أَصبّحتُ أَفقَرَ مَن يَروحُ وَيغتدي

أَصبّحتُ أَفقَرَ مَن يَروحُ وَيغتدي

ما في يَدي من فاقتي إلاَ يَدي

ما في يَدي من فاقتي إلاَ يَدي

I have become the poorest of all who go out at dusk and dawn.

I have become the poorest of those who go and return,

In my poverty, there is nothing in my hand but my hand.

With nothing left in my poverty except my hands.

في مَنزِلٍ لم يحَوِ غَيريَ قاعداً

في مَنزِلٍ لم يحَوِ غَيريَ قاعداً

فمتى رَقَدتُ رَقَدتُ غيرَ مُمَدَّد

فمتى رَقَدتُ رَقَدتُ غيرَ مُمَدَّد

In a dwelling that holds no one but me, seated,

Sitting in a house that contained none but me,

Whenever I lie down, I lie without stretching out.

So when I lay down, I lay not fully outstretched.

لَمْ يبقَ فيهِ سِوى رسومِ حَصيرةٍ

لَمْ يبقَ فيهِ سِوى رسومِ حَصيرةٍ

ومخدَّةٍ كانَتْ لأُمِّ المهتَدي

ومخدَّةٍ كانَتْ لأُمِّ المهتَدي

Nothing remains in it but the remnants of a mat

In it remains only the traces of a palm mat,

And a pillow that belonged to al-Muhtadi's mother.

And a pillow that belonged to the rightly-guided mother.

تُلقى على طُرَّاحةٍ في حَشْوها

تُلقى على طُرَّاحةٍ في حَشْوها

قملٌ شبيهُ السمسمِ المُتَبَدِّدِ

قملٌ شبيهُ السمسمِ المُتَبَدِّدِ

It is laid on a mattress, in whose stuffing

It is thrown upon a couch whose stuffing holds

Are lice resembling scattered sesame seeds.

Lice like scattered sesame seeds.

والبقُّ أَمثالُ الصّراصِرِ خِلقةً

والبقُّ أَمثالُ الصّراصِرِ خِلقةً

مِن مُتْهمٍ في حَشوِها أو مُنْجدِ

مِن مُتْهمٍ في حَشوِها أو مُنْجدِ

And bedbugs, like cockroaches in their build,

And bugs like little cockroaches in nature

Some in its stuffing's Tihama, others in its Najd.

From a suspect or an insomniac in its stuffing.

يَجْعَلْنَ جِلْدي وارِماً فَتَخالُه

يَجْعَلْنَ جِلْدي وارِماً فَتَخالُه

من قَرْصِهِنَّ به يذوبُ الجلمدُ

من قَرْصِهِنَّ به يذوبُ الجلمدُ

They swell my skin, until you would think

They make my skin shrivel until it seems

Their bites upon it could melt solid rock.

From their biting that it will melt away.

وترى بَراغيثاً بجسمي عُلِّقَتْ

وترى بَراغيثاً بجسمي عُلِّقَتْ

مثلَ المحاجمِ في المساءِ وفي الغَدِ

مثلَ المحاجمِ في المساءِ وفي الغَدِ

And you see fleas fastened to my body,

And you see ticks stuck to my body

Like cupping cups, at evening and on the morrow.

Like drinking bowls in the evening and morning.

وكذا البعوضُ يطيرُ وهو بِريشهِ

وكذا البعوضُ يطيرُ وهو بِريشهِ

فمتى تمكّنَ فوقَ عرقٍ يفصُدِ

فمتى تمكّنَ فوقَ عرقٍ يفصُدِ

And the mosquito, too, flies with its feathers;

And so the mosquitoes fly, with their feathers

Whenever it settles over a vein, it lets blood.

Whenever they get a chance over a bulging vein.

