أَفيقي مِن مَلامِكِ يا ظَعينا

أَفيقي مِن مَلامِكِ يا ظَعينا

كَفاكِ اللَومَ مَرُّ الأَربَعينا

كَفاكِ اللَومَ مَرُّ الأَربَعينا

Awake from your reproach, O lady of the howdah.

Awaken from your angels, O thou who blamest

Forty years gone by are reproach enough for you.

You have blamed enough, you who are past forty

أَلَم تَحزُنكِ أَحداثُ اللَيالي

أَلَم تَحزُنكِ أَحداثُ اللَيالي

يُشَيِّبنَ الذَوائِبَ وَالقُرونا

يُشَيِّبنَ الذَوائِبَ وَالقُرونا

Have the events of the nights not saddened you?

Have not the events of the nights saddened you

They turn forelocks and braids gray.

That whiten the locks and the horns

إِذا لَم تَتَّعِظ بِالشَيبِ نَفسي

إِذا لَم تَتَّعِظ بِالشَيبِ نَفسي

فَما تُغني عِظاتُ الواعِظينا

فَما تُغني عِظاتُ الواعِظينا

If my soul takes no warning from gray hair,

If your soul is not admonished by the white hair

what use are the admonitions of admonishers?

Then the preaching of the preachers does not benefit

عَلى أَنّي وَإِن وَقَّرتُ شَيبي

عَلى أَنّي وَإِن وَقَّرتُ شَيبي

أُشاقُ إِذا لَقيتُ الوامِقينا

أُشاقُ إِذا لَقيتُ الوامِقينا

Yet, though I honor my gray hair,

Although I acknowledged my white hair

I am stirred to longing when I meet lovers.

I resist when I meet the resistant

وَأَهوى أَن تُخَبِّرَني سُلَيمى

وَأَهوى أَن تُخَبِّرَني سُلَيمى

وَأُخبِرَها بِما كُنّا لَقينا

وَأُخبِرَها بِما كُنّا لَقينا

And I long for Sulayma to tell me,

And I love that Sulayma tell me

and for me to tell her what we had encountered.

And I tell her what we have met

أَحَبُّ ذَخيرَةٍ وَأَحَبُّ عِلقٍ

أَحَبُّ ذَخيرَةٍ وَأَحَبُّ عِلقٍ

إِلَيَّ الغانِياتُ وَإِن غَنينا

إِلَيَّ الغانِياتُ وَإِن غَنينا

The dearest treasure and dearest precious possession

I love the singing girl and I love the flute

to me are beautiful women, even if they have no need of me.

The singers are dear to me even if they sang

وَكُلُّ بُكاءِ رَبعٍ أَو مَشيبٍ

وَكُلُّ بُكاءِ رَبعٍ أَو مَشيبٍ

نُبَكّيهِ فَهُنَّ بِهِ عُنينا

نُبَكّيهِ فَهُنَّ بِهِ عُنينا

And every lament for a dwelling or for gray hair

And all the weeping of a quarter or graying

that we weep—it is they we have in mind.

We weep for it, so they are our eyes

أُحِبُّ الشَيبَ لَمّا قيلَ ضَيفٌ

أُحِبُّ الشَيبَ لَمّا قيلَ ضَيفٌ

لِحُبّي لِلضُيوفِ النازِلينا

لِحُبّي لِلضُيوفِ النازِلينا

I love gray hair, since it was called a guest,

I love white hair when it was said a guest

because I love guests who come to stay.

For my love of the guests who descend

وَما نَيلُ المَكارِمِ بِالتَمَنّي

وَما نَيلُ المَكارِمِ بِالتَمَنّي

وَلا بِالقَولِ يُبلي الفاعِلونا

وَلا بِالقَولِ يُبلي الفاعِلونا

Noble virtues are not attained by wishing,

And we do not gain virtues by wishing

nor by words; doers prove their worth.

