مَهَدتُ لَهُ وُدّي صَغيراً وَنُصرَتي

مَهَدتُ لَهُ وُدّي صَغيراً وَنُصرَتي

وَقاسَمتُهُ مالي وَبَوَّأتُهُ حِجري

وَقاسَمتُهُ مالي وَبَوَّأتُهُ حِجري

I laid out my love and support for him when he was young,

I offered him my affection when he was small, and my support,

And shared my wealth with him and settled him in my lap.

And shared with him my money, and housed him in my home.

وَقَد كانَ يَكفيهِ مِنَ العَيشِ كُلِّهِ

وَقَد كانَ يَكفيهِ مِنَ العَيشِ كُلِّهِ

رَجاءٌ وَيَأسٌ يَرجِعانِ إِلى فَقرِ

رَجاءٌ وَيَأسٌ يَرجِعانِ إِلى فَقرِ

Yet, of all life's sustenance, he needed only

And it would have sufficed him, from all of life,

Hope and despair, both leading back to poverty.

That hope and despair return to poverty.

وَفيهِ عُيوبٌ لَيسَ يُحصى عِدادُها

وَفيهِ عُيوبٌ لَيسَ يُحصى عِدادُها

فَأَصغَرُها عَيباً يَجِلُّ عَنِ الكُفرِ

فَأَصغَرُها عَيباً يَجِلُّ عَنِ الكُفرِ

And he has faults whose number cannot be counted;

And he has faults beyond counting,

For even the least of his faults is graver than unbelief.

The least of them more shameful than blasphemy.

وَلَو أَنَّني أَبدَيتُ لِلناسِ بَعضَها

وَلَو أَنَّني أَبدَيتُ لِلناسِ بَعضَها

لَأَصبَحَ مِن بَصقِ الأَحِبَّةِ في بَحرِ

لَأَصبَحَ مِن بَصقِ الأَحِبَّةِ في بَحرِ

And if I revealed some of them to people,

And if I revealed to people some of them,

He would end up in a sea of his loved ones' spit.

He would become like spit of loved ones in the sea.

فَدونَكَ عِرضي فَاِهجُ حَيّاً وَإِن أَمُت

فَدونَكَ عِرضي فَاِهجُ حَيّاً وَإِن أَمُت

فَأُقسِمُ إِلّا ما خَريتَ عَلى قَبري

فَأُقسِمُ إِلّا ما خَريتَ عَلى قَبري

So have at my honor—lampoon me while I live; and if I die,

So I veil your shame while I live, and if I die,

Then I adjure you to shit on my grave.

I swear, none shall disturb your grave but me.