وَتَرى الخنافِس كالزنوجِ تصفّفَتْ

وَتَرى الخنافِس كالزنوجِ تصفّفَتْ

منْ كُلِّ سوداءِ الأَديمِ وأَسودِ

منْ كُلِّ سوداءِ الأَديمِ وأَسودِ

And you see beetles lined up like black Africans,

And you see the bugs lined up like the Zanj

Black-skinned females and males of every sort.

From every black tent and blacker.

وَلَرُبّما قُرِنَتْ بِجَمْعِ عَقَاربٍ

وَلَرُبّما قُرِنَتْ بِجَمْعِ عَقَاربٍ

قتالةٍ قدرَ الحمامِ الرُّكّدِ

قتالةٍ قدرَ الحمامِ الرُّكّدِ

And often they are joined by a host of scorpions,

And perhaps combined with a group of scorpions

Deadly, the size of resting pigeons.

As lethal as the settled turtledoves.

وَتقيمُ لي عندَ المساءِ زبانَها

وَتقيمُ لي عندَ المساءِ زبانَها

فأراهُ وهو كإصبع المتشهدِّ

فأراهُ وهو كإصبع المتشهدِّ

And at evening they raise their stingers at me,

And the gecko gestures its tail to me

And I see each like the finger of one professing faith in prayer.

In the evening, so I see it like a praying finger.

هذا وَكَمْ من ناشرٍ طاوي الحشا

هذا وَكَمْ من ناشرٍ طاوي الحشا

يبدو شبيهَ الفتكِ المتَسرِّدِ

يبدو شبيهَ الفتكِ المتَسرِّدِ

All this—and many a stretching serpent, hollow-bellied,

This and how much else of the type who spreads out rugs

Looks like a killer clad in chain mail.

Appearing similar to continuous calamities.

يُبدي إذا ما انسابَ صفحةَ جَدولٍ

يُبدي إذا ما انسابَ صفحةَ جَدولٍ

عَبَثَتْ بهِ ريحُ الصّبا مُتَجعِّدِ

عَبَثَتْ بهِ ريحُ الصّبا مُتَجعِّدِ

When it glides, it shows the surface of a stream,

Who shows, if it glides down the page of a notebook,

Wrinkled where the east wind has played upon it.

That the morning breeze has disheveled it.

والفارُ يَرْكضُ كالخيولِ تَسابُقاً

والفارُ يَرْكضُ كالخيولِ تَسابُقاً

من كُلِّ جَرداءِ الأَديمِ وأجرَدِ

من كُلِّ جَرداءِ الأَديمِ وأجرَدِ

And the mice run like horses racing one another,

And the rat runs like racehorses

Bare-skinned females and males of every sort.

From every bare tent floor and barer.

يأكُلنَ أَخشابَ السّقوفِ كمثلِ فا

يأكُلنَ أَخشابَ السّقوفِ كمثلِ فا

راتِ النِّجارةِ إذْ تُحَكُّ بمِبْرَدِ

راتِ النِّجارةِ إذْ تُحَكُّ بمِبْرَدِ

They gnaw the ceiling timbers, like the planes

They eat the wood of the ceilings like the teeth

Of carpenters when scraped with a file.

Of carpenter’s saws when sharpened with the file.

وكأنَّ نسجَ العنكبوتِ وَبَيْتَه

وكأنَّ نسجَ العنكبوتِ وَبَيْتَه

شَعْرِيّةٌ من فَوْقِ مُقْلَةِ أرمَدِ

شَعْرِيّةٌ من فَوْقِ مُقْلَةِ أرمَدِ

And the spider's weaving and its web seem

And as if the spider’s web and home

A mesh veil over an inflamed eye.

Were an ode above the reciter’s water jug.

وكذاكَ للحِرذَونِ صَوْتٌ مثلُهُ

وكذاكَ للحِرذَونِ صَوْتٌ مثلُهُ

في مَسْمَعي صوتُ الزِّنادِ المُصْلَدِ

في مَسْمَعي صوتُ الزِّنادِ المُصْلَدِ

The lizard, too, has a voice whose like

And likewise the cricket has a voice like it

To my ear is the sound of a fire-striker that will not spark.

