أصبحتَ في الكاتبينَ فرداً

أصبحتَ في الكاتبينَ فرداً

وأَنتَ كنزٌ لكلِّ راجِ

وأَنتَ كنزٌ لكلِّ راجِ

You have become peerless among the scribes,

You have become unmatched among writers,

and you are a treasure to every hopeful seeker.

And you are a treasure for every seeker.

لا كَشَفَ الله منك رأسي

لا كَشَفَ الله منك رأسي

ودُمت عزي وَدمتَ تاجي

ودُمت عزي وَدمتَ تاجي

May God never strip my head of you,

My Master, I have been pained by your absence,

and may you remain my glory, and remain my crown.

And my enemies rejoiced at my need.

مولاي قد ساءَني افتقادي

مولاي قد ساءَني افتقادي

وَسَرَّ حُسّادِيَ احتياجي

وَسَرَّ حُسّادِيَ احتياجي

My lord, my privation has distressed me,

So rectify my state for the sake of loyalty,

and my need has delighted those who envy me.

For I have none but you to confide in.

فاصلحْ بحَقِّ الوفاءِ شأني

فاصلحْ بحَقِّ الوفاءِ شأني

فَغَيْر علياكَ لا أُناجي

فَغَيْر علياكَ لا أُناجي

So set my affairs right, for loyalty's sake,

For the oil has grown scarce in my lamp,

for I confide in none but your exalted self.

And my lamp has nearly been extinguished.

فالزَّيتُ قد قلَّ في فَتيلي

فالزَّيتُ قد قلَّ في فَتيلي

وكادَ أنْ يَنطفي سراجي

وكادَ أنْ يَنطفي سراجي

For the oil in my wick has dwindled,

While my family spends the night on the ground

and my lamp has nearly gone out.

Picking up seeds like chickens.

وباتَ فوقَ التُّراب أهلي

وباتَ فوقَ التُّراب أهلي

تَلْتَقطُ الحبَّ كالدَّجاجِ

تَلْتَقطُ الحبَّ كالدَّجاجِ

And my family has spent the night upon the earth,

I hope, my crescent moon, that you inscribe my sustenance,

picking up grain like chickens.

And collect my taxes.

عساكَ باللهِ يا هِلالي

عساكَ باللهِ يا هِلالي

تكتبُ رزقي على الخراج

تكتبُ رزقي على الخراج

May you, by God, O Hilali,

A third of my livelihood they took in taxes,

enter my stipend against the tax revenues.

And exempted a third of my taxes.

فَثُلْثُ رِزقي في حاصصوه

فَثُلْثُ رِزقي في حاصصوه

وأسقطوا الثُّلثَ عن خراجي

وأسقطوا الثُّلثَ عن خراجي

For a third of my stipend is in 'give him his share' [wording unclear],

I had no fortune, martyrdom, marriage or wedding,

and they deducted the third from my tax assessment.

Unless you remedy my sickness,

لا كانَ بختي ولا اشتهادي

لا كانَ بختي ولا اشتهادي

ولا نِكاحي ولا زواجي

ولا نِكاحي ولا زواجي

May neither my luck nor my striving [reading uncertain] endure,

Medicine will be baffled by my cure.

nor my wedlock nor my marriage.

إن لم تُعالجْ سَقامَ حالي

إن لم تُعالجْ سَقامَ حالي

تحيرّ الطِّبُ في علاجي

تحيرّ الطِّبُ في علاجي

If you do not treat the sickness of my condition,

medicine will be baffled at how to treat me.