1. وَلَقَد قُلتُ حينَ أَقفَرَ بَيتي

    مِن جِرابِ الدَقيقِ وَالفُخّارَةِ

    And indeed I said, when my house grew bare

    of the flour sack and the earthenware jar:

  2. وَلَقَد كانَ آهِلاً غَيرَ قَفرِ

    مُخصِباً خَيرُهُ كَثيرُ العِمارَةِ

    It had indeed been inhabited, not deserted,

    rich in bounty and bustling with life.

  3. فَأَرى الفَأرَ قَد تَجَنَّبن بَيتي

    عائِذاتٌ مِنهُ بِدارِ الإِمارَةِ

    Now I see the mice have shunned my house,

    seeking refuge from it in the governor’s residence.

  4. وَدَعا بِالرَحيلِ ذِبابُ بَيتي

    بَينَ مَقصوصَةٍ إِلى طَيارَةِ

    And the flies in my house called for departure,

    from the wing-clipped to those that could fly.

  5. وَأَقامَ السِنَورُ في البَيتِ حَولاً

    ما يَرى في جَوانِبِ البَيتِ فارَةِ

    The cat stayed in the house a year,

    never seeing a mouse in its corners.

  6. يَنفَضُ الرَأسَ مِنهُ مِن شِدَّةِ الجو

    ع وَعَيشٌ فيهِ أَذى وَمَرارَةِ

    He shakes his head from the pangs of hunger

    and a life of suffering and bitterness.

  7. قُلتُ لَمّا رَأَيتُهُ ناكِسَ الرَأس

    كَئيبا في الجَوفِ مِنهُ حَرارَةِ

    I said, when I saw him hanging his head,

    dejected, with a burning in his belly:

  8. وَيَكُ صَبراً فَأَنتَ مِن خيرَةِ سَنَورٍ

    رَأَتهُ عَيناي قطّ بَحّارَةِ

    “Patience, poor fellow! You are among the finest cats

    my eyes have ever seen in any quarter.”

  9. قالَ لا صَبرَ لي وَكَيفَ مَقامي

    بِبُيوتِ قَفرٍ كَجَوفِ الحِمارَةِ

    He said, “I have no patience—how can I stay

    in houses as empty as a she-ass’s belly?”

  10. قُلتُ سِر راشِداً إِلى بَيتِ جارٍ

    مُخصِبٍ رَحلُهُ عَظيمُ التِجارَةِ

    I said, “Go safely to a neighbor’s house,

    whose household is well supplied, whose trade is thriving.”

  11. وَإِذا العَنكَبوتُ تَغَزَّلَ في دَفّي

    وَحُبّي وَالكوزُ وَالقِرقارَةِ

    And behold, the spider spins its web in my tambourine,

    and my storage jar, the mug, and the pitcher.

  12. وَأَصابَ الحِجامُ كَلبي فَأَضحى

    بَينَ كَلبٍ وَكَلبَةٍ عَيّارَةِ

    And the bloodletter got at my dog, leaving him

    halfway between a male dog and a roaming bitch.