وَصِبيَةٍ مِثلِ فِراخِ الذُرِ

وَصِبيَةٍ مِثلِ فِراخِ الذُرِ

سودِ الوُجوهِ كَسَوادِ القِدرِ

سودِ الوُجوهِ كَسَوادِ القِدرِ

And children like the young of tiny ants,

Like fledglings of the sparrow

Black of face, as black as a cooking pot.

Black-faced, as black as a cooking pot

جاءَ الشِتاءُ وَهُمُ بِشَرِّ

جاءَ الشِتاءُ وَهُمُ بِشَرِّ

بِغَيرِ قُمصٍ وَبِغَيرِ أُزرِ

بِغَيرِ قُمصٍ وَبِغَيرِ أُزرِ

Winter came, and they were in misery,

Winter came, and they were delighted

Without shirts and without waistcloths.

With neither shirt nor wrap

حَتّى إِذا لاحَ عَمودُ الفَجرِ

حَتّى إِذا لاحَ عَمودُ الفَجرِ

وَجاءَني الصُبحُ غَدَوتُ أَسري

وَجاءَني الصُبحُ غَدَوتُ أَسري

Until, when the pillar of dawn appeared,

Until the pillar of dawn appeared

And morning came to me, I set out on my way,

And morning came to me, I set out quickly

وَبَعضُهُم مُلتَصِقٌ بِصَدري

وَبَعضُهُم مُلتَصِقٌ بِصَدري

وَبَعضُهُم مُنجَحِرٌ بِحِجري

وَبَعضُهُم مُنجَحِرٌ بِحِجري

And some of them clung to my chest,

Some clinging to my chest

And some of them had burrowed into my lap,

Some curled up against my wall

أَسبِقُهُم إِلى أُصولِ الجُدرِ

أَسبِقُهُم إِلى أُصولِ الجُدرِ

هذا جَميعُ قِصَّتي وَأَمري

هذا جَميعُ قِصَّتي وَأَمري

I go ahead of them to the foot of the walls.

I race them to the roots of walls

This is my whole story and my plight.

This is the whole of my tale and my matter

فَاِرحَم عِيالي وَتَوَلَّ أَمري

فَاِرحَم عِيالي وَتَوَلَّ أَمري

كُنّيتُ نَفسي كُنيَةً في شِعري

كُنّيتُ نَفسي كُنيَةً في شِعري

So have mercy on my family and take charge of my affairs.

So have mercy on my dependents and take over my matter

I gave myself a byname in my poetry:

I nicknamed myself in my poetry

أَنا أَبو الفَقرِ وَأُمِّ الفَقرِ

أَنا أَبو الفَقرِ وَأُمِّ الفَقرِ

I am the Father of Poverty and the Mother of Poverty.

I am the father of poverty and the mother of poverty