Sounding in my hearing like clashing cymbals.

وإذا رأى الخُفّاشُ ضوءَ ذُبالةِ

وإذا رأى الخُفّاشُ ضوءَ ذُبالةِ

عندي أَضرَّ بِضَوئها المتَوَقِّدِ

عندي أَضرَّ بِضَوئها المتَوَقِّدِ

And when the bat sees the light of a wick

And if the bat sees the light of my lantern

Beside me, it spoils the wick's blazing light.

It harms its constant flame.

وكأنّما الزنبورُ أُلبِسَ حُلّةً

وكأنّما الزنبورُ أُلبِسَ حُلّةً

مُوشِيّةً أعلامُها بالعَسْجدِ

مُوشِيّةً أعلامُها بالعَسْجدِ

And the wasp seems to have been clothed in a robe,

And as if the wasp was clothed in a robe

Embroidered, its bands worked in gold.

With banners of twill and taffeta.

مُتَرَنِّمٌ بينَ الذُّبابِ مُغَرِّدٌ

مُتَرَنِّمٌ بينَ الذُّبابِ مُغَرِّدٌ

لا كانَ منْ مُتَرَنِّمٍ وَمُغَرِّدِ

لا كانَ منْ مُتَرَنِّمٍ وَمُغَرِّدِ

Humming among the flies, warbling—

Humming amongst the flies, warbling,

May such a hummer and warbler never exist!

As if it were a hummer and warbler.

حَشَراتُ بيتٍ لو تَلَقّتْ عَسْكراً

حَشَراتُ بيتٍ لو تَلَقّتْ عَسْكراً

ولّى على الأَعقابِ غيرَ مُرَدَّدِ

ولّى على الأَعقابِ غيرَ مُرَدَّدِ

The vermin of a house—were they to face an army,

The insects of a house, if they met an army,

It would turn tail, never to be brought back.

Would put it to flight without hesitation.

هذا ولي ثوبٌ تَراهُ مُرَقّعاً

هذا ولي ثوبٌ تَراهُ مُرَقّعاً

منْ كُلِّ لَونٍ مثل ريشِ الهُدْهدِ

منْ كُلِّ لَونٍ مثل ريشِ الهُدْهدِ

All this—and I have a garment you see patched

This while I have a garment you see patched

In every color, like a hoopoe's feathers.

With every color like the plumes of the hoopoe.

لولا الشّقاوة ما وُلِدْتُ وَلَيتني

لولا الشّقاوة ما وُلِدْتُ وَلَيتني

إذْ كانَ حظِّي هكذا لم أولَد

إذْ كانَ حظِّي هكذا لم أولَد

But for misery, I would not have been born; and I wish,

If not for misery I would not have been born, and would that

Since this was my lot, that I had never been born.

I had not, when my lot in life is this.

ولكيفَ أرضى بالحياة وَهمّتي

ولكيفَ أرضى بالحياة وَهمّتي

تسمو وَحَظِّي في الحضيضِ الأَوهدِ

تسمو وَحَظِّي في الحضيضِ الأَوهدِ

And how can I be content with life, when my ambition

And how can I be content with life when my ambition

Soars, while my fortune lies in the lowest depths?

Soars, while my lot is in the deepest abyss?

وأرى السّعادةَ قد أُحِلّتْ مَعْشراً

وأرى السّعادةَ قد أُحِلّتْ مَعْشراً

رَبتَ العُلا لا بالنُّهى والسؤددِ

رَبتَ العُلا لا بالنُّهى والسؤددِ

And I see good fortune place a company of people

And I see happiness made lawful for a group

In lofty ranks, not through wisdom or nobility.

Who grew tall neither with abstinence nor virtue.