إِذا رَفَعوا كَلامَهُم بِمَدحٍ

إِذا رَفَعوا كَلامَهُم بِمَدحٍ

فَلَفظي في مَواطِنِهِ رَسيسُ

فَلَفظي في مَواطِنِهِ رَسيسُ

When they exalt their words by praising me,

When they raise their voices in praise,

my own words, in their proper place, stand firm.

then my speech on such occasions is a low murmur.

وَما حَمدي لِأَدَمَ أَوبَنيهِ

وَما حَمدي لِأَدَمَ أَوبَنيهِ

وَأَشهَدُ أَن كُلَّهُم خَسيسُ

وَأَشهَدُ أَن كُلَّهُم خَسيسُ

My praise of Adham is no praise of his parents;

And I have no praise for Adam or his sons,

and I bear witness that all of them are base.

and I bear witness that all of them are base.

وَزَوجُكِ أَيُّها الدُنِّيا تَمَنّى

وَزَوجُكِ أَيُّها الدُنِّيا تَمَنّى

طَلاقَكِ قَبلَ أَن يَقَعَ المَسيسُ

طَلاقَكِ قَبلَ أَن يَقَعَ المَسيسُ

Your husband, O world, has longed

And your husband, O world, wished

to divorce you before the marriage is consummated.

to divorce you before consummation took place.

تُحَدِّثُ هَذِهِ الأَيّامُ جَهراً

تُحَدِّثُ هَذِهِ الأَيّامُ جَهراً

وَيحُسَبُ أَنَّ ما نَطَقَت هَسيسُ

وَيحُسَبُ أَنَّ ما نَطَقَت هَسيسُ

These days speak to him aloud,

These days speak aloud,

yet he thinks what they utter is only a whisper.

yet what they have uttered is taken for a whisper.

تَعالى اللَهُ أَينَ مُلوكُ لَخمٍ

تَعالى اللَهُ أَينَ مُلوكُ لَخمٍ

لَقَد خَمَدوا فَما لَهُم حَسيسُ

لَقَد خَمَدوا فَما لَهُم حَسيسُ

Exalted is God! Where are Lakhm’s kings?

Exalted is God! Where are the kings of Lakhm?

They have died away; not a sound remains of them.

They have indeed died out; there is no sound from them.

وَأَسأَلُ خالِقي نسأً بِرِفقٍ

وَأَسأَلُ خالِقي نسأً بِرِفقٍ

إِذا لَم يَبقَ لي إِلّا النَسيسُ

إِذا لَم يَبقَ لي إِلّا النَسيسُ

I ask my Creator for respite in my allotted sustenance

And I gently ask my Creator for a reprieve,

when nothing remains to me but the last breath.

when I have nothing left but a remnant of life.