يا أَبا طَلحَةَ الجَوادَ أَغِثني

بِسِجالٍ مِن سَيبِكَ المَقسوم

O Abu Talha, you generous man, help me

With a loan from your divided fortune

أَحيِ نَفسي فَدَتك نَفسي فَإِنّي

مُفلِسٌ قَد عَلِمتَ ذاكَ عَديم

Revive my soul that I would sacrifice for you, for I am

Broke, as you know well, completely destitute

أَو تَطَوَّع لَنا بِسَلفِ دَقيقٍ

أَجرُهُ إِن فَعَلتَ ذاكَ عَظيم

Or volunteer to lend us some flour

For that, if you do it, your reward will be great

قَد عَلِمتُم فَلا تَعامُسَ عَنّي

ما قَضى اللَهُ في طَعامِ اليَتيم

You know this, so do not pretend ignorance

Of what God decreed regarding the orphan’s food

لَيسَ لي غَيرُ جَرَّةٍ وَأَصيصٍ

وَكِتابٍ مُنَمنَمٍ كَالوُشومِ

I have nothing but an earthenware jug and a bowl

And a gilded book like tattoos

وَكِساءٍ أَبيعُهُ بِرَغيفٍ

قَد رَقَعنا خُروقَهُ بِأَديم

And a gown I sell for a loaf

Whose tears we have patched with leather

وَإِكافٍ أَعارَنيهِ نَشيطٌ

هُولِحافٌ لِكُلِّ ضَيفٍ كَريم

And a pillow someone energetic lent me

A blanket for every generous guest

وَنَبيذٍ مِمّا يَبيعُ صُهَيبٌ

يَذَرُ الشَيخَ رُمحُهُ ما يَقوم

And wine that Suhaib sells

That leaves the old man without funds

رَبِّ حَلّاً فَقَد ذَكَرتُ أَصيصي

وَلِحافي حَتّى تَغورَ النُجوم

My Lord, it’s solved, for I mentioned my bowl

And my blanket until the stars disappear

كُلُّ بَيتٍ عَلَيهِ نِصفُ رَغيفٍ

ذاكَ قَسمٌ عَلَيهِمُ مَعلوم

Every house gets half a loaf

That’s the allotment, known to them

فَرَّ مِنهُ مُوَلِّياً فَأرُ بَيتي

وَلَقَد كانَ ساكِناً ما يَريم

It fled from it turning away, so show my house

Though it was a permanent residence, undeteriorating

قُلتُ هذا صَومُ النَصارى فَحُلّوا

لا تُليحوا شُيوخَكُم في السَموم

I said “this is the Christians' fast,” so be permitted

Do not disgrace your elders with poison

ضَحِكَ الفَأرُ ثُمَّ قُلنَ جَميعاً

أَهُوَ الحَقُّ كُلَّ يَومٍ تَصوم

The rat laughed, then we all said

“Is this the truth, every day you fast?”

قُلتُ إِنَّ البَراءَ قَد قامَ في الن

ناسِ بِإِذنٍ وَأَنتَ فينا ذَميم

I said “al-Bara’ gave a sermon to the people

With permission while you are amongst us, despicable”

حَمَلوا زَادَهُم عَلى خُنفُساتِ

وَقُرادٍ مُخَيَّسٍ مَزموم

They carried their supplies on beetles

And crawling insects, condemned

وَإِذا ضَفدَعٌ عَلَيهِ إِكافٌ

عَلَّموهُ بَعدَ النِفارِ الرَسيم

And when a gecko with a gown

Trained after the caravan bells

خَطَموا أَنفَهُ بِقِطعَةِ حَبلٍ

يا لِقَومي لِأَنفِهِ المَخطوم

They cut its nose with a rope piece

Oh my people, for its severed nose

نَصَبوا مَنجَنيقَهُم حَولَ بَيتي

يا لِقَومي لِبَيتِيَ المَهدوم

They set up their catapult around my house

Oh my people, for my demolished home

وَإِذا في الغَباءِ سَمُّ بُرَيصٍ

قائِمٌ فَوقَ بَيتَنا بِقَدوم

And when in the faded dusk a chameleon

Stood over our home on its feet

قُلتُ بَيتُ الجَرينِ مَجمَعُ صِدقٍ

كانَ قِدماً لِجَمعِكُم مَعلوم

I said “the house of the locusts is an assembly of truth

It was formerly a known place for your assembly”

قُلتُ لَولا سَنّورَتاهُ اِحتَفَرنا

مَسكَناً تَحتَ تَمرِهِ المَركوم

I said “if not for its two turret towers we would have dug

A dwelling beneath its piled dates”

إِن تُلاقِ سَنَّورَتاهُ فَضاءً

تَذَرانا وَجَمعُنا كَالهَزيم

If its two towers meet a spacious place

They will leave us and our group routed

عَشَّشَ العَنكَبوتُ في قَعرِ دَنّي

إِنَّ ذا مِن رزِيَّتي لَعَظيم

The spider nested in the bottom of my shelter

That is from my blessings indeed great

لَيتَني قَد غَمَرتُ دَنِّيَ حَتّى

أُبصِرَ العَنكَبوتَ فيهِ يَعوم

If only I had flooded my shelter until

I saw the spider in it swimming

غَرِقاً لا يُغيثُهُ الدَهرَ إِلّا

زَبَدٌ فَوقَ رَأسِهِ مَركوم

Drowning without the days saving him

Except foam over his piled head

مُخرِجاً كَفَّهُ يُنادي ذُباباً

أَن أَغِثني فَإِنَّني مَظلوم

Putting out his palm calling to a fly

“Save me for I am wronged”

قالَ ذَرني فَلَن أُطيقَ دَنُوّاً

مِن نَبيذٍ يَشُمُّهُ المَزكوم

It said “Leave me be, for I cannot approach

Wine whose fragrance is perceived by the noble”