لَكُم في الخَطِّ سَيّارَه

لَكُم في الخَطِّ سَيّارَه

حَديثُ الجارِ وَالجارَه

حَديثُ الجارِ وَالجارَه

You have a motorcar in the neighborhood,

You have a car to drive,

the talk of every neighbor, man and woman.

The talk of the neighbor and neighbor's wife,

أَوفَرلاندُ يُنَبّيكَ

أَوفَرلاندُ يُنَبّيكَ

بِها القُنصُلُ طَمّارَه

بِها القُنصُلُ طَمّارَه

An Overland—you are told

The Overland forewarns you

about it by Consul Tammara.

As the consul sets up a fuss,

كَسَيّارَةِ شارلوت

كَسَيّارَةِ شارلوت

عَلى السَواقِ جَبّارَه

عَلى السَواقِ جَبّارَه

Like Charlotte's motorcar,

Like Charlotte's car

it is a tyrant over the driver.

Mighty on the road,

إِذا حَرَّكَها مالَت

إِذا حَرَّكَها مالَت

عَلى الجَنبَينِ مُنهارَه

عَلى الجَنبَينِ مُنهارَه

When he sets it moving, it leans

When she moves it tilts

to either side, collapsing.

Collapsing on both sides,

وَقَد تَحزُنُ أَحياناً

وَقَد تَحزُنُ أَحياناً

وَتَمشي وَحدَها تارَه

وَتَمشي وَحدَها تارَه

And sometimes it grows balky,

And it sometimes grieves

and sometimes moves all by itself.

Walking alone sadly,

وَلا تُشبِعُها عَينٌ

وَلا تُشبِعُها عَينٌ

مِنَ البِنزينِ فَوّارَه

مِنَ البِنزينِ فَوّارَه

No spring can satisfy it,

No eye satisfies it

even one gushing gasoline.

With spewing gasoline,

وَلا تُروى مِنَ الزَيتِ

وَلا تُروى مِنَ الزَيتِ

وَإِن عامَت بِهِ الفارَه

وَإِن عامَت بِهِ الفارَه

Nor can its thirst for oil be quenched,

Nor is it sated with oil

even if a mouse swims in it.

Though the rats swarm over it,

تَرى الشارِعَ في ذُعرٍ

تَرى الشارِعَ في ذُعرٍ

إِذا لاحَت مِنَ الحارَه

إِذا لاحَت مِنَ الحارَه

You see the street in terror

It sees the street in panic

when it appears from the alley,

When it appears from the alley,

وَصِبياناً يَضِجّونَ

وَصِبياناً يَضِجّونَ

كَما يَلقَونَ طَيّارَه

كَما يَلقَونَ طَيّارَه

and boys clamoring

And boys screaming

as when they encounter an airplane.

As if they have seen a plane,

وَفي مَقدَمِها بوقٌ

وَفي مَقدَمِها بوقٌ

وَفي المُؤخِرِ زَمّارَه

وَفي المُؤخِرِ زَمّارَه

At its front there is a horn,

With a horn in its front

and at its rear a whistle.

And drums in the rear,

فَقَد تَمشي مَتى شاءَت

فَقَد تَمشي مَتى شاءَت

وَقَد تَرجِعُ مُختارَه

وَقَد تَرجِعُ مُختارَه

For it may move whenever it pleases,

It may walk when it wishes

and may reverse of its own accord.

And turns back at its own pace,

قَضى اللَهُ عَلى السَوّا

قَضى اللَهُ عَلى السَوّا

قِ أَن يَجعَلَها دارَه

قِ أَن يَجعَلَها دارَه

God has decreed for the driver

God has ordained the roads

that he make it his home.

To make it a house,

يُقَضّي يَومَهُ فيها

يُقَضّي يَومَهُ فيها

وَيَلقى اللَيلَ ما زارَه

وَيَلقى اللَيلَ ما زارَه

He spends his day inside it,

To spend the day in

and reaches night without having visited home.

And meet the night however late,

أَدُنيا الخَيلِ يا مَكسي

أَدُنيا الخَيلِ يا مَكسي

كَدُنيا الناسِ غَدّارَه

كَدُنيا الناسِ غَدّارَه

Is the world of horses, O Maksi,

The life of horses, O Maxey

as treacherous as the world of people?

Is like the deceitful world,

لَقَد بَدَّلَكَ الدَهرُ

لَقَد بَدَّلَكَ الدَهرُ

مِنَ الإِقبالِ إِدبارَه

مِنَ الإِقبالِ إِدبارَه

Time has indeed changed your lot

Time has changed you

from good fortune to adversity.

From rise to set,

فَصَبراً يا فَتى الخَيلِ

فَصَبراً يا فَتى الخَيلِ

فَنَفسُ الحُرِّ صَبّارَه

فَنَفسُ الحُرِّ صَبّارَه

So be patient, O young gallant of horses;

So patience, O boy of horses

for the noble soul is long-suffering.

The soul of the free is patient,

أَحَقٌّ أَنَّ مَحجوباً

أَحَقٌّ أَنَّ مَحجوباً

سَلا عَنكَ بِفَخّارَه

سَلا عَنكَ بِفَخّارَه

Is it true that Mahjub

Is Mehjoob who rightly

has forgotten you for an earthenware pot,

Asked about you with pottery,

وَباعَ الأَبلَقَ الحُرَّ

وَباعَ الأَبلَقَ الحُرَّ

بِأَوفَرلاند نَعّارَه

بِأَوفَرلاند نَعّارَه

and sold the noble piebald

And who sold the piebald horse

for a clamorous Overland?

