أَلا يا جَبَلَ المُقتِ ال

أَلا يا جَبَلَ المُقتِ ال

لَذي أَرسى فَما يَبرَح

لَذي أَرسى فَما يَبرَح

Ah, you mountain of loathing that

O mountain of affliction that remains steadfast,

Oh, towering mountain of sheer loathing,

stands firm and never budges;

Woe to him who carries your burden, it would crush him.

Firmly anchored, never to depart;

وَيا مَن هُوَ مِن ثَهلا

وَيا مَن هُوَ مِن ثَهلا

نَ لَو حُمِّلتَهُ أَفدَح

نَ لَو حُمِّلتَهُ أَفدَح

And you who, compared with Thahlān,

God has shaped you well,

And O you, who—compared to Mount Thahlan—

would be weightier, were you made to bear it;

Yet not sweetened nor salted.

Would prove the heavier burden were you placed upon it;

لَقَد صَوَّرَكَ اللَهُ

لَقَد صَوَّرَكَ اللَهُ

فَما حَلّى وَلا مَلَّح

فَما حَلّى وَلا مَلَّح

God has indeed fashioned you,

Long have I pondered,

God has indeed fashioned your form,

but neither adorned you nor gave you charm.

Yet know not your purpose.

But He bestowed upon it neither sweetness nor wit.

وَقَد طَوَّلتُ تَفكيري

وَقَد طَوَّلتُ تَفكيري

فَما أَدري لِما تَصلُح

فَما أَدري لِما تَصلُح

And I have pondered long,

You're unfit for satire,

I have pondered long and deep,

yet I do not know what you are fit for.

Nor worthy of praise.

Yet I cannot fathom what use you serve.

فَما تَصلُحُ أَن تُهجى

فَما تَصلُحُ أَن تُهجى

وَلا تَصلُحُ أَن تُمدَح

وَلا تَصلُحُ أَن تُمدَح

You are not fit to be lampooned,

Rather I ask God's forgiveness,

You are not worthy enough to be satirized,

nor are you fit to be praised.

For your face can be smoothed over.

Nor are you worthy enough to be praised.

بَلى أَستَغفِرُ اللَهَ

بَلى أَستَغفِرُ اللَهَ

عَلى وَجهِكَ قَد يُسلَح

عَلى وَجهِكَ قَد يُسلَح

Ah, yes—I ask God's forgiveness—

Would that you'd not seen the evening,

Nay—I ask God's forgiveness—there is a use:

one might shit upon your face.

Nor lived to see the morn!

Upon your face, filth might be voided.

فَيا لَيتَكَ إِن أَمسَي

فَيا لَيتَكَ إِن أَمسَي

تَ لا أَمسَيتَ لا تُصبِح

تَ لا أَمسَيتَ لا تُصبِح

Then would that, should evening find

Would that in the depths,

So I wish that if you see the evening,

you—may you never reach evening!—you would not see morning.

You could not surface to swim!

—May you not see it—you would never wake to the morning;

وَيا لَيتَكَ في اللُجَّ

وَيا لَيتَكَ في اللُجَّ

ةِ لا تُحسِنُ أَن تَسبَح

ةِ لا تُحسِنُ أَن تَسبَح

And would that you were in the deep,

And I wish you were cast into the ocean's abyss,

not knowing how to swim.

Utterly ignorant of how to swim.