عَيْنُthe letter ʿayn الكمالِal-Kamāl العوادِal-ʿAwwād (the oud player) قافٌthe letter qāf
عَيْنُ الكمالِ العوادِ قافٌ
وهوand he شُيَيْخٌa petty old man رَدٍpoor قُوافيrhymes
وهو شُيَيْخٌ رَدٍ قُوافي
The ʿayn in al-Kamāl al-ʿAwwād is a qāf;
The perfection in his eyes, his rhymes like columns standing tall
and he is a petty old man with poor rhymes.
Though in his age, declining, his poems still enthral
سَرَتْspread قياداتُهhis pimping إلىas far as أنْthat
سَرَتْ قياداتُه إلى أنْ
قادَhe pimped بمِصرَin Egypt علىfor عِراقِIraq
قادَ بمِصرَ على عِراقِ
His pimping spread so far that
His leadership spread far and wide until
he pimped in Egypt for Iraq.
He led Egypt to conquer Iraq's land