1. Crows have brought dark tidings, may you not lack a bright night,
Nor boughs full of birdsong.

2. You shelter the nestlings of sparrows that nestle in you,
Safe from heat and the harm of rain.

3. And as they have augured me good fortune, I find them charming,
Bearing the gladdest of news:

4. That the stars that had set will rise for me soon,
Their orbits bound for the moon.

5. If the Merciful confirms what they claim,
My bow and string will rest undisturbed.

6. By God! By God! I will not startle them,
Nor send the crows fleeing in fright.

7. O scorpions, never fail to find
Thorn trees and figs and do no other harm.

8. As since I lodged among them you’ve filled my heart
With a fear that has robbed my eyes of sleep.

9. What have the days stricken you with, O my liver,
Of their arrows except what fate decrees?

10. Ease and unease and no hoped-for comfort,
I beg God - how many things are in His view!