1. ما بقائي! ما انتظاري! ما احتمالي!

    ما مجيئي! ما ذهابي! ما قعودِي!

    What use is my staying! What use is my waiting! What use is my endurance!

    What use is my coming! What use is my going! What use is my sitting still!

  2. إنْ غدوتُ عاجزًا عنْ حمْلِ سيفِي

    للدِّفاع عن كيانِي ووُجودِي

    If I became unable to bear my sword

    To defend my being and my existence,

  3. ووقفتُ أبكمًا لا أستطيعُ

    أنْ أقولَ لا لأشباهِ القرُودِ

    And stood mute, unable

    To say no to those resembling monkeys;

  4. وعجزتُ عنْ رغيفٍ صارَ وعدًا

    كاذبًا كالأُخْرَياتِ منْ وعودِي

    And could not obtain a loaf that had become a promise,

    False like the others among my promises;

  5. وشربتُ الطّينَ والأمواهُ تحتِيْ

    لعدوُّيْ صَفْوُهَا خلْفَ السُّدودِ

    And drank mud while the waters lay beneath me,

    Their clear water my enemy's, behind the dams;

  6. وأكلتُ الجِفتَ والزّيتُ يُضيءُ

    كالنّجومِ فوق أجْبالِ جُدودِي

    And ate olive pomace while the oil gave light,

    Like stars above my ancestors' mountains;

  7. ومشيتُ مشيةَ العُرجانِ كيلا

    ينهبَ الوجهُ نصيبي في الطّرودِ

    And walked with the gait of the lame, lest

    My face rob me of my share of the parcels;

  8. وسقفتُ البيتَ من سَعْفٍ وقصرِيْ

    فرسَخيْنِ ليسَ إلّا عنْ حدودِي

    And roofed the house with palm fronds, while my palace lay

    Two parasangs—no more—from my borders;

  9. وخنَسْتُ كلبَ ليلٍ كلّما شا

    بَ الرياحَ نتْنُ بارودِ الجُنودِ

    And shrank back, a dog of the night, whenever

    The stench of the soldiers' gunpowder tainted the winds;

  10. ووصلتُ العتمَ بالنّورِ لأجنيْ

    دِرهمَيْنِ اثنيْنِ من نسلِ الهُنودِ

    And joined darkness to light to earn

    Two dirhams—just two—from the descendants of Indians;

  11. وركِبتُ القدمين كيْ أبيتَ

    بين أهلِي والطّريقُ فيْ صُعودِ

    And rode my two feet so I might spend the night

    Among my family, while the road climbed uphill;

  12. وفرِحتُ كلّما ابْتاعَ رئيسيْ

    بدمِي سيّارةً من نوعِ "أودِي"

    And rejoiced whenever my boss bought

    With my blood, a car of the Audi brand;

  13. وسجدتُ سجدتيْنِ للوليدِ

    كيْ يُمِدَّ بنك أمِّي بالنّقودِ

    And prostrated myself twice before al-Walid,

    So he might supply my mother's bank with money;

  14. وبردتُ ظفرَ شيخَ فتنةٍ كيْ

    أستضيءَ ساعتينِ بالوَقودِ

    And filed the nail of a sheikh of strife, so that

    I might have two hours of light from fuel;

  15. وخرجتُ حافيًا حتّى أُهنّي

    ما تبقىْ مِنْ فلولٍ بالصّمودِ

    And went out barefoot to congratulate

    What remained of the scattered remnants on their steadfastness;

  16. وشمِتُّ في قريبٍ وفرحتُ

    لانتصارِ خصْم أوطانيْ اللّدودِ

    And gloated over a kinsman, and rejoiced

    At the victory of my homelands' bitter foe;

  17. وشكرتُ من أتوني باليهود

    كونهُمْ عادوا لتعزيزِ صُمودِي!

    And thanked those who brought the Jews to me,

    Because they had returned to strengthen my steadfastness!

  18.  وافْتِكاكِي منْ أساطيرِ جُدودي!

    بلْ وتحريرِ نِسائِي مِنْ قُيودِي!

    And to free me from my ancestors' myths!

    Nay, and to liberate my women from my shackles!

  19. والمُناداةِ بحقٍّ في الشّذوذِ

    بلْ وإرْجاعِ سَدومَ للوُجودِ

    And to call for a right to sexual deviance,

    Nay, and to bring Sodom back into existence!

  20. ما دعائي! ما بكائي! ما صيامي!

    ما صلاتي! ما ركوعي! ما سجودِي!

    What use is my supplication! What use is my weeping! What use is my fasting!

    What use is my prayer! What use is my bowing! What use is my prostration!

  21. إنْ رقبتُ دهمَهمْ مسْرىْ رسُولي

    وكفى غرْبٌ وأغنَى عنْ رُدودِي

    If I watched them storm the site of my Messenger's night journey,

    And the West sufficed, making my replies unnecessary;

  22. وشهدتُ ضربَهم أُختيْ بنيسَ

    ملقيًا لومي عليْها في برودِ

    And witnessed them strike my sister in Nice,

    Coldly casting my blame upon her;

  23. وخنقت الحقّ وهْوَ لي أبٌ نصْ

    رًا لمن زوّج أمّي من يهودِي

    And strangled the truth, though it was a father to me, in support

    Of whoever married my mother to a Jew;

  24. وعصَيتُ الله جهرًا كيْ يقالَ

    أنّ فكري قدْ برا منَ الجُمودِ

    And disobeyed God openly so it would be said

    That my thinking had recovered from rigidity;

  25. وتباهيتُ بجدٍّ ندُّ أُسْدٍ

    رغم أنّى عشتُ عبدًا للقرودِ

    And boasted of a forefather, a match for lions,

    Though I lived as a slave to monkeys.