يا مَلكَ الأرضِ وكَهفَ الوَرى

يا مَلكَ الأرضِ وكَهفَ الوَرى

وَمَن إِلى سَاحتهِ الَمهرَبُ

وَمَن إِلى سَاحتهِ الَمهرَبُ

O king of the earth and refuge of humankind,

O king of the earth and cave of the blind

and you to whose courtyard one flees for shelter,

And he to whose court there is no escape

ما لَسعَت كَفَّكَ عَن هَفوَةٍ

ما لَسعَت كَفَّكَ عَن هَفوَةٍ

أَغنَمَ منها هذهِ العَقرَبُ

أَغنَمَ منها هذهِ العَقرَبُ

It did not sting your palm by mistake—

Your hand never refrained from striking

this scorpion is too keen on gain for that.

So that this scorpion gained nothing from it

لكن رأتهُ وهوَ سُمٌّ على

لكن رأتهُ وهوَ سُمٌّ على

مالِكَ لا يُربي ولا يَذهبُ

مالِكَ لا يُربي ولا يَذهبُ

But it saw it as a poison to

But she saw him, deadly poison

your wealth, neither increasing nor passing away.

To an owner who does not graze animals or slaughter them

فأقبلت تستافُ مِن بَعضِهِ

فأقبلت تستافُ مِن بَعضِهِ

باللَّسعِ شيئاً عَلَّها تَرحَبُ

باللَّسعِ شيئاً عَلَّها تَرحَبُ

So it came to sniff out some of it,

So she came hastening to sip

a little through its sting, hoping to grow.

A little of it with her sting, hoping to profit