تنينا جائع له ذنب

تنينا جائع له ذنب

يمتصّ منه الغذا إذا سغبا

يمتصّ منه الغذا إذا سغبا

A hungry dragon has a tail;

A hungry dragon with a tail

he sucks nourishment from it whenever he hungers.

That it sucks food from when famished

وهو بذاك الغداء يرضعه

وهو بذاك الغداء يرضعه

يعود حياً من بعد ما عطبا

يعود حياً من بعد ما عطبا

And with that meal it suckles him;

And with that meal it nurtures itself

he returns alive after having perished,

Returning to life after it was impaired

كالطفل من ثدي أمه رضع ال

كالطفل من ثدي أمه رضع ال

لبان حتى نما وحبا

لبان حتى نما وحبا

like a child who suckled from his mother's breast the

Like an infant suckling milk

milk, until he grew and crawled.

From its mother's breast until it grew and thrived

فراشه ترينا الذي شرب ال

فراشه ترينا الذي شرب ال

ماء زماناً حتى ارتوى وربا

ماء زماناً حتى ارتوى وربا

His bedding shows us the one who drank the

Its tail provides all it needs to live

water for a time, until he drank his fill and grew.

Drinking water for ages until sated and matured

قد صيّر الماء والهواء له

قد صيّر الماء والهواء له

من بعد أن صعدا هما ذنبا

من بعد أن صعدا هما ذنبا

He has made water and air for himself,

It turned water and air into

after both had risen, into a tail.

Its tail after they rose up as smoke

وإنما النار والهواء هما

وإنما النار والهواء هما

غذؤه دائما فيا عجبا

غذؤه دائما فيا عجبا

And fire and air alone are

For fire and air are

his nourishment always—oh, what a wonder!

Its endless sustenance, oh wonder