ما رَقَّشَ الخَطُّ في دَرجٍ وَلا صُحُفٍ

ما رَقَّشَ الخَطُّ في دَرجٍ وَلا صُحُفٍ

مِن آلِ مُقلَةَ إِلّا قُلُّتٌ فانِ

مِن آلِ مُقلَةَ إِلّا قُلُّتٌ فانِ

Script on a scroll or on pages was never embellished

No pen etched lines in books or scrolls

By anyone of Muqla’s family but a short, mortal man.

Of the clan of Muqla except few

سَيفانِ مِن بَحرَي الظَلماءِ ما شُهِرا

سَيفانِ مِن بَحرَي الظَلماءِ ما شُهِرا

إِلّا لِأَفرادِ ذي بُدنٍ وَسَيفانِ

إِلّا لِأَفرادِ ذي بُدنٍ وَسَيفانِ

Two swords from the two seas of darkness were not unsheathed

Two swords from the oceans of darkness unsheathed

Except to single out the stout and the slender.

Only for the singular bodies and the swords

ضَيفانِ لِلدَهرِ ميلادٌ وَمُختَرَمٌ

ضَيفانِ لِلدَهرِ ميلادٌ وَمُختَرَمٌ

وَنَحنُ بَينَهُما أَشباهُ ضيفانِ

وَنَحنُ بَينَهُما أَشباهُ ضيفانِ

Birth and death are two guests of Time,

Two guests of time a birth and worn out

And we, between them, are like guests.

While we between them like two guests

وَما النُسورُ وَإِن كانَت مُمَلَّكَةً

وَما النُسورُ وَإِن كانَت مُمَلَّكَةً

إِلّا نَظيرَ جَرادٍ طارَ خَيفانِ

إِلّا نَظيرَ جَرادٍ طارَ خَيفانِ

And vultures, though made kings, are no more

Though eagles reign loftily

Than striped locusts that take flight.

They are but like locusts scared and flown