أَلا يا لَقَومي لِلنَّوائِبِ والدَّهرِ

أَلا يا لَقَومي لِلنَّوائِبِ والدَّهرِ

ولِلمَرءِ يُردي نَفسَهُ وَهوَ لا يَدري

ولِلمَرءِ يُردي نَفسَهُ وَهوَ لا يَدري

Ah, my people, alas for calamities and Time,

Alas, O my people, for adversity and time,

Oh my people, behold the calamities and Time, and how man destroys himself while unaware.

and for the man who ruins himself without knowing!

And for a man who brings ruin upon himself unknowing,

Oh, would that I knew of Umm Ma'mar, regarding the separation and abandonment we have met.

أَلا لَيتَ شِعري إِلى أُمِّ مَعمَرٍ

أَلا لَيتَ شِعري إِلى أُمِّ مَعمَرٍ

عَلى ما لَقينا مِن تَناءٍ وَمِن هَجرِ

عَلى ما لَقينا مِن تَناءٍ وَمِن هَجرِ

Ah, would that my verse could reach Umm Ma'mar,

Alas, would that I knew, to the mother of Ma'mar,

Agonies the heart endures in longing for her, and her memory arising when least expected.

despite the distance and estrangement we have endured.

What we have encountered of severance and estrangement,

O heart, no lover has loved as you have; O love for her, nothing entices as you entice.

تَباريحُ يَلقاها الفؤَادُ صَبابَةً

تَباريحُ يَلقاها الفؤَادُ صَبابَةً

إِلَيها وَذِكراها عَلى حينِ لا ذِكرِ

إِلَيها وَذِكراها عَلى حينِ لا ذِكرِ

Torments the heart suffers in yearning

My heart meets tribulations with patience,

Yet she holds no reward nor gratitude for the one whose heart is captivated by her.

for her, and in remembering her when remembrance is no more.

Toward her, though she is not remembered at times of remembrance,

I saw the man of this world, though he seems settled, as a traveler carried along while unaware.

فَيا قَلبُ لَم يأَلَف كإِلفِكَ آلِفُ

فَيا قَلبُ لَم يأَلَف كإِلفِكَ آلِفُ

وَيا حُبَّها لَم يُغرِ شَيءٌ كَما تُغري

وَيا حُبَّها لَم يُغرِ شَيءٌ كَما تُغري

So, O heart, no lover has loved as you have;

So my heart, none has loved as you have loved,

And how many righteous men the earth has swallowed, concealing them within a shimmering wasteland.

and, O love for her, nothing has enticed as you entice.

And her love, nothing has deluded like it has deluded,

Neither the mighty are feared for their majesty, nor are the lost left alone for their poverty.

وَما عِندَها لِلمُستَهامِ فؤادُهُ

وَما عِندَها لِلمُستَهامِ فؤادُهُ

بِها إِن أَلَمَّت مِن جَزاءٍ وَمِن شُكرِ

بِها إِن أَلَمَّت مِن جَزاءٍ وَمِن شُكرِ

And she has nothing for the man whose heart is love-crazed

And she has no reward for the one whose heart,

So when I saw that it is but a strike of the sword, or else closing one's eyes to unavenged wrong,

by her, should she visit—no recompense and no thanks.

Is afflicted with her, whether of recompense or gratitude,

I resolved upon a course that brings my father no shame, nor causes my grave to be cursed.

رأَيتُ أَخا الدُنيا وإِن كانَ خافِساً

رأَيتُ أَخا الدُنيا وإِن كانَ خافِساً

أَخا سَفَرٍ يُسرى بِهِ وَهوَ لا يَدري

أَخا سَفَرٍ يُسرى بِهِ وَهوَ لا يَدري

I have found this world's dweller, though he stays secluded,

I saw the brother of worldly life though he be ignoble,

We were attacked so we attacked, and our arrow met the death of a soul as written in destiny.

to be a traveler, borne along by night without knowing.

A brother of ease afforded him though he knows not,

And you are the Commander of the Faithful; we have no refuge beyond you, nor way to turn from you.

وَلِلأَرضِ كَم مِن صالِحٍ قَد تَلمَّأَت

وَلِلأَرضِ كَم مِن صالِحٍ قَد تَلمَّأَت

عَليهِ فَوارَتهُ بِلَمَّاعَةٍ قَفرِ

عَليهِ فَوارَتهُ بِلَمَّاعَةٍ قَفرِ

And how many a righteous man the earth has closed

And how many righteous were ruined in the land,

If the toll be in our wealth, we are not distressed by it; and if it be patience, then for patience we endure.

over, concealing him in a shimmering, barren waste!

