يُقالُ كانَت فَأرَةُ الغيطانِ

يُقالُ كانَت فَأرَةُ الغيطانِ

تَتيهُ بِاِبنَيها عَلى الفيرانِ

تَتيهُ بِاِبنَيها عَلى الفيرانِ

It is said there was a mouse of the fields,

It is said there was a field mouse

Who boasted of her two sons before the other mice.

Who wandered with her two sons over the haystacks

قَد سَمَّتِ الأَكبَرَ نورَ الغَيطِ

قَد سَمَّتِ الأَكبَرَ نورَ الغَيطِ

وَعَلَّمَتهُ المَشيَ فَوقَ الخَيطِ

وَعَلَّمَتهُ المَشيَ فَوقَ الخَيطِ

She had named the elder Nur al-Ghayt (Light of the Field),

She named the elder Light of the Field

And taught him to walk upon the thread.

And taught him to walk over thread

فَعَرَفَ الغِياضَ وَالمُروجا

فَعَرَفَ الغِياضَ وَالمُروجا

وَأَتقَنَ الدُخولَ وَالخُروجا

وَأَتقَنَ الدُخولَ وَالخُروجا

So he came to know the groves and meadows,

So he came to know the meadows and pastures

And mastered entering and leaving.

And mastered going in and coming out

وَصارَ في الحِرفَةِ كَالآباءِ

وَصارَ في الحِرفَةِ كَالآباءِ

وَعاشَ كَالفَلّاحِ في هَناءِ

وَعاشَ كَالفَلّاحِ في هَناءِ

And in the craft he became like his forefathers,

And became in his craft like his forebears

And lived in contentment like a farmer.

And lived happily like a farmer

وَأَتعَبَ الصَغيرُ قَلبَ الأُمِّ

وَأَتعَبَ الصَغيرُ قَلبَ الأُمِّ

بِالكِبرِ فَاِحتارَت بِما تُسَمّي

بِالكِبرِ فَاِحتارَت بِما تُسَمّي

And the younger wearied his mother's heart

But the younger broke his mother's heart

With arrogance, so she wondered what to name him.

With arrogance, and she was perplexed what to name him

فَقالَ سَمّيني بِنورِ القَصرِ

فَقالَ سَمّيني بِنورِ القَصرِ

لِأَنَّني يا أُمُّ فَأرُ العَصرِ

لِأَنَّني يا أُمُّ فَأرُ العَصرِ

He said: Call me Nur al-Qasr (Light of the Palace),

So he said, name me Light of the Palace

For, Mother, I am a mouse of the age.

For I, mother, am the mouse of the age

إِنّي أَرى ما لَم يَرَ الشَقيقُ

إِنّي أَرى ما لَم يَرَ الشَقيقُ

فَلي طَريقٌ وَلَهُ طَريقُ

فَلي طَريقٌ وَلَهُ طَريقُ

I see what my brother has not seen;

I see what my brother cannot see

I have my path, and he has his.

So I have a path and he has a path

لَأَدخُلَنَّ الدارَ بَعدَ الدارِ

لَأَدخُلَنَّ الدارَ بَعدَ الدارِ

وَثباً مِنَ الرَفِّ إِلى الكَرارِ

وَثباً مِنَ الرَفِّ إِلى الكَرارِ

I shall surely enter house after house,

I will enter house after house

Leaping from the shelf to the pantry.

Leaping from shelf to jar

لَعَلَّني إِن ثَبَتَت أَقدامي

لَعَلَّني إِن ثَبَتَت أَقدامي

وَنُلتُ يا كُلَّ المُنى مَرامي

وَنُلتُ يا كُلَّ المُنى مَرامي

Perhaps, if my feet stand firm,

Perhaps if my feet prove steady

And I attain my goal, O all I long for,

And I attain, O all I wish, my hopes

آتيكُما بِما أَرى في البَيتِ

آتيكُما بِما أَرى في البَيتِ

مِن عَسَلٍ أَو جُبنَةٍ أَو زَيتِ

مِن عَسَلٍ أَو جُبنَةٍ أَو زَيتِ

I shall bring you both what I see in the house,

I will bring you what I find in the house

Be it honey, cheese, or oil.

Of honey or cheese or oil

فَعَطَفَت عَلى الصَغيرِ أُمُّه

فَعَطَفَت عَلى الصَغيرِ أُمُّه

وَأَقبَلَت مِن وَجدِها تَضُمُّه

وَأَقبَلَت مِن وَجدِها تَضُمُّه

His mother felt tenderness toward the younger,

So his mother inclined to the younger one

And, moved by her love, came to embrace him.

And drew him close, hugging him

تَقولُ إِنّي يا قَتيلَ القوتِ

تَقولُ إِنّي يا قَتيلَ القوتِ

أَخشى عَلَيكَ ظُلمَةَ البُيوتِ

أَخشى عَلَيكَ ظُلمَةَ البُيوتِ

She said: O victim of food, I

Saying, I fear for you, O victim of appetite

Fear for you the darkness of houses.

The darkness of houses

كانَ أَبوكَ قَد رَأى الفَلاحا

كانَ أَبوكَ قَد رَأى الفَلاحا

في أَن تَكونَ مِثلَهُ فَلّاحا

في أَن تَكونَ مِثلَهُ فَلّاحا

Your father had seen success

Your father saw it fit

In your becoming a farmer like him.

