلد إللي فْ جارها

    That is the virtue of the Qus district

    and the few villages in its neighborhood.

  24. إذا الفقير حتى إن باعْ بوص

    مراته حشمه معْ جارها

    Even if a poor man sells reeds,

    his wife is modest with her neighbor.

  25. أما بنات الهوارهْ

    ما يخش في بيتهم الإبريق

    As for the daughters of the Hawwara,

    not even a ewer enters their house.

  26. ما فيش مذكر في الحارهْ

    يلقى لبيت الست طريق

    Nothing masculine in the neighborhood

    finds a way to the lady's house.

  27. عود القصبْ ما يدخلشي

    في البيتْ سوى عقله عقلهْ

    A stalk of sugarcane does not enter

    the house except segment by segment.

  28. وإن عزْتْ ديكْ ما تلْقاهْشي

    أما الفراخْ تلقى جملهْ

    And if you want a rooster, you will not find one,

    but hens you will find in abundance.