لَكُم في الخَطِّ سَيّارَه

حَديثُ الجارِ وَالجارَه

You have a car to drive,

The talk of the neighbor and neighbor's wife,

أَوفَرلاندُ يُنَبّيكَ

بِها القُنصُلُ طَمّارَه

The Overland forewarns you

As the consul sets up a fuss,

كَسَيّارَةِ شارلوت

عَلى السَواقِ جَبّارَه

Like Charlotte's car

Mighty on the road,

إِذا حَرَّكَها مالَت

عَلى الجَنبَينِ مُنهارَه

When she moves it tilts

Collapsing on both sides,

وَقَد تَحزُنُ أَحياناً

وَتَمشي وَحدَها تارَه

And it sometimes grieves

Walking alone sadly,

وَلا تُشبِعُها عَينٌ

مِنَ البِنزينِ فَوّارَه

No eye satisfies it

With spewing gasoline,

وَلا تُروى مِنَ الزَيتِ

وَإِن عامَت بِهِ الفارَه

Nor is it sated with oil

Though the rats swarm over it,

تَرى الشارِعَ في ذُعرٍ

إِذا لاحَت مِنَ الحارَه

It sees the street in panic

When it appears from the alley,

وَصِبياناً يَضِجّونَ

كَما يَلقَونَ طَيّارَه

And boys screaming

As if they have seen a plane,

وَفي مَقدَمِها بوقٌ

وَفي المُؤخِرِ زَمّارَه

With a horn in its front

And drums in the rear,

فَقَد تَمشي مَتى شاءَت

وَقَد تَرجِعُ مُختارَه

It may walk when it wishes

And turns back at its own pace,

قَضى اللَهُ عَلى السَوّا

قِ أَن يَجعَلَها دارَه

God has ordained the roads

To make it a house,

يُقَضّي يَومَهُ فيها

وَيَلقى اللَيلَ ما زارَه

To spend the day in

And meet the night however late,

أَدُنيا الخَيلِ يا مَكسي

كَدُنيا الناسِ غَدّارَه

The life of horses, O Maxey

Is like the deceitful world,

لَقَد بَدَّلَكَ الدَهرُ

مِنَ الإِقبالِ إِدبارَه

Time has changed you

From rise to set,

فَصَبراً يا فَتى الخَيلِ

فَنَفسُ الحُرِّ صَبّارَه

So patience, O boy of horses

The soul of the free is patient,

أَحَقٌّ أَنَّ مَحجوباً

سَلا عَنكَ بِفَخّارَه

Is Mehjoob who rightly

Asked about you with pottery,

وَباعَ الأَبلَقَ الحُرَّ

بِأَوفَرلاند نَعّارَه

And who sold the piebald horse

With the ragged Overland?

وَلَم يَعرِف لَهُ الفَضلَ

وَلا قَدَّرَ آثارَه

And did not know its merit

Nor appreciated its traces,

قَدِ اِختارَ لَكَ الشَلحَ

وَما كُنتَ لِتَختارَه

He chose barren land for you

While you wouldn't choose it,

فَسَلهُ ما هُوَ الشَلحُ

عَسى يُنبيكَ أَخبارَه

So ask him what barren land is

Maybe he tells you its news,

كَأَن لَم تَحمِلِ الرّا

يَةَ يَومَ الرَوعِ وَالشارَه

As if you didn't carry the flag

On the day of panic and fighters,

وَلَم تَركَب إِلى الهَولِ

وَلَم تَحمِل عَلى الغارَه

And didn't ride unto dread

And charge at the cave,

وَلَم تَعطِف عَلى جَرحى

مِنَ الصِبيَةِ نَظّارَه

And didn't care for my wounds

Of the young insistent lookers,

فَمَضروبٌ بِرَشّاشٍ

وَمَقلوبٌ بِغَدّارَه

So beaten with machine guns

And defeated with traitors,

وَلا وَاللَهِ ما كَلَّف

تَ مَحجوباً وَلا بارَه

No, by God, you didn't trouble

Mehjoob nor the wilderness,

فَلا البِرسيمُ تَدريهِ

وَلا تَعرِف نَوّارَه

So you don't know alfalfa

Nor recognize clover,

وَقَد تَروى عَلى صُلتٍ

إِذا نادَمتَ سُمّارَه

You may get satisfied with flakes

When you regret fumigators,

وَقَد تَسكَرُ مِن خَودٍ

عَلى الإِفريزِ مِعقارَه

And get drunk from lies

On the freezer's shelf,

وَقَد تَشبَعُ يا اِبنَ اللَي

لِ مِن رَنَّةِ قيثارَه

And you may get filled, O son of night,

From the singing of a guitar,

عَسى اللَهُ الَّذي ساقَ

إِلى يوسُفَ سَيّارَه

May God who guided

Yusuf to a car,

فَكانَت خَلفَهُم دُنيا

لَهُ في الأَرضِ كِبارَه

There was a great world behind them

For him on earth,

يُهَيِّ لَكَ هَوّاراً

كَريماً وَاِبنَ هَوّارَه

Make you a gentle groom

And son of a gentle groomer,

فَإِنَّ الحَظَّ جَوّالٌ

وَإِنَّ الأَرضَ دَوّارَه

For luck is fickle

And the world a spinner.