For you to be a farmer like him

فَاِعمَل بِما أَوصى تُرِح جَناني

فَاِعمَل بِما أَوصى تُرِح جَناني

أَو لا فَسِر في ذِمَّةِ الرَحمَنِ

أَو لا فَسِر في ذِمَّةِ الرَحمَنِ

So follow his advice and ease my heart,

So do as he advised and gladden my soul

Or, if not, go under the protection of the Most Merciful.

Or go safely under God's protection

فَاِستَضحَكَ الفَأرُ وَهَزَّ الكَتِفا

فَاِستَضحَكَ الفَأرُ وَهَزَّ الكَتِفا

وَقالَ مَن قالَ بِذا قَد خَرِفا

وَقالَ مَن قالَ بِذا قَد خَرِفا

Then the mouse burst out laughing and shrugged a shoulder,

But the mouse just laughed and shook his shoulder

And said: Whoever said that has grown senile.

And said, whoever said that is senile

ثُمَّ مَضى لِما عَلَيهِ صَمَّما

ثُمَّ مَضى لِما عَلَيهِ صَمَّما

وَعاهَدَ الأُمَّ عَلى أَن تَكتُما

وَعاهَدَ الأُمَّ عَلى أَن تَكتُما

Then he went off to what he had resolved upon,

Then he went ahead with his resolve

And made a pact with his mother that she keep it secret.

And swore his mother to secrecy

فَكانَ يَأتي كُلَّ يَومِ جُمعَه

فَكانَ يَأتي كُلَّ يَومِ جُمعَه

وَجُبنَةٌ في فَمِهِ أَو شَمعَه

وَجُبنَةٌ في فَمِهِ أَو شَمعَه

So he would come every Friday,

So every Friday he came

With a piece of cheese or a candle in his mouth.

With cheese in his mouth or candle fat

حَتّى مَضى الشَهرُ وَجاءَ الشَهرُ

حَتّى مَضى الشَهرُ وَجاءَ الشَهرُ

وَعُرِفَ اللِصُّ وَشاعَ الأَمرُ

وَعُرِفَ اللِصُّ وَشاعَ الأَمرُ

Until one month passed and another came,

Until a month passed and the next month

And the thief was identified, and the affair became known.

And the thief was found out and the matter spread

فَجاءَ يَوماً أُمَّهُ مُضطَرِباً

فَجاءَ يَوماً أُمَّهُ مُضطَرِباً

فَسَأَلتُهُ أَينَ خَلّى الذَنَبا

فَسَأَلتُهُ أَينَ خَلّى الذَنَبا

Then one day he came to his mother, distraught.

So one day he came to her in turmoil

So I asked him where he had left his tail.

And she asked him where did he leave his tail

فَقالَ لَيسَ بِالفَقيدِ مِن عَجَب

فَقالَ لَيسَ بِالفَقيدِ مِن عَجَب

في الشَهدِ قَد غاصَ وَفي الشَهدِ ذَهَب

في الشَهدِ قَد غاصَ وَفي الشَهدِ ذَهَب

He said: There is nothing strange about what is missing;

He said there's nothing strange

It sank into the honeycomb, and in the honeycomb it was lost.

In honey to have sunk and in honey to be lost

وَجاءَها ثانِيَةً في خَجَلِ

وَجاءَها ثانِيَةً في خَجَلِ

مِنها يُداري فَقدَ إِحدى الأَرجُلِ

مِنها يُداري فَقدَ إِحدى الأَرجُلِ

He came to her a second time, ashamed,

And he came to her a second time, ashamed

Hiding from her the loss of one of his legs.

Hiding from her that he had lost a leg

فَقالَ رَفٌّ لَم أصِبهُ عالي

فَقالَ رَفٌّ لَم أصِبهُ عالي

صَيَّرَني أَعرج في المَعالي

صَيَّرَني أَعرج في المَعالي

He said: A high shelf I failed to reach

He said, "A shelf I did not jump well from

Made me lame in the pursuit of lofty heights.

Has left me limping in the heights."

وَكانَ في الثالِثَةِ اِبنُ الفارَه

وَكانَ في الثالِثَةِ اِبنُ الفارَه

قَد أَخلَفَ العادَةَ في الزِيارَه

قَد أَخلَفَ العادَةَ في الزِيارَه

And on the third occasion, the mouse's son

And on the third time the mouse's son

Had missed his customary visit.

Had broken his custom of visiting

فَاِشتَغَلَ القَلبُ عَلَيهِ وَاِشتَعَل

فَاِشتَغَلَ القَلبُ عَلَيهِ وَاِشتَعَل

وَسارَتِ الأُمُّ لَهُ عَلى عَجَل

وَسارَتِ الأُمُّ لَهُ عَلى عَجَل

Her heart grew anxious for him and burned,

So her heart was troubled for him and aflame

And the mother went to him in haste.

And the mother set out to him in haste

فَصادَفتهُ في الطَريقِ مُلقى

فَصادَفتهُ في الطَريقِ مُلقى

قَد سُحِقَت مِنهُ العِظامُ سَحقا

قَد سُحِقَت مِنهُ العِظامُ سَحقا

Then she found him lying in the road,

And found him on the road, flung down

With his bones utterly crushed.

His bones crushed to powder

فَناحَتِ الأُمُّ وَصاحَت واها

فَناحَتِ الأُمُّ وَصاحَت واها

إِنَّ المَعالي قَتَلَت فَتاها

إِنَّ المَعالي قَتَلَت فَتاها

The mother wailed and cried: Alas!

So the mother cried out wailing, "Woe!"

Indeed, lofty ambitions had killed her boy.

"The heights have killed my son!"