أَلَم يَكُ جَهلاً بَعدَ سِتّينَ حِجَّةً

أَلَم يَكُ جَهلاً بَعدَ سِتّينَ حِجَّةً

تَذَكُّرُ أُمِّ الفَضلِ وَالرَأسِ شَيبُ

تَذَكُّرُ أُمِّ الفَضلِ وَالرَأسِ شَيبُ

Was it not folly, after sixty years,

Was it not still ignorance after sixty clear proofs

to remember Umm al-Fadl, with a head gone gray,

To remember the mother of virtue and the hoary head?

وَقيلُكَ هَل مَعروفُها راجِعٌ لَنا

وَقيلُكَ هَل مَعروفُها راجِعٌ لَنا

وَلَيسَ لِشَيءٍ قَد تَفاوَتَ مَطلَبُ

وَلَيسَ لِشَيءٍ قَد تَفاوَتَ مَطلَبُ

and to say, “Will her kindness return to us?”

And it was said to you, “Is her kindness to us lasting?”

when there is no attaining what has passed beyond reach,

And no longed-for thing remains as it was in the past.

عَلى حينَ وَلّى الدَهرُ إِلّا أَقَلَّهُ

عَلى حينَ وَلّى الدَهرُ إِلّا أَقَلَّهُ

وَكادَت بَقايا آخِرِ العَيشِ تَذهَبُ

وَكادَت بَقايا آخِرِ العَيشِ تَذهَبُ

at a time when life has passed, save the least of it,

When time changes, only its worst remains,

and the remnants of life's final days are almost gone?

And the last remnants of life are near to passing.

فَإِن تُؤذِنينا بِالفِراقِ فَلَستُمُ

فَإِن تُؤذِنينا بِالفِراقِ فَلَستُمُ

بِأَوَّلِ مَن يَنأى وَمَن يَتَجَنَّبُ

بِأَوَّلِ مَن يَنأى وَمَن يَتَجَنَّبُ

So if you tell us of parting, you are not

If you dismiss us, you are not

the first to go far away and keep apart.

The first to turn away and avoid.

وَكَم مِن حَبيبٍ قَد تَناسَيتُ وَصلَهُ

وَكَم مِن حَبيبٍ قَد تَناسَيتُ وَصلَهُ

يَكادُ فُؤادي إِثرَهُ يَتَلَهَّبُ

يَكادُ فُؤادي إِثرَهُ يَتَلَهَّبُ

And many a beloved's companionship I have tried to forget,

How many a beloved have I forgotten whose affection

though my heart almost blazes in his wake.

My heart, its trace, is near to burning up!

أَلَسنا بِمَحقوقينَ أَن نُجهِدَ السُرى

أَلَسنا بِمَحقوقينَ أَن نُجهِدَ السُرى

وَأَن يُرقِصَ التالي لَنا وَهوَ مُتعَبُ

وَأَن يُرقِصَ التالي لَنا وَهوَ مُتعَبُ

Are we not duty-bound to push on through the night,

Are we not wronged that we exert the companionship

and have our follower set the mounts bounding, weary though he is,

And the next one dances for us, and he is tired?

إِلى خَيرِ مَن تَحتَ السَماءِ أَمانَةً

إِلى خَيرِ مَن تَحتَ السَماءِ أَمانَةً

وَأَولاهُ بِالحَقِّ الَّذي لا يُكَذَّبُ

وَأَولاهُ بِالحَقِّ الَّذي لا يُكَذَّبُ

toward the most trustworthy of all beneath the sky,

To the best of all beneath the sky in trust

and the most deserving of the right that cannot be denied?

And in truth, which is not denied.

تُعارِضُ بِاللَيلِ النُجومَ رِكابُنا

تُعارِضُ بِاللَيلِ النُجومَ رِكابُنا

وَبِالشَمسِ حَتّى تَأفُلَ الشَمسُ تُذأَبُ

وَبِالشَمسِ حَتّى تَأفُلَ الشَمسُ تُذأَبُ

Our riding-camels keep abreast of the stars by night,

Our mounts challenge the stars by night

and in the sun are driven hard until the sun sets.

And the sun, until the sun sinks down melted.

أُنيخَت وَما تَدري أَما في ظُهورِها

أُنيخَت وَما تَدري أَما في ظُهورِها

مِنَ القَرحِ أَم ما في المَناسِمِ أَنقَبُ

مِنَ القَرحِ أَم ما في المَناسِمِ أَنقَبُ

They were made to kneel, unsure whether the damage on their backs

She swooned, and does not know whether in her back

from sores, or that in their hoof-pads, had cut more deeply.

Are wounds or what is in the vertebrae is dug up.

حَلَفتُ بِأَيدي البُدنِ تَدمى نُحورُها

حَلَفتُ بِأَيدي البُدنِ تَدمى نُحورُها

نَهاراً وَما ضَمَّ الصِفاحُ وَكَبكَبُ

نَهاراً وَما ضَمَّ الصِفاحُ وَكَبكَبُ

I swore by the forelegs of the sacrificial camels, their throats bleeding

I swear by the hands of the bodies damp with blood

by day, and by all that al-Sifah and Kabkab encompass:

By day, and the warrior did not bandage and dress.

