بكعبة الله بل بخالقها

بكعبة الله بل بخالقها

أقسم لو أن خالداً غرقا

أقسم لو أن خالداً غرقا

By God's Kaaba—rather, by its Creator—

I swear by Allah's Ka'bah, nay, by its Creator

I swear: if Khalid were drowning,

If Khaled were drowning,

وجاءه منقذ لينقذه

وجاءه منقذ لينقذه

وهو كظيم يعالج الشرَقا

وهو كظيم يعالج الشرَقا

and a rescuer came to save him,

And a savior came to save him

while he, anguished, struggled against choking,

While he was choking, desperately gasping for air

ما وقعت كفه وقد جعلت

ما وقعت كفه وقد جعلت

من شدة الكرب تطلب العُلقا

من شدة الكرب تطلب العُلقا

his hand would land nowhere—having begun

His hand would not fall

in dire distress to seek something to cling to—

Upon the savior’s, though the intensity of anguish

إلا على فيشة المغيث له

إلا على فيشة المغيث له

تعمداً منه أو كما اتفقا

تعمداً منه أو كما اتفقا

but on his rescuer's penis,

Would make him seek a rope,

deliberately on his part, or simply by chance.

Except on the savior's raft, deliberately or incidentally.