ما للحشيش وما لي

ما للحشيش وما لي

حتى أضاع مالي

حتى أضاع مالي

What have hashish and I to do with one another,

What is it with hashish and me,

that it should squander my money?

that it has squandered my money?

في قسمة النوال

في قسمة النوال

له التمر والنوى لي

له التمر والنوى لي

When bounty is divided,

In the sharing of bounty,

it gets the dates, and I the pits.

it gets the dates, and I the stones.

عيناي جا فيها

عيناي جا فيها

نومي وجا فيها

نومي وجا فيها

Into my two eyes there came

Into my eyes came

my sleep—and into them came

my sleep, and into them came

مَن التجا فيها

مَن التجا فيها

لا أم ولا أبا لي

لا أم ولا أبا لي

whoever sought refuge in them.

whoever sought refuge in them.

No mother have I, nor father.

I have neither mother nor father.

يا مَن طوى بساطي

يا مَن طوى بساطي

قُم وانشر انبساطي

قُم وانشر انبساطي

O you who rolled up my carpet,

O you who rolled up my carpet,

rise and spread my joy wide.

rise and spread out my delight,

بدب ودب وطاطي

بدب ودب وطاطي

وأحدب دب يطاطي

وأحدب دب يطاطي

With a bear, creep and stoop low;

with a bear—and crawl and stoop!

a hunchbacked bear creeps, stooping low.

And a hunchback crept along, stooping low.

وزكلشه بالذنب

وزكلشه بالذنب

ورقّصه كالذنب

ورقّصه كالذنب

Tug him by the tail,

And deck him out with a tail,

and make him dance like a tail.

and make him dance like a tail.

كم نام حدايا ودّب

كم نام حدايا ودّب

في ظلمة الليالي

في ظلمة الليالي

How often he slept beside me and crept

How often he slept beside me and crept

through the darkness of the nights.

in the darkness of the nights.

وإن قلت من ذا اللي

وإن قلت من ذا اللي

انقلب يقول ذا خيالي

انقلب يقول ذا خيالي

And if I asked, “Who is this who

And if I said, 'Who is this who

rolled over?” he says, “That is my shadow.”

turned over?' he would say, 'This is my shadow.'