تَقولُ اِبنَتي أَينَ أَينَ الرَحيلُ

تَقولُ اِبنَتي أَينَ أَينَ الرَحيلُ

وَما البَينُ مِنّي بِمُستَنكَرِ

وَما البَينُ مِنّي بِمُستَنكَرِ

My daughter says, “Where, where are you bound?”

My daughter asks, where, where is the departure?

And parting on my part is nothing strange.

And separation from me is not strange to her.

فَقُلتُ دَعيني فَإِنّي اِمرُؤٌ

فَقُلتُ دَعيني فَإِنّي اِمرُؤٌ

أُريدُ النَجاشِيَّ في جَعفَرِ

أُريدُ النَجاشِيَّ في جَعفَرِ

So I said, “Leave me be, for I am a man

I said, "Leave me be, for I am a man

Who seeks the Negus concerning Ja‘far,

Who wants to see Al-Najashi in Ja'far.

لِأَكوِيَهُ عِندَهُ كَيَّةً

لِأَكوِيَهُ عِندَهُ كَيَّةً

أُقيمُ بِها نَخوَةَ الأَصعَرِ

أُقيمُ بِها نَخوَةَ الأَصعَرِ

To brand him in his presence with a searing mark,

That I may lament to him about a worry

With which I shall straighten the pride of the man who turns his neck in scorn.

Which I harbor, a weakness of the vulnerable.

وَإِنَّ اِنثِنائِيَ عَن هاشمٍ

وَإِنَّ اِنثِنائِيَ عَن هاشمٍ

بِما اِسطَعتُ في الغَيبِ وَالمَحضَرِ

بِما اِسطَعتُ في الغَيبِ وَالمَحضَرِ

And indeed I turn away from Hashim,

And my turning away from Hashim

With all I can muster, in absence and in presence,

Is with what I made public, in private and openly.

وَعَن عائِبِ اللاتِ في قَولِهِ

وَعَن عائِبِ اللاتِ في قَولِهِ

وَلَولا رِضا اللاتِ لَم نُمطَرِ

وَلَولا رِضا اللاتِ لَم نُمطَرِ

And from the man who reviles al-Lat in his speech;

And about the shame of Lat's pilgrims in his saying,

And were it not for al-Lat’s favor, we would have received no rain.

'Had Lat not approved, we'd have had no rain.'

وَإِنّي لأَشنا قُرَيشاً لَهُ

وَإِنّي لأَشنا قُرَيشاً لَهُ

وَإِن كانَ كَالذَهَبِ الأَحمَرِ

وَإِن كانَ كَالذَهَبِ الأَحمَرِ

And I truly hate Quraysh on his account,

I disparage Quraysh to him

Even if it were like red gold.”

Even if he's like red gold."