مالي وَللْمُنْخَرقَه

والعطف والمنزَلقَه

I care not for the torn garment,

Nor bending courtesy, nor slippery footing;

وَغَلّة الخالص في

تَحصيلها والمَلَقَه

I care not for the thick covering of hypocrisy in getting

Or for polish and elegance;

وَرحلَتي في مَرْكبٍ

بكُلِّ فَدم موسَقَه

I care not that my journey is in a vessel

With every blood vessel ready to burst;

أرجاؤها عَلَيَّ منْ

زَحامهمْ مُضَيّقَه

Its sides straitened upon me

By their jostling till I'm well nigh bursting;

بتُّ بها لضيقها

وَضنكها في بوتَقَه

I live in it though it tortures me,

Narrow and confined as if in a flask;

تَرْقُص في البحر لدى

أمواجه المُصَفِّقه

It dances in the sea before

The slapping waves;

والريحُ لا تَجري على

طريقَة مُتّفقَه

The wind blows not in an orderly

And agreed upon direction;

تَهُبُّ غرباً وَتَهُ

بُّ تارةً مُشرِّقَه

It blows westwards and at times

Towards the east;

كأنّها من هَوَجٍ

رَفيقُنا اللِّصُّ الثِّقة

Like a mad fellow, a trusted thief,

Our boon companion;

أقَبَحُنا خلقاً فَسبح

ان الذي قد خَلَقَه

Homeliest of creatures - so Glory to Him

Who created him!

بصورة كالقرد لو

لا ذَقنُه والعنفَقَه

With a face like an ape's but for

The beard and prominent nostrils;

وإنّه الكلبُ لمَنْ

عايَنَه أو حقّقه

He is, for one who observes closely, a cur,

Even if the sky were to crack above him;

والكبُ لو جاراهُ في

خساسَةٍ ما لَحقَه

Even a flea, if drawn into his

Degraded course, would not merit it;

شَيْخ لنَقصه وإنْ

كانَ ثقيلاً طَبَقَه

An old man, defective though

He be of heavy build;

زافَفْتُهُ وَلَمْ تَكُنْ

زَفافَتيه رَفقَه

I overburdened him though my overload

Was not excessive;

حتى أذا ما غَبَتَ

الأُفقُ لدينا شَفَقَه

Until, as the horizon disappeared for us

In the gathering darkness,

وَهَوَّم النّاسُ فَلا

عينُ أمرئ مُؤَرَّقه

And men grew anxious so that no

Eye of anyone was tranquil,

نامَ فكانَ نائماً

كالحيّة المطّوقة

He slept, like a dormant serpent

Coiled round;

وقامَ في الليل كَمث

ل مَنْ يريدُ السّرقة

And he rose in the night like one

Intent on thieving,

يسعى إلى عبدٍ لَهُ

وَجه شَبيهُ الدَّرَقَه

Hurrying towards a young man whose face

Resembled a shield,

جَديدة في حُسْنها

وَقَهْوَة مُعَتّقَه

Winsome in his beauty

And a well-matured coffee-brown;

ذاتُ يضيق بال

إلى أن يَخْنُقَه

One whose waist narrows down

Until I thought it would snap;

رَمَيتُ طيرَهُ

منْ خصْيَتي ببُندُقَه

I let fly my bird at him

From my pair of cross-bows;

فَخَرَّ مَصروعاً وَلَمْ

يَقْطَعْ سوايَ سبَقَه

He fell prone and none preceded me

In attaining his intimacy;

غنّتْ فأغنتْ عن شدا

الحَمامَة المطوَّقَة

The ring-dove moaned, relieving me

Of the wild pigeon's plaint;

لله صَبٌّ لا يُضيعُ

عهدَهُ وَمَوْثقَة

Glory to God who does not forget

His covenant or pledge,

أو شادن عَلَيه اك

بادُ الورى مُحْتَرقة

Even if the serpents of humanity kindle

And burn about Him,

علْق نَفيس كلُّ مُهْ

جة به مُعْتَلقَة

I risked my precious soul, for every temptation

Connected with it was suspended;

يموجُ تحتَ

عندَكَ مثلَ العَلَقَة

It surges towards you like

A sparrow hawk,

يَكادُ مَوجُ رَدْفه

للصّب أنْ يُخَرقَه

Its surging wave all but tears

Asunder the swimmer;

كم ليلة ركّبَني

من خَلْفه في الحَلَقَه

How many a night mounted me on its ridge

Behind him on the mule's packsaddle!

لمّا استجاد عدَّتي

في العرض يومَ الحَلَقَه

When he excelled in exposing himself

The day we halted at the packsaddle,

وَجونة زاهية

بظُلمةٍ وَبَرْزَقه

While a gazelle frisky in the dark

Grazed in her pasture,

ذاتُ شواءٍ قَد غدا

مُشْتَملاً بجَرْدَقة

One whose grilling had now

Drawn together the tent-pitching;

وافى وَنَفسي لم تَزَلْ

إلى لقاهُ شَيِّقه

He arrived, and my soul still

Yearned eagerly to meet him;

لولا خُلوق ثَوبه

لَكدت أنْ أُخَلِّقَه

But for the manners of his garment

I should have made free with him;

في إثره دَجَاجَة

مصلوقة في مَرَقَه

After him a chicken

Stewed in its juice,

تتبَعْ بورانيةً

في دُهنها مُعَرّقه

Pursued by the mangy scab

Of its oil and gravy;

فَمَنْ حَبَتْهُ هذه

سبحانَ رَبٍّ رَزَقه

Happy the man for whom is this!

Glory to the Lord who sustains him!