ألم تَرَ لابن بلبلَ إذ حماني

ألم تَرَ لابن بلبلَ إذ حماني

مَواردَهُ وأَوْرادِي ظِماءُ

مَواردَهُ وأَوْرادِي ظِماءُ

Did you not see Ibn Bulbul when he barred me

Did you not see the son of the nightingale when he strangled me

from his watering places, while my herds were thirsty?

His springs and my retreats are thirsty

سألت الأرضَ تنكيراً عليه

سألت الأرضَ تنكيراً عليه

فلم تفعلْ فنكَّرتِ السماءُ

فلم تفعلْ فنكَّرتِ السماءُ

I asked the earth to turn against him;

I asked the earth to deny him

it did not, so heaven turned against him.

But it did not so the sky denied

وصاعدُ ما تَصعَّدَ بل تَهَاوَى

وصاعدُ ما تَصعَّدَ بل تَهَاوَى

ولكنْ جادَ ما صَعِد الدعاءُ

ولكنْ جادَ ما صَعِد الدعاءُ

And Ṣāʿid did not rise, but fell headlong;

And ascending what ascends but falling

yet how well the prayer ascended!

But bestowing what the supplication ascended

رعى هذا الأنامَ فكان ذئباً

رعى هذا الأنامَ فكان ذئباً

أحصَّ وما الذئابُ وما الرِّعاءُ

أحصَّ وما الذئابُ وما الرِّعاءُ

This man shepherded humankind, and proved a wolf,

He pastured the people so he was a wolf

sparse-haired—what have wolves to do with shepherds?

He counted and what are the wolves and what are the shepherds