كَأَنّي إِذا ما كُنتُ عِندَكَ مُشرِفٌ

كَأَنّي إِذا ما كُنتُ عِندَكَ مُشرِفٌ

عَلى صَعبِ سَلمى حَيثُ كانَ لَها فَحلا

عَلى صَعبِ سَلمى حَيثُ كانَ لَها فَحلا

It is as though, whenever I am with you, I stand looking down

As though, whenever I am with you, I stand aloft

from a forbidding height: your speech is my ladder, a mighty steed for the climb.

upon Salma's rugged peak, where it stood as her mate.

وَكَم مِثلُ هَذي مِن عَضوضٍ مُلِحَّةٍ

وَكَم مِثلُ هَذي مِن عَضوضٍ مُلِحَّةٍ

عَلَيَّ تَرى مِنها نَواجِذَها عُصلا

عَلَيَّ تَرى مِنها نَواجِذَها عُصلا

How many another relentless, biting calamity like this

And many a biting, relentless calamity like this

does one see bare its crooked molars against me!

pressed upon me, its crooked molars plain to see.

فِدىً لَكَ أُمّي عِندَ كُلِّ عَظيمَةٍ

فِدىً لَكَ أُمّي عِندَ كُلِّ عَظيمَةٍ

إِذا أَنا لَم أَسطَع لِأَمثالِها حَملا

إِذا أَنا لَم أَسطَع لِأَمثالِها حَملا

May my mother be your ransom at every grave calamity,

May my mother be your ransom at every great calamity,

if I cannot bear the likes of it.

when I could not bear the like of it!

دَفَعتَ وَمَخشِيٍّ رَداها مَهيبَةٍ

دَفَعتَ وَمَخشِيٍّ رَداها مَهيبَةٍ

جَعَلتَ سَبيلي مِن مَطالِعِها سَهلا

جَعَلتَ سَبيلي مِن مَطالِعِها سَهلا

You drove it back—dreaded for its deadly end, awe-inspiring—

You repelled it; and many a fearsome peril, whose ruin was dreaded,

and made my path easy past the places where it loomed.

you made my path through its ascents easy.

وَكُنتُ أُنادي بِاِسمِكَ الخَيرَ لِلَّتي

وَكُنتُ أُنادي بِاِسمِكَ الخَيرَ لِلَّتي

تَخافُ بَناتي أَن تُصيبَ بِها ثُكلا

تَخافُ بَناتي أَن تُصيبَ بِها ثُكلا

I would invoke your name—the surest good a man may have—

And I would invoke your noble name against that

when my daughters feared it might strike them with bereavement.

through which my daughters feared to suffer bereavement.

كَفَيتَ الَّتي يَخشَينَ مِنها كَما كَفى

كَفَيتَ الَّتي يَخشَينَ مِنها كَما كَفى

أَبو خالِدٍ بِالشَأمِ أَخطَلَةَ القَتلى

أَبو خالِدٍ بِالشَأمِ أَخطَلَةَ القَتلى

You warded off what they feared, just as

You spared them what they feared from it, just as

Abu Khalid in Syria spared his Akhtal from slaughter.

Abu Khalid in Syria spared Akhtala the fate of the slain.

وَيَومٍ تُرى فيهِ النُجومُ شَهِدتَهُ

وَيَومٍ تُرى فيهِ النُجومُ شَهِدتَهُ

تَعاوَرُ خَيلاهُ الأَسِنَّةَ وَالنُبلا

تَعاوَرُ خَيلاهُ الأَسِنَّةَ وَالنُبلا

And many a day when stars could be seen, you witnessed—

And many a day when the stars were visible—you witnessed it,

its cavalry taking turns assailing it with lanceheads and arrows.

its two cavalry forces exchanging spearheads and arrows.

كَأَنَّ ذُكورَ الخَيلِ في غَمَراتِهِ

كَأَنَّ ذُكورَ الخَيلِ في غَمَراتِهِ

يَخُضنَ إِذا أُكرِهنَ فيهِ بِهِ الوَحلا

يَخُضنَ إِذا أُكرِهنَ فيهِ بِهِ الوَحلا

Its stallions, amid its engulfing terrors, seemed

As though the stallions, amid its engulfing tumult,

to wade through mud when forced into its depths.

were wading through mud there whenever driven onward.

