لَقَد لَجَّ هَذا الدَّهرُ في نكباتِهِ

لَقَد لَجَّ هَذا الدَّهرُ في نكباتِهِ

عَلَيّ إِلى أَن لَيسَ في الكيسِ دِرهَمُ

عَلَيّ إِلى أَن لَيسَ في الكيسِ دِرهَمُ

This age has indeed persisted in inflicting its calamities

Indeed this age has overwhelmed me with its calamities,

upon me, until not a dirham remains in the purse.

To the point that there is not a single coin left in my purse,

وَأَمسَت جَواليقي بِرَغمِ ظَعينَتي

وَأَمسَت جَواليقي بِرَغمِ ظَعينَتي

رِهاناً عَلى ما في الجَواليقِ يُعكَمُ

رِهاناً عَلى ما في الجَواليقِ يُعكَمُ

And my sacks have become, against my wife's wishes,

And my pockets, despite my arrogance,

collateral for whatever is bundled in the sacks.

Have become collateral for what little they contain,

وَأَعظَمُ من ذا أَنَّ شِعرِيَ مُعرَبٌ

وَأَعظَمُ من ذا أَنَّ شِعرِيَ مُعرَبٌ

فَصيحٌ وَأنِّي حينَ أَنطِقُ أَعجَمُ

فَصيحٌ وَأنِّي حينَ أَنطِقُ أَعجَمُ

And greater than this is that my poetry is in proper Arabic,

But what's worse is that my poetry is eloquent Arabic,

eloquent, yet I am inarticulate when I speak.

Yet when I speak, I am incomprehensible.