إِذا ما جُدَّ كَلبٌ وَهُوَ أَعمى

إِذا ما جُدَّ كَلبٌ وَهُوَ أَعمى

تَصَيَّدَ رَبَّةَ الطَرفِ الكَحيلِ

تَصَيَّدَ رَبَّةَ الطَرفِ الكَحيلِ

If fortune favors a dog, though it is blind,

If a blind dog wrestles

it catches her whose eyes are dark as kohl.

The doe-eyed gazelle

مَتى تَقِفِ الرِكابَ عَلَيَّ جَهلاً

مَتى تَقِفِ الرِكابَ عَلَيَّ جَهلاً

فَأَنتَ كَواقِفِ الرَبعِ المُحيلِ

فَأَنتَ كَواقِفِ الرَبعِ المُحيلِ

Whenever you ignorantly halt the riding-camels beside me,

When will you cease your ignorant pursuit of me?

you are like one standing at a desolate encampment.

You are like the misleading mirage of the desert.

تَعودُ عَلَيَّ كَرّاتُ اللَيالي

تَعودُ عَلَيَّ كَرّاتُ اللَيالي

وَما أَبرَمتُهُ مِثلَ السَحيلِ

وَما أَبرَمتُهُ مِثلَ السَحيلِ

The cycles of the nights return upon me,

The nights keep returning to me

and what I twisted tight is like a single-ply cord.

And I have not tied knots like the wadi creek.

تَحَفّوا بِالكَلامِ وَأَكرِموني

تَحَفّوا بِالكَلامِ وَأَكرِموني

عَلى ماكانَ من جَسَدٍ نَحيلِ

عَلى ماكانَ من جَسَدٍ نَحيلِ

Show kindness with words, and honor me,

They adorned themselves with words and honored me

despite this emaciated body of mine.

For what was once a frail body.

دَعوا هَذا المَقالَ وَجَهِّزوني

دَعوا هَذا المَقالَ وَجَهِّزوني

فَإِنّي قَد عَزَمتُ عَلى الرَحيلِ

فَإِنّي قَد عَزَمتُ عَلى الرَحيلِ

Leave this talk, and make me ready,

Leave this talk and prepare me

for I have indeed resolved to depart.

For I am determined to depart.