With the ragged Overland?

وَلَم يَعرِف لَهُ الفَضلَ

وَلَم يَعرِف لَهُ الفَضلَ

وَلا قَدَّرَ آثارَه

وَلا قَدَّرَ آثارَه

He did not acknowledge his merit,

And did not know its merit

nor value his deeds.

Nor appreciated its traces,

قَدِ اِختارَ لَكَ الشَلحَ

قَدِ اِختارَ لَكَ الشَلحَ

وَما كُنتَ لِتَختارَه

وَما كُنتَ لِتَختارَه

He has chosen al-Shalh for you,

He chose barren land for you

though you would never have chosen it.

While you wouldn't choose it,

فَسَلهُ ما هُوَ الشَلحُ

فَسَلهُ ما هُوَ الشَلحُ

عَسى يُنبيكَ أَخبارَه

عَسى يُنبيكَ أَخبارَه

Ask him, then, what al-Shalh is;

So ask him what barren land is

perhaps he will tell you its story.

Maybe he tells you its news,

كَأَن لَم تَحمِلِ الرّا

كَأَن لَم تَحمِلِ الرّا

يَةَ يَومَ الرَوعِ وَالشارَه

يَةَ يَومَ الرَوعِ وَالشارَه

As though you had never carried the banner

As if you didn't carry the flag

on the day of terror and pageantry,

On the day of panic and fighters,

وَلَم تَركَب إِلى الهَولِ

وَلَم تَركَب إِلى الهَولِ

وَلَم تَحمِل عَلى الغارَه

وَلَم تَحمِل عَلى الغارَه

nor ridden into peril,

And didn't ride unto dread

nor charged in the raid,

And charge at the cave,

وَلَم تَعطِف عَلى جَرحى

وَلَم تَعطِف عَلى جَرحى

مِنَ الصِبيَةِ نَظّارَه

مِنَ الصِبيَةِ نَظّارَه

nor turned toward the wounded

And didn't care for my wounds

among the boy spectators:

Of the young insistent lookers,

فَمَضروبٌ بِرَشّاشٍ

فَمَضروبٌ بِرَشّاشٍ

وَمَقلوبٌ بِغَدّارَه

وَمَقلوبٌ بِغَدّارَه

one struck by a machine gun,

So beaten with machine guns

another felled by a pistol.

And defeated with traitors,

وَلا وَاللَهِ ما كَلَّف

وَلا وَاللَهِ ما كَلَّف

تَ مَحجوباً وَلا بارَه

تَ مَحجوباً وَلا بارَه

No, by God, you never burdened

No, by God, you didn't trouble

Mahjub or his bar.

Mehjoob nor the wilderness,

فَلا البِرسيمُ تَدريهِ

فَلا البِرسيمُ تَدريهِ

وَلا تَعرِف نَوّارَه

وَلا تَعرِف نَوّارَه

For you know nothing of clover,

So you don't know alfalfa

nor do you know its blossoms.

Nor recognize clover,

وَقَد تَروى عَلى صُلتٍ

وَقَد تَروى عَلى صُلتٍ

إِذا نادَمتَ سُمّارَه

إِذا نادَمتَ سُمّارَه

You may drink your fill at Sult's

You may get satisfied with flakes

when you carouse with his night companions,

When you regret fumigators,

وَقَد تَسكَرُ مِن خَودٍ

وَقَد تَسكَرُ مِن خَودٍ

عَلى الإِفريزِ مِعقارَه

عَلى الإِفريزِ مِعقارَه

and you may grow drunk on a lovely maiden,

And get drunk from lies

a hard drinker upon the sidewalk.

On the freezer's shelf,

وَقَد تَشبَعُ يا اِبنَ اللَي

وَقَد تَشبَعُ يا اِبنَ اللَي

لِ مِن رَنَّةِ قيثارَه

لِ مِن رَنَّةِ قيثارَه

And you may be sated, O son of the night,

And you may get filled, O son of night,

by the ringing of a lyre.

From the singing of a guitar,

عَسى اللَهُ الَّذي ساقَ

عَسى اللَهُ الَّذي ساقَ

إِلى يوسُفَ سَيّارَه

إِلى يوسُفَ سَيّارَه

May God, who led

May God who guided

a caravan to Joseph—

Yusuf to a car,

فَكانَت خَلفَهُم دُنيا

فَكانَت خَلفَهُم دُنيا

لَهُ في الأَرضِ كِبارَه

لَهُ في الأَرضِ كِبارَه

and in their wake there lay a life

There was a great world behind them

of greatness for him on earth—

For him on earth,

يُهَيِّ لَكَ هَوّاراً

يُهَيِّ لَكَ هَوّاراً

كَريماً وَاِبنَ هَوّارَه

كَريماً وَاِبنَ هَوّارَه

provide you with a Hawwar,

Make you a gentle groom

generous and a son of Hawwara.

And son of a gentle groomer,

فَإِنَّ الحَظَّ جَوّالٌ

فَإِنَّ الحَظَّ جَوّالٌ

وَإِنَّ الأَرضَ دَوّارَه

وَإِنَّ الأَرضَ دَوّارَه

For fortune is ever wandering,

For luck is fickle

and the earth is ever turning.

And the world a spinner.