سَأذكرُ ما أنا فيه وما

سَأذكرُ ما أنا فيه وما

لقيتُ وأشرَحه ذاكِرا

لقيتُ وأشرَحه ذاكِرا

I shall recount the state I am in, and what

I will recount what state I'm in and what

I have suffered, and explain it as I recall it.

I have encountered, remembering,

ولو لَم أكُن شاعراً لاستَعَن

ولو لَم أكُن شاعراً لاستَعَن

تُ عَلى وَصفِ ما حلَّ بي شاعِرا

تُ عَلى وَصفِ ما حلَّ بي شاعِرا

And were I not a poet, I would enlist

And had I not been a poet, a poet

a poet to describe what has befallen me.

would have aided describing what befell me,

وقد كنتُ أسبَلتُ من قبلِ ذا

وقد كنتُ أسبَلتُ من قبلِ ذا

كَ دَمعي علَى عَدَمي سايِرا

كَ دَمعي علَى عَدَمي سايِرا

And before that, I had already let flow

Previously, I let my tears flow over

my tears over my destitution as I went along,

my nothingness ceaselessly,

إلى أن أتى الشهرُ شَهرُ الصِّيا

إلى أن أتى الشهرُ شَهرُ الصِّيا

مِ فأبرزَه وابتَدا ناشِرا

مِ فأبرزَه وابتَدا ناشِرا

until the month came—the month of fasting—

Until the month came, the month of fasting,

and exposed it, beginning to spread it abroad.

so it manifested and began to spread,

وصارَت لَياليهِ أيامُه

وصارَت لَياليهِ أيامُه

أبيتُ به صائِماً ساهِرا

أبيتُ به صائِماً ساهِرا

And its days became its nights;

And its nights became its days

I pass the night in it, fasting and wakeful.

I spent awake, fasting, sleepless,

وأُنسيتُ أهلَ الندى والعُلى

وأُنسيتُ أهلَ الندى والعُلى

ومَن يذكرُ الزمنَ الغابِرا

ومَن يذكرُ الزمنَ الغابِرا

And I was made to forget the generous and the exalted—

And forgot the people of affection and sublimeness,

and who remembers times gone by?

and who recalls the bygone times,

وقلتُ نسيتُم بَقاياهُم

وقلتُ نسيتُم بَقاياهُم

فأذكرَني منهم جابِرا

فأذكرَني منهم جابِرا

And I said, 'You have forgotten those who remain of them';

And I said: you forgot their remnants

then I was reminded of Jabir, one of them:

so remember me amongst them, mending,

فتىً ورَّثَ المجدَ آباءهُ

فتىً ورَّثَ المجدَ آباءهُ

وقد يَرثُ الأوَّلُ الآخِرا

وقد يَرثُ الأوَّلُ الآخِرا

a youth who bequeathed glory to his forefathers—

A youth who inherited glory from his fathers

and the earlier may inherit from the later.

and the latter may inherit the former,

وكم سَحبوا من ثيابِ العُلى

وكم سَحبوا من ثيابِ العُلى

ومن طَرزِها الفاخِر الفاخِرا

ومن طَرزِها الفاخِر الفاخِرا

And how many robes of eminence they have trailed,

And how they donned the garments of eminence

and splendid pieces of their splendid embroidery!

and its splendid embroideries, splendid,

وقد نَزلوا في محلِّ السِّماكِ

وقد نَزلوا في محلِّ السِّماكِ

علواً حَكوا نَوأهُ الماطِرا

علواً حَكوا نَوأهُ الماطِرا

And they have settled at al-Simak's station,

And they descended to the abode of power

in loftiness, matching its rain-bringing stellar season.

and ascended; its downpour related its path,

ودلَّت ولايَتُه الطاهِري

ودلَّت ولايَتُه الطاهِري

نَ أنَّ له مَولِداً طاهِرا

نَ أنَّ له مَولِداً طاهِرا

And his allegiance to the pure ones showed

And his pure governance indicated

that his birth was pure.

that he has a pure birth,