أكافورُ قُبِّحْتَ من خادِمٍ

أكافورُ قُبِّحْتَ من خادِمٍ

ولاقَتْكَ مُسْرعةً جائحهْ

ولاقَتْكَ مُسْرعةً جائحهْ

O Kafur, may you be disgraced as a servant,

A eunuch frowned upon by a servant

and may calamity swiftly befall you.

And assaulted by a raging tempest

فَلَمْ أَرَ مِثْلَكَ ذا مَنْظَرٍ

فَلَمْ أَرَ مِثْلَكَ ذا مَنْظَرٍ

شبيهٍ بِأَخْلاَقِهِ الفَاضِحَهْ

شبيهٍ بِأَخْلاَقِهِ الفَاضِحَهْ

For never have I seen your like, with an appearance

I have not seen anyone with an appearance

so like your disgraceful character.

Like his scandalous morals

حَكَيْتَ سَمِيَّكَ في بَرْدِهِ

حَكَيْتَ سَمِيَّكَ في بَرْدِهِ

وأخطأَكَ اللّوْنُ والرائِحَهْ

وأخطأَكَ اللّوْنُ والرائِحَهْ

You resembled your namesake in its coldness,

You claimed to be of high breed in the cold

but its color and fragrance passed you by.

Yet your complexion and odor betrayed you

وَضَيَّعْتُ بِالجَهْلِ والأَفْنِ فِيْكَ

وَضَيَّعْتُ بِالجَهْلِ والأَفْنِ فِيْكَ

ثَمَانِنْنَ ثَاوِيَةً طَائِحَهْ

ثَمَانِنْنَ ثَاوِيَةً طَائِحَهْ

And through ignorance and folly I squandered on you

And in ignorance and oblivion I wasted on you

eighty, sunk and lost.

Eighty withering, stray years

كأنْ لم يَكُنْ لي من ناصحٍ

كأنْ لم يَكُنْ لي من ناصحٍ

يُزَهِّدُ فِيْكَ ولا نَاصِحَهْ

يُزَهِّدُ فِيْكَ ولا نَاصِحَهْ

As though I had no man to counsel me

As if I had no advisor

against you, nor any woman.

To make me abstain from you, no advisor

غُلاَمٌ تَكَامَلَ فِيْهِ القَبِيْحُ

غُلاَمٌ تَكَامَلَ فِيْهِ القَبِيْحُ

فَما فِيْهِ من خَلَّةْ صالِحَهْ

فَما فِيْهِ من خَلَّةْ صالِحَهْ

A boy in whom all that is vile is perfected,

A youth in whom every vice was made perfect

so he has not a single good trait.

So not a single good quality was left in him

بَطئُ الجَوَابِ فَكَمْ صَائِحٍ

بَطئُ الجَوَابِ فَكَمْ صَائِحٍ

بِهِ لم يُجِبْهُ وَكَمْ صَائِحَهْ

بِهِ لم يُجِبْهُ وَكَمْ صَائِحَهْ

Slow to answer—how many a man has shouted

Slow to respond, so how many screeching calls

to him without reply, and how many a woman!

Did he not answer, how many screeches!

كثيرُ البُكَاءِ بلا عِلّةٍ

كثيرُ البُكَاءِ بلا عِلّةٍ

فَدَمْعَتُهُ أبداً سَافِحَهْ

فَدَمْعَتُهُ أبداً سَافِحَهْ

He weeps profusely without cause,

Crying often without reason

so his tears are forever streaming.

His tears kept always flowing

إذَا قُلْتُ قد قَوَّمَتْهُ العَصَا

إذَا قُلْتُ قد قَوَّمَتْهُ العَصَا

أَجَدَّ أُمُوراً لنا فَادِحَهْ

أَجَدَّ أُمُوراً لنا فَادِحَهْ

Whenever I say, “The stick has set him straight,”

If I said a stick had set him right

he brings us fresh and grievous troubles.

He would stir up grievous matters for us

مَلِئٌ وَيَسْعَى على مِعْدَةٍ

مَلِئٌ وَيَسْعَى على مِعْدَةٍ

هَضُومٍ وَوَجْعَاؤُهُ سالِحَهْ

هَضُومٍ وَوَجْعَاؤُهُ سالِحَهْ

Full-bellied, he labors to feed a stomach

Filled up and scrambling on a

quick to digest, while his backside shits.

Digesting, painful stomach

وكيف يُؤَمَّلُ مَنْ يَوْمُهُ

وكيف يُؤَمَّلُ مَنْ يَوْمُهُ

أَذَمُّ وَأَخْزَى من البَارِحَهْ

أَذَمُّ وَأَخْزَى من البَارِحَهْ

And how can hope be placed in one whose day

And how can one have hope in someone

is more blameworthy and disgraceful than last night?

Whose day is more gloomy and disgraceful than yesterday