صَبَرتَ بِهِ نَفساً عَلَيكَ كَريمَةً

صَبَرتَ بِهِ نَفساً عَلَيكَ كَريمَةً

وَقَد عَلِموا أَلّا تَضَنَّ بِها بُخلا

وَقَد عَلِموا أَلّا تَضَنَّ بِها بُخلا

There you held steadfast a noble soul, precious to you,

There you held steadfast a soul precious to you,

though they knew you would never withhold it out of miserliness.

and they knew you would not withhold it out of miserliness.

تَجودُ بِها لِلَّهِ تَرجو ثَوابَهُ

تَجودُ بِها لِلَّهِ تَرجو ثَوابَهُ

وَلَيسَ بِمُعطٍ مِثلَها أَحَدٌ بَذلا

وَلَيسَ بِمُعطٍ مِثلَها أَحَدٌ بَذلا

You lavish it for God, hoping for His reward;

You give it freely for God's sake, hoping for His reward,

no one else gives its like so freely.

and no one gives an offering to equal it.

وَفِيٌّ إِذا ضَنَّ البَخيلُ بِمالِهِ

وَفِيٌّ إِذا ضَنَّ البَخيلُ بِمالِهِ

وَفِيٌّ إِذا أَعطى بِذِمَّتِهِ حَبلا

وَفِيٌّ إِذا أَعطى بِذِمَّتِهِ حَبلا

Faithful when the miser begrudges his wealth,

Faithful when the miser begrudges his wealth,

and faithful when he grants a binding bond under his protection.

faithful when he grants a cord of protection under his pledge.

حَلَفتُ بِما حَجَّت قُرَيشٌ وَنَحَّرَت

حَلَفتُ بِما حَجَّت قُرَيشٌ وَنَحَّرَت

غَداةَ مَضى العَشرُ المُجَلَّلَةَ الهُدلا

غَداةَ مَضى العَشرُ المُجَلَّلَةَ الهُدلا

I swear by that to which Quraysh made pilgrimage and at which it sacrificed,

I swore by Quraysh's pilgrimage and their slaughter

on the morning the ten slender, drooping-lipped camels went forth:

of draped, drooping-lipped camels on the morning the ten days had passed:

لَقَد أَدرَكَت كَفّاكَ نَفسِيَ بَعدَما

لَقَد أَدرَكَت كَفّاكَ نَفسِيَ بَعدَما

هَوَيتُ وَلَم تُثبِت بِها قَدَمٌ نَعلا

هَوَيتُ وَلَم تُثبِت بِها قَدَمٌ نَعلا

your two hands indeed caught and saved my life after

your two hands indeed caught my soul after

I had plunged down and my foot could gain no purchase there.

I had plunged, and no foot could plant a sandal firmly there.

بَنى لَكَ أَيّوبٌ أَبوكَ إِلى الَّتي

بَنى لَكَ أَيّوبٌ أَبوكَ إِلى الَّتي

تُبادِرُها الأَيدي وَكُنتَ لَها أَهلا

تُبادِرُها الأَيدي وَكُنتَ لَها أَهلا

Your father Ayyub built you a way to that high rank

Ayyub, your father, built you up to that station

for which hands compete—and you were worthy of it.

for which hands vie, and you were worthy of it.

أَبوكَ الَّذي تَدعو الفَوارِسُ بِاِسمِهِ

أَبوكَ الَّذي تَدعو الفَوارِسُ بِاِسمِهِ

إِذا خَطَرَت يَوماً أَسِنَّتُها بَسلا

إِذا خَطَرَت يَوماً أَسِنَّتُها بَسلا

Your father is he whose name the horsemen invoke

Your father, whose name the horsemen call,

when, one day, his spearpoints sweep fiercely into view.

when, on some day, their spearheads sway fiercely:

أَبٌ يُجبَرُ المَولى بِهِ وَتَمُدُّهُ

أَبٌ يُجبَرُ المَولى بِهِ وَتَمُدُّهُ

بُحورُ فُراتٍ لَم يَكُن ماؤُها ضَحلا

بُحورُ فُراتٍ لَم يَكُن ماؤُها ضَحلا

A father through whom the dependent is made whole and sustained

a father through whom the dependent is restored, and who is sustained

by seas of sweet water whose waters were never shallow.

by seas of sweet water whose waters were not shallow.