مَهَدتُ لَهُ وُدّي صَغيراً وَنُصرَتي

مَهَدتُ لَهُ وُدّي صَغيراً وَنُصرَتي

وَقاسَمتُهُ مالي وَبَوَّأتُهُ حِجري

وَقاسَمتُهُ مالي وَبَوَّأتُهُ حِجري

I offered him my affection and support when he was young,

I offered him my affection when he was small, and my support,

And shared my wealth with him and made my lap his home.

And shared with him my wealth, and gave him shelter,

وَقَد كانَ يَكفيهِ مِنَ العَيشِ كُلِّهِ

وَقَد كانَ يَكفيهِ مِنَ العَيشِ كُلِّهِ

رَجاءٌ وَيَأسٌ يَرجِعانِ إِلى فَقرِ

رَجاءٌ وَيَأسٌ يَرجِعانِ إِلى فَقرِ

Yet all that sufficed him in the whole of life

And for his living, hope and despair returning to poverty

Was hope and despair, both leading back to poverty.

Would have sufficed,

وَفيهِ عُيوبٌ لَيسَ يُحصى عِدادُها

وَفيهِ عُيوبٌ لَيسَ يُحصى عِدادُها

فَأَصغَرُها عَيباً يَجِلُّ عَنِ الكُفرِ

فَأَصغَرُها عَيباً يَجِلُّ عَنِ الكُفرِ

And he has faults whose number cannot be counted,

And in him are faults beyond counting,

For even the least of them, as a fault, surpasses unbelief.

The least being one of outright unbelief,

وَلَو أَنَّني أَبدَيتُ لِلناسِ بَعضَها

وَلَو أَنَّني أَبدَيتُ لِلناسِ بَعضَها

لَأَصبَحَ مِن بَصقِ الأَحِبَّةِ في بَحرِ

لَأَصبَحَ مِن بَصقِ الأَحِبَّةِ في بَحرِ

And if I revealed some of them to people,

And had I disclosed to people even some of them

He would be in a sea of his loved ones' spit.

He would have become like spittle in the sea from loved ones.

فَدونَكَ عِرضي فَاِهجُ حَيّاً وَإِن أَمُت

فَدونَكَ عِرضي فَاِهجُ حَيّاً وَإِن أَمُت

فَأُقسِمُ إِلّا ما خَريتَ عَلى قَبري

فَأُقسِمُ إِلّا ما خَريتَ عَلى قَبري

So take my honor—lampoon me while I live; and if I die,

So, while I live, guard my honor, and when I die,

Then I adjure you to shit upon my grave.

I swear, only good will be said over my grave.