وبيت دُعيتُ له ثم لم

وبيت دُعيتُ له ثم لم

أجد لي عنِ الكونِ فيه فَكاكا

أجد لي عنِ الكونِ فيه فَكاكا

And a house to which I was invited—then I could not

And a house I was invited to then did not

find any escape for myself from staying there.

Find for myself from the universe in it escape

فزاد بنا فيه فَرْطُ الزحا

فزاد بنا فيه فَرْطُ الزحا

مِ والحرِّ حتى اشتهينا الهلاكا

مِ والحرِّ حتى اشتهينا الهلاكا

So the overcrowding there grew worse for us,

So increased in it our excess of discomfort

as did the heat, until we longed for death.

And heat until we desired destruction

أَمِنّا بَراغيثُه أنْ تَضُ

أَمِنّا بَراغيثُه أنْ تَضُ

رَّ ولو حاولتْ ما أطاقَتْ حَراكا

رَّ ولو حاولتْ ما أطاقَتْ حَراكا

We were safe from its fleas doing

As if its fleas believed they could

harm—even had they tried, they could not move.

Harm, though if they tried they could not budge

فلو دخلتْ بيننا ذَرَّةٌ

فلو دخلتْ بيننا ذَرَّةٌ

تَشقَّق حائطُه عند ذاكا

تَشقَّق حائطُه عند ذاكا

For if a tiny ant had entered among us,

So if between us entered a mote

its wall would have split apart then.

Its wall would split at that time