إِذاif كانَتare صِلاتُكُمُyour gifts رِقاعاًscraps of paper
إِذا كانَت صِلاتُكُمُ رِقاعاً
تُخَطِّطُscribbled بِالأَنامِلِwith fingertips وَالأَكُفِّand palms
تُخَطِّطُ بِالأَنامِلِ وَالأَكُفِّ
If your gifts are scraps of paper,
If your prayers are but empty words
Scribbled with fingertips and palms,
Scribbled on scraps and bits of paper
وَلَمand not تَكُنِbe الرِقاعُthe scraps of paper تَجُرُّbring نَفعاًbenefit
وَلَم تَكُنِ الرِقاعُ تَجُرُّ نَفعاً
فَهاthen here is خَطّيmy handwriting خُذوهُtake it بِأَلفِfor a thousand أَلفِthousand
فَها خَطّي خُذوهُ بِأَلفِ أَلفِ
And those scraps bring no benefit,
And if those scraps bring no benefit
Then here is my handwriting—take it for a million.
Then take my poem, take it a thousand thousand times