ودِرهَمٌ واحِدٌ فصَّلتَ جُملتَه

ودِرهَمٌ واحِدٌ فصَّلتَ جُملتَه

ملأتَ منه نِثاراً قاعَةَ الدارِ

ملأتَ منه نِثاراً قاعَةَ الدارِ

And a single dirham—you broke it all into pieces;

A single dirham you split into fragments

You filled the house’s hall with its scattered fragments.

With it you filled the hall of the house with scattering

لانَ اللُّجَينُ لكم في ضَربه وكَذا

لانَ اللُّجَينُ لكم في ضَربه وكَذا

لانَ الحَديدُ لداودٍ بِلا نارِ

لانَ الحَديدُ لداودٍ بِلا نارِ

Silver softened for you as you struck it, just as

For the anvils are yours in striking it and so

Iron softened for David without fire.

The iron is David's without fire

مازلتُ أقلَعُهُ والأرضُ تبلعُه

مازلتُ أقلَعُهُ والأرضُ تبلعُه

فلو علمتُ بهِ طوَّلت أظفاري

فلو علمتُ بهِ طوَّلت أظفاري

I kept prying it up while the ground swallowed it;

I kept uprooting it while the earth kept swallowing it

So had I known about it, I would have grown my fingernails long.

Had I known of it, I'd have let my nails grow long