Nor by words do the doers become perfect

أُحَيّي الغُرَّ مِن سَرَواتِ قَومي

أُحَيّي الغُرَّ مِن سَرَواتِ قَومي

وَلا حُيِّيتِ عَنّا يا مَدينا

وَلا حُيِّيتِ عَنّا يا مَدينا

I salute the illustrious among my people's chiefs,

I greet the courage of the steeds of my people

but may you receive no greeting from us, O Madina.

And you were not greeted O city

فَإِن يَكُ آلُ إِسرائيلَ مِنكُمُ

فَإِن يَكُ آلُ إِسرائيلَ مِنكُمُ

وَكُنتُم بِالأَعاجِمِ فاخِرينا

وَكُنتُم بِالأَعاجِمِ فاخِرينا

If the house of Israel is of your people,

If you are the Children of Israel

and you were boasting of the non-Arabs,

And you were proudly boasting of foreigners

فَلا تَنسَ الخَنازيرَ اللَواتي

فَلا تَنسَ الخَنازيرَ اللَواتي

مُسِخنَ مَعَ القُرودِ الخاسِئينا

مُسِخنَ مَعَ القُرودِ الخاسِئينا

then do not forget the swine that

Then do not forget the pigs which

were transformed along with the despised apes.

Were transmuted with the despised monkeys

بِأَيلَةَ وَالخَليجِ لَهُم رُسومٌ

بِأَيلَةَ وَالخَليجِ لَهُم رُسومٌ

وَآثارٌ قَدُمنَ وَما مُحينا

وَآثارٌ قَدُمنَ وَما مُحينا

At Ayla and the Gulf they have traces,

In Ayla and the Gulf they have customs

and vestiges grown old but not erased.

And traces of feet but we erased

وَهُم كَتَبوا الكِتابَ بِبابِ مَروٍ

وَهُم كَتَبوا الكِتابَ بِبابِ مَروٍ

وَبابِ الصينِ كانوا الكاتِبينا

وَبابِ الصينِ كانوا الكاتِبينا

And they wrote the inscription at Marw's gate,

And the search of the Read Sea is not the quest of danger

and at China's gate they were the writers.

But we set out for our victory

وَهُم سَمَّوا سَمَرقَنداً بِشِمرِ

وَهُم سَمَّوا سَمَرقَنداً بِشِمرِ

وَهُم غَرَسوا هُناكَ التُبَّتينا

وَهُم غَرَسوا هُناكَ التُبَّتينا

And they named Samarqand after Shimr,

Nizar knew that my people

and they planted the Tibetans there.

Were foremost in supporting the prophecy

وَفي صَنَمِ المَغارِبِ فَوقَ رَملٍ

وَفي صَنَمِ المَغارِبِ فَوقَ رَملٍ

تَسيلُ تَلولُهُ سَيلَ السَفينا

تَسيلُ تَلولُهُ سَيلَ السَفينا

And in the idol of the western lands, above sand

Some virtuous men purified themselves from us

whose dunes flow like ships.

And God's love is for the purified

وَما طَلَبُ الكُميتِ طِلابُ وِترٍ

وَما طَلَبُ الكُميتِ طِلابُ وِترٍ

وَلَكِنّا لِنُصرَتِنا هُجينا

وَلَكِنّا لِنُصرَتِنا هُجينا

Al-Kumayt's quest is no quest for blood vengeance,

And He revealed a verse that those who fight them

but we were lampooned for our aid.

He will punish them by your hands in diverse ways

لَقَد عَلِمَت نِزارٌ أَنَّ قَومي

لَقَد عَلِمَت نِزارٌ أَنَّ قَومي

إِلى نَصرِ النُبُوَّةِ سابِقينا

إِلى نَصرِ النُبُوَّةِ سابِقينا

Nizar knows full well that my people

And disgrace them and give you victory over them

were foremost in supporting prophethood.

And heal the breasts of a believing folk

تَطَهَّرَ مِن أَفاضِلِنا رِجالٌ

تَطَهَّرَ مِن أَفاضِلِنا رِجالٌ

وَحُبُّ اللَهِ لِلمُتَطَهَّرينا

وَحُبُّ اللَهِ لِلمُتَطَهَّرينا

Men among our finest purified themselves,

So if you said the Messenger of God is from us

and God's love is for those who purify themselves.

