أَلا قَد أَرى وَاللَهِ أَن لَستُ مِنكُمُ

أَلا قَد أَرى وَاللَهِ أَن لَستُ مِنكُمُ

وَلا أَنتَمُ مِني وَإِن كُنتُمُ أَهلي

وَلا أَنتَمُ مِني وَإِن كُنتُمُ أَهلي

Lo, I see, by God, that I am not of you,

By God, I truly see that I do not belong among you,

nor are you of me, though you are my kin.

Nor do you belong to me, though you be my own kin.

وَإِنّي ثَويٌّ قَد أَحَمَّ اِنطِلاقَهُ

وَإِنّي ثَويٌّ قَد أَحَمَّ اِنطِلاقَهُ

يحيِّيهِ مَن حيّاهُ وَهوَ عَلى رَحَلِ

يحيِّيهِ مَن حيّاهُ وَهوَ عَلى رَحَلِ

And I am a sojourner who has resolved to depart;

I am but a sojourner whose departure is imminent,

whoever greets him greets him while he is in the saddle.

Who returns the greeting of his host while seated upon the saddle,

وَمُنطَلِقٌ مِنكُم بِغَيرِ صِحابَةٍ

وَمُنطَلِقٌ مِنكُم بِغَيرِ صِحابَةٍ

وَتابِعُ إِخواني الَّذينَ مَضوا قَبلي

وَتابِعُ إِخواني الَّذينَ مَضوا قَبلي

And I am leaving you without companions,

Setting forth from your midst without companionship,

and following my brothers who went before me.

Following my brothers who have passed on before me.

أَلَم أَكُ قَد صاحَبتُ عَمراً وَمالِكاً

أَلَم أَكُ قَد صاحَبتُ عَمراً وَمالِكاً

وَأَدهَم يَغدو في فَوارِسَ أَو رَجلِ

وَأَدهَم يَغدو في فَوارِسَ أَو رَجلِ

Did I not keep company with Amr and Malik,

Did I not once keep company with 'Amr and Malik,

and Adham, who went forth in the morning among horsemen or foot soldiers?

And Adham, riding forth at dawn amidst horsemen and foot soldiers?

وَصاحَبتُ شيباناً وَصاحَبتُ ضابياً

وَصاحَبتُ شيباناً وَصاحَبتُ ضابياً

وَصاحَبَني الشُمُّ الطِوالُ بِنو شبلِ

وَصاحَبَني الشُمُّ الطِوالُ بِنو شبلِ

And I kept company with Shayban and with Dabi,

And I kept company with Shayban, and with Dhabiy too,

and the proud, tall sons of Shibl kept company with me.

And the proud, tall sons of Shibl were my companions.

أُولَئِكَ إِخواني مَضَوا لِسَبيلَهُم

أُولَئِكَ إِخواني مَضَوا لِسَبيلَهُم

يَكادُ يُنسّيني تَذَكُّرهم عَقلي

يَكادُ يُنسّيني تَذَكُّرهم عَقلي

Those are my brothers; they have gone their way.

Those were my true brothers; they have gone on their way,

Remembering them almost robs me of my reason.

And remembering them nearly causes me to lose my mind.

يَقولُ أُناسٌ أَخلياء تناسَهم

يَقولُ أُناسٌ أَخلياء تناسَهم

وَلَيسَ بِناسٍ مِثلهُم أَبَداً مِثلي

وَلَيسَ بِناسٍ مِثلهُم أَبَداً مِثلي

Carefree people say, “Try to forget them.”

Carefree people say to me, "Forget them,"

But one like me will never forget the like of them.

But a man like me can never forget men like them.

أُلاكَ أَخِلائي إِذا ما ذَكَرتُهُم

أُلاكَ أَخِلائي إِذا ما ذَكَرتُهُم

بَكَيتُ بِعَينٍ ماءُ عَبرَتِها كُحلي

بَكَيتُ بِعَينٍ ماءُ عَبرَتِها كُحلي

Those are my dear friends; whenever I remember them,

They are my beloved friends; whenever I remember them,

I weep with an eye whose tears are my kohl.

I weep with eyes that use flowing tears as their kohl.

وَكانوا إِذا ما القَرُّ هَبَّت رياحُهُ

وَكانوا إِذا ما القَرُّ هَبَّت رياحُهُ

وَضَمَّ سَوادُ اللَيلِ رَحَلاً إِلى رَحلِ

وَضَمَّ سَوادُ اللَيلِ رَحَلاً إِلى رَحلِ

And they, when the winds of bitter cold blew,

For they were men who, when the bitter winds of winter blew,

and night's darkness drew saddle beside saddle,

And the darkness of night drove saddle close to saddle,

يَدرٌّونَ بِالسَيفِ الوَريدَينِ وَالنَسا

يَدرٌّونَ بِالسَيفِ الوَريدَينِ وَالنَسا

إِذا لَم يقِم راعي أُناسٍ إِلى رِسلِ

إِذا لَم يقِم راعي أُناسٍ إِلى رِسلِ

would make the two jugular veins and the thigh-vein gush with the sword,

Would strike with the sword the jugular and the hock of the camel,

when a people's herdsman would not rise for milk.

When the herdsman could rise to offer no milk to the tribe.

إِذا ما لَقوا أَقرانَهُم قَتَلوهُمُ

إِذا ما لَقوا أَقرانَهُم قَتَلوهُمُ

وَإِن قُتِلوا لَم يَقشَعرّوا مِنَ القَتلِ

وَإِن قُتِلوا لَم يَقشَعرّوا مِنَ القَتلِ

Whenever they met their peers in battle, they killed them,

When they met their equals in battle, they slew them,

and even if slain, they did not shudder at death.

And if they were slain, they did not shudder at the face of death.

وَكَم مِن أَسيرٍ قَد فَكَكتُم قُيودَهُ

وَكَم مِن أَسيرٍ قَد فَكَكتُم قُيودَهُ

وَسَجلَ دََمٍ أَهرقتُموهُ عَلى سَجلِ

وَسَجلَ دََمٍ أَهرقتُموهُ عَلى سَجلِ

And how many a captive you have freed from his shackles,

How many a captive have you released from his chains,

and bucketful upon bucketful of blood you have spilled!

And how many buckets of blood have you spilled upon buckets!