بيتٌ كصَدْرِي ورزقي

بيتٌ كصَدْرِي ورزقي

ضَيقا كَخَلْقِي وخُلْقِي

ضَيقا كَخَلْقِي وخُلْقِي

A house like my chest and my livelihood,

A house like my chest and livelihood

cramped, like my frame and my disposition.

Narrow like my nature and morals

ملأتُه معْ هُزالٍ

ملأتُه معْ هُزالٍ

معي وسُقْمي ودِقِّي

معي وسُقْمي ودِقِّي

I filled it, despite the emaciation

I filled it, sick and ill

I bore, my sickness, and my thinness.

With me, my sickness, and my poverty

فالْتَزَّ عضوٌ بعضوٍ

فالْتَزَّ عضوٌ بعضوٍ

مني وعِرْقٌ بِعرْق

مني وعِرْقٌ بِعرْق

So one limb pressed tightly against another

Each limb pressed against the next

of mine, and vein against vein,

My veins against veins

حتى لقد كاد فيه

حتى لقد كاد فيه

كعبي يُصافح فَرْقي

كعبي يُصافح فَرْقي

until, inside it, this very nearly happened:

Until my heels nearly

my ankle shook hands with the crown of my head.

Touched the soles of my feet

فما يُطيق لساني

فما يُطيق لساني

يدُور في وَسْط شِدْقي

يدُور في وَسْط شِدْقي

So my tongue cannot

My tongue cannot turn

turn in the middle of my mouth.

In the middle of my mouth

ولو تَجشَّأتُ فيه

ولو تَجشَّأتُ فيه

لَما تَجاورَ حلقي

لَما تَجاورَ حلقي

And if I belched inside it,

And if I dared in it

it would not pass beyond my throat.

My throat and mouth couldn’t meet

أمنتُ فيه من المو

أمنتُ فيه من المو

ت وهْو يُدْمِن خَنْقي

ت وهْو يُدْمِن خَنْقي

I was safe in it from dea-

I felt safe from death

th, though it keeps strangling me,

While it choked my breath

لأنّ روحيَ لم تَلْ

لأنّ روحيَ لم تَلْ

قَ فُسْحةً للتَّرَقِّي

قَ فُسْحةً للتَّرَقِّي

because my soul did not fi-

Because my soul hasn’t found

nd room to ascend.

Space to flourish and grow