مَساجِدُكُم وَمَواخيرُكُم

مَساجِدُكُم وَمَواخيرُكُم

سَواءٌ فَبُعداً لَكُم مِن بَشَر

سَواءٌ فَبُعداً لَكُم مِن بَشَر

Your mosques and your brothels

Your mosques and your ablution places

Are alike—so away with you, you humans!

Are all the same, so stay far from people

وَما أَنتُمُ بِالنَباتِ الحَميدِ

وَما أَنتُمُ بِالنَباتِ الحَميدِ

وَلا بِالنَخيلِ وَلا بِالعُشَر

وَلا بِالنَخيلِ وَلا بِالعُشَر

And you are not wholesome plants,

You are neither good plants

Nor date palms, nor milkweed,

Nor palm trees nor titheable crops

وَلَكِن قَتادٌ عَديمُ الجَناةِ

وَلَكِن قَتادٌ عَديمُ الجَناةِ

كَثيرُ الأَذاةِ أَبى غَيرَ شَرّ

كَثيرُ الأَذاةِ أَبى غَيرَ شَرّ

But a thornbush devoid of fruit,

But Qatadah, the hell-dweller

Full of harm, refusing anything but evil.

Who does great harm and accepts only evil

وَلَيلُكُم أَبَداً مُظلِمٌ

وَلَيلُكُم أَبَداً مُظلِمٌ

فَهَل تَرقَبونَ صَباحاً جَشَر

فَهَل تَرقَبونَ صَباحاً جَشَر

And your night is forever dark;

And your night is ever dark

So do you await a dawn that shines forth?

Will you await a bright dawn?

فَيا لَيتَني في الثَرى لا أَقومُ

فَيا لَيتَني في الثَرى لا أَقومُ

إِن اللَهَ ناداكُمُ أَو حَشَر

إِن اللَهَ ناداكُمُ أَو حَشَر

Oh, would that I lay in the dust, never to rise

Would that I were in the earth, arising not

If God calls you or gathers you.

If God called you or assembled you

وَما سَرَّني أَنَّني في الحَياةِ

وَما سَرَّني أَنَّني في الحَياةِ

وَإِن بانَ لي شَرَفٌ وَاِنتَشَر

وَإِن بانَ لي شَرَفٌ وَاِنتَشَر

And I have taken no joy in being alive,

And it does not please me that I am alive

Even if honor has appeared for me and spread.

Though glory appears and spreads for me

أَرى أَربَعاً آزَرَت سَبعَةً

أَرى أَربَعاً آزَرَت سَبعَةً

وَتِلكَ نَوازِلُ في اِثنَي عَشَر

وَتِلكَ نَوازِلُ في اِثنَي عَشَر

I see four that have aided seven,

I see four supported seven

And those are lodged within twelve.

And those are occurrences in twelve