أَشَدُّ عِقاباً مِن صَلاةٍ أَضَعتَها

أَشَدُّ عِقاباً مِن صَلاةٍ أَضَعتَها

وَصَومٍ لِيَومٍ واجِبٍ ظُلمُ دِرهَمِ

وَصَومٍ لِيَومٍ واجِبٍ ظُلمُ دِرهَمِ

More severely punishable than a prayer you neglected

More severe a punishment than a prayer you missed

And an obligatory day's fast is a dirham's worth of injustice.

Or a fast for an obligatory day, the injustice of a dirham

إِذا لَم يَكُن يَوماً لِديني تَعَلُّقٌ

إِذا لَم يَكُن يَوماً لِديني تَعَلُّقٌ

بِغَيرِيَ رَجَّيتُ السَعادَةَ فَاِفهَمِ

بِغَيرِيَ رَجَّيتُ السَعادَةَ فَاِفهَمِ

If my religion never has any connection

If my religion had no day that pertained to others

With anyone else, I hope for happiness—so understand.

I hoped for happiness, so understand

وَعِشتُ صُنوفَ العَيشِ كَهلاً وَشارِخاً

وَعِشتُ صُنوفَ العَيشِ كَهلاً وَشارِخاً

فَيا لِحَياةٍ كَاليَمانِيِّ المُسَهَّمِ

فَيا لِحَياةٍ كَاليَمانِيِّ المُسَهَّمِ

And I have lived many kinds of life, in middle age and youth;

And I lived varieties of life, mature and vivacious

So, ah, what a life—like a striped Yemeni cloth!

Oh what a life, like the dotted Yemeni sword

وَأَعجَبُ لِلهَزّارِ سُمِّيَ ضَيغَماً

وَأَعجَبُ لِلهَزّارِ سُمِّيَ ضَيغَماً

وَلِلعَيرِ يُدعى بِالجَوادِ المُطَهَّمِ

وَلِلعَيرِ يُدعى بِالجَوادِ المُطَهَّمِ

And I marvel at the nightingale being named a lion,

And I wonder at the worthless being called excellent

And at the ass called a finely built noble steed.

And the camel called the generous sweating one

وَما جَدَلُ الأَقوامِ إِلّا تَعِلَّةٌ

وَما جَدَلُ الأَقوامِ إِلّا تَعِلَّةٌ

مُصَوَّرَةٌ مِن باطِلٍ مُتَوَهَّمِ

مُصَوَّرَةٌ مِن باطِلٍ مُتَوَهَّمِ

And the peoples' disputation is nothing but a pretext,

The disputing of people is nothing but a failing

Fashioned from an imagined falsehood.

Imagined from falsehood, fancied