لَأُمٌّ أَتَتنا بِالوَليدِ خَليفَةً

لَأُمٌّ أَتَتنا بِالوَليدِ خَليفَةً

مِنَ الشَمسِ لَو كانَ اِبنُها البَدرُ أَنجَبُ

مِنَ الشَمسِ لَو كانَ اِبنُها البَدرُ أَنجَبُ

surely a mother who brought us al-Walid as caliph

A mother brought us a baby successor

has borne nobler offspring than the sun, even were the full moon her son.

From the sun, if its son were the full moon begotten.

وَإِن شِئتَ مِن عَبسٍ بِكَ مِنهُمُ

وَإِن شِئتَ مِن عَبسٍ بِكَ مِنهُمُ

أَبٌ لَكَ طَلّابُ التُراثِ مَطالِبُ

أَبٌ لَكَ طَلّابُ التُراثِ مَطالِبُ

And if you wish, among Abs you have one of their own:

And if you wish for a father through them for you—

a forefather of yours, an eager seeker and claimant of inheritance.

Seekers of heritage, desiring are fathers for you.

وَمِن عَبدُ شَمسٍ أَنتَ سادِسُ سِتَّةٍ

وَمِن عَبدُ شَمسٍ أَنتَ سادِسُ سِتَّةٍ

خِلائِفَ كانوا مِنهُمُ العَمُّ وَالأَبُ

خِلائِفَ كانوا مِنهُمُ العَمُّ وَالأَبُ

And from Abd Shams you are the sixth of six

And from Abd Shams, you are the sixth of six

caliphs, among whom were your uncle and father,

Successors, of whom were the uncle and father.

هُداةً وَمَهدِيِّينَ عُثمانُ مِنهُمُ

هُداةً وَمَهدِيِّينَ عُثمانُ مِنهُمُ

وَمَروانُ وَاِبنُ الأَبطَحَينِ المُطَيَّبُ

وَمَروانُ وَاِبنُ الأَبطَحَينِ المُطَيَّبُ

guides and rightly guided—Uthman among them,

Guides and rightly-guiding—of them, Uthman

and Marwan, and the perfumed son of the two Abtahs—

And Marwan and Ibn al-Abtahayn, made fragrant.

أَبوكَ الَّذي كانَت لُؤَيُّ بنُ غالِبٍ

أَبوكَ الَّذي كانَت لُؤَيُّ بنُ غالِبٍ

لَهُ مِن نَواصيها الصَريحُ المَهَذَّبُ

لَهُ مِن نَواصيها الصَريحُ المَهَذَّبُ

your father, whose descent from Lu'ayy ibn Ghalib

Your father, for whom the decisive Lu’ayy ibn Ghalib

was pure and refined, from that clan's foremost stock.

Had the eloquent sword, elegant and polished.

تَصَعَّدَ جَدٌّ بِالوَليدِ إِلى الَّتي

تَصَعَّدَ جَدٌّ بِالوَليدِ إِلى الَّتي

أَرى كُلُّ جَدٍّ دونَها يَتَصَوَّبُ

أَرى كُلُّ جَدٍّ دونَها يَتَصَوَّبُ

Fortune has raised al-Walid to a height

An ancestor ascended through al-Walid to her

below which I see every other fortune descending.

Whom I see every ancestor beneath her desiring favor.

أَرى الثَقَلَينِ الجِنَّ وَالإِنسَ أَصبَحا

أَرى الثَقَلَينِ الجِنَّ وَالإِنسَ أَصبَحا

يَمُدّانِ أَعناقاً إِلَيكَ تَقَرَّبُ

يَمُدّانِ أَعناقاً إِلَيكَ تَقَرَّبُ

I see the two races, jinn and humankind, now

I see the two races, jinn and mankind, have risen

stretching their necks toward you, drawing near.

Extending necks to you, drawing near.

وَما مِنهُما إِلّا يُرَجّي كَرامَةً

وَما مِنهُما إِلّا يُرَجّي كَرامَةً

بِكَفَّيكَ أَو يَخشى العِقابَ فَيَهرُبُ

بِكَفَّيكَ أَو يَخشى العِقابَ فَيَهرُبُ

None of either kind but hopes for a generous favor

And neither of them but hopes for honor

from your two palms, or fears punishment and flees.

Through your hands or fears punishment, so flees.

وَما دونَ كَفَّيكَ اِنتِهاءٌ لِراغِبٍ

وَما دونَ كَفَّيكَ اِنتِهاءٌ لِراغِبٍ

وَلا لِمُناهُ مِن وَرائِكَ مَذهَبُ

وَلا لِمُناهُ مِن وَرائِكَ مَذهَبُ

And no seeker stops short of your two palms,

And beneath your hands is no end for one who desires

nor have his hopes any path beyond you.

And no refuge for one who retreats behind you.