kaana qaaṭiʿu ḥajarin yaʿmalu fii al-jabali wakaana taʿiban waḥaziinanA stonecutter worked in the mountain, and he was tired and sad.
tamannaa an yakuuna ghaniyyan fataḥaqqaqat umniyatuhuHe wished to be rich, and his wish came true.
ra’aa ash-shamsa aqwaa mina al-aghniyaa’i fatamannaa an yakuuna shamsanHe saw that the sun was stronger than the rich, so he wished to be the sun.
ṣaara shamsan thumma ra’aa as-saḥaabata tughaṭṭiihi fatamannaa an yakuuna saḥaabatanHe became the sun, then saw a cloud covering him, so he wished to be a cloud.
ṣaara saḥaabatan thumma ra’aa ar-riiḥa tadfaʿuhu fatamannaa an yakuuna riiḥanHe became a cloud, then saw the wind pushing him, so he wished to be the wind.
ṣaara riiḥan thumma ra’aa al-jabala laa yataḥarraku fatamannaa an yakuuna jabalanHe became the wind, then saw the mountain not moving, so he wished to be a mountain.
ṣaara jabalan thumma jaa’a qaaṭiʿu ḥajarin yaqṭaʿu minhuHe became a mountain, and then a stonecutter came and cut stone from him.
fatamannaa an yaʿuuda kamaa kaana waʿaada qaaṭiʿa ḥajarin raaḍiyanSo he wished to be as he was, and became a contented stonecutter again.
ar-riḍaa ajmalu mina al-aḥlaami al-baʿiidatiContentment is better than far-off dreams.