أَبصَرتُ في كفِّ اِبن متويٍّ عَصاً

أَبصَرتُ في كفِّ اِبن متويٍّ عَصاً

فسَأَلتُهُ عَنها لِيوضِحَ عُذرا

فسَأَلتُهُ عَنها لِيوضِحَ عُذرا

I saw a staff in the hand of Ibn Matwiyy,

I saw in the hand of a swaggering son a staff

so I asked him about it, that he might make his reason clear.

So I asked him about it to explain an excuse

فَأَجابَني اِنّي بِها مُتَشايِخٌ

فَأَجابَني اِنّي بِها مُتَشايِخٌ

هذا وَلي فيها مَآرِبُ اخرى

هذا وَلي فيها مَآرِبُ اخرى

He answered me: “With it I pose as an old man;

He answered me that with it he acts old

that—and I have other uses for it.”

And for it he has other purposes