وحقّك لولا دلقي الصوف مكرما

وحقّك لولا دلقي الصوف مكرما

وشاشي لما اخْترت التحرُّك من هنا

وشاشي لما اخْترت التحرُّك من هنا

By your worth, were it not for my woolen cloak—honored—

And by your honor, were it not for my honored woolen cloak

and my turban, I would never have chosen to move from here.

and my turban, I would not have chosen to move from here.

ولكنني قاسيت بينهما أذًى

ولكنني قاسيت بينهما أذًى

تنوَّع في مكروهه وتفنَّنا

تنوَّع في مكروهه وتفنَّنا

Yet between the two I suffered harm

But I endured discomfort between the two,

that varied its torments and displayed ingenuity.

which varied in its unpleasantness and took many forms.

وقد كنت عصفوراً بشاشي مالحا

وقد كنت عصفوراً بشاشي مالحا

فأصبحت عصفوراً بدلقي مطجنا

فأصبحت عصفوراً بدلقي مطجنا

In my turban, I had been a salted sparrow;

And I had been a salted sparrow in my turban,

then in my woolen cloak I became a sparrow cooked in a casserole.

so I became a pan-fried sparrow in my cloak.