هوhe قاضٍa judge كماas تقولyou say ولكنْbut
هو قاضٍ كما تقول ولكنْ
ماnot عَلَيهِupon him مِنَof القَضاءِjudgeship عَلامَهa sign
ما عَلَيهِ مِنَ القَضاءِ عَلامَه
He is a judge, as you say, but
He is a judge, as you say, but he bears
there is no sign of judgeship upon him.
No sign of judgment, an obscuring veil
عِمّةٌa turban تَملأfills الفَضاءَthe open space عَلَيهِabove him
عِمّةٌ تَملأ الفَضاءَ عَلَيهِ
فوقabove وجهٍa face كعُشْرِlike a tenth of عشرa tenth of القُلامَهْthe nail clipping
فوق وجهٍ كعُشْرِ عشر القُلامَهْ
A turban fills the space above him,
Covers his face, thicker than ten ink blots,
above a face like a tenth of a tenth of a nail clipping.
And on it pictures stranger than e'er drawn
وَعَلَيهاand on it مِنَof التَصاويرِthe pictures ماthat which لَمhas not
وَعَلَيها مِنَ التَصاويرِ ما لَم
يَجمعُgather القدسُJerusalem مِثلَهits like وقُمامَهْand Qumamah (the Holy Sepulchre church)
يَجمعُ القدسُ مِثلَه وقُمامَهْ
And on it are pictures whose like has never
In holy city.
been gathered by Jerusalem and Qumamah.
Partial English translation: 5 of 6 Arabic lines translated.