أَيا طِفلَ الشَفيقَةِ إِنَّ رَبّي

عَلى ما شاءَ مِن أَمرٍ مُقيتُ

O child of the compassionate mother, my Lord

Has ordained as He willed, a detestable matter

تَكَلَّمُ بَعدَ مَوتِكَ بِاِعتِبارٍ

وَقَد أَودى بِكَ النَبأُ المَقيتُ

I speak after your death with remorse

Since the detestable news took you away

تَقولُ حَلَلتُ عاجِلَتي بِكُرهي

فَعِشتُ وَكَم لُدِدتُ وَكَم سُقيتُ

I gave up my immediate desires for my eventual ones

Thus did I live, and how I was weaned and given to drink

رَقيتُ الحَولَ شَهراً بَعدَ شَهرٍ

فَلَيتَني في الأَهِلَّةِ ما رُقيتُ

I grew month after month

If only I had not grown in those months

فَلَمّا صيحَ بي وَدَنا فِطامي

تَيَمَّمَني الحِمامُ فَما وُقيتُ

When the pigeons cooed at me and my weaning approached

I was not protected from them

تَرَكتُ الدارَ خالِيَةً لِغَيري

وَلَو طالَ المَقامُ بِها شَقيتُ

I left the house empty for others

And had I stayed long in it, I would have suffered

نَقَيتُ فَما دَنِستُ وَلَو تَمادَت

حَياةٌ بي دَنِستُ فَما نَقيتُ

I was purified so I did not become impure

And had I lived long, I would not have stayed pure

وَما يُدريكِ باكِيَتي عَساني

لِسُكنى الفَوزِ في الأُخرى اِنتُقيتُ

Who knows, perhaps my crying is so I

Can attain success in the hereafter if I am chosen

رَقَتني الراقِياتُ وَحُمَّ يَومي

فَغادَرَني كَأَنّي ما رُقيتُ

Those who weaned me were gentle, and on the day I left

It was as if I had never been weaned

هَبيني عِشتُ عُمرَ النَسرِ فيها

وَكانَ المَوتُ آخِرَ ما لَقَيتُ

Alas! I lived the life of an eagle in it

And death was the last I met

فَقيراً فَاِستُضِمتُ بِلا اِتِّقاءٍ

لِرَبّي أَو أَميراً فَاِتُّقيتُ

Poor - so I clung without caution

To my Lord or as a prince so I was cautious

وَمِن صُنعِ المَليكِ إِلَيَّ أَنّي

تَعَجَّلتُ الرَحيلَ فَما بَقَيتُ

By the king's making, I

Hastened my departure so did not last

لَوَ اِنّي هَضبُ شابَةَ لَاِرتُقيتُ

وَماءٌ في القَرارَةِ لَاِستُقيتُ

If only I were a young mountain gazelle, I would have climbed

And water in a jug, I would have been scooped up