دُنياكَ تُشبِهُ ناضِحاً مُتَرَداً

دُنياكَ تُشبِهُ ناضِحاً مُتَرَداً

مِن شَأَنِها الإِقبالُ وَالإِدبارُ

مِن شَأَنِها الإِقبالُ وَالإِدبارُ

Your world resembles a water-drawing camel driven to and fro;

Your world resembles a gushing disobedient stream

coming and going are its nature.

Prone to advance and retreat

آلَيتُ ما الحِبرُ المِدادُ بِكاذِبٍ

آلَيتُ ما الحِبرُ المِدادُ بِكاذِبٍ

بَل تَكذِبُ العُلَماءُ وَالأَحبارُ

بَل تَكذِبُ العُلَماءُ وَالأَحبارُ

I swear: ink—the writing fluid—is no liar;

I did not swear by ink or pen of any liar

rather, the scholars and learned divines lie.

Rather the scholars and wise men lie

زَعَموا رِجالاً كَالنَخيلِ جُسومُهُم

زَعَموا رِجالاً كَالنَخيلِ جُسومُهُم

وَمَعاشِرٌ أُمّاتُهُم أَشبارُ

وَمَعاشِرٌ أُمّاتُهُم أَشبارُ

They claimed there were men whose bodies were like palm trees,

They claimed men tall as palm trees

and peoples whose statures were mere handspans.

While tribes have mothers as short as palm spadices

إِن يَصغُروا أَو يَعظُموا فَبِقُدرَةٍ

إِن يَصغُروا أَو يَعظُموا فَبِقُدرَةٍ

وَلِرَبِّنا الإِعظامُ وَالإِكبارُ

وَلِرَبِّنا الإِعظامُ وَالإِكبارُ

If they be small or great, it is through power;

Whether they are big or small it's by God's power

and to our Lord belong reverence and exaltation.

To our Lord belong might and pride

وَوَجَدتُ أَصنافَ التَكَلُّمِ سِتَّةً

وَوَجَدتُ أَصنافَ التَكَلُّمِ سِتَّةً

بِالمَينِ مِنها أُفرِدَ الإِخبارُ

بِالمَينِ مِنها أُفرِدَ الإِخبارُ

And I found the kinds of speech to be six;

I found six types of speech

among them, declarative speech alone was singled out for falsehood.

Of which telling news was singled out

خاطَت إِبارُ الشَيبِ فَودَكَ بَعدَما

خاطَت إِبارُ الشَيبِ فَودَكَ بَعدَما

خَلُقَ الشَبابُ فَهَل لَهُنَّ إِبارُ

خَلُقَ الشَبابُ فَهَل لَهُنَّ إِبارُ

The needles of gray hair stitched your temple, after

The hems of old age have stitched so, after

youth had worn out; is there any pollination for them?

Youth created, can they be stitched?

يُستَصغَرُ الحَيُّ الحَقيرُ وَدونَهُ

يُستَصغَرُ الحَيُّ الحَقيرُ وَدونَهُ

أُمَمٌ تَوَهَّمُ أَنَّهُ جَبّارُ

أُمَمٌ تَوَهَّمُ أَنَّهُ جَبّارُ

A lowly living being is belittled, yet beneath it

The living low person is belittled, yet below him

are nations that imagine it a mighty tyrant.

Are nations fancying he is a tyrant

جَشِبٌ كَفاكَ مُطاعِماً وَعَباءَةٌ

جَشِبٌ كَفاكَ مُطاعِماً وَعَباءَةٌ

أَغنَتكَ أَن تُتخَيَّرَ الأَوبارُ

أَغنَتكَ أَن تُتخَيَّرَ الأَوبارُ

Coarse fare has sufficed you as a dining companion, and a cloak

Bread and a cloak have sufficed you, so no need

has spared you the choosing of animal hair.

To be picky in choosing fur coats

أَمّا وَبارِ فَقَد تَحَمَّلَ أَهلُها

أَمّا وَبارِ فَقَد تَحَمَّلَ أَهلُها

وَتَخَلَّفَت بَعدَ القَطينِ وَبارُ

وَتَخَلَّفَت بَعدَ القَطينِ وَبارُ

As for Wabār, its people have departed,

As for the Bedouins, their people endured

and after the inhabitants, hyraxes remained behind.

While only Bedouins and ruins remained

وَالشَخصُ في الغَبراءِ غُبِّرَ فَاِنثَنى

وَالشَخصُ في الغَبراءِ غُبِّرَ فَاِنثَنى

وَكَأَنَّما هُوَ لِلغُبارِ غُبارُ

وَكَأَنَّما هُوَ لِلغُبارِ غُبارُ

And a person on the dusty earth was covered in dust, then turned away,

A person in the dust became dusty, bent over

and seemed merely dust for the dust.

As if he were but dust to dust

يا طالِباً ثَأرَ القَتيلِ أَلَم يَبِن

يا طالِباً ثَأرَ القَتيلِ أَلَم يَبِن

لَكَ أَنَّ كُلَّ العالَمينَ جُبارُ

لَكَ أَنَّ كُلَّ العالَمينَ جُبارُ

O seeker of vengeance for the slain, has it not become clear

O you who seek blood vengeance for the slain

to you that all mankind is blood shed without redress?

Know that the Lord of both worlds is a tyrant

وَتَخالَفُ الأَهواءُ هَذا مُدَّعٍ

وَتَخالَفُ الأَهواءُ هَذا مُدَّعٍ

فِعلاً وَذَلِكَ دينُهُ الإِجبارُ

فِعلاً وَذَلِكَ دينُهُ الإِجبارُ

And beliefs differ: this man claims

Conflicting whims, this one pretending

agency, while that man's creed is compulsion.

In deed, and his faith is coercion