تَيَمَّمتُ سَعدَ اللَهِ لِلفَألِ بِاسمِهِ

وَلَم آتِ سَعدَ اللَهِ لَو كانَ لي عَقلُ

I sought the auspices of Sa'd Allah in his name,

Yet I did not attain Sa'd Allah's favor, had I any wisdom.

وَقُلتُ فَتىً مِن دَوحَةٍ عَرَبِيَّةٍ

تَشابَه مِنها الفرعُ في الطيبِ وَالأصلُ

And I said "A youth from cultured Doha,

Whose branch is similar in fragrance and origin."

وَلَم أَدرِ أَنَّ الأَرمَنِيَّةَ ظِئرُهُ

وَفي الأَرمَنِيّاتِ النَجاسَةُ وَالبُخلُ

Yet I did not know that the Armenian woman was his wet nurse,

And in Armenian women are impurity and stinginess.

أَظَلُّ كَمُرتَدّ عَنِ الدينِ عاكِفاً

أُلازِمُهُ مالي سِوى شُغلِهِ شُغلُ

I cling to him like an apostate clinging to religion,

I devote myself to him; my occupation, apart from his occupation, an occupation.

أَروحُ إِلَيهِ بِالسَلامِ وَأَغتَدي

إِلى بابِهِ وَاليَومُ في مَهدِهِ طِفلُ

I go to him in peace and take lunch

At his door while the day is still an infant.

فَما كُنتُ إِلّا مُستَظِلّاً بِعشبَةٍ

مِنَ الشَوكِ ما فيها جَنىً لي وَلا ظِلُّ

Yet I am nothing but one taking shade beneath a hut

Of thorns, in it no harvest for me, nor shade.