وَبِالحيرَةِ البَيضاءِ شَيخٌ مُسَلَّطٌ

وَبِالحيرَةِ البَيضاءِ شَيخٌ مُسَلَّطٌ

إِذا حَلَفَ الأَيمان بِاللَهِ بَرَّتِ

إِذا حَلَفَ الأَيمان بِاللَهِ بَرَّتِ

And in white al-Hira, an elder vested with power—

And in white al-Hirah is an elder vested with power;

In the radiant White Quarter there's a chief with absolute power.

when he swears his oaths by God, they come true.

when he swears oaths by God, they are fulfilled.

When he swears an oath in God's name, it's kept to the letter.

لَقَد حَلَقوا مِنّي غُدافاً كَأَنَّهُ

لَقَد حَلَقوا مِنّي غُدافاً كَأَنَّهُ

عَناقيدُ كَرمٍ أَينَعَت فَاِسبَكَرَّتِ

عَناقيدُ كَرمٍ أَينَعَت فَاِسبَكَرَّتِ

They have indeed shorn from me raven-black hair, as though it were

They have indeed shaved from me a mass of raven-black hair, as though it were

They plucked from me bunches as though they were clusters

grapevine clusters, ripened and hanging luxuriant.

grape clusters that had ripened and grown long.

Of ripened grapes from a vine when vintage was over.

فَظَلَّ العَذارى يَومَ تُحلَقُ لِمَّتي

فَظَلَّ العَذارى يَومَ تُحلَقُ لِمَّتي

عَلى عجلٍ يَلقُطنَها حَيثُ خَرَّتِ

عَلى عجلٍ يَلقُطنَها حَيثُ خَرَّتِ

And all the day my tresses were shorn, the maidens kept

So the maidens, on the day my locks were shaved, kept

So the virgins, the day my hair was shorn for my sake,

hurriedly gathering them wherever they fell.

hurriedly gathering them up wherever they fell.

Ran behind me picking it up wherever it fell.