جَادَ بِالْعَيْنِ حِينَ أَعْمَى هَوَاهُ عَيْنَهُ فَأَتَانِي بِلَا عَيْنَيْنِ
He gave away precious money when desire blinded his eye, and came to me as though bereft of both eyes.
Al-ʿayn / ʿaynahu / ʿaynayn returns three times with shifting senses. The first refers to ready money, the second to the eye or sight, and the third to the image of lacking both eyes. Abū Zayd turns the official’s generous payment into a satire of judgment blinded by desire.
The repeated word is not empty verbal display. Each occurrence makes the criticism sharper. Rendering every occurrence exclusively as “eye” or exclusively as “cash” would destroy the effect. ExpressionSensebi-l-ʿaynready moneyʿaynahueye or sightbilā ʿaynaynas though without both eyes