فيin اليَأسِdespair ليfor me عِزٌّdignity كَفانيhas spared me ذُلّيmy humiliation
في اليَأسِ لي عِزٌّ كَفاني ذُلّي
يَشرِكُنيshares with me فيin المَوتِdeath كُلُّevery خِلِّfriend
يَشرِكُني في المَوتِ كُلُّ خِلِّ
In despair I have a dignity that has spared me humiliation.
In despair I find dignity enough to dispense with my humiliation
Every friend shares with me in death.
Death makes me share my mortality with all men
وَلَستُand I am not مِمَّنamong those who فَضلُهُhis generosity مِنfrom فَضليmy surplus
وَلَستُ مِمَّن فَضلُهُ مِن فَضلي
وَالسَيفُand the sword راعٍa shepherd إِبِليmy camels فيin المَحلِdrought
وَالسَيفُ راعٍ إِبِلي في المَحلِ
Nor am I one whose generosity comes from my surplus.
I am not of those whose wealth derives from his generosity
And the sword is my camels' shepherd in drought.
The sword guides my camels to bubbling cauldrons
يَسوقُهاit drives them إِلىtoward قُدورٍcauldrons تَغليthat boil
يَسوقُها إِلى قُدورٍ تَغلي
تُرقِلُthey trot swiftly فيهاin them بِالقُدورِin the cauldrons الجُزلِlarge
تُرقِلُ فيها بِالقُدورِ الجُزلِ
It drives them toward boiling cauldrons.
Where they are cooked in thick pots
They trot there, in the great cauldrons,
Their gurgling and the journey under the saddle
إِرقالُهاtheir swift trotting وَالسَيرُand the march تَحتَbeneath الرَحلِthe camel-saddle
إِرقالُها وَالسَيرُ تَحتَ الرَحلِ
رَأَيتُI saw بِالجودِthrough generosity عُيوبَfaults البُخلِmiserliness
رَأَيتُ بِالجودِ عُيوبَ البُخلِ
As they trot on the march beneath the saddle.
I have seen through generosity the faults of stinginess
Through generosity I saw the faults of miserliness.
Partial English translation: 7 of 8 Arabic lines translated.