أبلغ أبا الفَتح ابن مك

أبلغ أبا الفَتح ابن مك

كِيٍّ إذا ما العيدُ عادا

كِيٍّ إذا ما العيدُ عادا

Tell Abu al-Fath ibn Mak-

Convey to Abul Fath ibn Maki

ki, when the feast returns,

Whenever Eid comes again

أنِّي نسيتُ حسابَه

أنِّي نسيتُ حسابَه

فجعلتُ أجعلُه عِدادا

فجعلتُ أجعلُه عِدادا

that I have forgotten its reckoning,

That I forgot his account

so I have begun to treat it as a recurring affliction.

So I made it a matter of counting

عاديتُه وكذلك ال

عاديتُه وكذلك ال

أَيّامُ ربَّتما تُعادى

أَيّامُ ربَّتما تُعادى

I have made it my enemy; likewise, the

I counted it and so did the

days are sometimes treated as enemies.

Days, no matter how many times they are counted

أما نداكَ فإنَّه

أما نداكَ فإنَّه

نادى فأَغنى أن يُنادى

نادى فأَغنى أن يُنادى

As for your bounty, it

As for your call, it

called out, making any call for it needless.

Called and sufficed without being called

لكن حديثي بعدَه

لكن حديثي بعدَه

عجبٌ وأعجبَني وزادا

عجبٌ وأعجبَني وزادا

But my story after it

But my talk after it

is a wonder, and amazed me more and more.

Is wonderful and made me wonder and increase

كلٌّ يكلف أن يحد

كلٌّ يكلف أن يحد

وأصبحت حالي حِدادا

وأصبحت حالي حِدادا

Everyone is required to mourn,

Everyone undertakes to limit

and my state has become mourning garb—

And my state became grieving

سوداء لا أحتاجُ مِث

سوداء لا أحتاجُ مِث

لَ الناسِ أصبغها سَوادا

لَ الناسِ أصبغها سَوادا

black: I need not, like

Black, I do not need to

other people, dye it black.

Dye it black for people

للَهِ درُّ العُدم عل

للَهِ درُّ العُدم عل

لَمني وفاءً مُستَفادا

لَمني وفاءً مُستَفادا

God bless poverty! It has taught

For God, non-existence is beneficial

me a newfound fidelity.

To whom loyalty is gained