It overflowed them with smoothly sliding ruin,

And if it be death—may you be bereft!—we shall endure the slaughter, for in wars we are masters of endurance.

فَلا ذا جَلالٍ هِبنَهُ لِجَلالِهِ

فَلا ذا جَلالٍ هِبنَهُ لِجَلالِهِ

وَلا ذا ضَياعٍ هُنَّ يُترَكنَ لِلفَقرِ

وَلا ذا ضَياعٍ هُنَّ يُترَكنَ لِلفَقرِ

So they have feared no man of majesty for his majesty,

So none of glory was saved by his glory,

How many a disaster there is, that if its slightest touch fell upon Time, the misfortunes of Time would bow before it.

nor do they spare a destitute man for his poverty.

And none of loss were left forlorn for poverty,

فَلَمَّا رأَيتُ أَنَّما هيَ ضَربَةٌ

فَلَمَّا رأَيتُ أَنَّما هيَ ضَربَةٌ

مِنَ السَيفِ أَو إِغضاءُ عَينٍ عَلى وِترِ

مِنَ السَيفِ أَو إِغضاءُ عَينٍ عَلى وِترِ

So when I saw that it was only a blow

When I saw that it was but a blow,

of the sword, or shutting one's eyes to an unavenged wrong,

From the sword or aversion of an eye upon a lute string,

عَمَدتُ لِأَمرٍ لا يُعيرُ والدي

عَمَدتُ لِأَمرٍ لا يُعيرُ والدي

خزايتَهُ وَلا يُسَبُّ بِهِ قَبري

خزايتَهُ وَلا يُسَبُّ بِهِ قَبري

I chose a course that would not shame my father

I set about a matter which does not shame my father

with its disgrace, nor have my grave reviled for it.

When revealed or for which my grave is blamed,

رُمينا فَرامَينا فَصادَفَ سَهمُنا

رُمينا فَرامَينا فَصادَفَ سَهمُنا

مَنيَّةَ نَفسٍ في كِتابٍ وَفي قَدرِ

مَنيَّةَ نَفسٍ في كِتابٍ وَفي قَدرِ

We were shot at, so we shot back, and our arrow met

We shot and so we shot and so our arrow

a soul's appointed death, written in a book and ordained by fate.

Struck the appointed death of a soul in a book and decree,

وأَنتَ أَميرُ المؤمِنينَ فَما لَنا

وأَنتَ أَميرُ المؤمِنينَ فَما لَنا

وَراءَكَ مِن مَعديً وَلا عَنكَ مِن قَصرِ

وَراءَكَ مِن مَعديً وَلا عَنكَ مِن قَصرِ

And you are Commander of the Faithful; so we have

And you, O Commander of the Faithful, we have,

no escape beyond you, nor any turning away from you.

No refuge beyond you nor any might beside yours,

فإِن تَكُ في أَموالِنا لا نَضِق بِها

فإِن تَكُ في أَموالِنا لا نَضِق بِها

ذِراعاً وإِن صَبرٌ فَنَصبِرُ لِلصَّبرِ

ذِراعاً وإِن صَبرٌ فَنَصبِرُ لِلصَّبرِ

So if it concerns our wealth, we shall not find it

If you begrudge us our wealth we extend not a cubit,

beyond our strength; if confinement, we shall endure confinement.

And if patience, then we patiently endure patience,

وإِن يَكُ قَتلٌ لا أَبالَكَ نَصطَبِر

وإِن يَكُ قَتلٌ لا أَبالَكَ نَصطَبِر

عَلى القَتلِ إِنّا في الحُروبِ أُلو صَبرِ

عَلى القَتلِ إِنّا في الحُروبِ أُلو صَبرِ

And if it is killing—no father have you!—we shall endure

And if it be killing, you care not, we endure

being killed; in wars, we are men of endurance.

Killing, for in wars we are wont to patience,

وَكَم نَكبَةٍ لَو أنَّ أَدنى مُرورِها

وَكَم نَكبَةٍ لَو أنَّ أَدنى مُرورِها

عَلى الدَهرِ ذَلَّت عِندَها نوَبُ الدَهرِ

عَلى الدَهرِ ذَلَّت عِندَها نوَبُ الدَهرِ

And many a calamity—if even its slightest passing

And how many calamities, if the least of them,

fell upon Time, Time's calamities would be humbled before it!

Passed over time, would humble the highs of time.