بَكيتُ إِلى سربِ القَطا إِذ مَرَرنَ بي

بَكيتُ إِلى سربِ القَطا إِذ مَرَرنَ بي

سَوارِحَ لا سِجنٌ يَعوقُ وَلا كبلُ

سَوارِحَ لا سِجنٌ يَعوقُ وَلا كبلُ

I wept to a flock of sandgrouse as they passed me,

I wept to a flock of wild cats as they passed by me,

Roaming free, hindered by neither prison nor fetter.

Unfettered hawks, no prison confines them, no shackles.

وَلَم تَكُ وَاللَهُ المعيذُ حسادَةً

وَلَم تَكُ وَاللَهُ المعيذُ حسادَةً

وَلَكِن حَنيناً إِنّ شَكلي لَها شَكلُ

وَلَكِن حَنيناً إِنّ شَكلي لَها شَكلُ

It was not envy—by God, who grants refuge—

By Allah, it was not out of envy,

But longing—for my nature is akin to theirs—

But out of yearning - for their shape is like mine.

فاِسرح فَلا شملي صَديعٌ ولا الحَشا

فاِسرح فَلا شملي صَديعٌ ولا الحَشا

وَجيعٌ وَلا عَينايَ يُبكيهِما ثَكلُ

وَجيعٌ وَلا عَينايَ يُبكيهِما ثَكلُ

To roam free, my family unbroken, my heart not

So fly away, neither my body impaired nor my soul,

Aching, nor my eyes made to weep by bereavement.

Neither sick nor my eyes weeping their bereavement.

هَنيئاً لَها أَن لَم يُفَرِّق جَميعُها

هَنيئاً لَها أَن لَم يُفَرِّق جَميعُها

ولا ذاقَ مِنها البُعدَ عَن أَهلِها أَهلُ

ولا ذاقَ مِنها البُعدَ عَن أَهلِها أَهلُ

How fortunate they are that their whole flock has not been scattered,

Happy are they that none of them are separated,

Nor has any family among them tasted separation from its kin,

That none among them tasted the remoteness from their folk.

وَأَن لَم تَبِت مِثلي تَطيرُ قُلوبُها

وَأَن لَم تَبِت مِثلي تَطيرُ قُلوبُها

إِذا اهتَزَّ بابُ السجنِ أَو صلصلَ القفلُ

إِذا اهتَزَّ بابُ السجنِ أَو صلصلَ القفلُ

And that they have not spent the night like me, their hearts taking flight,

That they do not, like me, spend the night with their hearts fluttering,

When the prison door shakes or the lock clanks.

Whenever the prison door creaks or the lock rattles.

وَما ذاكَ مِمّا يَعتَريني وَإِنَّما

وَما ذاكَ مِمّا يَعتَريني وَإِنَّما

وَصَفتُ الَّذي في جِبلَةِ الخَلق مِن قَبلُ

وَصَفتُ الَّذي في جِبلَةِ الخَلق مِن قَبلُ

Yet that is not what besets me; rather,

This is not what actually befalls me, but

I have described what has long been innate in humankind.

I described what was inborn in creation from the first.

لِنَفسي إِلى لُقيا الحِمامِ تَشوُّفٌ

لِنَفسي إِلى لُقيا الحِمامِ تَشوُّفٌ

سِوايَ يُحِبُّ العَيشَ في ساقِهِ كَبلُ

سِوايَ يُحِبُّ العَيشَ في ساقِهِ كَبلُ

My soul yearns to meet death;

For my soul, yearning to meet the doves,

Someone other than me loves life with a fetter on his leg.

Nothing equals me in loving to live free of fetters.

أَلا عَصَمَ اللَهُ القَطا في فِراخِها

أَلا عَصَمَ اللَهُ القَطا في فِراخِها

فَإِنَّ فِراخي خانَها الماءُ وَالظِلُّ

فَإِنَّ فِراخي خانَها الماءُ وَالظِلُّ

Ah, may God protect the sandgrouse from harm to their chicks,

Oh, may Allah protect the wild cats and their young!

For water and shade have betrayed my chicks.

For my young deserted me, failed by food and shade.