لو أنكم بعد غُصتي بكُمُ

لو أنكم بعد غُصتي بكُمُ

سوَّغتموني الغنى من العدمِ

سوَّغتموني الغنى من العدمِ

If, after I had choked on you,

If after my anger you appeased me,

you had made wealth palatable to me instead of destitution,

Offering me wealth out of nothingness,

دعوتُ ربي بأن يُبدِّلني

دعوتُ ربي بأن يُبدِّلني

مما منحتم قليلَ ذي كرمِ

مما منحتم قليلَ ذي كرمِ

I would have prayed to my Lord to replace

I would implore my Lord to change me,

what you bestowed with a little from a generous man.

From the little you gave, O you of generosity!

وكان أكلي لحومكم حنقاً

وكان أكلي لحومكم حنقاً

أشفى من المُشفياتِ للقرمِ

أشفى من المُشفياتِ للقرمِ

And eating your flesh in rage was

And eating your flesh would be hatred

more soothing than remedies for meat-craving.

More healing than remedies for scabies.

بشمتُ بالأمس من خبائثكم

بشمتُ بالأمس من خبائثكم

فالخمصُ منكمْ خيرٌ من البَشمِ

فالخمصُ منكمْ خيرٌ من البَشمِ

Yesterday I was sick from a surfeit of your foulness,

I gloated yesterday at your wickedness.

so hunger from you is better than a sickening surfeit.

So gloating at you is better than smiling amiably!

أو أنكم صحتي وعافيتي

أو أنكم صحتي وعافيتي

فررتُ من قربكم إلى السقمِ

فررتُ من قربكم إلى السقمِ

Or if you were my health and well-being,

Or you are my health and well-being,

I would flee from your nearness into sickness.

So I fled from being near you to illness!

لو أنكم لي شبيبةٌ أُنفٌ

لو أنكم لي شبيبةٌ أُنفٌ

هربتُ من قُربكم إلى الهرمِ

هربتُ من قُربكم إلى الهرمِ

If you were fresh youth for me,

If you were youth to me, a nose,

I would flee from your nearness into decrepit old age.

I would flee from being near you to old age!

لا باركَ الله في صنائعكم

لا باركَ الله في صنائعكم

أهكذا لم تزل على القدمِ

أهكذا لم تزل على القدمِ

May God not bless your favors!

May Allah not bless your handiworks -

Have they always been like this, from of old?

Is this how you have always been from the beginning?