أَعاذِلُ إِنَّ الرُزءَ مِثلُ اِبنِ مالِكٍ

زُهَيرٍ وَأَمثالُ اِبنِ نَضلَةَ واقِدِ

I plead, verily tribulation is like Ibn Malik

And the likes of Zuhair and Ibn Nadla's peers,

وَمِثلُ السَدوسِيَّينِ سادا وَذَبذَبا

رِجالَ الحِجازِ مِن مَسودٍ وَسائِدِ

And like the two Sa'ds, Sa'd and Dhubdhab,

Men of Hijaz, from Masud and Sa'id.

أَقَبّا الكُشوحِ أَبيَضانِ كِلاهُما

كَعالِيَةِ الخَطِّيِّ وارى الأَزانِدِ

Two shaven old men, both white,

Like Khaali'at al-Khati and I see decrepit ones.

أُعاذِلُ أَبقي لِلمَلامَةِ حَظَّها

إِذا راحَ عَنّي بِالجَلِيَّةِ عائِدي

I plead, I leave blame for blame's sake

When my confidant leaves me for good.

فَقالوا تَرَكناهُ تَزَلزَلُ نَفسُهُ

إِذا أَسنَدوني أَو كَذا غَيرَ سانِدِ

So they said: we left him unstable

Whether supported or not supported.

وَقامَ بَناتي بِالنِعالِ حَواسِراً

وَأَلصَقنَ ضَربَ السِبتِ تَحتَ القَلائِدِ

And my daughters stood insolently

And tied the lashes of Saturday under necklaces.

يَوَدّونَ لَو يَفدونَني بِنُفوسِهِم

وَمَثنى الأَواقي وَالقِيانِ النَواهِدِ

They wish they could ransom me with their souls

And pairs of sandals and the cups, protectors.

وَقَد أَرسَلوا فُرّاطَهُم فَتَأَثَّلوا

قَليباً سَفاها كَالإِماءِ القَواعِدِ

And they sent their undertaker so he pretended

A fool like the sitting slave-girls.

مُطَأطَأَةً لَم يُنبِطوها وَإِنَّها

لَيَرضى بِها فُرّاطُها أُمَّ واحِدِ

Bent over, they didn't straighten her, and yet

Their undertaker would be pleased with her as one mother.

قَضَوا ما قَضَوا مِن رَمِّها ثُمَّ أَقبَلوا

إِلَيَّ بِطاءَ المَشيِ غُبرَ السَواعِدِ

They did what they did of her litter, then came

To me slowly, dust on their wrists,

يَقولونَ لَمّا جُشَّتِ البِئرُ أَورِدوا

وَلَيسَ بِها أَدنى ذُفافٍ لِوارِدِ

Saying: when the well was dug, they made me enter.

And there was no water at all for one entering.

فَكُنتُ ذَنوبَ البِئرِ لَمّا تَبَسَّلَت

وَسُربِلتُ أَكفاني وَوُسِّدتُ ساعِدي

So I was the sins of the well when it yawned open

And I donned my shrouds and stuffed my arms.

أَعاذِلَ لا إِهلاكُ مالِيَ ضَرَّني

وَلا وَارِثي إِن ثُمَّرَ المالُ حامِدي

I plead, my money's destruction didn't hurt me,

Nor my heir, if the money becomes dormant.