Then Muhammad is for all Muslims

وَأَنزَلَ آيَةً أَن قاتِلوهُم

وَأَنزَلَ آيَةً أَن قاتِلوهُم

يُعَذِّبهُم بِأَيديكُم فُنونا

يُعَذِّبهُم بِأَيديكُم فُنونا

And He revealed a verse: Fight them;

From which paganism did Quraysh emerge

He will punish them through your hands in many ways,

And they were a confederation of liars

وَيُخزِهِمُ وَيَنصُركُم عَلَيهِم

وَيُخزِهِمُ وَيَنصُركُم عَلَيهِم

وَيَشفِ صُدورَ قَومٍ مُؤمِنينا

وَيَشفِ صُدورَ قَومٍ مُؤمِنينا

and disgrace them, and grant you victory over them,

With this young Qurashi man we killed

and heal the hearts of a believing people.

Their ally, the Commander of the Faithful

فَإِن قُلتُم رَسولُ اللَهِ مِنّا

فَإِن قُلتُم رَسولُ اللَهِ مِنّا

فَإِنَّ مُحَمَّداً لِلمُسلِمينا

فَإِنَّ مُحَمَّداً لِلمُسلِمينا

If you say, 'God's Messenger is one of us,'

And Marwan we killed for Yazid

then Muhammad belongs to the Muslims.

Thus is our judgment upon the aggressors

مِن أَيِّ ثَنِيَّةٍ طَلَعَت قُرَيشٌ

مِن أَيِّ ثَنِيَّةٍ طَلَعَت قُرَيشٌ

وَكانوا مَعشَراً مُتَنَبِّطينا

وَكانوا مَعشَراً مُتَنَبِّطينا

From which mountain pass did Quraysh emerge,

And with Ibn Al-Simt from us we killed

while they were a people turned Nabataean?

Muhammad son of Harun the Trustworthy

قَتَلنا بِالفَتى القَسرِيِّ مِنهُم

قَتَلنا بِالفَتى القَسرِيِّ مِنهُم

وَليدَهُمُ أَميرَ المُؤمِنينا

وَليدَهُمُ أَميرَ المُؤمِنينا

We killed, in revenge for the Qasri youth, one of them—

We forcibly killed Al-Harith Al-Qasri

their Walid, Commander of the Faithful.

Abu Layla though he was a refined young man

وَمَرواناً قَتَلنا عَن يَزيدٍ

وَمَرواناً قَتَلنا عَن يَزيدٍ

كَذاكَ قَضاؤُنا في المُعتَدينا

كَذاكَ قَضاؤُنا في المُعتَدينا

And we killed Marwan in revenge for Yazid;

So whoever's murder was in the market, we

such is our judgment on transgressors.

Made the killing of the caliphs a religion

وَبِاِبنِ السِمطِ مِنّا قَد قَتَلنا

وَبِاِبنِ السِمطِ مِنّا قَد قَتَلنا

مُحَمَّداً اِبنَ هارونَ الأَمينا

مُحَمَّداً اِبنَ هارونَ الأَمينا

And for Ibn al-Simt, one of us, we killed

Muhammad al-Amin, son of Harun.

قَتَلنا الحارِثَ القَسرِيَّ قَسراً

قَتَلنا الحارِثَ القَسرِيَّ قَسراً

أَبا لَيلى وَكانَ فَتىً أَثينا

أَبا لَيلى وَكانَ فَتىً أَثينا

We killed al-Harith al-Qasri by force,

Abu Layla, who was a sinful youth.

فَمَن يَكُ قَتلُهُ سوقاً فَإِنّا

فَمَن يَكُ قَتلُهُ سوقاً فَإِنّا

جَعَلنا مَقتَلَ الخُلَفاءِ دينا

جَعَلنا مَقتَلَ الخُلَفاءِ دينا

So whoever makes killing his trade, we

have made the killing of caliphs a creed.