لا رَعى اللَهُ لَيلَتي في بُخارى

ذِكرُها ما حُيّيتُ حَشو ضَميري

Allah did not care for my night in Bukhara

The memory of it will live as long as I breathe

طَرَقَتني الضُيوفُ فيها وَقَد بِـ

ـتُّ مِنَ الجوعِ في عَذابِ السَعيرِ

That night guests came and found me

Starving and suffering the torment of hellfire

لَيسَ في مَنزِلي سِوى قَحفِ إِبريـ

ـقٍ وَباقي قَطيعَةٍ مِن حَصيرِ

In my house was nothing but a straw mat

And the remnants of a tattered reed screen

أَتَقَرّى التُجارَ في سائِرِ الخا

ناتِ ظُهراً عِندَ استِواءِ القُدورِ

The merchants relax their backs in other houses

At the time when the pots are put on to cook

فَإِذا فاتَني كَريمٌ يُغَدّيـ

ـني تَعشيتُ قُرصَةً مِن شَعيرِ

If a generous one does not invite me for lunch

I break my fast at night with a morsel of barley

وَأُداري في صَونِ مالي بِعرضي

وَأَقولُ القَليلُ أَصلُ الكَثيرِ

Yet I protect my money and my honor

Always saying little is the root of much

وَأَنا الموسِرُ الغَنِيُّ وَلكِنـ

ـنِيَ مِن فرطِ خسةٍ كَالفَقيرِ

Though I am wealthy and rich at heart

I am as destitute as the poor from extreme stinginess

فَأَتاحَ القَضاءُ لي رَهطَ سوءٍ

كَذِئابٍ قَد أَخفَقَت أَو نُمورِ

Fate brought me evil folk

Like failing jackals or defeated lions

أَلزَموني ما قالَهُ الخالِدِيّانِ

وَراحوا عَنّي بِقَولِ جَريرِ

Who told me what the two Khalids had said

And left repeating Jarir's words

ثُمَّ قالوا مَعادُنا عَن قَريبٍ

فَاِرتَقِبنا فَقُلتُ هذا مَسيري

Then they said: "We will come back soon!"

I said: "This is my journey!"