عَجَباً حارَبَني فيكَ وَكَظ

عَجَباً حارَبَني فيكَ وَكَظ

زَمَنٌ كانَ عَلى السَلمِ وَكَظ

زَمَنٌ كانَ عَلى السَلمِ وَكَظ

How strange! It warred against me over you and wore me down—

Strange it is how time fought me over you and grew oppressive,

Time, which had persisted in peace.

A time that was once at peace, yet now strikes a violent blow.

ما شَفى صَدري مِنَ القَومِ العدى

ما شَفى صَدري مِنَ القَومِ العدى

بِكَ حَتّى فُتَّ في عَضدي وَعَظ

بِكَ حَتّى فُتَّ في عَضدي وَعَظ

Scarcely had it brought my breast relief from hostile folk

It did not heal my breast of rage against the enemy tribe

Through you, when it sapped my arm’s strength and bit me.

Through you; instead, my strength was shattered and I was admonished.

وَأراني فيكَ يا اِبني عِظَةً

وَأراني فيكَ يا اِبني عِظَةً

لَمَّ أَحزاني بِها لما وَعَظ

لَمَّ أَحزاني بِها لما وَعَظ

And it showed me in you, my son, a lesson

It showed me in your fate, O my son, a solemn lesson,

Through which it gathered my sorrows when it admonished me.

That gathered all my sorrows when it preached its warning.

فَظَّ مِنّي الصَلدَ حَتّى فاضَ مِن

فَظَّ مِنّي الصَلدَ حَتّى فاضَ مِن

عَيني الماء وَإِن كُنت لَفَظ

عَيني الماء وَإِن كُنت لَفَظ

It split the hard rock within me, until there flowed from

It crushed the flinty rock within me until there poured

My eye water, though I was hard-hearted indeed.

Water from my eyes, though I was once unyielding stone.

يا هِلالَ السَعد لَم يَدرِ الوَرى

يا هِلالَ السَعد لَم يَدرِ الوَرى

نَثرَ الدرَّ عَلَيهِم أَم لَفَظ

نَثرَ الدرَّ عَلَيهِم أَم لَفَظ

O crescent of good fortune, mankind could not tell

O Crescent of Felicity, the people could not discern:

Whether he scattered pearls upon them or spoke.

Did he scatter pearls upon them, or did he merely speak?