أَقُولُ وَالْيَوْمُ بَهِيمٌ خَطْبُهُ
مُسْوَدُّ أَوْضاحِ الضُّحى دَغُوشُها
I say, and today is an inarticulate day, its discourse gloomy
Darkening the brightness of morning, not from darkness
يُظْلِمُ فِي عَيْنَيَّ لا مِنْ ظُلْمَةٍ
بَلْ مِنْ هُمُومٍ جَمَّةٍ غُطُوشُها
But from abundant, covered sorrows
Backgammon is like oleander in its arena
وَالنَّرْدُ كالنّلوَرْدِ فِي مَجالِها
أَوْ كَالْمَجُوسِ ضمَّها ما شُوشُها
Or like the Magi brought together by what intoxicated them
As if they are goblets for drinking or
كأَنَّها دَساكِرٌ لِلشُّرْبِ أَوْ
عَساكِرٌ جائِشَةٌ جُيُوشُها
Armies raging, their weapons unsheathed
And for villains a raid and an attack
وَلِلْفُصُوصِ جَوْلَةٌ وَصَوْلَةٌ
تُحَيِّرُ الأَلْبابَ أَوْ تُطِيشُها
That confuses minds or makes them err
May God destroy them, neither their structures
قاتَلَها اللهُ فَلا بُنُوجُها
تَرْفَعُ بِي رَأْساً وَلا شُشُوشها
Nor their weapons will raise me up
I send them back plain if I send them
أُرْسِلُها بِيضاً إِذا أرْسَلْتها
كَأَنَّها قَدْ مُحِيَتْ نُقُوشُها
As if their carvings have been erased
As if I read from them lines
كَأَنَّنِي أَقْرَأُ مِنْها أَسْطُراً
مِنَ الزَّبُور دَرَسَتْ رُقُوشُها
From the Psalms, their inscriptions studied
As if it's shameful that you spend a night
كَأنَّ نُكْراً أَنْ أَبِيتَ لَيْلَةً
مَقْمُورُها غَيْرِيَ أَوْ مَقمُوشُها
Besieged by others or carved up
They obey frauds, their honesty exposed
تُطِيعُ تقَوْماغً عَمَّهُمْ نَصُوحُها
وَخَصَّنِي مِنْ بَيْنِهِمْ غَشُوشُها
And I was singled out from among them for betrayal
It answers them whenever the mute calls
يُجِيبُهُمْ مَتى دَعَوْ أَخْرَسُها
وَإِنْ يَقُولُوا يَسْتَمِعْ أُطْرُوشُها
And if they speak its deaf ear listens
Hesitating is their way, so my life is not
مُذَبْذَبِين دَأْبُهُمْ غَيْظِي فَما
تَسْلَمُ مِنْهُمْ عِيشَةٌ أَعِيشُها
Safe from them the life I live
As if my soul among them is a hostage
كَأَنَّ رُوحِي بَينَهُم أَيْكِيَّةٌ
راحَتْ وَكَفُّ أَجْدَلٍ تَنُوشُها
That went away, and the claws of a predator hunt it
It tears its flesh, and sometimes
يَبْتِكُ مِنْها لَحْمَها وَتارَةً
تَكادُ تَنْجُو فَيُطارُ رِيشُها
It almost escapes but its feathers are plucked
When Abu Al-Murajja took refuge among them
إِذا احْتَبى أَبُو الْمُرَجّا فِيهِمُ
فَهامُنا مائِلَةٌ عُرُوشُها
Our zeal inclined, its poles pulled down
As if vagrants launched a raid
كأَنَّما شَنَّتْ قُشَيْرٌ غارَةً
عَجْلانُها الْخُرّابُ أَوْ حَرِيشُها
Its steeds the ruinous rebels or arrow fletchings
As if those five were cut from it
كَأَنَّ تِلْكَ الْخَمْسَ مِنْهُ قُطِعَتْ
خَمْسُ أَفاعٍ مُرْعِبٌ كَشِيشُها
Five terrifying serpents, their hissing
Its talons are its fangs, so long have they
أَظْفارُها أَنْيابُها فَطالَما
نَيَّبَ قَلْبي وَيَدِي نَهُوشُها
Gashed my heart and hand with their biting
It will not be decked in the gold it wraps
لا يَأْتَلِي مِنْ ذَهَبٍ يَلُفُّهُ
مِنِّي وَمِنْ دراهِمٍ يَحُوشُها
From me and the coins it hoards
Or in the sheep they own the choice of which
وَمِنْ خِرافٍ لَهُمُ مِنْها الَّذِي
طابَ وَلِيَ ما ضُمِّنَتْ كُرُوشُها
Was good, and the lame fell to my lot
Or in the hens, which when they cackle
وَمِنْ دَجاجاتٍ إِذا ما كرْدِنَتْ
كَأَنَّما شَكَّ فُؤادِي شِيشُها
It's as if my heart doubted their cackling
Partial English translation: 41 of 42 Arabic lines translated.