حاجَتي شُقَّةٌ تَشُقُّ عَلى كُلِّ

حاجَتي شُقَّةٌ تَشُقُّ عَلى كُلِّ

بَغيضٍ مِنَ الوَرى وَحَسودِ

بَغيضٍ مِنَ الوَرى وَحَسودِ

What I need is a length of cloth that vexes every

My need is an arduous one, burdening

hateful and envious soul among humankind;

Every spiteful, envious soul.

ذاتُ لَونٍ كَمِثلِ عِرضِكَ لا

ذاتُ لَونٍ كَمِثلِ عِرضِكَ لا

عِرضي وَحَظّي مِنَ القَريبِ البَعيدِ

عِرضي وَحَظّي مِنَ القَريبِ البَعيدِ

of a color like your honor, not

It has a complexion like your reputation -

my honor or my luck with the close yet distant kinsman.

Neither mine nor my fortune from kin or stranger.

فَاِبعَثَنها صَفيقَةً مِثلَ وَجهي

فَاِبعَثَنها صَفيقَةً مِثلَ وَجهي

جَلَّ مِن صاغِ جِلدَهُ مِن حَديدِ

جَلَّ مِن صاغِ جِلدَهُ مِن حَديدِ

So send it thick, like my face—

So send it as a chirping bird like my face,

glory to Him who fashioned its skin from iron!

Smooth from a molten iron mold.

وَاِجعَلَنها طَويلَةً مِثلَ قَرني

وَاِجعَلَنها طَويلَةً مِثلَ قَرني

وَلِساني لا مِثلَ قَدّي وَجيدي

وَلِساني لا مِثلَ قَدّي وَجيدي

And make it long, like my horn

Make it long like my spear

and my tongue—not like my stature and my neck—

And my tongue, unlike my neck and arms.

كَي أُرى في الشآمِ شَيخاً خَليعاً

كَي أُرى في الشآمِ شَيخاً خَليعاً

في قَميصٍ مِنَ العِراقِ جَديدِ

في قَميصٍ مِنَ العِراقِ جَديدِ

so I may be seen in al-Sham as an old libertine,

That I may see in Damascus a lewd old man

in a new shirt from Iraq.

In a shirt from Iraq, brand new.