1. بُليتُ بَعدَ شَيبِهِ

    بِضابِطٍ عَزيزِ

    I was afflicted, after his hair turned gray,

    with a strong, formidable fellow.

  2. وَخَدَّهُ مُشَوِّكٌ

    مُزَرَّرُ التَلويزِ

    And his cheek is thorny,

    studded with almond-shaped knobs,

  3. كَأَنَّهُ فُرنِيَّةٌ

    كَثيرَةُ الشونيزِ

    as though it were an oven-baked loaf

    thick with black cumin.

  4. لِلنَتفِ فيهِ أَثَرٌ

    كَأَثَرِ التَخريزِ

    Plucking has left a mark upon it,

    like the mark of awl-stitching.

  5. وَأَنفُهُ كَسُترَةٍ

    تُحشى مِنَ الإِفريزِ

    And his nose is like a parapet,

    filled in from the cornice.

  6. تَحسَبُهُ إِذا بَدا

    سَماجَةَ النَزيزِ

    You think him, when he appears,

    the ugliness of a paltry wretch.