وعندي شَيٌ شدَّ قُوَّةَ أسرِهِ

وعندي شَيٌ شدَّ قُوَّةَ أسرِهِ

ثلاثَةُ أزواجٍ وفَردٌ مِنَ العَصبْ

ثلاثَةُ أزواجٍ وفَردٌ مِنَ العَصبْ

And I have a thing whose frame was strengthened

I have a thing whose bonds are very strong

by three pairs of nerves and one unpaired nerve.

Three pairs and one odd tendon

منابِتُها في عُصْعُصي غَيرَ أنَّها

منابِتُها في عُصْعُصي غَيرَ أنَّها

لِشَيْبي في هَمٍّ مُعَنٍّ وفي نَصَبْ

لِشَيْبي في هَمٍّ مُعَنٍّ وفي نَصَبْ

Their roots lie in my coccyx, yet they

Whose roots are in my brain though

are, because of my gray hair, in tormenting distress and weariness.

For my grey hair, in grief and toil and in fatigue