بِسَمْنانَ بَوْلُ الجوع مستنقِعاً به

بِسَمْنانَ بَوْلُ الجوع مستنقِعاً به

قَدِ اصْفَرَّ من طولِ الإقامةِ حائِلُهْ

قَدِ اصْفَرَّ من طولِ الإقامةِ حائِلُهْ

In Samnan, hunger's urine lies stagnant there;

With urine his hunger turns the floor to swamp

its stale urine has yellowed from lingering so long.

Yellowed by the length of its stagnant dwelling

بُبرقانه ثُلْثٌ وبالخَرْتِ ثلثُه

بُبرقانه ثُلْثٌ وبالخَرْتِ ثلثُه

وبالحائطِ الأعلى أقامتْ عيائِلُهْ

وبالحائطِ الأعلى أقامتْ عيائِلُهْ

A third is in Barqanah, and a third of it in al-Khart;

A third by the window, a third on the mat

and at the Upper Wall its families have settled.

His family settled by the upper wall

له صُفرةٌ فوق العيونِ كأنها

له صُفرةٌ فوق العيونِ كأنها

بقايا شعاع الأفْقِ والليلُ شاملُهْ

بقايا شعاع الأفْقِ والليلُ شاملُهْ

It has a yellowness above the eyes, as though it were

Above his eyes a yellowness as though

remnants of the horizon's radiance, while night envelops it.

Remnants of the horizon's glow, night covering him