لاmay not سُقِيَتbe watered أَطلالُكَyour ruins الداثِرَهthe crumbling ones
لا سُقِيَت أَطلالُكَ الداثِرَه
وَلاand may not اِنقَضَتcome to an end عَثرَتُكَyour stumble العاثِرَهthe ruinous one
وَلا اِنقَضَت عَثرَتُكَ العاثِرَه
May your crumbling ruins never be watered,
Your ruined dwellings were left unwatered,
nor may your ruinous stumble ever end.
Nor were your stumbling ruins reconstructed,
ماnot حُفرَةٌa pit واراكَconcealed you مَلحودُهاits burial niche
ما حُفرَةٌ واراكَ مَلحودُها
بِنَزرَةِscant in الرِجسِfilth وَلاand not طاهِرَهpure
بِنَزرَةِ الرِجسِ وَلا طاهِرَه
No pit whose burial niche concealed you
No pit awaits you, however deep it may be dug,
is scant in filth, nor is it pure.
Defiled by filth, nor is it pure,
ماnot قَبِلَتaccepted شِركَكَyour polytheism يَوماًever وَلاand not
ما قَبِلَت شِركَكَ يَوماً وَلا
كُفرَكَyour unbelief إِلّاexcept أَنَّهاthat it كافِرَهunbelieving
كُفرَكَ إِلّا أَنَّها كافِرَه
It would never have accepted your polytheism, nor
Never did it accept your polytheism, except that it was an infidel,
your unbelief, had it not itself been unbelieving.
It turned away from stinginess, however much it was hated and rejected,
كَرَّتcharged عَلىagainst البُخلِmiserliness بِماwith what ساءَهُgrieved it
كَرَّت عَلى البُخلِ بِما ساءَهُ
وَناءَهُand burdened it كَرَّتُكَyour charge الخاسِرَهthe losing one
وَناءَهُ كَرَّتُكَ الخاسِرَه
It charged against miserliness with what grieved it
You have kept the eye of ignominy awake ever since
and weighed it down—your ill-fated charge.
Your clothes wrapped you during your sleepless nights,
أَسهَرتَyou kept sleepless عَينَthe eye اللُؤمِbaseness مُنذُsince اِنطَوَتfolded
أَسهَرتَ عَينَ اللُؤمِ مُنذُ اِنطَوَت
عَلَيكَaround you أَثوابُكَyour garments بِالساهِرَهon the open ground
عَلَيكَ أَثوابُكَ بِالساهِرَه
You have kept the eye of baseness sleepless since
Who else’s poetry will launch raids,
your garments folded about you on the open ground.
After you, or the likes of you who set forth?
فيمَنagainst whom يَشُنُّlaunches الشِعرُpoetry غاراتِهِits raids
فيمَن يَشُنُّ الشِعرُ غاراتِهِ
بَعدَكَafter you أَوor أَمثالَهُits proverbs السائِرَهthe widely circulating ones
بَعدَكَ أَو أَمثالَهُ السائِرَه
Against whom will poetry launch its raids
The world would have quenched my burning thirst for you,
after you—or its far-traveling proverbs?
But you chose the hereafter,
قَدindeed كانَتِhad الدُنياthis world شَفَتhealed لَوعَتيmy burning anguish
قَد كانَتِ الدُنيا شَفَت لَوعَتي
مِنكَfrom you وَلَكِنand yet عُذتَyou took refuge بِالآخِرَهin the Hereafter
مِنكَ وَلَكِن عُذتَ بِالآخِرَه
This world had indeed healed my burning anguish
O lion of death, you escaped it,
caused by you; yet you took refuge in the Hereafter.
From between the jaws of the frustrated lion,
ياO أَسَدَlion المَوتِdeath تَخَلَّصتَهُyou rescued him
يا أَسَدَ المَوتِ تَخَلَّصتَهُ
مِنfrom بَينِbetween لِحيَيthe two jaws أَسَدِlion القاصِرَهthe short-lived world
مِن بَينِ لِحيَي أَسَدِ القاصِرَه
O lion of death, you rescued him
Misfortune protected you from its like,
from between the jaws of the lion of the short-lived world.
A destitute woman saved you from destitution.
أَجارَكَsheltered you المَكروهُmisfortune مِنfrom مِثلِهِits like
أَجارَكَ المَكروهُ مِن مِثلِهِ
فاقِرَةٌa crushing calamity نَجَّتكَsaved you مِنfrom فاقِرَهa crushing calamity
فاقِرَةٌ نَجَّتكَ مِن فاقِرَه
Misfortune sheltered you from its like:
one crushing calamity saved you from another.
Partial English translation: 16 of 18 Arabic lines translated.