ما جَمَعَ الناسُ لِدُنياهُم

ما جَمَعَ الناسُ لِدُنياهُم

أَنفَعُ في البَيتِ مِنَ الخُبزِ

أَنفَعُ في البَيتِ مِنَ الخُبزِ

Nothing people have gathered for their worldly lives

What people acquire for worldly affairs

Of all that men accumulate to serve their worldly spread,

Is more useful in the home than bread.

Is not more beneficial at home than bread

Nothing within the house is of greater use than bread.

وَالخُبزُ بِاللَحمِ إِذا نِلتَهُ

وَالخُبزُ بِاللَحمِ إِذا نِلتَهُ

فَأَنتَ في أَمنٍ مِنَ التَرَزِ

فَأَنتَ في أَمنٍ مِنَ التَرَزِ

And bread with meat, when you obtain it—

And bread with meat, when you obtain it

And bread when paired with meat—if such a prize you gain—

Then you are safe from starvation.

You are safe from poverty and distress

Keeps you secure and safe from hunger’s biting pain.

وَالقَلزُ مِن بُعدِ عَلى أَثَرِهِ

وَالقَلزُ مِن بُعدِ عَلى أَثَرِهِ

فَإِنَّما اللِذاتُ في القَلَزِ

فَإِنَّما اللِذاتُ في القَلَزِ

And drinking afterward, close upon its heels—

Cheese after it, following in its tracks

And then a hearty draught to follow in its trace,

For pleasures lie only in drinking.

For pleasures are truly in cheese

For truly, life’s delight lies in that drinking pace.

وَقَد دَنا الفِطرُ وَصِبيانُنا

وَقَد دَنا الفِطرُ وَصِبيانُنا

لَيسوا بِذي تَمرٍ وَلا أَرزِ

لَيسوا بِذي تَمرٍ وَلا أَرزِ

And Eid al-Fitr has drawn near, while our children

The Eid has come and our children

The Feast of Breaking Fast draws near, yet our poor boys

Have neither dates nor rice.

Have no dates or rice

Have neither dates to eat, nor rice to bring them joys.

وَذاكَ أَنَّ الدَهرَ عاداهُم

وَذاكَ أَنَّ الدَهرَ عاداهُم

عَداوَةَ الشاهينِ لِلوزِ

عَداوَةَ الشاهينِ لِلوزِ

And that is because Time has been their enemy,

That's because time has treated them hostile

And this because harsh Time has turned their enemy,

With the falcon's enmity toward geese.

With the hostility of a falcon towards a goose

With all the falcon’s hate for geese, and cruelty.

كانَت لَهُم عَنزٌ فَأَودى بِها

كانَت لَهُم عَنزٌ فَأَودى بِها

وَأَجَدَبوا مِن لَبَنِ العَنزِ

وَأَجَدَبوا مِن لَبَنِ العَنزِ

They had a she-goat, but Time carried her off,

They had a goat but it perished

They once possessed a goat, but she has passed away,

And they were left without the she-goat's milk.

And they were deprived of the goat's milk

And they are drought-struck now, bereft of milk today.

فَلَو رَأَو خُبزاً عَلى شاهِقٍ

فَلَو رَأَو خُبزاً عَلى شاهِقٍ

لَأَسرَعوا لِلخُبزِ بِالجَمزِ

لَأَسرَعوا لِلخُبزِ بِالجَمزِ

So if they saw bread on a lofty peak,

If they saw bread on a high shelf

For if they saw a loaf upon a mountain peak,

They would hasten toward the bread at a bounding run.

They would rush for the bread out of hunger

They’d race toward that bread with a frantic, leaping streak.

وَلَو أَطاقوا القَفرَ ما فاتَهُم

وَلَو أَطاقوا القَفرَ ما فاتَهُم

وَكَيفَ لِلجائِعِ بَالقَفرِ

وَكَيفَ لِلجائِعِ بَالقَفرِ

And if they could endure the barren waste, it would not elude them;

If they could endure hunger they wouldn't miss it

And could they bear the leap, they would not let it slip,

But how could a hungry man endure the barren waste?

But how can the hungry endure hunger?

But how can famished men attempt so high a skip?