إِلَيكَ مِنَ الصَمّانِ وَالرَملِ أَقبَلَت

إِلَيكَ مِنَ الصَمّانِ وَالرَملِ أَقبَلَت

تَخِبُّ وَتَخدي مِن بَعيدٍ سَباسِبُه

تَخِبُّ وَتَخدي مِن بَعيدٍ سَباسِبُه

Toward you she came from al-Samman and the sands,

From the radiant sands and the yellow dunes she came to you,

trotting and striding from a land of far-flung desert plains.

Swaying gently, her trailing robes billowing in the distance,

وَكائِن وَصَلنا لَيلَةً بِنَهارِها

وَكائِن وَصَلنا لَيلَةً بِنَهارِها

إِلَيكَ كِلا عَصرَيهِما أَنا دائِبُه

إِلَيكَ كِلا عَصرَيهِما أَنا دائِبُه

And how many a night we joined to its day

And we met one day and night when together they merged,

on the way to you; through both their spans I labored tirelessly.

To you through both their times I made my steady way.

لِنَلقاكَ وَاللاقيكَ يَعلَمُ أَنَّهُ

لِنَلقاكَ وَاللاقيكَ يَعلَمُ أَنَّهُ

إِلى خَيرِ أَهلِ الأَرضِ تُحدى رَكائِبُه

إِلى خَيرِ أَهلِ الأَرضِ تُحدى رَكائِبُه

To meet you; and whoever meets you knows that

That I might meet you, and the one who meets you knows

his riding camels are urged toward the best of earth's people.

He goes to meet the best of all the people of the earth.

أَقولُ لَها إِذ هَرَّتِ الأَرضُ وَاِشتَكَت

أَقولُ لَها إِذ هَرَّتِ الأَرضُ وَاِشتَكَت

حِجارَةَ صَوّانٍ تَذوبُ صَياهِبُه

حِجارَةَ صَوّانٍ تَذوبُ صَياهِبُه

I tell her, as she loathes the ground and complains

I say to her when the ground quaked and complained,

of flint stones whose dark masses melt.

The rocks of Sawaan will melt, their edges crumbling away.

فَإِنَّ هِشاماً إِن تُلاقيهِ سالِماً

فَإِنَّ هِشاماً إِن تُلاقيهِ سالِماً

تَكوني كَمَن بِالغَيثِ يَنصُرُ جانِبُه

تَكوني كَمَن بِالغَيثِ يَنصُرُ جانِبُه

For if you meet Hisham safe and sound,

For Hisham, if you meet him safe and well,

you will be like one whose land is succored by rain.

You will be as one helped in battle by the rain on his side.

لِتَأتِيَ خَيرَ الناسِ وَالمَلِكِ الَّذي

لِتَأتِيَ خَيرَ الناسِ وَالمَلِكِ الَّذي

لَهُ كُلُّ ضَوءٍ تَضمَحِلُّ كَواكِبُه

لَهُ كُلُّ ضَوءٍ تَضمَحِلُّ كَواكِبُه

To reach the best of men, the king

That you may come to the best of men and the king whose

before whom the stars of every radiance fade.

Light dims the shining stars however bright they shine.

تَرى الوَحشَ تَستَحيِيهِ وَالأَرضَ إِذ غَدا

تَرى الوَحشَ تَستَحيِيهِ وَالأَرضَ إِذ غَدا

لَهُ مُشرِقاً شَرقِيُّهُ وَمَغارِبُه

لَهُ مُشرِقاً شَرقِيُّهُ وَمَغارِبُه

You see the wild beasts abashed before him, and the earth, now grown

You see the wild beasts abashed before him, and the earth

radiant for him in its east and western reaches.

Rising in the east for him, setting in the west for him.

فُراتُ هِشامٍ وَالوَليدُ يَمُدُّهُ

فُراتُ هِشامٍ وَالوَليدُ يَمُدُّهُ

لِآلِ أَبي العاصي فُراتٌ يُغالِبُه

لِآلِ أَبي العاصي فُراتٌ يُغالِبُه

Hisham's Euphrates, which al-Walid replenishes,

Hisham’s Euphrates, and al-Walid who helps him

has a rival Euphrates in the house of Abu al-Asi.

Against the clan of Abu l-‘Aasi, a Euphrates defeating him.

عَلَيكَ كِلا مَوجَيهِما لَكَ يَلتَقي

عَلَيكَ كِلا مَوجَيهِما لَكَ يَلتَقي

عُبابُهُما في مُزبِدٍ لَكَ ثائِبُه

عُبابُهُما في مُزبِدٍ لَكَ ثائِبُه

Both their waves wash over you; for you converge

Upon you both their waves meet and break;

their floodwaters, in a foaming sea whose tide returns to you.

The foam of both flows to you, ever returning.

إِذا اِجتَمَعا في راحَتَيكَ كِلاهُما

إِذا اِجتَمَعا في راحَتَيكَ كِلاهُما

دُوَينَ كُبَيداتِ السَماءِ غَوارِبُه

دُوَينَ كُبَيداتِ السَماءِ غَوارِبُه

When both of them gather in your two palms,

When both are gathered in the palm of your hand

its crests lie just beneath the very heart of heaven.

