فديت عز الدولة المرتجى

فديت عز الدولة المرتجى

بمهجتي إن قبلت مهجتي

بمهجتي إن قبلت مهجتي

I would ransom 'Izz al-Dawla, in whom hope is placed,

I ransom my life for the honoured chief

with my lifeblood, if my lifeblood is accepted.

With my brains, if he accepts my brains

ومن أنا في عيلة إحسانه

ومن أنا في عيلة إحسانه

وفقر أهلي في عيلتي

وفقر أهلي في عيلتي

And who am I, dependent on his kindness,

And who am I among his great kindness

with my family's poverty bound up in my own?

And my family's poverty within my family

ثيابه في سفطي بيتها

ثيابه في سفطي بيتها

وخبزه مأواه في ملتي

وخبزه مأواه في ملتي

His garments have their home in my storage chest,

His clothes are in my bag in his house

and his bread finds shelter in my hot ashes.

And his bread settled in my religion

جرايةٌ أصبحت في رزقها

جرايةٌ أصبحت في رزقها

في كل يوم أجتبي غلتي

في كل يوم أجتبي غلتي

A stipend, on whose provision I now live—

Stipend that became, by his grace

each day I gather my harvest.

In each day I reap my crop

وكان جوفي بالخوى مأتماً

وكان جوفي بالخوى مأتماً

فاليوم بيت العرس في معدتي

فاليوم بيت العرس في معدتي

And my belly, in its emptiness, was a house of mourning;

And my insides were with sorrows a mourning house

but today the wedding house is in my stomach.

But today a wedding house in my stomach