The Pleiades of the sky have lost their glittering stars.

وَمِن أَينَ أَخشى الفَقرَ بَعدِ الَّذي اِلتَقى

وَمِن أَينَ أَخشى الفَقرَ بَعدِ الَّذي اِلتَقى

بِكَفَّيكَ مِن مَعروفِ ما أَنا طالِبُه

بِكَفَّيكَ مِن مَعروفِ ما أَنا طالِبُه

And how could I fear poverty after what has gathered

And whence should I fear poverty, after my hands

in your two hands of the bounty I seek?

Have met with your freely-given gifts sought from you?

فَإِنَّ ذُنوباً مِن سِجالِكَ مالِىءٌ

فَإِنَّ ذُنوباً مِن سِجالِكَ مالِىءٌ

حِياضي فَأَفرِغ لي ذُنوباً أُناهِبُه

حِياضي فَأَفرِغ لي ذُنوباً أُناهِبُه

For one bucketful from your brimming buckets fills

For fields of your registering favours brim over with sins;

my pools; pour me a bucketful that I may share.

Empty them out for me, that I may glean them!

أُناهِبُهُ الأَدنَينَ وَالأَبعَدَ الَّذي

أُناهِبُهُ الأَدنَينَ وَالأَبعَدَ الَّذي

أَتاكَ بِهِ مِن أَبعَدِ الأَرضِ جالِبُه

أَتاكَ بِهِ مِن أَبعَدِ الأَرضِ جالِبُه

I share it with those nearest, and the far-off man

Glean them, the nearest and farthest, brought to you

whose bearer brought him to you from earth's farthest reaches.

By him who came to you from the most distant of lands.

وَما مِنهُما إِلّا يَرى أَنَّ حَقَّهُ

وَما مِنهُما إِلّا يَرى أَنَّ حَقَّهُ

عَلَيكَ لَهُ يا اِبنَ الخَلايِفِ واجِبُه

عَلَيكَ لَهُ يا اِبنَ الخَلايِفِ واجِبُه

And each of the two believes his claim

And neither of them sees that his right upon you

upon you is owed to him, O son of caliphs.

Is binding, O son of Caliphs, his obligation upon you.

أَبى اللَهُ إِلّا نَصرَكُم بِجُنودِهِ

أَبى اللَهُ إِلّا نَصرَكُم بِجُنودِهِ

وَلَيسَ بِمَغلوبٍ مِنَ اللَهِ صاحِبُه

وَلَيسَ بِمَغلوبٍ مِنَ اللَهِ صاحِبُه

God has willed only your victory through His armies,

God willed only to help you with His soldiers,

and no one with God as his companion is defeated.

And he whose friend is God is not overcome.

وَكائِن إِلَيكُم قادَ مِن رَأسِ فِتنَةٍ

وَكائِن إِلَيكُم قادَ مِن رَأسِ فِتنَةٍ

جُنوداً وَأَمثالُ الجِبالِ كَتائِبُه

جُنوداً وَأَمثالُ الجِبالِ كَتائِبُه

And how many a leader of rebellion has led against you

And ever unto you from the head of sedition came armies

armies, his battalions like mountains!

With warriors, and battalions like mountains in numbers,

فَمِنهُنَّ أَيّامٌ بِصِفّينَ قَد مَضَت

فَمِنهُنَّ أَيّامٌ بِصِفّينَ قَد مَضَت

وَبِالمَرجِ وَالضَحّاكُ تَجري مَقانِبُه

وَبِالمَرجِ وَالضَحّاكُ تَجري مَقانِبُه

Among them were days at Siffin now past,

Among them days gone by at Siffin, and at Marj,

and at al-Marj, while al-Dahhak's cavalry squadrons raced.

The Day of Arbitration, its evil consequences still flow.

سَما لَهُما مَروانُ حَتّى أَراهُما

سَما لَهُما مَروانُ حَتّى أَراهُما

حِياضَ مَنايا المَوتِ حُمراً مَشارِبُه

حِياضَ مَنايا المَوتِ حُمراً مَشارِبُه

Marwan rose against them both, until he showed them

High were their waters for them until Marwan showed them

the pools of deadly fate, their drinking places crimson.

The cisterns of death red with blood for their drinking.

فَما قامَ بَعدَ الدارِ قَوّادُ فِتنَةٍ

فَما قامَ بَعدَ الدارِ قَوّادُ فِتنَةٍ

لِيُشعِلَها إِلّا وَمُروانُ ضارِبُه

لِيُشعِلَها إِلّا وَمُروانُ ضارِبُه

No leader of rebellion arose after the affair of the house

Ever since the abode was left masterless by the mischief-stirrer,

to set it ablaze without Marwan striking him.

Marwan was the kindler of its flames and its striker.

أَبى اللَهُ إِلّا أَنَّ مُلكَكُمُ الَّذي

أَبى اللَهُ إِلّا أَنَّ مُلكَكُمُ الَّذي

بِهِ ثَبَتَ الدينُ الشَديدُ نَصائِبُه

بِهِ ثَبَتَ الدينُ الشَديدُ نَصائِبُه

God has willed only that your dominion—

God willed that your kingdom which made strong

through which the faith stood firm—be strong in its pillars.

The resolute religion should have for itself battle days.